Festooned with Fruit Chocolate Cake
My favorite is the Devils Food recipe that appears on the Hershey's Cocoa can. But I haven't seen it recently.
My next favorite is this one:
Festooned with Fruit from Chocolate Cakes: Decadent and Delicious (a fabulous tiny book full of only chocolate cake) Hyperion, 1993.
2 c. cake flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1 t. allspice
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cloves
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. buttermilk
2 large eggs
3/4 c. boiling water
For frosting
1-1/2 c. heavy cream
1 T. confectioner's sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 pint fresh raspberries (or sliced strawberries)
mint leaves for garnish
cocoa for dusting
Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour two 8 inch round cake pans.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. With electric mixer beat in oil, buttermilk, and eggs on medium speed until well blended. Slowly add the water and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
Pour the batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tester is clean. Set pans on wire racks to cool for 15 minutes. Turn cakes onto racks to cool completely.
Beat the cream, confectioner's suger and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Place one cake layer on server plate. Spread with half of whipped cream and one-third of the fruit. Place second layer on top and press gently. Top with remaining whipped cream. Garnish with another 1/3 of the berries and mint leaves. Dust surface with cocoa and serve with remaining berries.
--SpindleRose