The most amazing chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream icing

Bunting is maple twigs, fabric scraps and embroidery floss that I braided--super sweet Littlest Pet shop critters were a cute addition:):)

This is the cake I made for Autumn's 5th birthday....it is a super moist rich chocolate cake topped with vanilla Buttercream icing---YUMMY!!!

Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 c Hershey's regular unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4c Hershey's special dark cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup Canola oil

2 eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup strong brewed coffee--hot

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees--prep cake pans--I used 2, 9 inch round, lightly sprayed then floured

-Place flour, sugar, cocoas, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large mixing bowl.

-combine

-add milk, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla, mix on medium speed until well mixed.

-reduce speed to low and add hot coffee--be careful!---when mixed well, beat on high for about a minute

-place into cake pans and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until toothpick tester comes out clean. cool then frost

Vanilla Buttercream icing:

1 stick unsalted butter--or use salted if that's what you have on hand

2 1/2 c confectioners sugar--sifted

2-3 tablespoons of half and half or whole milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

-Cream together room temp butter, vanilla, and 1/2 c confectioners sugar at a time, adding half and half or milk when needed for consistency. Be careful not to add too much or your frosting will be too runny and slide off your cake. When you have a good consistency beat on a higher speed for 1 minute

--Frost cake or just enjoy straight from the bowl!!!  

Don't mind the lovely background, I sat this on the workbench to photograph!!! 

Tummy turns 5 and spooky stuff around the farm

Our littlest baby turned 5.....I guess that means she is not really a baby anymore.......although it really means she has not been a baby for some time now. We celebrated with the most amazing chocolate cake....no seriously it was amazing....recipe to follow in the next day or two. Happy 5th Autumn....you are my sunshine and the world is better with you in it!!!

Also on her birthday Autumn had pre-school. She goes 3 afternoons a week for a few hours, of course this called for a birthday snack. Halloween being just weeks away, we of course made Halloween Pizza! We mixed up a batch of chocolate sugar cookie dough and baked on a pizza pan, then topped it with leftover buttercream icing we colored green. 

after transporting to pre-school in the rain--you can get the idea though:):)

Every pizza needs a box---we covered this one in scraps of scrapbook paper

scary toppings!! Well, it was a big hit at pre-school:):)

In the spirit of Halloween the farm has been mysteriously taken over by ghosts, scarecrows, bats and spiders. Watch out!!! Spooky:):)

Hmmm....I was sure there were only three scarecrows!

Life is just moving too fast....I really cannot believe it is nearly Halloween. I did not expect to be here this fall. I thought we would be starting a new chapter in our lives someplace else. I guess that page is just not ready to be written yet, so here we stay for now. We are blessed far more than many others in this world, we have each other. On the good days and even the bad I am truly thankful for this crazy family:):)