I bought ingredients for last week’s layered chocolate dessert knowing I’d need to use up some cream and the chocolate syrup, so it was a 2-dessert plan, along with this cake. It was, I’m going to say, a very good plan! This is basically a nice vanilla 1 bowl cake, which then gets doused in chocolate and covered in a light chocolate whipped cream. What could be better?

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 egg whites, room temperature

Chocolate Glaze:

• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 packet unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1 cup chocolate syrup

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup cold whipping cream
• 1/3 cup chocolate syrup
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

It’s easier to separate eggs when they’re still cold, so I recommend separating and then letting just the whites come up to room temperature, rather than leaving the whole eggs out.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13″ pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the shortening, butter, vanilla, and buttermilk, and beat on low until it begins to combine, then once there are no large areas of dry flour that are likely to explode out of the bowl, increase the speed to medium and beat 2 minutes.

Add the egg whites and beat a further 2 minutes, then pour into the prepared pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Mine was clearly jiggly and uncooked at 30, but browned and nicely baked at 35. Set aside to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the 1/4 cup cold water, then let sit for 2 minutes to absorb. Pour over the boiling water, and stir until entirely dissolved.

Add the 1 cup chocolate syrup and stir well.

Once the cake has cooled for 15 minutes, use a for to poke rows, 1″ apart, the length and width of the cake.

Pour the glaze over the cake, slowly that it can be absorbed into the holes rather than all run off the sides. Refrigerate several hours or overnight to set.

To make the whipped cream, beat together all the ingredients until still peaks form.

Spread over the top of the cake, then serve.

Store leftovers in the fridge.

Chocolate Glazed Cake

From Hershey’s.

Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 egg whites, room temperature

Chocolate Glaze:

• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 packet unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1 cup chocolate syrup

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup cold whipping cream
• 1/3 cup chocolate syrup
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13″ pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the shortening, butter, vanilla, and buttermilk, and beat on low until it begins to combine, then once there are no large areas of dry flour that are likely to explode out of the bowl, increase the speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add the egg whites and beat a further 2 minutes, then pour into the prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test. Set aside to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the 1/4 cup cold water, then let sit for 2 minutes to absorb. Pour over the boiling water, and stir until entirely dissolved. Add the 1 cup chocolate syrup and stir well.

Once the cake has cooled for 15 minutes, use a for to poke rows, 1″ apart, the length and width of the cake. Pour the glaze over the cake, slowly that it can be absorbed into the holes rather than all run off the sides. Refrigerate several hours or overnight to set.

To make the whipped cream, beat together all the ingredients until still peaks form. Spread over the top of the cake, then serve. Store leftovers in the fridge.