Re-purposing before a Birthday Party

On Saturday, we celebrated my sweet, spunky, witty and mischievous 6-year-old, Lydia. It was the day of her birth, and the day of her party. We had a great time with some new friends and my old sister. (Just kidding, Aubrey. I'm older than you are.)  Four families besides my sis and my family were able to come, and after the party, Dave added up that we probably had 35 people here including kids! (The people we invited are good at the multiplication order found in Genesis. "Go forth and multiply.." ) It was so fun!

There were kiddos jumping on the trampoline, playing with toys in the basement, playing outside, and eating candy from a bashed pinata.  Adults and kids were finishing up hot dogs and hamburgers in the dining room and on the deck. They were also seen enjoying some homemade chocolate cake and some cookies and cream ice cream. It was exactly the crazy and fun kind of at-home party I always thought my kiddos would have one day. I loved it.

I was told by a some of our guests that the chocolate cake I made was delicious. Since I got a positive response, I thought I would share with you all where I got my recipe. It's a pretty easy one to follow, and if you buy a container of Hershey's Cocoa, Special Dark, you'll find the recipe for the cake and the frosting on the back. I wish I would have made two.

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Cake Recipe:
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. boiling water

1. Heat over to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch baking pans
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter in to prepared pans.
3. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
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One tip that I like to share, though, has to do with the dry ingredients in (step 2 of the above or)  any recipe when you bake. After the dry ingredients are all in the bowl, don't just stir them, incorporate and sift them with a wire whisk. This will help keep the cake both light and dense at the same time. (You know what I mean, right?) I don't even own a sifter, I just re-purpose my whisk every time a recipe calls for something to sifted. A whisk is a great tool! It has gads of re-purposing qualities.

After the party, Dave and I reflected on the party and felt so thankful to be able to be hospitable in our home. We really got to know people in our neck of the woods better, and had a great time doing it. Thanks to all of you who were able to be a part and a double thanks to my sister and brother-in-law! I thank my sister for driving 9 hours to my house with her kiddos, for helping me to set up the party and for doing dishes on a daily basis! I thank my brother-in-law for his blessing on the whole adventure.

Thanks for reading and for celebrating along with us in reading about my middle daughters Backyard BBQ Birthday Bash! Let me know what your whisk can do for you!

Love, Amber