So for Chase’s 5th birthday I decided to make him a cool cake. Last year I did the Lego cake and was marginally happy with it, so I wanted to top it this year. I decided to go for broke and do a Lightning cake. I did some research on the ‘net and tried to find something I could copy but while I found some really cool Lightning McQueen cakes, I really couldn’t find anything out there with instructions. So I decided to just go for it and resign myself to making another plain ol’ cake if I really screwed it up.
The Cake
I started out with the Hershy’s “Perfectly Chocolate” chocolate cake (same one I used last year). It’s really the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve found – really chocolatey and really moist. One thing to note with this batter is that it comes out REALLY thin – watery, in fact. Just be aware, that’s the way its’s supposed to be.
Ingredients
- 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
Directions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
- 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).
- Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely.
The Frosting
Ingredients
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
Directions
In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.
