Bake-a-thon 2011: Double Chocolate Cake with Hot Fudge Sauce

It has been a busy few weeks, and so I finally got around to my next installment in my Bake-a-thon.

We had friends over for dinner on Sunday, and I figured that the perfect topper to our dinner would be a scrumptious chocolate cake (seriously you can't go wrong with chocolate cake).

I got this recipe for Double Chocolate Cake with Homemade Hot Fudge from Jamie Cooks it Up!

It was very easy to make (seriously didn't take long), and smelled so yummy.  I made the hot fudge sauce after dinner (right before I served the cake) and it only took a few minutes.

The cake was heavenly.  Everyone wanted seconds, and I had it for breakfast, lunch and dessert the next day.  The best part of the cake has to be the homemade hot fudge.  If it hadn't seemed so obscene I would have just eaten the hot fudge straight.

I'm curious to see if using sweetened condensed milk would improve the recipe for the hot fudge.  But even the recipe below was AMAZING, no improvements needed.

If you have a party to go to, a bake sale, or need a great baked gift for someone this cake is great.

My only change would be the chocolate chips.  The chocolate chips didn't melt, just hardened and some of them burned.  I spent a great while picking off burned chocolate chips before serving.  I would suggest either mixing the chocolate chips into the batter, or at least tapping them down into the top of the batter (just gently).  Leaving them off altogether would be just fine as well.

Double Chocolate Cake with Homemade Hot Fudge

Time: 20 min. hands on + 50 minutes baking

Yield: 12 servings

CAKE:

1 devils food cake mix

1 small package instant chocolate pudding

1/3 C flour

1/3 C oil

1 1/2 C water

1 t vanilla

1/3 C sour cream

4 eggs

1/2 C semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 C milk chocolate chips 

             ***Note: Use regular sized chocolate chips here. The large ones will make a big mess!***

HOMEMADE HOT FUDGE:

2 T unsweetened cocoa powder

2 T cornstarch

1 C sugar

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

2 T butter

1 t vanilla

dash of salt

Cake Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, or in your stand mixer add the cake mix, pudding and 1/3 C flour. Stir it all around to combine.

2. Add all other cake ingredients (but the chocolate chips). Mix on low for about 1 minute. Then mix on medium speed until the batter is nice and smooth. This should take about 2 minutes. 

3. Spray a bundt pan generously with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan.

4. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the cake batter.

5. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. (For convection ovens bake at 325 for 40 minutes)

6. Invert your cake onto a cooling rack if you are several hours away from serving. However it is just DOWN RIGHT LUSCIOUS warm from the oven. If you are going to serve it right away, invert it directly onto your serving platter.

HOMEMADE HOT FUDGE 

1. In the bottom of a medium sized sauce pan combine the cocoa, cornstarch and sugar.

2. Pour your can of milk over the top of the dry ingredients. Add the vanilla, pinch of salt and only 1 T of the butter.

3. Stir the concoction up over medium heat. After it comes to a boil cook for 3 more minutes while stirring. The sauce should thicken as it boils.

4. Remove it from the heat and add 1 more T of butter. Stir the butter around until incorporated. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before pouring it on your cake.

Bake-a-thon 2011: Eggnog Bundt Cake

In keeping with my desire to try and find recipes that use ingredients I already have, and need to make use of, I chose this Eggnog Bundt Cake recipe from The Sisters Cafe.  It is the end of the eggnog season here, and I had some left that just needed to go, and who could resist eggnog and cake together?

It was surprisingly easy and quick to make.  I have to say though, I was highly underwhelmed by the eggnog flavour.  In reality it just tasted like a yellow cake, with perhaps just a hint (a very very mild hint) of rum.  That is not to say that it wasn't good, it was tasty, just not in the eggnoggy way I was hoping.  The kids loved it, and came back for seconds.

It was great with the caramel sauce, and I added a little whipped cream to "jazz" it up.  All in all an enjoyable dessert, but simply a disappointment in the eggnog department.

Eggnog Bundt Cake
from The Sisters Cafe

Eggnog Bundt Cake

1 yellow cake mix (preferably with pudding in the mix)
3 T. flour
2 c. eggnog
¼ c. butter, softened
2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ tsp. rum extract*
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Beat until smooth and creamy. Pour into greased** bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 35-45 minutes. Dust lightly with powdered sugar for presentation.

Caramel sauce:
½ lb brown sugar (~1 1/8 c.)
½ lb butter
½ lb powdered sugar (~2 cups)
½ T. cinnamon
½ qt. rich vanilla ice cream

Melt together over medium heat. Pour warm over individual servings immediately before serving.

* I used imitation rum, as this was the only option available at our local commissary.

** I know not everyone enjoys this, but I highly recommend that you grease (usually with shortening or butter) and flour your bundt pan.  I think this makes it much easier to get out  of the pan in one piece and gives you a much better presentation.