Midnight Chocolate Cake

The other night I was up watching TV with the roommate when suddenly it hit me. That niggling craving for chocolate. It just wouldn't go away. But, being as I'm very broke, I couldn't just hop over to ye olde 7-11. So, after searching my pantry for supplies, I decided to bake a chocolate cake.
Thankfully I had enough supplies left over from my holiday baking to do so! I discovered a recipe for chocolate cake on the back of my Hershey's cocoa box. Sounded good, but I was missing a few things. So, I improvised!

Here is my altered version:

2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Grease (and flour, if desired) 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

I used the Cake Doctor Fluffy Chocolate frosting recipe for this cake, also. They go very well together!

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons boiling water, plus additional if needed
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar, more if needed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the cocoa comes together into a soft mass. Add the butter and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is soft and well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Place the confectioner's sugar and vanilla in the bowl, and beat with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 2 minutes more. Add more boiling water, a teaspoon at a time, or more confectioner's sugar, a tablespoon at a time if the frosting is too thick or too thin to your liking.


So, this will be my new go-to recipe when I want chocolate. Even at midnight :)