Elmo’s Hooray it’s my Birthday Cake

 

Well my little girl’s birthday was quickly approaching and I planned on ordering her birthday cake from the same place we have gone for the past nine years….. Well they didn’t see my vision for her cake and I was left without a birthday cake. What would I do?? I had not planned on making her cake, but my little girl being the tart she is says “Can you make me the chocolate cake from pips’s (her little sis) Sesame Street Cookbook?”  Hey why didn’t I think abou that? Well we have made this cake about four times and wow is it ever easy, her only other request was to add a splash of hot pink- too easy. This cake is very simple requring only one bowl and uses yogurt which gives it a slight tang. The recipe calls for two eight inch cake pans, but for the life of me I can’t find mine, so I used two 9 inch instead. Well to break up the layers a bit we covered oreos with chocolate and added hot pink sprinkles and chocolate sprinkles. Enjoy! 

Elmo’s hooray it’s my Birthday! Chocolate Cake
from Sesame Street C is for Cooking recipes from the Street 

cake
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup (8ounces) low- fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup all- pupose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teasponns baking soda 

frosting
1/2 cup (1stick) butter
2 ounces (1/3 cup) milk chocolate chips or milk chocolate candy bar, chopped
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tbsp low- fat plain yogurt 

Preheat oven to 350
lightly grease and flour two 8inch cake pans
Crack the eggs in a small bowl.
Then in a large bowl, stir together the sugar, yogurt, applesauce, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Stir until smooth and well blended.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
Bake the cakes until toohpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks for about 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks to cool completely.
Prepare frosting- Combine the butter and chocolate bar in a small saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring until smooth and blended. Pour into large bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder and vanilla. Stir in 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar and the yogurt. Stir in the remaining sugar until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
To frost the cake, place one layer on a cake plate. cover with a layer of icing. Place the remaining layer on top of the first. Spread the remaining frosting with a spatula over the top and sides. 

*** I topped mine with chocolate covered oreos and sprinkles. I also used the remaining frosting as glue to attach cookies to side of cake. Thanks goes out to xoxo727 from  Contessa’s Kitchen for the oreo tip!!