The Richest Chocolate Cake EVAH

This is the first time I've really felt successful making a cake and frosting from scratch. The cake didn't fall or explode. It was moist, light and fluffy, not hard and dry like a brick. The frosting even set up and kept the layers in their appropriate layer-y height and location.  No shifting earthquake cakes here!

Look at that. Chocolate-y chocolate-y chocolate. Four layers of it. Don't you want a glass of milk just looking at that photo?

Mrblocko asked for a Chocolate cake for his birthday, and that is exactly what he got. I used the chocolate cake recipe from Chef in Training.  It might as well have been called Death By Chocolate Cake. It really is THAT rich.

As I was putting together the frosting I thought, no way this is all going to fit in the stand mixer.  And NO WAY all this frosting is going to get used up for this one cake.  But with using the frosting as a generous filling between the 4 layers of cake, there was exactly the right amount of frosting. 

When I was slicing up the cake Mrblocko balked at the size I had put on his plate.   I told him, "Trust me, this cake is super rich. It will be enough."  And it was. The next time he even asked for a smaller slice.  I've discovered I don't feel all twitchy and sluggish if Blockette and I share a small piece.  She can only finish half a small slice anyhow.

The cake on the blog Chef in Training has a dark chocolate frosting piped at the base, chocolate drizzled over the top and crushed Skor candy bars pressed into the sides.  To me, the cake I made is the chocolatiest cake on the planet.  I can't even wrap my head around those extra chocolate-y additions.  My brain gets all hurty and I have heart palpitations.  I guess it's a good thing I left the cake all plain Jane with it's decorations.  (Blockette wanted sprinkles, but Mrblocko said NO WAY.  It was his cake so he was the boss.  Although sprinkles would have been cute on the outside edge, but oh well!)

OK.  Here is the part where I come clean.  This cake is not entirely from scratch.  It uses a chocolate cake mix, AND a pudding mix.  There's just so much that gets added to this cake that it might as well have been from scratch.  It certainly beats a regular boring old cake from the box mix.  No contest.

Here's the recipe if you think you can handle the chocolate.  (You can't handle the Truth! chocolate!) Just make sure to have a gallon (or two) of milk handy.


The Most Chocolate of Chocolate Cakes from Chef in Training
1 box Devil's Food cake mix
1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 c sour cream
1 c vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 c mini chocolate chips (This is one whole bag)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In large bowl, mix everything except for chocolate chips. The batter will be thick.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into two 9-inch cake pans. (You could use whatever cake pan you choose. Just follow cooking time and temperature on the back of the Devil's Food box and add about 10 additional minutes to whatever the original cooking time requires.) Make sure to do the toothpick test to check if it is done or not. It usually takes about 45 minutes for two 9-inch cake pans. (My cake rose over the top, of my 9" cake pans.  Luckily they did not overflow.  So keep this in mind if you plan on using a 8" cake pan.)

After cake is baked, let cool completely. Place the 2 cakes onto a wire rack and stick them in the freezer. It is so much easier to cut them when they are a little frozen and they don't crumble as much. (I just put the cakes on racks in my cake carrier, and then stuck the whole thing outside.  It was below 32F so that worked out great.) Once cakes have cooled completely (or are slightly frozen) cut in half width wise so you have 4 equal circles. 

While cake is cooling prepare the frosting.

Chocolate Frosting:
2/3 c milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chocolate syrup
2T really strong coffee
8 c sifted powdered sugar
1 c cocoa
1 c butter

Mix milk, vanilla, chocolate syrup, and cooled coffee. In a large separate bowl, beat softened butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa.Slowly add in wet ingredients until you reach desired consistency. Beat an additional 5 min to get a fluffy consistency.

To start the frosting process,  put a little glob of frosting on the cake stand so that the base cake stays put. After the base cake is in place, frost the top of it generously. Place the second layer cake on top. Frost the top of it generously. Repeat until the fourth layer is placed on top. Then frost all around the cake carefully to keep layers from shifting.

Press some crushed Skor Candy Bars onto the sides of the cake. You can also drizzle the top with melted chocolate chips for an added look of beauty. (and insanity.)

P.S. This cake is so rich and huge it took the 3 of us, who are chocolate LOVERS, a whole week of eating a slice, every day, sometimes twice a day, to devour.  The cake, kept chilled, stayed moist, but not soggy, the entire time.