Remembering my Dad

My family and I celebrated my dad's life yesterday- a life that ended very unexpectedly 10 years ago. We decided to celebrate together this year, as the cooker boy has had a lot of questions about Pop Pop Jim.We had lunch at the beach, and Ben sent Pop Pop Jim some balloons.  I baked this cake, which was always my dads favorite...He called it "Schocolate cake with schocolate icing" as a kid...the Schocolate stuck even as he grew up, and it became a family joke. I wasn't into baking much when my dad was around, but I'm sure he's drooling over this cake from up above.

Ben and Mom releasing the balloons and Ben's note to Pop Pop Jim

I spent some time scanning old pictures and posting them on Facebook, as most of our family and friends are still in Ohio, and I wanted everyone to be included in the celebration. Several people posted great memories of my dad on my wall, and they were definitely fun to read. He was an incredibly funny guy, and that's what I miss the most.

Family Pictures

The recipes. I used the "Too Much Chocolate Cake" and Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting recipes for this cake. Talk about chocolate overload...exactly what my dad would have enjoyed!

Too Much Chocolate Cake from  AllRecipes.com

1 devils food cake mix
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare (2) 9 inch cake pans with baking spray and set aside. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir to break up lumps. Add oil, sour cream, milk and eggs and whisk until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into pans and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of cake. Cool in pans on wire racks until completely cool.

Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting from Hersheys.com

1 stick butter
2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in saucepan and stir in cocoa power. Whisk until smooth and transfer into large mixing bowl. Alternate adding powdered sugar and milk, beating until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract and beat until just combined.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!