lucy always asks for chocolate cake for her birthday. i'm okay at cake – stella parks' white mountain layer cake usually turns out pretty well for me, as well as my sister's carrot cake and this ricotta raspberry cake, but i've failed repeatedly with mediocre strawberry cakes, yellow cakes, chocolate cakes, and citrus cakes. and don't even get me started on frosting. my nemesis.
for lu's birthday i just planned to use a box mix from the pantry and a can of betty crocker frosting. then i remembered my secret weapon! how could i have possibly forgotten?!
enter: kathryn's magic chocolate cake. as a teenager, this was our go-to special occasion cake at my aunt kathryn's. i remember having it on father's day with my grandparents, after baptisms and baby blessings, and on my sister emily's birthday the day after we got our wisdom teeth out.
this cake is truly perfect, plus it's ridiculously easy to make. dense but soft, extremely chocolatey but not too sweet, with a bit of texture from the chocolate chips. the glaze has a pinch of salt in it so it brings the whole cake together. this is a very dangerous baked good.
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Kathryn's Chocolate Bundt Cake
1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. devil's food cake mix
1 (4 oz.) pkg. instant choc. fudge pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil (olive oil ok)
1 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)
12 oz. semi- sweet choc. chips (2 cups)
optional glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
dash of salt
3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, sour cream and 1/2 cup water. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes scraping down sides of bowl often. Stir in chocolate chips.
Turn into a greased 12-cup bundt pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes in pan, then invert to unmold onto a rack or serving plate and let cool completely.
for glaze:
In a 1 quart glass bowl, combine butter, corn syrup, salt and 2 tablespoons water. Heat in a microwave oven on high 1 to 1 and a half minutes or until boiling, stirring once. Stir in the chocolate chips until glaze is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature and thicken slightly to spreading consistency. Glaze should not be thick.
1 (4 oz.) pkg. instant choc. fudge pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil (olive oil ok)
1 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)
12 oz. semi- sweet choc. chips (2 cups)
optional glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
dash of salt
3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, sour cream and 1/2 cup water. Beat on medium speed 4 minutes scraping down sides of bowl often. Stir in chocolate chips.
Turn into a greased 12-cup bundt pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes in pan, then invert to unmold onto a rack or serving plate and let cool completely.
for glaze:
In a 1 quart glass bowl, combine butter, corn syrup, salt and 2 tablespoons water. Heat in a microwave oven on high 1 to 1 and a half minutes or until boiling, stirring once. Stir in the chocolate chips until glaze is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature and thicken slightly to spreading consistency. Glaze should not be thick.