Classic Chocolate Cake For Children's Therapy Cake Dash

9:30 PM |

Today I am making a Classic Chocolate Cake for the Children's Therapy Center and Dynamic Partners 23rd annual charity event. I am donating this dessert, on behalf of Seattle Soap Company, for their dessert rush auction.

Each table will donate money to the charity, the tables that donate the most get to choose the most desirable cake. My goal is to make my cake as desirable .. as possible. Nobody can see inside the cake, desirably is all in the decoration.

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 2/3 cup white, granulated sugar
3 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups milk
Frosting

CAN YOU SUBSTITUTE BROWN SUGAR FOR WHITE SUGAR?

I had a bit of a mishap when making this cake, I only had 1/3 cup white sugar. I substituted the rest with brown sugar. White sugar is considered a 'liquid' when baking because it melts quickly. Dark brown sugar is different in that it contains 6.5% molasses, the molasses is what gives it the brown color. The presence of molasses will change the baking chemistry. When brown sugar melts in the batter, it becomes a liquid in its own right, of sugar and molasses.

To make the swap balance itself out, reduce the water content of the recipe. If you swap 1 cup white sugar for 1 cup brown sugar, reduce other liquid by 3 tablespoons. I reduced the milk content of my recipe just a tad.

Brown sugar is used for heavier, richer recipes and will impart its own flavor. I tasted the batter before putting it in the oven. It tasted delicious to me.

DECORATING THE FINAL PRODUCT

This is the fun part!