This is probably the easiest (and fastest) chocolate cake I have ever made, and the frosting is sinfully simple. Best part? The cake can be mixed, cooked, and frosted in an hour and a half. I made this for a Friday night potluck dinner where we enjoyed time by the pool, ate a ton of food, and watched the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympics. Not a bad way to ring in the games!
For the cake you'll need:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 stick melted butter
For the frosting you'll need:
16 oz. whipped topping (Cool Whip or a generic brand)
8 oz. cream cheese
Set the over for 325. Combine all of the ingredients for the cake in a large bowl and mix well (the mixture should be relatively "soupy"; if it seems dry, add a little bit more milk). Pour the ingredients into a greased cake pan (9 x 1.5 or slightly larger) and bake for about 40-50 minutes, until tester comes out clean. If you need to cool the cake quickly, you can stick it in the fridge after you take it out of the oven.
For the frosting, combine the whipped topping and cream cheese in a mixer and whip until smooth. Store in the refrigerator until it's time to frost the cake (this recipe makes a lot of frosting, so feel free to half it), Add fruit to garnish and serve chilled.
