Super-Moist Chocolate Cake (with Cream Cheese Glaze)

There's nothing like a good, moist and rich chocolate cake.

We're a family of four, so I don't make cakes very often. I'm always afraid they'll sit on the counter too long and get stale. But when I made this cake, it was gone in record time.

For the Cake:

• 1 Stick of Butter (I used Light Butter) 
• 1 Cup of Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Dark or Light Brown Sugar (optional, but I love the taste)
• 2 Large Eggs (or three small eggs)
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 3/4 Cup Cake Flour
• 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder (I used dark chocolate)
• 2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
• 3/4 Cup Milk (you can use skim, 2%, whole, or even buttermilk, depending on the flavor you want and the healthiness you are concerned with) 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees. If using dark or nonstick cake pans, you might need to change your oven temperature to 325 Degrees. 
2. Place sugar and butter (at room temperature-this is very important!) in the bowl of a stand mixer and begin creaming at medium speed. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can do it by hand, but it does take longer. You should cream until the sugar is completely dissolved in the butter. The longer the mixture is creamed, the fluffier your cake will be! This should take about five minutes in a stand mixer and ten by hand. 
3. Add the vanilla then one egg at a time to the butter and sugar, incorporating it fully before you add the next. Beat until creamy. 
4. In a separate bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix well. 
5. Alternately add the dry ingredients then the milk to the egg and sugar mixture until all ingredients are well incorporated. DO NOT overmix! It will make your cake rubbery!
6. Place on well-greased baking pans. Choose whatever shape you like, but make sure to check the cakes towards the end of baking because different pans will finish at different times. Start checking the cakes at twenty minutes into baking, inserting a toothpick and removing them from the oven when it comes out clean. 

For the Cream Cheese Glaze:

This is super easy to make! 

• 1/4 Cup Softened Cream Cheese (I used five second intervals in the microwave until the cream cheese was softened)
• 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1. Mix all ingredients together until smooth and well incorporated. 
2. Spread on cake as desired, between layers and on top. Finish with sprinkles!