This past Christmas we were visiting my family at Smith Mountain Lake and my grandmother brought this very delicious chocolate cake.  The minute I tried it, it took me back to my childhood.  It’s like one of those simple, non-showy, tried and true desserts that we ate as kids – nothing fancy.

There is just nothing like bringing out a whole cake for dessert!  It makes any occasion special.

But cakes can be quite time-consuming if you have to bake multiple layers and make your own icing (not hard, but definitely messy), not to mention the finesse it takes to ice a layer cake!  Well this one is meant to be a sheet cake (read:easy) as opposed to stacked layers.  I usually make it in a round pan.  And the icing really makes it.  It is just the slightest bit “grainy” from the sugar.  Kind of like your grandmother’s fudge.  It is so easy to ice because you just pour it over the not-yet-cooled cake so the cake and the icing come together to make the perfect bite. It is also a great dessert to deliver to new moms (and potlucks) because it can be baked in any shape/size foil disposable pans, so it travels well and she won’t have to return any dishes 🙂

It truly has become my new favorite chocolate dessert.  For some reason, starting with Adam’s birthday after the holidays, we got into the rhythm of having 2-3 couples over for dinner each Saturday.  Every Saturday I made practically the same menu!  Adam’s favorite: Beef Tenderloin, Salad, and some version of potato (baked, mashed, scalloped).  And each time I was asked for the cake recipe.  Enjoy!

HERSHEY CHOCOLATE CAKE

1⁄2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 (16 ounce) can hershey chocolate syrup

ICING

1⁄2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
1⁄3 cup evaporated milk or regular milk
1⁄2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

For cake: Cream butter and sugar; then add eggs one at a time and beat well, after each.
Sift dry ingredients and add to above mixture.
Add syrup and mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes in 13×9 inch pan.
Do not over bake. After cake is baked, immediately prepare icing because you will ice cake while hot.

For icing: Boil butter, milk and sugar together for two to three minutes.
Add chocolate chips, beat until smooth.
Pour on cake.

Enjoy!!