Celebrating 2nd Bloggiversary with A Cake,an Event and a Giveaway!!

Here I am,with my 300th post on Easycooking along with my 2nd Bloggiversary.Two joys in one post..wait there’s more!!

What started as a just-like-that blog has become two years old and has 300 posts in it.It is only because of YOU,my readers and fellow-bloggers who have made this possible.I wouldn’t have come this far if not for your appreciation and encouragement.I’ve gone from posting what I cooked for our meals to making dishes exclusively for the blog.Thanks to blogging,I learned to bake and can confidently say I can whip up a few baked dishes with ease.While saying that,let me also thank my dear taste testers-Ajay’s friends who eat whatever I bake with full gusto.With a licked clean box which comes back to making requests for the next cake-Thank you folks..:)

While thinking of the anniversary post,many things crossed my mind trying to decide on what to cook for the big day.After a lot of thinking I decided upon a Chocolate Cake.[Now I won’t tell you that was my first choice to begin with..psst].That got me thinking.We love Chocolate cakes and I have a couple of “go-to” chocolate cake recipes when hit with a craving.But,everytime I come across a new one,I scribble it down or bookmark it hoping to try it out next.I do try new recipes but invariably,come back to the old ones.

Do you have a safely guarded Chocolate cake recipe up your sleeve?Do you feel you have the best recipe for the Ultimate chocolate cake?Or have you tasted a cake so good and have been trying to replicate the taste??

Send them all to me for the “The Best Chocolate Cake” event.

It could be the one you have been baking for ages or it can be a new recipe you tried out recently.With eggs-without eggs,with fruits or with nuts,frosted or plain,baked-microwaved-steamed-pressure cooked.You get the drift don’t you?

Rules for the event-

1.Bake a Chocolate cake and post it on your blog between March 1st -April 1st.[Round-up would be posted soonafter]

2.If you already have the Best Chocolate Cake recipe posted on your blog,you can do a repost with a link back to this event.But it would be fun to try out something new,isn't it?

3.Send me the entries to divyakudua@gmail.com with The Best Chocolate Cake in the subject line with

*Your name
*Blog name
*Blog Url
*Post Url
*Picture

4.Non-bloggers can send in their recipes along with a picture and I will post it along with the round-up.

How about tempting you with a giveaway?

I've been so impressed with the book "1 mix,50 Cakes" by Christine France that I've decided to give it away to one lucky winner.A random winner* will be chosen from the entries and the winner will be announced during the round-up.[Pssst,the winner would be chosen by a special guest].

So what are you waiting for??Don your aprons and pull up your sleeves and bake the Best Chocolate Cake:)

*Shipping only within India.

Here’s one of my Best Chocolate Cakes.I tried this from Hershey’s site-Appropriately titled Celebration Chocolate Cake.One of THE BESTEST cakes I have baked so far.Ajay’s thumbs-up with both hands and half the cake consumed by both of us clearly explains the fantabulous taste of the cake.Oh-so-soft,melt in the mouth and intensely-deeply chocolatey-My first three layered cake..YAY!!!

Celebration Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Hershey’s Cocoa – ¾ cup [I used Cadbury’s-I had no choice-we don’t get Hershey’s Cocoa here.]
Boiling water – 1 cup
Butter or margarine – ½ cup+ 2 tbsp[I used Butter]
Sugar – 2 cups
Eggs - 3
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
All-purpose flour – 1 ¾ cups
Baking soda – 1 ½ tsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Milk – ¾ cup
Dairy sour cream – ¼ cup [ I used Yogurt]

Method

Heat oven to 350°F.
Grease three 9-inch round baking pans. [I used 8' pan]
Line bottoms with wax paper-grease and flour paper.
Mix cocoa with boiling water in small bowl-stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in vanilla. Gradually add cocoa mixture, beating well.

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt- add alternately with milk and sour cream to butter mixture, beating until blended.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks; carefully peel off wax paper.

Cool completely.

Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

Butter or margarine – ½ cup [ I used Butter]

Hershey’s Cocoa – 2/3 cup [ I used Cadbury’s]

Powdered sugar – 3 cups

Milk – 1/3 cup

Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups frosting.

So what are you waiting for..send in your entries and let's have a bash!!

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