lemon cake

A few weeks ago, I invited family over to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday. For dinner, we ate homemade pulled pork nachos (click here for my recipe).

For dessert, I set out to bake something unique that would make my sister-in-law smile. Unlike everyone else in the family, she isn’t a huge fan of ice cream, so that ruled out ice cream cake. I thought about a lemon cake but decided that the chocolate-loving menfolk wouldn’t be too thrilled about that.

Then I had a revelation. My sister-in-law is a strawberry addict, and she especially enjoys chocolate-covered strawberries, so why not a chocolate-covered strawberry cake?

The process was time-consuming, but the result was more than worth it. And as delicious as the cake was, the look on my sister-in-law’s face when she saw it was by far the best part. Below is the cake recipe. I’ll share the recipes for the strawberry buttercream frosting and chocolate glaze soon.

Super Moist Chocolate Cake

Ingredients: 
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 eggs
1-1/3 cups milk
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup canola oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour four round cake pans (can be 9-10 inches). I used spring-form pans, which made the process much easier.

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder in a large bowl.

3. In another large bowl, beat eggs, milk, vanilla, and oil.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet, and whisk until well blended.

5. Pour batter into four cake pans, using a spatula to make sure batter is evenly dispersed. If your oven isn’t large enough or if you only have two pans, feel free to bake the cakes in two batches.

6. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Test with the toothpick test. (Insert toothpick into the center of each cake. If it comes out clean, cakes are done.)

7. Run a butter knife or spatula around the inside of each pan to prevent cake from sticking, and wait 10-15 minutes. If your pans are spring-form, release the springs.

8. Use a knife or spatula to gently remove cakes from pans. Place cakes upside-down on plates to cool.