I think I forgot to mention that I am making this cake for my sexy husband's 33rd birthday. Check him out...
I am totally...Smitten...(I know, bad joke...)
Now, it has taken YEARS to get this cake up to Barbara's standards. Even though she graciously passed along the recipe with minimum fuss and I was confident she wasn't holding out a secret ingredient, at first, the cake just didn't taste "Darn Good."
But now, I am a few years wiser and FATTER and I shall pass along my secrets to you!
This secret to this cake is the puddingy texture, spikes of chocolate chips and the pure fudgey icing.
It is EASY to make and involves several cheats techniques that will save you time and not compromise on the taste factor. Say hello to my little Devilish friend.
Now, I am usually a big hater of packet cakes. I think they taste like the cardboard packages they come in. I don't think a packet cake will EVER taste as good as a cake made from scratch...that is IF it is used purely as a packet cake with no other ingredients.
However, should one combine certain ingredients WITH said cake...then, my friends, magical things can happen....quickly!
So let me change your life...Go to your kitchen, switch on your oven to 180 degrees and grab your mixing bowl...
Throw the cheaty weaty cake mix AND all of the ingedients in said bowl...don't be graceful, just chuck them in!
Whiz them on low speed for 1 minute then on high speed for 2-3 minutes till they look like this...
Warning...this next image will induce drool...Drool will literally pour out of your mouth. Not very dignified for the office...
Next stop...stud the mix with some of these babies. Dole out the extra mula for a good brand, it will be worth it,
This is the final batter with chocolately goodness added...
Now, prepare your pan. I am using a bundt pan. Every time I say the word "bundt" I think of the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," where the parents of John Corbett's dishy character make a bundt cake for Nia Vardalos's VERY Greek parents. Her family are shall we say unfamiliar with Bundt cakes and it results in a hilarious scene.
I Love that little low-budget movie that could...I digress...where was I? Oh, that's right, the bundt pan...spray it with some baking spray.
Some say dust with flour...I say dust with cocoa. Same results, better taste and altogether better looking...
Pour in your heavenly chocolately magma...
The best thing about this cake is that makes a large amount of mixture...I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that at least 3 tablespoons of mixture didn't make it into the pan. That Milo is a real guts....(ok it was me!)
But the pan is still choc (get it?) full! I am on fire today!
Time to go into the pre-heated oven for a good 55 minutes or so until cooked, but springy to the touch. You want that slight jellyesque feel on the top when you pull it out to let it cool on the rack.
That is, if...you are ready for my jelly!! AHAHAHA!
Yummo...
Really important to let the cake cool properly or the fudge icing will just slide right off. I have to hide the cake out of site or Milo loses total composure trying to wait.
No patience that boy...No idea where he gets that from?
Now, making the fudgy icing is really quick. I'll explain without pics, as well... I lost light and ended up icing this cake at night.
You are working towards a PURE fudgy icing...see how the top if it looks like pure fudgy goodness you'd buy from a old timey candy shoppe?
Place the sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan over medium-ish heat. Stir constantly till sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to boil and thicken.
Let it boil for a good 3-4 minutes till it looks like it is getting quite viscous (that means thick and honey-like)...
I like to throw in a curly word each blog. Today it is viscous. Tomorrow, who knows?!
Take it off the heat and chuck in your chocolate chips. Stir it until it is smooth. If it is too runny, you didn't boil it long enough. Lesson learned for next time, but the easy solution is to wait for it to thicken a bit and then spread it on the cake. If you boiled the mixture for too long it will be too thick and hard to spread. This is a worse problem then the first scenario but can be fixed with a tablespoon of vegetable oil if you are in a pickle.
Spread it liberally over the cake or pour it if you'd like. Work quickly as because this is a pure fudge icing it will set quickly. So no fiddle farting.
The finished product...and Milo oogling the finished product!
Happy Birthday to Daddy! Here he is getting birthday huggles!
And happy day to me for I shall put aside this little piece of cake for afternoon tea...just for me!
Ingredients:
Cake:
• Devils Food Cake Mix (I used Betty Crocker)
• Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix (I used Nestle)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Fudge Icing:
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tbles butter
• 1/3 cup full fat milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I used Nestle)
I have to ask...what baked item would force you to leave a happy union?
Elise Neilson
posted on 14th July 2011