Birthday Cake with Chocolate Icing

Ingredients

    cooking spray
    2-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
    3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon salt

    1-1/4 cups milk
    vegetable oil
    8 Tablespoons butter, softened
    1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
    3 large eggs

Chocolate Icing

    1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
    1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons cornstarch; packed
    7 Tablespoons cocoa

    7 Tablespoons butter, divided
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    1 Tablespoon vanilla

Directions

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of two 8-inch round pans. Spray each of the pans with cooking spray and place parchment in the pans and spray the paper.
    In the bowl of your stand mixer or other large mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
    Measure the 1-1/4 cups of milk in a cup glass measuring cup, then add enough vegetable oil to bring the liquid up to 1-1/3 cups. (Make sure this measurement is accurate as they are very close to each other.)
    Add the milk mixture, butter and vanilla to the flour mixtu3 and beat on medium-high for two minutes. Add the eggs and beat another two minutes. Divide batter evenly into prepared pans.
    Bake cake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
    Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes, then run a knife around the pans edge to loosen cakes. Remove from pans and cool completely.
    For the icing, in a large 10-12" sauce pan, combine, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, 1 Tablespoon butter and salt. Pour 1-1/2 cups boiling water into pan and begin whisking.
    Turn on med-low flame and continue to whisk until mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in remaining 6 Tablespoons of butter and vanilla.
    Remove from heat and let cool completely. This icing thickens as it cools as does best in the refrigerator when firming up.
    Ice cake and decorate if you like. (smittenkitchen.com)