Recipe: Hershey's Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake and One-Bowl Buttercream Frosting

OLD-FASHIONED CHOCOLATE CAKE AND ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING



3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup finely crushed hard peppermint candy (optional)
One-Bowl Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)
Additional crushed hard peppermint candy (optional, for decorating)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two (9-inch) round baking pans or one (13x9x2-inch) baking pan.

Combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl; beat on high speed of mixer 3 minutes. Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and baking powder; add alternately with water to butter mixture, beating until blended. Add candy, if desired. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from layer cake pans to wire racks (13x9-inch cake may be left in the pan and set on a rack to cool).

Frost cooled cake with One-Bowl Buttercream Frosting. Just before serving, garnish with peppermint candy, if desired.

ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Makes about 2 cups frosting

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla.

Makes 1 (9-inch, 2-layer) or 1 (13x9-inch) cake, 8 to 10 servings
Source: Hershey's