Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting and Vanilla Spice Filling

I wanted to make a cake, but unfortunately didn't get the ingredients until Saturday.
I altered this recipe a bit and if I ever use it again, I would definitely make some changes. I should have known when I read the recipe that pouring all that batter into one 9" cake pan sounded a little suspicious, but I didn't think anything of it at the time. I already had to convert the oven temperature to Fahrenheit, so I thought maybe the amounts just didn't add up to make a normal 2-layer cake, and when I poured it, it wouldn't have fit evenly into two 9" pans (one cake layer would have been exceptionally smaller). I think if I hadn't omitted the coffee, maybe it would have fit into two pans. I probably should have just boiled one cup of hot water to add instead but left it out entirely, which is one reason why the cake wasn't as moist as it could have been.
The cake, along with not coming out as moist as I'd hoped, it overflowed in the pan, making it so the outside almost burned but the middle was still quite raw. I managed to cook it all the way through, carve off the really crunchy pieces, and cut it in half to make a 2-layer cake. It looks prettier than it tastes, I will admit that. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to cooking, and I believe there's always ways to make things better.

Chocolate Cake (recipe adapted from Sips and Spoonfuls)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot brewed coffee or water
• 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350° F and spray two 9" cake pans with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugars, and eggs. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla to the wet mixture. Combine the wet and dry mixtures. Mix well until combined and then add coffee/hot water. Mix once again. Pour into greased pans and bake in the middle rack in the oven for approximately 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out just clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Vanilla Spice Buttercream (makes just enough for filling in between 2 cake layers)

• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 to 1 Tbsp milk (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2—2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Beat butter and vanilla until creamy. Add cinnamon. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and beat until desired consistency. Add milk and/or more sugar until icing is the desired consistency.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting (adapted from Smitten Kitchen; makes about 5 cups)

• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate*, melted and cooled
• 4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 6 tablespoons half-and-half or whole milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Beat your butter and chocolate until incorporated. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar. Add the vanilla and beat well. Add more or less milk / sugar until the frosting is the desired consistency.

*(I used half a bag of Hershey's dark chocolate chips; in retrospect, unsweetened chocolate would have been better, as I think the frosting turned out too sweet)