Dark Chocolate Cake with Strawberry cream cheese frosting

Ingredients: 2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa (you can use regular cocoa, if you prefer)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed coffee

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a different bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract; Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed of an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in hot coffee...the batter will be very thin!

Pour batter into the prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely and add icing and strawberry slices.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: Cooking with Paula Deen magazine - May/June 2008

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed

1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract (I used vanilla extract instead)

7 cups confectioner's sugar (a little less than 2 lbs.)

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup strawberry puree, reserving remaining for another use. Beat in extract. Gradually add confectioner's sugar, beating until smooth.

***Notes***

- For pinker frosting, add 2 to 3 drops of red food coloring to frosting.

- I added freshly sliced strawberries between the cake layers!