Hershey Chocolate Cake, with Old-Fashioned Chocolate Icing

Hershey Chocolate Cake

What a trip this has been! From low-fat, low-calorie, veggie-laden dishes to a nice, big, fattening piece of Hershey Chocolate Cake with Stovetop Chocolate Icing, and all in just a few days. We're talking sticks of butter (sticks!), cups of sugar (two!) and an entire can of Hershey's syrup. Fabulously fattening. And do you know what else? It's the most popular thing I've ever made to take to work. Brad got one piece, and the rest went to the newsroom and was eaten within a couple of hours. One person ate a single bite and sat down to immediately email me and request the recipe. And later, when I went to stretch my legs on the veranda, I returned to find the pan and my serving spoon on my desk. Clean. They liked it so much they washed my dishes for me. Now that's popularity in the making!

This is my grandmother's recipe, and I have no doubt she made it so many times she knew the recipe off the top of her head. I don't think I've made it but one other time - a complete failure because of an inefficient stove. It's really a simple recipe that packs a powerful punch - it is so sweet and so chocolatey and so fudgy - the hot icing really turns the cake into a pan of dense chocolatey goodness. And besides. It has a CAN of Hershey's syrup in it. Does it really get any better than that?

Hershey Chocolate Cake
By Confabulation in the Kitchen
Printer-friendly recipe

Ingredients
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 large eggs
1, 1-pound can of Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare 9x12 metal cake pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture, alternating with syrup, and beat until well-combined.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake 30 minutes. Set aside while you make icing, but do not let cake cool completely.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Icing
By Confabulation in the Kitchen
Printer-friendly version

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring sugar, milk, butter and vanilla to a boil and let cook about one minute.
2. Add chocolate chips to saucepan, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
3. Immediately pour icing over hot cake. Icing will set as the cake cools. Let set before slicing. Serve cake at room temperature.