Just call me Betty...

...Crocker that is.

For Christmas this year, I was really dying for a Kitchenaid Artisan Mixer in the matte black finish. I was lucky enough to receive it from my mom. I have been so excited to use it, but I had to buy a lot of baking supplies just to get started. Daniel decided to go do that for me yesterday afternoon. He also picked up all the ingredients for the recipe. By the way, this would be my first attempt at making a cake from scratch in my life.

A few days ago, I went on a search for a chocolate cake recipe that resembled the Aunt Etta's Chocolate Cake we buy at The Chocolate Bar inside the loop. I crave this cake like nothing else. I came across a promising recipe that had the chocolate ganache frosting like they use. It is a Double Chocolate Layer Cake. So, I decided this would be the one I try.

It took me most of the afternoon yesterday with the kids helping me prepare the cake mixes. All along the way, I was realizing that I needed a few extra tools to make the process either go faster or work more efficiently. For instance, Daniel could not find a good sifter, so it took me forever to do that. We ordered a battery operated one online, though. Also, I do not have a frosting spatula, but I made do with a regular soft flex one. I finished later than anticipated, so we didn't get to taste it last night much to the kids' dismay. I let it sit in the fridge overnight and put it out to warm up in the morning.

All and all, it turned out amazingly well. It isn't exactly like The Chocolate Bar version, but it is excellent none the less. Daniel, who happens to be the biggest critic of food, was raving with every bite. I think there are some things I would like to play with on the recipe to really make more of a WOW cake. I would also like to play around with the icing and decorating it more. For a first attempt, though, I think I did darn well.

Here is a picture of my finished product. I think it has a great homemade feel to it.