Woodland Chocolate Cake

On Easter Sunday, I was asked to bring dessert to brunch with friends. I wanted to make a cake...but an easy one! I don't do complicated cooking or baking. I just don't. 

I made this "Woodland Chocolate Cake" using some "semi-homemade" tricks to keep it simple, but still tasting like it was made from scratch.

I started with a box cake. Any brand "Devil's Food Cake" will do. But rather than just follow the directions on the box, I used a box of chocolate instant pudding, chocolate chips and sour cream and altered the other ingredients. See recipe and instructions below...

I love leaving the sides of the cake uncovered. It gives it a rustic look, and you don't have to worry about perfectly smoothing frosting all around. What the cake lacks in frosting on the sides, is more than made up for by thick layers of frosting through the middle! 

 I decorated the cake with a plastic bunny that I spray painted gold, several days before, and fresh floral buds found at the market.

THE CAKE:

1 BOX DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE MIX

1 BOX CHOCOLATE JELL-O INSTANT PUDDING 

4 EGGS

1 CUP MILK

1/3 CUP VEGETABLE OIL

1 CUP SOUR CREAM

1 CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS

In a large mixing bowl, beat or whisk together all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips, with an electric hand mixer. Mix until smooth, although the batter will be very thick. Much thicker than regular cake batter. Once smooth, gently fold in chocolate chips. 

Poor Batter into 2 greased cake pans (I used 9 inch round cake pans)

bake 26 - 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. 

(bake acceding to instructions on cake box depending on size and shape of pans)

Let cakes cool completely to room temperature before frosting. (this is really hard for me to do, because frosting the cake is the best part and I can't wait!!)

I made a simple, vanilla almond butter cream frosting. For me, the extra time is well worth a delicious homemade frosting!!

THE FROSTING:

4 CUPS POWDERED SUGAR

2 STICKS SOFTENED BUTTER

5-6 TABLESPOONS HEAVY CREAM

2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT

2 TEASPOONS ALMOND EXTRACT

In a mixing bowl, whip butter with a hand mixer till smooth, then add 2 cups powdered sugar. Continue to blend sugar and butter till all the sugar is combined with the butter. Add the last 2 cups of sugar and the cream, vanilla and almond extract. Blend well with hand mixer. You can easily make the frosting thicker or thinner depending on your preference by adding more sugar or more cream.

OK, truth be told, I had to make 2 batches of this frosting, because I went a little heavy on the frosting layers!! 

Once cake is cooled, slice each round in half through the middle, making 4 thin cake rounds.  Layer a good helping of frosting in-between each cake round. 

The cake is rich and dense because of the pudding and chocolate chips, but the frosting is light and sweet to balance it out nicely. 

I'm not gonna lie...you might have a major sugar rush after you eat a slice, and you will not achieve a thigh gap if you eat this every day. 

But it's good. Real good.

XOXO, Brittany