Frosted Chocolate Layer Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp fat-free margarine
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 large egg whites
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 oz milk chocolate chips , about 4 tbsp
• 6 tbsp milk
• 16 oz. powdered sugar

Makes 16 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F Coat 2 (9-inch) round or square cake pans with cooking spray; set aside.
2. To make the cake, combine flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mix well with a fork to break up the brown sugar; set aside.
3. Melt 4 tbsp of the margarine. Combine buttermilk, egg whites, melted margarine and 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl; using an electric mixer, mix on low speed until blended. Gradually beat in boiling water and then add in flour mixture; mix on low speed until blended.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes; invert cakes onto rack, remove pans and cool completely.
5. Eanwhile, to make the frosting, melt remaining  2 tbsp of margarine in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add milk and chocolate chips, cook until blended and smooth, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in remaining 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract; cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes. using an electric mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar and mix until blended.
6. To assemble cake, spread 1/2 cup of frosting on top of one cake layer. Top with second cake layer and spread remaining frosting over top and sides; slice into 16 slices and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 8 pts

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. It was my birthday and I wanted to make my own birthday cake and the photo for this recipe looked so delicious I couldn't pass it up. This recipe is labeled as difficult. The only difficult thing about this recipe is assembling the cake, everything else is easy. It looks overwhelming but all you have to do is have everything in its place and it's smooth sailing. Baking take time and the end product tastes delicious when it's done right. Make sure you mix your dry ingredients separately from your wet ingredients because the cake will be moist and fluffy. My mom and I LOVED this cake because it was fluffy, moist, chocolatey and delicious. It was even better than the cake mixes you but at the grocery store. You can even cut the recipe in half and the cake will still be heavenly delicious. I highly recommend making this cake for a special occasion because it's worth it.