Choco-goodness

For those of you who've been keeping track, Alex's first birthday fast approaches. Do you realise the pressure this brings? It's her first birthday, for heaven's sake! There should be live music! Catering! A veritable natal-celebratory-EXTRAVANGANZA!

One problem:

WE HAVE NO HOUSE.

As such, our birthday plans have been seriously downshifted to a small familial get-together, with ice cream and cake. But "small" doesn't necessarily mean "not special." And to add to the special-ness of the whole thing, I'm planning on baking the cake myself.

Now, I'm a cake-baker from way back. When I was a child, my mother taught me how to bake cakes -- how you alternate between the dry ingredients and the wet ones, always starting and ending with dry. And while I'll admit it has been a while since I've baked a cake, I feel it's important, as a mother, to bake my daughter's cake, and not resort to a store-bought one. After all, admit it: some of your best childhood memories involve your mom baking a cake, and allowing you to lick the egg beaters and the bowl afterwards.

I thought so.

So off I Googled, looking for the perfect birthday cake. I had only four conditions:

1. it had to be chocolate;

2. it had to be made in a bundt cake pan (I don't do layers):

3. there couldn't be any egg separation (I don't separate eggs. Eggs should remain together, I've always said); and

4. it had to be made from scratch. I've never in my life made a cake from a box, and I wasn't about to start now.

I found a few prospects, but to be honest, they didn't move me. Then ...

...then, I came across the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake. It sounded perfect, but my heart soon fell: its foundation was a store-bought cake mix. "There is no way," I sniffed, "that I'm going to stoop so low as to make a box cake for my child's first birthday."

But then I read on. There were 54 reviews and every one of them gave the recipe five-out-of-five stars. Surely there's something to that?

Luckily, due to my law-office-like planning (see earlier post; you'll be proud), there's much time left before Alex's mini-natal-celebratory-EXTRAVAGANZA. And so last night, in a sort of pre-Valentine's-Day-birthday-cake-taste-test, I made it:

Oh Sweet Mother of All That Is Holy, how good was this cake? It was rich! And moist! And full of melty chocolate-y morsels in every bite! And the best part?

It is the easiest cake I have ever made.

We have a winner, folks. And because I love each and every one of you (yes, you too!), I present to you the recipe for this Chocolate Wonder:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

1 18.25-oz package chocolate cake mix
1 3.9-oz package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extra
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celcius). Grease and flour a bundt pan.

2. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, hot water, sour cream and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into bundt pan.

3. Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert cake onto wire rack and let cool completely.

Enjoy. Warning: it will make you want to slap yo' mama, it's that good.

____________________________________

Update: I think this is the recipe I'm going to use for the dark chocolate topping on Alex's mini-natal-celebratory-EXTRAVAGANZA cake. I'll let you know how it turns out:

DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE

4 oz Ghirardelli Sweet Dark-Chocolate
3 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Milk
1 tbsp Light corn syrup
1/4 tsp Vanilla

DIRECTIONS: In small, heavy saucepan or microwave oven on medium, melt broken chocolate with butter. Stir frequently until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in milk, syrup and vanilla. When glaze is cool, pour onto cake. Let glaze run down sides. Chill about 10 minutes to set glaze.

Source: Recipes from Ghirardelli Chocolate Company of San Francisco

Comments

[Meg]

I've never commented before, but chocolate has prompted me to do so. :) By the way I enjoy your blog immensely!

I've made this cake and it is unreal. You can also make it in a crockpot (cook on low 7 hours, high 3 1/2 hrs). Also reduce oil to 3/4 cup, increase sour cream to 2 cups, and increase vanilla extract to 2 teaspoons. Your whole kitchen will smell like chocolate and you serve it warm with vanilla ice cream on top. Mmmmmm...

Just wanted to share that with fellow chocolate lovers. Good luck with party planning!

[sster]

This cake looks and sounds amazing. I have always been a fan of layering chocolate (i.e., chocolate brownie and chocolate icecream topped with chocolate syrup and M&Ms), and this cake sounds like it fits the bill. I think I'll buy a heart-shaped pan and make it for Valentine's day. I have had a rough week, and the picture of this cake seriously perked me up. Thanks!

[Lauren]

It's all about the sour cream. I'm gonna make one of these when I get home tonight!

[Lorri]

FROSTING? WHERE IS THE FROSTING?

Does it not need FROSTING?

Frosting is the staple of a 1st Birthday cake. You can't just have her covered in powdered sugar, it won't look right. She MUST be sticky with ooey-gooey frosting!!

Not to mention, if YOU pre-test the frosting and post the recipe...it saves me the hassle of trying to find a great one.

I MUST now go buy myself a pretty heart shaped Bundt pan.

Look out kids... 'yo momma's gonna make you a Valentine's Day cake this year!!

*note to self* stock up on smelling salts.

[Chookooloonks]

I'm actually thinking no frosting. Methinks I'll just melt dark chocolate, and pour it all over the top of it.

Mmmmmmmm.....

[nat]

You ROCK. Julia has two friends coming over to bake, and I'm looking for ideas. Also, can you post (or email me) the recipe for the oatmeal cookies you make? N.

[MrsDoF]

Yummy, yum yum..That looks good enough to eat. Sour cream makes so many things so much better.
Alex is one lucky munchkin to have such a caring momma.

[Lorri]

ACK!! I have been frantically searching for a heart shaped bundt pan, but only one store (out of about 10 that I called) had anything like it. It was a cast iron aluminum for $27.99. If this isn't the one you used then where did you get yours? You'd think that with V-Day coming up they would be an over abundace of them for oh, around $19.99 or something. HELP!!

BTW- Melted Chocolate over the top sounds divine!!!

[afrindiemum]

Ok - I have this EXACT SAME RECIPE! And I make it for everything that we attend and get the most amazing reviews. And you're right - it's so easy it's sickening. And the taste - just throw a little vanilla ice cream on top when it's all warm and gooey and you're set. Fabulous choice! Well done, you!

[Beth]

This sounds terrific! I taste tested some recipes for my oldest daughter's 1st bd, and did find a fabulous orange-y cake in a 1950s era cookbook, but it was NOT easy and it required layers. Maybe I'll try this cake when our own birthday season comes around. (Actually, I think I'll just try this cake--why wait for birthday?)

[Tina]

got milk?

[Carmen]

I have this recipe, and make this cake all the time. It is TO DIE FOR GOOD. I guard the recipe, though - anything to make me seem popular, lol. And it needs NO frosting, but is wonderful with a bit of whipped real cream and berries, or Breyer's natural vanilla ice cream.

Can't believe Alex is already having a birthday!

[Julia S]

This is why I almost let you marry my brother. And OH how I wish I had... *weeps bitterly*... I have no cake... no cake at all... *weep weep*

[colette]

luckily, your post went up just before my girlfriend's 23rd. i made the cake, in a heart shaped pan, and also put those tiny cinnamon hearts on top. the cake is absolutely intensely good! thank you for the wonderful reciple!

[Alison]

Well, just as I type away,... I have the cake out of the oven! It's cooling the 10 minutes before I flip it over and then I'll try it in a bit! Normally, I am fairly self-controlled and do not go out an impulse shop... but I found your site and your wonderful description of the cake and your birthday party ponderings,.... well... what can I say? On my way home from work, I stopped at the grocery store to buy the ingredients! I'll post again AFTER The taste test!! Awaiting the yumminess... (by the way, LOVE your blog!)

[Alison]

Well, I've just come back from trying the cake!

Opinion: I'm dying!! This cake is to die for! I think I'm heading to Chocolate Heaven... . . . each morsel, so tender and fluffy and mmmm baby, ya ya ya.... well, now I shall drop off to bed and dream of cake and chocolate.... Thanks for the fun!

[Alison]

Last night, I took the cake I'd made (minus one slice I had the night before!) to my church. We have food and refreshments after each service.... The cake was gobbled up in a matter of a few minutes and everyone was raving about it! They all want to come over all the time now so that I can make the cake for them whenever they have chocolate cravings :) Thanks again!

[Lorri]

I finally found a heart shaped bundt cake pan and to date I have made 4 cakes!!

1. I sent one to Bible study with my hubby.
2. We ate part of one last night after dinner and I sent the left overs to work with hubby.
3. One for Valentine's Day (today!!)
4. One for our local law enforcement who happily helped my 11 yr old son with his Science Fair project.

This cake is absolutely, positively, the best cake I have ever made or tasted!! Thank you so much for posting this recipe...I can't wait to try some of your others!!

Oh yeah- I'm going to try making this cake with yellow cake mix, banana cream pudding and mini chocolate chips & one with German chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, coconut & chocolate chips.

[ya-neh]

Two Words:
Yum Yum

I made this cake this weekend - ohmygod!!!!

sluuurp!

[Moxie]

Cupcake Modification:

Makes 24 cupcakes. Fill liners 2/3 full (unless you want to make them look like big mushroomy muffins, in which case you should fill them to the top and you'll only get 14-16). Bake for 20 minutes.

I'm going to use the recipe in the Joy of Cooking (1997 ed.) for Chocolate Satin Frosting (a modified, very stable ganache you make in the blender, which keeps for a week and spreads perfectly) on p. 1004.

[Colleen]

Karen,

I'm a long-time lurker and avid reader of yours (both here and on Blogging Baby). I wanted to drop you a line to thank you for sharing your chocolate chocolate chip cake recipe. We used it today for cupcakes and they were amazing! As a true chocoholic, I'm hooked.

Thanks very much!
Colleen

[shannon]

I am planning my daughter's first birthday and after reading all the wonderful comments about this cake I am going to make a test cake tomorrow. Because she was born on Halloween I am going to do a pumpkin themed birthday and cover it with orange frosting and put a ice cream cone covered in green frosting in the center for a stem. I hope the forsting I chose doesn't ruin the cake flavour. Any suggestions? Also can you please tell me what brand of cake mix you used?