This is from the cookbook Twist It Up by Jack Witherspoon. He is an 11 year old boy who has battled 3 bouts of leukemia.
During his recovery period, he got hooked on Food Network cooking shows and wanted to become a chef. In his healthy periods, he cooks up a storm, and decided (along with his mom) to write a cookbook to raise money for his endowment at the hospital where he received his cancer treatments.
Over the past year, he and his family have become friends of ours, and he is a very dynamic young man, and makes one mean chocolate cake! smileys/smile.gif
Jack's Best Chocolate Birthday Cake
Have all ingredients except boiling water at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup strong coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Yummy Chocolate Frosting
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until smooth.
In a small bowl, combine the milk, coffee, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk together to blend. Sift he cocoa powder with the flour into a medium bowl.
Alternately add the liquid mixture and the flour mixture to the batter in three increments, ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, pour in the boiling water and stir well with a rubber spatula. Add the vanilla and stir until blended.
Divide batter evenly between the tow pans, bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean from the center of the cake. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely before removing from pans.
Yummy Chocolate Frosting
Makes enough to frost one 2 layer cake or 24 cupcakes.
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 to 6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift together the flour and cocoa into a medium bowl. Add the butter, 4 tablespoons milk, and vanilla and blend together with an electric mixer on high speed for 4 - 5 minutes, or until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add more milk to thin.*
*This makes a *very* fudgy frosting - I used about 8 tablespoons of milk to thin it to a spreadable consistently for this cake. YMMV
More about Chef Jack here:
http://blog.chefjackwitherspoon.com/
We went to his book signing last Sunday - DH was the behind-the scenes photographer at the event, and we got to see Fabio Viviani from Top Chef to boot! smileys/smile.gif
http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Up-Delicious-Recipes-Inspiring/dp/0811877841
During his recovery period, he got hooked on Food Network cooking shows and wanted to become a chef. In his healthy periods, he cooks up a storm, and decided (along with his mom) to write a cookbook to raise money for his endowment at the hospital where he received his cancer treatments.
Over the past year, he and his family have become friends of ours, and he is a very dynamic young man, and makes one mean chocolate cake! smileys/smile.gif
Jack's Best Chocolate Birthday Cake
Have all ingredients except boiling water at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup strong coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Yummy Chocolate Frosting
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until smooth.
In a small bowl, combine the milk, coffee, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk together to blend. Sift he cocoa powder with the flour into a medium bowl.
Alternately add the liquid mixture and the flour mixture to the batter in three increments, ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, pour in the boiling water and stir well with a rubber spatula. Add the vanilla and stir until blended.
Divide batter evenly between the tow pans, bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean from the center of the cake. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely before removing from pans.
Yummy Chocolate Frosting
Makes enough to frost one 2 layer cake or 24 cupcakes.
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 to 6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift together the flour and cocoa into a medium bowl. Add the butter, 4 tablespoons milk, and vanilla and blend together with an electric mixer on high speed for 4 - 5 minutes, or until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add more milk to thin.*
*This makes a *very* fudgy frosting - I used about 8 tablespoons of milk to thin it to a spreadable consistently for this cake. YMMV
More about Chef Jack here:
http://blog.chefjackwitherspoon.com/
We went to his book signing last Sunday - DH was the behind-the scenes photographer at the event, and we got to see Fabio Viviani from Top Chef to boot! smileys/smile.gif
http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Up-Delicious-Recipes-Inspiring/dp/0811877841