Sometimes there’s nothing better than a good old fashioned chocolate cake. You know, the kind that your mom might have made and stuck a couple of candles in for your birthday as a kid. There’s something really nostalgic about it.
I still use cake mixes, instead of making cakes from scratch. In fact, our pantry is stuffed with them so stay tuned for a lot of cake mix-based recipes in the next few months.
That being said, there are ways to kick a simple cake mix up a notch. My mom always used milk instead of water, and I’ve continued to do that. I also started recently swapping the oil out for butter. You can also add an additional egg if you choose.
The other way to take a cake mix from ordinary to extraordinary is to make your icing from scratch. This is the second time I’ve made this easy chocolate buttercream icing from Lauren’s Latest. It’s beautifully rich and delicious and makes enough to ice a two-tier cake or 24 cupcakes.
Homemade Chocolate Icing
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
5 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4-5 tablespoons milk
Whip the butter and cocoa until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and sugar. Stream the milk in, a tablespoon at a time until the frosting reaches the right consistency. Scrape the bowl and whip until light and fluffy.
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