Chocolate Cake From Scratch – Easy and Delicious!

September 8, 2025September 7, 2025 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Birthdays and cake just go together! I think it would be a sad celebration without one! When my girls asked me to make a cake for our family vacation and family celebration, I looked at lots of options, then landed on our long-time favorite – Triple Chocolate Cake. I think deciding which cake to make was harder than actually making it! First on the list was making sure I had all the ingredients on hand. That didn’t mean a run to the store because I am enjoying the blessing of occasionally having my Kroger grocery order delivered. I was able to get a rate for being a Kroger Boost member $35 for the year. That allows me to have groceries delivered the next day at no charge. For the most part it’s been wonderful. Why?

It keeps me home.
If I forget something, it allows me to add things to my order up to about two hours prior to my delivery time.
For the most part, I’ve gotten everything I’ve ordered.

However, a happy accident happened when the Devil’s Food Cake Mix didn’t show up in my delivery. I was planning to make the cake layers for the Triple Chocolate Cake on that day. Since I didn’t want to undo the blessing of the delivery, I went looking for a cook chocolate cake recipe that I could make from scratch instead. The happy accident was that the recipe I baked made the Triple Chocolate cake recipe so much better that I’ll never use that box mix again!

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Making a Birthday the BEST Day

September 16, 2022September 15, 2022 RefreshHer6 Comments

Birthdays aren’t just ordinary days, they are to be celebrated! Just how do you make someone’s day the BEST day for them?

Make them their favorite breakfast.
Even if the fare is simple, it’s special when it’s delivered on a tray! My favorite breakfast is either French Toast or Homemade Waffles. That warm syrup dripping down over the golden crispy bread is almost better than birthday cake! Dale has perfected his cooking skills over the years, and breakfast is his best meal! Tip – I try to keep my fridge and freezer stocked with cooked bacon, homemade waffles, fresh bread and fruits. It makes it easy for me to fix our morning meal, but when my husband wants to serve me in that way, it makes it super simple for him. It’s a win-win!

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Celebrations · Marriage · Parenting

The Two Greatest Men In My Life

June 17, 2022June 17, 2022 RefreshHer2 Comments

Father’s Day and my wedding anniversary come close together in June, giving me the blessing of celebrating the two greatest men in my life – my dad and my husband. They are both imperfect, of course, but let me tell you why I delight in celebrating them this weekend.

Even at 89, my dad enjoys working on tasks he’s able to do.

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cakes · Celebrations

Celebration Cake!

May 3, 2021April 30, 2021 RefreshHer4 Comments

Last week I mentioned our wonderful 40 anniversary celebration our daughters gave us. Our family celebrations usually always include some GREAT food. This party was no exception! After lunch we went to our daughter’s home for cake! This was a Strawberry Layer Cake from Taste of the South. I’m sharing the recipe with you today because it was fabulous, and because strawberry season is upon us! If you need a reason, this is the perfect one to buy strawberries!

Strawberry Layer Cake

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries, divided
½ cup strawberry preserves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Frosting (recipe follows)
4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, divided
Garnish: fresh strawberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 (8-inch) round, tall-sided cake pans with baking spray with flour; line bottom of pans with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in 2 cups strawberries, preserves, and vanilla. Divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks. Spread about 1½ cups Strawberry Frosting onto one cake layer. Place about 1 cup Strawberry Frosting in a piping bag, and cut tip to create a dime-size opening. Pipe a border around edge of cake layer. Sprinkle frosting with 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar. Layer remaining 2 cups strawberries slices in center of frosting; sprinkle again with remaining 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining Strawberry Frosting on top and sides of cake. Garnish with strawberries, if desired.

Strawberry Frosting
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar
5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
½ cup strawberry preserves or jam

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat butter with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar alternately with cream, beating until combined. Increase mixer speed to high. Add preserves, and beat for 1 minute.

This made a wonderful celebration cake, but you don’t need to wait for a special occasion to make it – especially if you love strawberries!

Are you a strawberry fan like I am?