One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

My bosses Birthday was a week ago and I was so excited because I got to make the cake!  When you are making such a special cake, you want to know your recipe is a good one, so I used the recipe my Mom always used for my Birthday!  This is one of my all-time favorite chocolate cakes, hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

 Oh man it was so chocolatey and rich-in a good way:)

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk (I used buttermilk, 1 cup milk with 1 Tbsp. vinegar)
2/3 cup oil (used canola)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2-3 cups chocolate chips (optional but highly recommended)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 2 round cake pans or a 12x9 pan (if you are using the two round pans, place parchment in the bottom for easy removal).  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add milk, oil, and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed just until combined.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add egg and beat 2 more minutes.  Pour batter into prepared pans.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips (or if you don't put chocolate chips in the batter, you can put them on the middle layer on frosting).
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.  Cool cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove cake from pan.  Cool thoroughly on a wire rack. 
Make frosting and frost cake.  I made a two-layer cake and used chocolate chips in the middle layer and on the outside edge. 
**Note:  I also wrapped my cakes in plastic wrap and placed them in the freezer overnight.  Optional but it is supposed to make the cake more moist. 

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting
1 stick butter
2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa (I used 1/3 cup dark cocoa and 1/3 cup normal cocoa)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat room temperature butter with cocoa.  Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency.  Add more milk, if needed.  Add vanilla.  Makes about 2 cups.