QUICK CHOCOLATE CAKE

3 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups Hershey unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
Shiny Chocolate Icing (recipe follows)

Mix sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together until blended. Add canola oil, hot water and eggs. Mix until smooth. Add milk and mix well. Pour into 2 (8-inches, 2-inches deep) greased and floured pans (batter is thin).

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Remove cake from pans and place on rack to cool.

SHINY CHOCOLATE ICING

1/4 cup Hershey unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups Hershey Semi-Sweet chocolate chips
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
4 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/4 cup butter-flavored Crisco
3 cups confectioner's sugar

Bring to a boil, over medium heat, heavy cream, sugar, and corn syrup. Stir until dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate chips; stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.

Cut butter-flavored Crisco into three pieces. Add to mixture; stir until dissolved. Chill mixture until spreadable.

When chilled, take half the mixture and spread between layers and on top of the cooled cake.

Take other half of mixture and add 3 cups of 10x sugar and beat until smooth. This mixture will be lighter in color and used to ice the sides of the cake and to decorate as preferred.

Barbara Schott, Bally
Third Place, Hershey's Greatest Cocoa Cake Contest, Allentown Fair, 2007