Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Hazlenut Mousse

The Birthday Boy!

Last weekend we celebrated my dziadziu's (grandpa's) 95th birthday! He still gets along so well, and we're so lucky to have him in our lives. He's a smart, funny, and just plain wonderful man. For his birthday, my family took him out for a nice, quiet dinner at a wonderful restaurant and my mom asked me to bake him a cake. She thought he'd like that. So the waiters brought it out with candles and when we told him I made it he didn't believe us. He said it looked "so professional." So he was either being nice or his 95 year old eyes were failing because it certainly wasn't the prettiest thing on earth! haha! But it tasted SO GOOD. In my defense, however, this was my first time ever making a cake from scratch and then decorating it. So while it's not very pretty, it really was a great cake! I have heard so many wonderful things about this recipe, so I was very excited to try it. It definitely lived up to its reputation! I made a chocolate hazelnut mousse out of Nutella to go in between the layers which was a fantastic addition. I was worried it would be too chocolaty but it definitely wasn't. The mouse was nice and fluffy so it worked well.

So while I obviously need more practice with my cake decorating skills (or lack thereof), I will definitely be making this cake again. Actually, I'll be making it next week for a coworkers birthday!

And in the meantime, Sto Lat, Dziadziu!!!!

Ingredients:
Source: Hershey's Kitchens

• 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
• "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

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

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 mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.


"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse for center of cake:

Ingredients
Adapted from About-recipes.com

3/4 cup heavy cream
4.5 oz. Nutella
1/4 packet gelatine
1/8 cup cool water

Directions
Whip the heavy cream to medium peaks. Warm the Nutella slightly in the microwave. Meanwhile, sprinkle Gelatine over water and let sit for 1 minute. Add Gelatine to the Nutella and stir to combine. Fold Nutella mixture into the whipped cream. Spread on the top of the bottom layer of cake, and then put the top layer of cake over the mousse. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve so the mousse sets up.