To-Do Tuesday: Bake a Cake!

Today's To-Do Tuesday is to bake a cake.

I know a lot of people stray from baking cakes from scratch, preferring instead to use a mix (which I also do from time to time) but homemade cakes are so delicious and the kids have such a good time pouring, measuring and mixing that it's definitely worth the extra effort. (Plus, you probably have everything you need already in your cabinet!)

Today we are making a Devilishly Good Devil's Food Cake with the Scare Bear's Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting.

What you need for the cake:
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, separated
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups cold water

1. Separate your eggs into two separate bowls and set whites into refrigerator to keep them cool.

2. Beat the shortening and 1 cup of the sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy and well mixed.

3. Add the vanilla and egg yolks only. Beat together.

4. In a smaller bowl add your cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and have a child stir it together gently until all ingredients are well distributed throughout the flour.

5. Add small amounts of the flour mixture and water in increments, beating after each addition until you have added everything.

6. Set your large bowl to the side, grab a smaller bowl (or rinse out the flour bowl). (Give beaters to small children while you do the next part, unless you distrust eggs.) Add in the egg whites that you have been cooling and the last 3/4 cup of sugar. Beat on low until stiff peaks form.

7. Gently fold in the egg whites into your chocolate mixture until well incorporated. (Give spoon to small children, unless you distrust eggs.)

8. Bake in two well greased 9" round cake pans (or make as cupcakes, or a large sheet cake) at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

9. Allow to cool completely before turning out onto plates and frosting.

What you need for Scare Bear's Frosting:
1 stick of butter
1 stick of cream cheese
almost a pound of confectioners sugar
(interesting fact, homemade cakes have no calories, fat or carbs)

1. Place butter and cream cheese in sauce pan and melt ingredients on medium-high heat stirring constantly.

2. Add confectioners sugar slowly until mixture takes on the texture of frosting.

3. Spread on cake and enjoy.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, the cake was baking when I remembered that I needed pictures and we started eating it before I thought of taking pics of the after shot. I will add them the next time I make it. Maybe.