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Home / Recipes / American

Dessert for 12

Chocolate Cake (12 servings)

$7.50for 440 minServes 12

Rich cocoa cake blends with boiling water, bakes until set, and is finished with chocolate buttercream.

Chocolate Cake (12 servings)

Photo: gonnawantseconds.com

What it costs

Pick your city to see which ingredients are on sale

IngredientAmountCost
Eggs, 2$0.30 each typical2$0.60Typical price
Milk, 14 oz$0.04/oz typical14 oz$0.57Typical price
Coffee and tea, a little$0.80/oz typicala little$0.13Typical price
Butter, 8 oz$0.40/oz typical8 oz$3.20Typical price
Total for the servings shown$22.50

Swaps

  • Swap milk for almondabout $0.01/oz more at typical prices
  • Swap butter for margarine and vegan butterabout $0.15/oz less at typical prices

Pantry staples you likely have

Sugar and brown sugarFlourCornstarch, vanilla, yeast, cocoaBaking powder and sodaOlive and cooking oilSyrups, molasses, powdered sugar

Not included in the cost.

  • 40 minstart to table
  • Mediumdifficulty
  • 12servings as written
  • $typical cost tier

AmericanVegetarianBudgetDesserts

Typical price

$1.88 per serving$7.50 for 4

Typical price: Salefork's estimate of an everyday US shelf price for each ingredient. Pick your city to price it from this week's ad.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cups cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp instant espresso powder
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 1/3 cups cocoa powder
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 2/3 cup whole milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 350 F and grease two 9-inch round cake pans.
  2. Whisk the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder, then beat in the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
  3. Stir in the boiling water, divide the thin batter between the pans, and bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until the cakes are set.
  4. Cool the cakes in the pans for 5 minutes, then cool them completely on racks while beating the butter, cocoa, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
  5. Spread the frosting between the cooled layers and over the top and sides.

Plan around it

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