Big Money Starlight Double-Delight Cake

Homemade Chocolate Cake

Vintage Chocolate Cake: The Big Money Starlight Double-Delight

Explore a prize-winning piece of baking history with the Big Money Starlight Double-Delight Cake! This recipe is a $25,000 prize winner (first place!) from Pillsbury's 3rd Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest (currently known as the Pillsbury Bake-Off) in 1951.

According to Dollar Times, that's the equivalent of $233,049.00 in today's dollars!  That's big money!

It's a delicious chocolate cake, with a chocolate cream cheese frosting that gets added to the batter to make a wonderfully textured cake!

Why This Cake Still Shines

• Pillsbury Bake-Off Champion (1951): First-place winner with a historic reward.

• Cream cheese frosting baked into the batter: Adds incredible moistness and tang.

• Rich, classic flavor: Authentic mid-century bake that appeals to modern tastes.

• Perfect for celebrations: A beautiful show-stopper for parties or special occasions.

Ingredients:

6 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup butter, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups (1 1/2 lbs.) confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1/4 cup hot water
4 oz. unsweeted baking chocolate, melted
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350°.  Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2.  With a mixer, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup of the butter with the vanilla until smooth.  Beat in 3 cups of the powdered sugar.  Slowly add the hot water, beating well.  Add the remaining sugar and beat until smooth.  Blend in the chocolate until smooth and combined.

3.  Reserve 2 cups of the cream cheese mixture (this will be used to frost the cake with later).  Take the remaining 2 cups and add 1/4 cup of the butter; mix thoroughly.  Blend in the eggs, one at a time.  Beat for 1 minute.

4.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and the salt.  Add 1/3 of the flour to the batter; then 1/2 of the milk.  Beat well.  Add another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the milk, then add the rest of the flour, beating well after each addition.

5.  Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6.  Cool completely.  Frost with the reserved frosting.

Final Thoughts

This vintage winner combines nostalgia with flavor—an elegant tribute to classic baking. Whether you’re baking for nostalgia or to impress, the Starlight Double-Delight Cake is guaranteed to wow.

Other dessert recipes you will love:

• Homemade Chocolate Pudding
  
• Homemade Rice Krispie Treats (No Store-Bought Marshmallows!)
  
• Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies – Rich, Fudgy, and Swirled with Sweet Raspberry Filling
  

Here is the original 1951 recipe by Mrs. Samuel P. Weston, from La Jolla, California:

1951 Pillsbury Bake Off Winning Recipe

Homemade Chocolate Cake