Sometimes the best things that “work for me” are the things that have worked for, well, a very long time.

Like a good recipe for something that you don’t want to let go. It took many trials and errors to find just the right version of a dish. Once you find that true one, why look elsewhere?

This couldn’t be more true when it comes to the quintessential chocolate layer cake. I’ve eaten and baked many of them. Yet this one stands out among them all. It’s foolproof. It’s decadent. It’s simple yet unforgettable.

I give you:

Hershey’s Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
(recipe via Hershey’s)

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

One-Bowl Buttercream Frosting:
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans or one 13×9x2-inch baking pan. (*I use 2 8-inch round pans to make a taller cake.)
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. (Cake may be left in rectangular pan, if desired.)

To make frosting, beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla. Frost in between layers and on sides and top of stacked round cake layers, or just the top of a rectangular cake.

Enjoy!

Head to Rocks In My Dryer, this week’s host of Works for Me Wednesday, for more terrific tips and ideas!

Having spent part of my childhood in Louisiana, I not only appreciate, but love and crave Cajun/Creole cuisine. It’s a mainstay at our house.

We celebrated the commencement of Mardi Gras this year just for fun…but didn’t get to until Wednesday night. After a delicious bowl of shrimp and grits, it was on to the main event: The King Cake!

It began looking like a weird, fanned out cinnamon roll….but turned out beautifully after baking! (And so festive! Mixing the icing colors was “trés fun.”)

Following tradition, I hid a plastic baby in the cake, then cut R’s piece just so….just cause we wanted to see her reaction when she found it.

YUM!

Here’s a look back at what we’ve created & eaten on Valentine’s Day!

Valentine Cupcake Hack: Use marbles to create heart-shaped cakes

Chocolate Pretzel Buttons

Paper conversation hearts (”Love Is…”)

Puffy Paper Hearts

Valentine Suncatchers

This week and last, our AOP Horizon curriculum has led us through a pretty in-depth study of birds….one of my favorite subjects, truth be told!

A suggested activity led us to the kitchen one afternoon: Edible birds’ nests!

I’ve seen these before but have never made them with the kids.

A half package of chocolate almond bark, melted, and stirred by eager hands…

Chinese chow mein noodles are added in, just enough so they can all be coated:

Of course, licking the bowl is one of the best parts of the whole thing…

Formed into little “nests” and three (bright!) blue “robin’s eggs” are tucked on top of each:

And the taste test? Received rave reviews (and requests for “just one more”).

I love coffee and tea….and I love biscotti to go with it. My husband sometimes spoils me by bringing home a box or bag of storebought biscotti….and it’s good, really good….but it’s expensive (for what it is). Biscotti’s ingredients aren’t many….the cost comes from the time to make it. It’s double-baked (triple, really), and that does take some time and patience. But the effort pays off, I promise!

Recently I came across this recipe for Chocolate Biscotti. I amended the recipe a little for our tastes (see below). It came out looking perfectly…and tastes yummy, too!

Chocolate Biscotti

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 cups top-quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup blanched almonds
3/4 cups mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the 4 eggs, sugar, and vanilla & almond extracts. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, then mix in the nuts and the chocolate chips until the dough holds together. (I had to use a mixer for this part.)

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into two logs the length of the baking sheet. Transfer the logs onto the baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.

5. Gently flatten the tops of the logs. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the dough feels firm to the touch.

6. Remove the cookie dough from the oven and cool 15 minutes. On a cutting board, use a serrated bread knife to diagonally cut the cookies into 1/2-inches slices. Lay the cookies cut side down on baking sheets and return to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the baking sheet midway during baking, until the cookies feel mostly firm.

Once baked, cool the cookies completely then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. If you wish, the cookies can be half-dipped in melted chocolate, then cooled until the chocolate hardens (I piped chocolate squiggles onto ours).

Enjoy!

Head over to We Are THAT Family for more WFMW ideas!