Cake!

Today I got my first "springform" cake pan. I'm trying to gain some basic baking knowledge before I go to NAIT in November. My mom took me to a huge cooking supply store and I was inspired to bake a cake when I got home! I always heard about making your cakes in these springform pans but never really understood, and possibly still don't, what they were. There is still much research to be done on how to use these properly but I couldn't wait so I gave it a shot today!

The occasion: Jason rode his bike for 2 hours (and had nothing to eat but cereal I found out later!) That's the only occasion I could think of.

I was looking for a really basic chocolate cake recipe and ended up finding one on this website. If you check out the website you'll find a recipe for frosting as well - I opted for the rest of my pre-made Safeway icing in the fridge! Here's the cake recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups water

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
2. For Cake: In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl and beat on high speed of mixer 3 minutes. (I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I don't have a mixer. Any mixing is done with my own 2 hands/arms/wrists/shoulders. One day I will have the red mix-master!)
4. Alternatively add flour mixture with water to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
5. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. (Mine took probably 45-50 minutes because I have a super lame oven. Just keep your eye on it.)

Here it is after I unlocked the springform:
Pretty nice! I guess this type of pan is popular for making cheesecakes. I can see why.

I microwaved my chocolate icing and poured it on top of the cake. I spread it around a bit and let it spill over the edges. I plopped a few fresh raspberries in the middle as well just for color!
I'm not sure if you're supposed to invert the cake onto the platter or if you're supposed to level off the top with a knife... I chose to just put it upside down because the bottom had a really flat surface. It is kind of sitting on a dome but maybe it will flatten once the cake cools. This is where the extra research comes in!

JASON'S REVIEW: The best chocolate cake I've eaten all day. The icing is silky and the chocolate cake is moist and the raspberries add a delicious sweet punch. (Jason may sound sophisticated in his reviews but really he could barely get his helmet off before eating a slice in 3 bites. I had to coax the review out of him between mouthfuls of his second slice)

MY REVIEW: I had a fork full from Jason's plate and the cake was very good! I'm usually not a big fan of chocolate but this cake was perfectly moist if I do say so myself. This recipe is a keeper.