It’s your child’s birthday and you want to surprise him/her with that special treat-a really great tasting chocolate cake that is sure to be a hit with his friends. Just check out those 2 chocolate cake recipes for your kids’ birthday

Moist Chocolate Birthday Cake Chocolate Cake

Ingredients: 2 cups sugar (1 white, 1 dark brown-Domino Brand) 1/2 cup Parkay Margarine (1 stick) 2 eggs 1/2 cup Hershey Cocoa 1 TBSP vanilla (imitation) or 1tsp real vanilla Pinch of salt 1 TBSP baking soda (Arm & Hammer brand) 1 cup buttermilk (or powdered buttermilk-follow directions on label to equal 1 cup buttermilk)

2 cups sifted flour (measure flour first prior to sifting it) 1/2 cup boiling water Chocolate Cake Icing Ingredients: 1/2 box Domino’s Powdered Sugar (1 lb. size) 1 stick Parkay margarine 2 level TBSP Hershey’s Cocoa 2 tsp imitation vanilla 1.5 TBSP milk How to

Make the Chocolate Cake: Beat Parkay margarine and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, and cocoa. Mix baking soda in buttermilk until it starts to fizz. Pour buttermilk into batter. Stop mixer and add flour.

Mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add boiling water and mix. Pour batter into long cake pan 13 by 9 by 2. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Test if it’s done using a toothpick. If toothpick comes out clean, it’s done. If it doesn’t come out clean, leave in a few more minutes and retest.

How to Make the Icing: Feed in mixer. The longer you beat it the creamier it gets. Cool cake first before frosting.

For vanilla icing, use same recipe but omit cocoa. Best Chocolate Cake Ingredients: 50g/2oz plain flour 60g/21/2oz ground almonds 225g/8oz good quality dark chocolate (at least 70 per cent cocoa solids), broken into pieces 225g/8oz butter 6 free-range eggs, separated 50g/2oz soft brown sugar grated orange zest (optional) 175g/6oz caster sugar icing sugar, for dusting Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm/8in loose-bottomed or clip-sided cake tin with greaseproof paper.

3. Sift the flour and almonds into a large bowl.

4. Place the chocolate pieces and butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the base of the bowl. Heat while stirring from time to time, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and allow cooling slightly.

5. Separate the eggs into two large bowls. Add the brown sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and whisk together for a few minutes until frothy. Add the flour mixture, melted chocolate and grated orange zest, if using. Fold lightly to mix, using a large metal spoon.

6. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually add the caster sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.

7. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture. Pour the mixture into the cake tin.

8. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until crisp on top and squidgy inside. Test the cake with a cocktail stick or skewer – it should come out a bit sticky, but not wet. Allow to cool on a wire rack – the cake will sink but that’s ok. Carefully peel the paper off when the cake’s cold

9. To serve, dust the cake with icing sugar and cut into slices.