Looking for a good cake recipe?

Question

I'm looking for a good, fairly simple cake recipe to prepare for a birthday that is coming up this week. Preferably chocolate, but any kind of cake will do. Just no carrot cake or banana flavor cake or whatnot, please. Also, I'd like to avoid using shortening if possible. I only have a 9x13 pan, but I could possibly get an 8x8 if necessary. So a recipe that yields in one of those two, please! Thank you soo much!

Answer 1

Hi !!!
I have three recipes for you...

Chocolate Lovers' Favorite Cake

Original recipe yield:
1 - 10 inch Bundt cake

PREP TIME 30 Min
COOK TIME 1 Hr
READY IN 2 Hrs

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
1 cup melted butter
5 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch Bundt pan.
In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in sour cream, melted butter, eggs and almond extract. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Blend in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Servings Per Recipe: 12

------AND...

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Cake

Ingredients:
Filling:
1 package (14 oz.) caramels (about 75)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand, 300ml)
1/2 cup butter

Cake:
2/3 cup butter
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:
Filling:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unwrap caramels and combine in a saucepan with sweetened condensed milk and butter.
Cook and stir over medium heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cake:
Melt butter and chocolate together, either on the stove or in the microwave.
Add the water, sugar, eggs, flour, salt, baking soda and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy.
Spread half of the cake batter into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until the centre is set. Remove from oven.

Spread filling evenly over the cake. Spread the remaining cake batter over the filling. Sprinkle the nuts over the top.


Return to the oven and bake 40 minutes, until cake springs back when touched. Cool completely before cutting.

-------AND, LASTLY...


This is my favorite cake to eat and to bring to "get-togethers". I believe that the chocolate and cinnamon combination is why I love it so very much and the buttermilk gives it a very rich texture.
Even if you do not pick this cake as "Best Answer", please try it so that you will be able to see what I mean about it being so very good.

"The Best Chocolate Cake You Ever Ate"

"I make this cake over and over. It is easy to put together and the frosting of the cake is easy and fast. It goes fast around my house."
Original recipe yield: 1 - 9x13 inch cake

INGREDIENTS
2 cups white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 x 13 inch pan.
Sift 2 cups white sugar and 2 cups flour together; set aside.
In a sauce pan; combine 1/2 cup butter or margarine, oil, water, and 1/4 cup cocoa. Bring mixture to a boil, remove from heat and add to dry ingredients.
Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk; add with eggs, salt, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla to cocoa, flour mixture and stir well.
Pour batter into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes.
To Make Frosting: Five minutes before cake is done combine 1/2 cup butter,1/4 cup cocoa and 1/4 cup milk in saucepan and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and stir in confectioners' sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and chopped pecans. Pour frosting over hot cake. Cake remains moist and may be frozen. Serves 20.

Answer 2

"This is a recipe from one of our family cookbooks. Coconut and nuts can be added."

INGREDIENTS
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 cup butter
DIRECTIONS
Lightly grease a Bundt pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Pour pie filling into bottom of bundt pan, and on top of that pour the pineapple. Pour dry cake mix on top of pineapple. Slice butter or margarine over cake mix.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. This cake is best when served warm.

Answer 3

Salad Dressing Cake

cakes

1 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoon cocoa
1 cup cool water
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cup flour
1 cup miracle whip

Mix sugar and cocoa. Mix water and baking soda. Add to cocoa mixture and stir. Add salad dressing and mix well. Add flour, all at once. Mix just long enough to blend. Add vanilla. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cake is done.

Answer 4

This is a great cake and it's very simple, though it's not the "birthday" type. It's a 7 Up Pound cake. You can get the recipe here.

Answer 5

here is a couple of recipes
Pistachio Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 C. club soda
2 boxes instant pistachio pudding
1/4 C. vegetable oil
1 lb. white pistachio nuts (walnuts or pecans will work), lightly toasted and crushed
1-1/2 C. milk
1 envelope of powdered whipping cream

Mix in bowl the cake mix, eggs, club soda, 1 box of the pudding, oil, and 1/2 cup of the nuts. Mix well and bake in a greased and floured bundt or tube cake pan for 45 minutes at 325°F. Cake is done when a long toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Completely cool on rack. When cool, place cake on serving plate and completely cover with the below icing.
****
Icing: Mix 1-1/2 cups milk, with instant whipped topping, and 1 box instant pistachio pudding. Mix on low to combine and then on high for 4 minutes. Fold in nuts and spread on cooled cake.

http://www.thatsmyhome.com/sweetspot/pistcak.htm

Hummingbird Cake

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
2 cups diced bananas
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan.
Measure flour, sugar, soda, salt, cinnamon, oil, eggs, vanilla into mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Stir in pineapple with juice, bananas, and pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in oven for about 70 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack or plate after cooling for 20 minutes. Cool, and ice with cream cheese icing.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/hummingbird-cake-i/detail.aspx

Answer 6

Here is where I get mine from.
great cakes, tastes delicios and soooo easy !!
this confetti cake people always love it when I bake them

http://www.easy-kids-recipes.com/birthday-party-cakes.html