Peeps Sunflower Cake

Isn't this the cutest cake ever?!?!  I saw this on the internets and I just had to make it right away.  This idea came from Taste of Home.  I wanted to just do a box cake mix, but Chicken Legs guilted me into making a cake from scratch.  I decided to make a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and then decorate it with the peeps.  I used Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake and Icing recipe off the side of the coco powder.  It turned out great.  The cake was easy to make and baked up perfectly - it was even level straight out of the oven!  The decorating was a breeze.  I was worried that the chocolate chips in the center would be a pain, but it only took about 5 minutes and it was done.  I thought it turned out exactly like the picture from Taste of Home.  This is just in time for Easter!   I gave the cake to our wonderful neighbor, Don.  Don stopped and helped us with our ganked up garage door on Monday night.  We would have never been able to get the door down if Don hadn't stopped and helped us.  Don is lucky he is so nice, because Chicken Legs & I wanted to gobble this cake up!!

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake
(Printable Recipe)

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2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting. Without separating Peeps and curving slightly to fit, arrange chicks around edge of cake for sunflower petals (I used 19 peeps). For sunflower seeds, arrange chocolate chips in center of cake.


"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.