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.

Cake Up-sizer...who knew?

Today I discovered something new.  Did you know that boxed cake mixes have gotten smaller in recent years?
Really?!?!
Yes!
I had no idea.
I KNOW!

Here are two instances where it might actually cause a problem:
1.  Making a recipe that calls for a boxed cake mix
2.  You need 24 cupcakes and can barely get 22 out of the mix!

I came across this little discovery while browsing Pinterest for a sewing pattern.  (Yes, yes, my mind wanders from one thing to another while in Pinterest--just like yours does.)   This lady had an ingenious idea to come up with a mixture to make up for the missing 3 ounces of cake mix.  Go to her blog to get the recipe for the mixture.  You'll thank me later.

Go here to Make A Jar of Cake "Up-Sizer"

Click photo to get the recipe!

Baking with Martha - Cream Cheese Pound Cake

A couple of weeks ago we happened to stop on a PBS channel that featured the Martha Bakes TV show.  We only meant to stop for a minute, but we ended up watching for quite a while.  She made several good looking desserts, but this is the one that my husband really liked.  We are both fans of pound cake.  Typically I make a Tastefully Simple Absolutely Almond pound cake, but I decided to give this “from scratch” recipe a shot.  We loved it!  It wasn’t too sweet and baked in just about an hour.  I also halved the recipe, since the original recipe makes two whole loaves and that would have been way too much.

Cream-Cheese Pound Cake

Ingredients

1 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

   1/2 bar (4 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

   1 1/2 cups sugar

   3 large eggs

   1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

   1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

   1 teaspoons salt

   Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour and salt in two additions, beating until just combined.

Generously coat one 8 1/2-by-4 1/2- by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans (1 1/2 quarts) with cooking spray; immediately pour in batter (pan will seem full). Tap pan on work surface to eliminate any large air bubbles.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, 60 to 75 minutes (if the tops begin to brown too quickly, tent with aluminum foil).

Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Turn out the cake; cool completely, with top sides up, on a wire rack.

Original recipe found here.