Portillo's Chocolate Cake

Anyone that lives in Chicago knows (or should know) the deliciousness of Portillo’s Chocolate Cake.  It is the BEST chocolate cake anywhere.  Now that I live in Atlanta, not only do I miss the hot dogs and cheese fries (I'm on a personal quest to bring Portillo's to Scenic Hwy.), I also miss the chocolate cake.  I’ve even converted Joe into a lover of Portillo’s chocolate cake.  He requests it when we’re back visiting my family.  He even went on a business trip to Chicago a couple of years ago and had to get some cake while he was in town!  I had seen copycat recipes for quite some time, but I was always a little leery of trying one in fear of it not being anything like Portillo’s cake.  I decided to make one for Sam’s 2^nd birthday.  It was a hit with the three of us and really easy to imitate.  If you like chocolate cake, this is a really close second to the actual, real Portillo’s Chocolate Cake.

Here are a few notes about the recipe.  I didn't have large eggs the day I was baking the cake, so I used 4 medium eggs.  The original recipe I used called for 3 large eggs.  The recipe also called for 2 cans of frosting and I opted to use one.  One was plenty, but if you like a lot of frosting, similar to Portillo's, go with the two cans of frosting.

Copycat Chicago’s Portillo’s Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

1 Betty Crocker Super Moist Devil’s Food Cake Mix (It's important to get the Super Moist kind even if you use another brand.)

3 large eggs (or 4 medium if you don't have large)

1 cup ice cold water

1 cup mayonnaise

1 can creamy Chocolate Frosting (or 2 if you really like frosting. I use one.)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

 Grease 2 9” cake pans.  Beat all ingredients together for 4 minutes until smooth.  This will make the batter creamy and fluffy.  

Pour in pans and bake 30-35 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

 Cool on wire rack.  Frost double-layer cake.

Original recipe found here.