Joe, here are two great chocolate cake recipes. You might want to include one of these in your party.

Kel
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Fabulous Chocolate Cake
Posted by Kelly, August 28, 2001

This may take a little more time, but the results are sure worth it!

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter-flavored Crisco shortening (solid)
4 heaping Tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
4 heaping Tablespoons cocoa
6 to 8 Tablespoons milk
3/4 box powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Ingredients must be mixed in proper order for best results.

Cake: Sift flour, sugar, and salt together. Set aside. In a saucepan, mix butter, Crisco, water, and cocoa. Heat until it almost boils. Pour over dry ingredients. Beat well by hand. Add soda and buttermilk and beat gently only to mix. Add eggs and vanilla last. Mix gently. Pour into 9 x 13 inch greased and floured pan. Bake for 20 minutes only. 10 minutes into baking time, start to make frosting.

Frosting: Mix ingredients together in microwavable bowl. Heat in microwave until warm only. Pour over cake immediately after removing cake from oven.
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CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE AND MORE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Posted By: Becky,LA
Date: September 11th 1998
Board: A Board For Bakers

2 sticks (1 cup) butter 2 cups sugar
8 eggs -- beaten
2 16oz. cans Hershey's chocolate syrup
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
28 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 16oz carton sour cream
2 8oz. pkg cream cheese -- room temperature
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur
4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon instant coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg and mix well. Add the chocolate syrup, flour , baking powder, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into four well-greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top of the cakes spring back when touched. Remove and cool for 15 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack

Make the filling by melting one pound of the chocolate chips slowly over low heat until the mixture is smooth. Cool. Combine the sour cream and the one package of the cream cheese. Beat until smooth. Add the chocolate and mix well. Spread this mixture between the cake layers and set each layer on top of one another.

To make the icing, melt the remaining 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the powdered sugar, orange-flavored liqueur, milk and instant coffee and stir until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool until the mixture is of good spreading consistency. Spread over the top and sides of the cake. Chill for at least four hours before slicing to serve.