<p>This thread really got to me over the past week. I made a chocolate cake (an 30+ year old handwritten recipe from the mom of French friend)–recipe below. I did replace half the sugar with Splenda which made me feel a tad less guilty. Put sweetened whipped cream between the layers and topped with my favorite homemade frosting. I’ve only had one piece so far. The cake absorbs the moisture from the whipped cream and becomes like something halfway between brownie and fudge. Yummmmmm…</p>
<p>8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/3 cup sugar (I used half Splenda)
2 sticks butter
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt </p>
<p>Nutella is amazing. To me anyway. Before I decided to lose some weight… I would come home in the afternoon, get out the Nutella and a bag of pretzels, watch afternoon TV, and have 2 pretzels dipped in Nutella. (I really did limit it to two!!) Heaven… No more, at least for a while, though. :)</p>
<p>I know other threads have addressed this topic, but I bet I’ll get the best advice here. I want to send my D a homemade birthday cake to share with her dorm buddies. I’m thinking: 9 x 13 chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, shipped in the pan. 2-day shipping. Which of the frosting options would hold up better? Should I freeze the cake before shipping? Am I an idiot to attempt this?</p>
<p>What parts of the country are you and your d in? If you’re shipping from Maine to Michigan, no problem; if one or both of you is in the south, I’d hold off.</p>
<p>Here’s what I would probably do:</p>
<p>Make a chocolate cake in the 9x13 pan. Release it from the pan, carefully split it into two layers, and put the frosting IN BETWEEN the layers. Then put it back in the pan and press Saran wrap and foil directly onto the surface of the cake. You want it to be immobilized so that it doesn’t move in the pan when it is turned upside down. Then ship the pan.</p>
<p>My chocolate frosting recipe is non-perishable and would be perfect for this. Much as I dislike canned frosting, it’s pretty durable too.</p>
<p>If you’re going to use canned frosting, you can also just include the can and let her frost it. Include paper plates and plastic forks, if you think they’ll be needed. Nothing worse than receiving a cake and not being able to eat it without utensils.</p>
<p>I don’t think weather will be an issue since I’m in the Pacific Northwest, as is D’s college. Hanna, I will definitely try your frosting recipe. Yum! The suggestions for putting the frosting between layers and for sending frosting in the can make sense, but I was hoping to frost (homemade frosting) and decorate the top. Tango14, good to include forks. And some kind of knife/spatula too, I guess. Already have plates and napkins to tuck in. The school does offer a birthday package with cupcakes and some fun silly stuff, but in my experience cupcakes are not generally very good unless they’re homemade or from a specialty bakery – want to avoid that Crisco frosting. But maybe I’m overthinking this, and the fun of the school’s b-day cupcake package would be just right. Hmmm.</p>
<p>Another thought- Make the cupcakes. Ship them along with a whole variety of toppings, nuts, sprinkles,couple kinds of canned frosting,etc. The kids can have a “cupcake decorating party” like mine did when they were little, and personalize their own. great fun!</p>