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Answers: The harder it is to mess up the better! thanks!

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My mom made this recipe for my birthday a few years back, and it is AWESOME!! Not only is it delicious, but it's huge and makes for an excellent birthday cake that lasts a while, and gives plenty of room for decorations. Oh, it's really good with ice cream too!

Chocolate Texas Sheet Cake

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup butter, cubed
* 1 cup water
* 1/4 cup baking cocoa
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup sour cream

FROSTING:

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1/4 cup baking cocoa
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 5 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, bring the butter, water and cocoa to a boil. Remove from the heat. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; stir into butter mixture. Combine the eggs and sour cream; stir into butter mixture until blended.
2. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
3. For frosting, in a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar. Add cocoa, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Spread over cake.

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My all time favorite and VERY easy recipe for a home made choc. cake came off the package of Hershey's Cocoa Powder.(the baking cocoa powder, not the sweet kind that you use for choc milk) It uses hot water, and you will freak out a bit when you see how thin the batter is, but believe me, it turns out so moist and wonderful that people rave about my cake.
If you can't find the recipe, email me and I can send you the recipe after I get home from work.
Good luck!

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This chocolate cake is THE BEST ever!!! It comes out perfect every time & is always so-o-o moist!

It is Hershey's Deep Dark Chocolate cake.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK 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(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. 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.

3. 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.) Frost with ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING. 8 to 10 servings.


ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S Dutch Processed Cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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. About 2 cups frosting.

HIGH ALTITUDE DIRECTIONS (Cake):
-- Decrease sugar to 1-3/4 cups
-- Increase flour to 1-3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons
-- Decrease baking powder to 1-1/4 teaspoons
-- Decrease baking soda to 1-1/4 teaspoons
-- Increase milk to 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons
-- Bake at 375°F, 30 to 35 minutes for both pan sizes

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POLISH BLACK CAKE (CHOCOLATE)

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons oil
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups hot (not boiling) water

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 pan.
Mix all dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and mix well with a wire whip. Batter will be very soupy. Pour into a pan and bake 30-35 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.

Cool and frost with your favorite frosting.

kansas dirt cake
1 lrg pkg of oreos ,crushed,1 ( 8oz) cream cheese,1/2 c butter,1 c powdered sugar,1 lrg cool whip,2 boxes instant vanilla pudding ,3 c milk,1 tsp vanilla
put half of crushed oreos in a 9x13 pan. Mix cream cheese and butter. add powdered sugar to this . Mix well. fold in cool whip . In a seperate bowl mix pudding with milk and vanilla. mix well add to cream cheese . Mix . pour over oreos in pan sprinkle remainder of oreos on top. refrigerate serves 12-16.

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I just bought the book "Deceptively Delicious" it has some great, healthy recipes. She tries to add vegetable or fruit purees to her cooking so her kids will eat it (since they will not eat them because of the taste, you know kids!). She steams the veggies then purees them in a blender or food processor. In this case she says to cut the stem off the beat and wrap it in aluminum foil. Roast for 1 hour at 400F. Then peel and puree. So this may be perfect for you. You can't really taste the veggies plus they are eating healthy. Here is her recipe for Chocolate cake.
Batter:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil or trans fat-free soft tub margarine spread
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup beet puree
1/2 cup low fat (1%) buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all- purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat a 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar with the oil or margarine until creamy. Add the whole egg and egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate,beet puree, buttermilk, and vanilla.
3. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 35 t0 40 minutes. Let the cake cool 5 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a rack to cool completely.
Hope this helps, I haven't made it yet but the picture looks delicious! So i'll make it one of these days!

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This is a great cake my family has made for years. It's easy and you mix it all up in the pan so there is no bowl to wash!

mix in pan chocolate cake
in a 13x9 pan mix together 3 c flour, 2 c sugar, 6 T cocoa powder, 2 t baking soda, and 1/2 t salt. Make 3 wells in dry ingredients. Add 2 T vanilla in one well, 2 T vinegar in one well, and 3/4 c oil in the third well. Pour 2 cups of water over all. Mix very well, a fork works best for this. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely.
Frosting: In a saucepan bring to boil 2 c sugar, 1/2 c milk, and 1/2 c margarine. Boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in 1 c chocolate chips. Pour over cooled cake. This frosting sets up quickly.

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This is one I have made many times. Quick and easy. The icing is very good.

COCOA CAKE

7/8 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. milk mixed with 1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 c. hot water
1/2 c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. flour
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 recipe Pudding Icing (recipe follows)

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Beat in mixer at medium
speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Pour into two 8" greased layer pans. Bake at
350° for 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pan for 5 minutes on a rack, then
turn them out onto the racks to cool completely. Make icing while the
cake cools.


COCOA CAKE PUDDING ICING

7/8 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate (2 squares)
1 c. boiling water
2 T. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

In saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, chocolate and boiling water.
Cook, stirring until mixture thickens. Stir in butter and vanilla.
Cool slightly before frosting cake.

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