I snagged the base for this recipe from a “Taste of Home Fall Baking – Fresh from the Oven” cookbook. My first attempt at a proper cake, part of a goal for myself.

Type of meal	Cuisine	Difficulty
Dessert, Side, Cake	Baking	Easy to Normal
Cooking Time	Yield	Rating
Prep: 40m Baking: 40m Cooling: 40m Total: 2h	12 servings	★★★★★

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 package devil’s food cake mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 package instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp chocolate syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting

• 1 lb / 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 tbsp boiling water
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1.5 cups butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s / icing sugar

Main preparations

Cake

1. In a large bowl, combine the devil’s food cake mix (1 package), sour cream (1 cup), instant chocolate fudge pudding mix (1 package), eggs (4 large), canola oil (1/3 cup), water (1/4 cup), buttermilk (1/4 cup), chocolate syrup (2 tbsp) and vanilla extract (2 tsp).
2. Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture on low for 30 seconds and then on medium for another 2 minutes. The goal is to have them well-mixed.
3. Grease and flour two 8-inch baking pans and pour the mixture evenly into the two pans. Note that you are making two the exact same size so that you can stack them later.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Test to see if the two cakes are done with a toothpick by inserting it in the cake; the cakes are done when the toothpick comes out clean. (While the cake is baking, you can start on the frosting below.)
5. When done, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, and then remove the cakes from the pans onto wire racks to cool completely (30 more minutes).

Frosting

6. While the cake is baking and cooling, melt the chopped semi-sweet chocolate (2 lb / 1 kg) slowly in a microwave, 30 seconds at a time on low to medium, stirring until smooth. Let the chocolate cool for 20-30 minutes.
7. While the chocolate is cooling, heat water (6 tbsp) to boiling and then, in a small bowl, dissolve the cocoa powder (6 tbsp).
8. In a medium- to large-sized bowl, beat the softened butter (1.5 cups) and confectioner’s / icing sugar (1/2 cup) together. It should become almost fluffy, but don’t worry too much, as you are now going to add the melted chocolate. Beat the two mixtures until it is well-combined, and then add in the cocoa mixture and beat some more. If it starts adhering to the sides of the bowl, use a small spatula spoon to scrape it off and add it back into the mixture.

Combining the Cakes

9. At this point, you should have two plain cakes resting on the wire racks and a bowl of frosting.
10. Place one cake on a serving platter (whatever you want the cake to sit on for now as it will be difficult to move later).
11. Use about 40% of the frosting to cover the top of it. This frosting will serve as the “middle” layer, and can be as thick or as thin as you want. Don’t worry about the sides at this point.
12. Place the second cake on top of it, carefully, and then add frosting to the top and all around the sides, completely covering the cake.

Variations/Notes

• I loved the outcome, but it was extremely rich, and there was way too much. It estimates 12 servings, but those are good-sized servings. I’d recommend halving the recipe and using smaller 4-inch cake pans if you have them (or use the 8″, it will just be a shorter cake).
• In addition, you might reduce the frosting by a third whether you reduce/half the overall recipe or not. There was way too much frosting, and it is extremely rich.
• For the chocolate, it suggested using small chunks and chopping them up. I found it easier to just use two cups of small chocolate wafers/chips, and just melting those.