Categories: Cakes, My Baking & Cooking

Chocolate Lovers’ Favorite Cake

I made this cake last Saturday for a party. The only thing I did differently from the original recipe was add 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips and replaced the almond extract with vanilla. It was moist, chococolatey, delicious, but………. if you knew me, you’d understand how I’m always compelled to figure out what I can do to elevate desserts to the “mmmm goooooooood” level. So what I came up with during the past couple of days is: For next time, instead of 1 cup butter, use 1/2 cup applesauce + 1/2 cup butter……..and add raspberries and raspberry sauce like one reviewer of the recipe suggested. I’ll definitely make this again before the year’s out with raspberries (yummmm!), maybe as early as Thanksgiving, if (and thaaaat’s a big “IF”!) I can hold out that L-O-N-G. Hahahaha.

A few things worth mentioning:

Try to make the day before.

Be sure to use a cake mix without the pudding included, unless you want double pudding. I’m essentially saying rule out buying Betty Crocker’s Supermoist cake mix (I used Duncan Hines).

The cake will rise a good inch…or two while baking so don’t be alarmed, which brings me to my next point: Unless you wanna be stuck cleaning your oven from the possible overflow, I suggest placing something underneath the pan, maybe foil.

My cake took a good 70 minutes to bake, maybe more. I lost track. I did the toothpick test every 5 minutes after the 55-minute mark. Once it’s done, let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Cake will deflate during the cool-down. While I waited, I took a knife and started cutting out the dark/semi-burnt areas (look at the 2nd & 3rd photos below; notice the jagged areas at the bottom?). Invert and let cool on wire rack (I don’t currently have one, so mine cooled on a platter).

While cake was baking, I surfed the ‘net for chocolate glaze recipes. I didn’t have light corn syrup, and thought it wasn’t really necessary. Boy, I was wrong! The consistency of my glaze (made from a melted combo of chocolate morsels + butter) was way too thick for what I wanted. It was not attractive by any means, and my plans for glaze consequently became frosting (see above photo). LOL. It doesn’t look like a faux-paus, does it? You can tell me the truth.

Ingredients

Before the glaze, er, I mean “frosting”

Before the glaze, er, I mean “frosting”

Close-up in all its tasty chocolatey goodness

To view photo in Flickr, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummies4tummies/3006105041

Recipe
Chocolate Lovers’ Favorite Cake

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (18.25 ounce) Duncan Hines devil’s food cake mix
• 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 16 oz. sour cream
• 1 cup melted butter
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10 inch Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in sour cream, melted butter, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Stir in both the semisweet chocolate and peanut butter chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for at least 65 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. SEE MY ABOVE TIPS TOO!

German Chocolate Spice Cake

Cherry-Streusel Coffee Cake

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Black and White Cookie Ripple Coffee Cake

My attempt to replicate Starbucks’s Lemon Loaf

Chocolate Lovers’ Cake with Raspberries

Ultimate Double Chocolate Cookies

Cream Cheese Chocolate Cupcakes

Grasshopper Pie and Carrot Raisin Cupcakes

Chocolate Satin Pie

Tags: peanut butter chips