Ingredients

1¾cupsall purpose flour,or plain flour

¾cupunsweetened cocoa powder,or regular Hershey’s cocoa powder

1½tspbaking powder

1½tspbaking soda

1tspsalt

2cupswhite granulated sugar

2largeeggs

1cupmilk

½cupvegetable oil

2tsppure vanilla extract

1cupboiling water

4ozbutter

⅔cupunsweetened cocoa powder,or regular Hershey’s

3cupspowdered sugar,confectioners or icing sugar

⅓cupmilk

1tsppure vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F standard or 320 degrees F fan/convection.

Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter. Line base with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk in sugar, then add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk well for 30 seconds to combine until lump free.

Pour boiling water into batter, mixing well. Cake batter is thin in consistency.

Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

Melt butter, then whisk in cocoa powder. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency (add a small amount of additional milk, if needed). Stir in vanilla.