let them eat cake...from scratch

The other night at dinner a question was asked, "Does anyone make cake from scratch anymore?"  Surprised by the question, I quickly said, "Yes!"  Funny think is, I haven't made a cake, a whole cake especially, from scratch in quite some time.  When I have had time to bake, I have opted to make cookies or bread.  I woke up this morning and thought, "I am going to make a cake today, from scratch".

I checked for all the ingredients and luckily, we had everything I needed.  I checked the back of the cake flour box, since there was a recipe on the back that I had used for years, sadly, the recipe was for Devil's Food...hmmm.  No.  Another standby recipe is the one from King Arthur's Flour.  I found the recipe, click here. YAY!!!

After reading the recipe, and gathering all the ingredients, I really don't see the point of making cake from a box.  It's nearly the same amount of time and homemade from scratch is a million times better.


I love the smell of cake baking.  YUMMY!  I can barely wait.


I made the frosting from scratch too.  I really don't measure when I make frosting, but the main ingredients are 1 stick of butter, 3-4 cups of powdered sugar, teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup whipping cream.  Today, I added 1/4 cup of melted semi-sweet chocolate, but you don't need it.


OK, time to frost the cake.  Crumbs can be a pain to deal with, but if you plunk a big glob of frosting  in the middle and carefully drag the frosting to the edge, you'll do fine.  Use the same technique on the sides, put a big glob of frosting on your knife and gently drag it around.


Finally, I get a piece of cake!

Chocolate Cake Day

When you have a chance, have a Chocolate Cake Day, you deserve it.

My nephew Max, getting sized up before getting on the rides at Hershey Park

Sometimes you just have to "have your cake and eat it too!" Today was one of those days. Not a holiday, no birthday celebration, just Chocolate Cake Day. I was going to dig out an old chocolate cake recipe, but then I remembered the time I went to Hershey Park with my nephews. They are so Cute and the perfect age for a theme park. Anyway...How can you not trust a Chocolate recipe from Hershey? I know my Pastry chef friends and perhaps a few of my business partners from my Organic Bakery days, will disagree and suggest I use only Callebaut or E. Guittard chocolate for my cake, but what the hell!!! Well, I tried the Hershey recipe out and YUM. I followed the recipe exactly and I used my homemade vanilla for the first time.

YUM, YUM, YUM...period.

I did not grow up in a house where dessert would be served after every meal. As a matter of fact, in a Filipino house an imported, most likely a Cadbury or Toblerone chocolate bar is expected, but chocolate cake, a rarity. I am not complaining that there was a lack of sweets in my youth. Desserts like Leche Flan, Bibinka, Suman, Halo Halo were around on occasion, but cake, especially chocolate cake, NO.

Here's the chocolate cake "pre-frosting" cooling on the rack...look how moist.

When I took a bite of my chocolate cake, it reminded me of the days I would go to my best friend, Becky's house and and hope that I would be invited for dinner so I could end the meal with a piece of her mom's DELICIOUS Chocolate cake.

click here for the recipe HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate CakeHere's my little sister and her family as we are leaving Hershey Park. Fun was had by all!!!