Chocolate Wasted Cake

You know that saying, “You eat with your eyes”?  Well take a look at this:

I wish I could eat with my eyes because really – this tastes as good as it looks! Mr. Spiffy (aka MicahStubz) has had this cake on his wish list for almost a year. Finally, I decided we should indulge in this rich chocolate goodness for his birthday.  The recipe comes from the Art of Dessert blog.  I ended up using a Duncan Hines decadent triple chocolate cake rather than their scratch recipe, but I’ve learned a little trick to make boxed cake mixes SO delicious – substitute sour cream for half of the water. Although that cake alone is… well, decadent, the real crowd pleaser for this cake is all the extra chocolate toppings that make your eyes and taste buds tingle just looking at it.

Cake:

Duncan Hines decadent triple chocolate cake mix, eggs, oil, water, sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Follow the instructions on the back of the box for mixing the cake with the exception of  substituting sour cream for half of the water.  Grease two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. To prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, line the bottom with a parchment paper circle.  Bake as directed on the back of the box. When cake is finished, let cool for 5-10 minutes and remove from the pan. Let cool completely.

 Frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/3-1/2 cup whole milk (start out with 1/3 cup of milk and add more milk to your desired consistency)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the butter, milk and vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, slowly mix together at a low speed. Once all the ingredients are combined, increase the speed and beat till fluffy.

Toppings:

Chocolate Syrup

melted chocolate for drizzling:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips melted and thinned with about a Tablespoon or so of coconut oil (you want it thin enough to drizzle, but not so thin that it won’t harden)

Semi-sweet chocolate chips for the sides of the cake

Assorted chocolate candies for the top of the cake (chocolate bars, kit kat bars, whoppers, twix, etc. – any of your favorite chocolate candies will do)

To assemble the cake:

Place the first cake layer on a plate or cake circle. Poke holes with a fork (being careful not to poke all the way through the cake) and drizzle chocolate syrup over the cake. Spread an even layer of frosting. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Again, poke holes with a fork and drizzle chocolate syrup over the cake. Cover the sides and top of the cake with frosting.  Cover the sides of the cake with semi-sweet chocolate chips by taking handfuls and pressing them into the frosting gently. Cover the top with assorted chocolate candies. Melt chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave. When smooth, drizzle the melted chocolate all over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides of the cake.

Sigh – it was so good!