The best part of any birthday party

(don't know what's going on over the next two weeks?  Read the intro here, and join the party here!)

Is the cake, of course.


Do you like to procrastinate your birthday bash to-do list until the last minute like I do?
Do you like things to be nice and easy?
Do you hate baking and try to stick with the bare essentials?
Do you like chocolate?
If you answered yes to any (or all) of the above, then this birthday cake is for YOU.


This week for Yummy Monday I'm sharing my family's:

It's easy.  It's fast.  It's yummy.  And did I mention it's easy?  So easy even the mr makes it.  In fact, on more than one occasion I've mentioned I have a craving for chocolate cake and he has had no qualms about baking this baby up for me.   The best part about this cake is that you can whip it up easy shmeezy (in ONE pan!) and then tell everyone you MADE IT FROM SCRATCH - frosting included! - and they'll be in awe.


Ready for it?  This recipe is alternatively known as "Crazy Cake" but I like my run-on sentence title better.


Crazy Cake

INGREDIENTS 

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups cold water

DIRECTIONS

Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over all, and stir well with fork.

**(Sometimes I will mix the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl and follow the directions above IN THE BOWL, THEN pour the whole thing, mixed well, into the ungreased pan.  It’s a little easier to mix it well without slopping all over.  But sometimes the slop is worth it to not have to wash the bowl.  It comes out great in the end either way.)**

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups Confectioners Sugar
1/2 cup Butter -- Softened
2 ounces Unsweetened Chocolate -- melted & cooled
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 tablespoons Milk

Directions

Cream the butter with a mixer.  Add the sugar and mix well.  Add the rest of the ingredients on medium until smooth.  Add more milk as necessary.

For the record, the frosting is not usually quite as runny as it is in these pictures.  We had a small frosting issue when we last made this cake, but the good news is it tasted delicious anyway.

It's lick the plate good.  Which is more than I can say for my other forays into birthday cake making.


And, just in case, I'm leaving you with a few other deliciously delectable sweet treats - all of which would be yummy for a birthday party.  Or any day, really.  

Lemon Lava Cakes  (A nice alternative for those poor, poor souls who are allergic to chocolate)
Chocolate Pudding Cakes with Caramel Sauce and Homemade Whipped Cream (horrible picture, crazy good dessert.)
Pumpkin Pie Cake  (It's not just for Thanksgiving)
Peach Kuchen

Surprise! Pie  (I'd tell you what's in it, but it's a surprise!)
Best Flan Ever  (Cinco De Mayo themed birthday?)
Lemon Cake Pie  (again with the lemon!  I'll admit: in my book, it's second only to chocolate)
Buttermilk Pie (don't let the scary picture fool you.  It's amazingly delicious.)


Because we all know my motto: Dessert is the most important meal of the day.

*Be sure to check the right sidebar for all the fun parties I link to!