Best Ever Chocolate Cake

We had college friends over this weekend that we haven't seen in over 4 years and we had a lot of fun. I wanted to make something yummy that we could stay up late and eat over while remembering all the fun we had in college. This cake is my favorite and pretty easy to eat cook. It is very moist and very rich. A little piece goes a long way to soothe my chocolate cravings. It is the closest thing to Chili's Molten Chocolate Cake that I have made that isn't a lava cake. Trust me...it is good and I don't think I have one person not like it! It has been years since I have made this and I was so excited that I forgot to take pictures until I was all ready to put it into the oven!

I also forgot to take a picture of it as a finished product before we dug into it! This is what was left after 2 days of eating.

It has been in the fridge for 2 days so the chocolate icing is a little discolored

Best chocolate cake EVER

 

Cake:
1(18 1/4 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
4 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

Icing:

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch bunt pan (I use Pam baking Spray) In a large bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, milk, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until blended. Mix in the 2 cups chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a wire rack (or serving plate). Cool completely.

To make the glaze: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 cup chocolate chips and stir continuously until smooth. Be careful to keep stirring and not to have the heat on too high. We wouldn't want to burn the delicious chocolate! Drizzle over the cake.

I always keep the cake in the fridge just because of all the eggs and dairy products that go into the cake. To make it taste more like the molten chocolate cake this is what I do: Heat in microwave for 25-30 seconds and add your vanilla ice cream on top! I love when the ice cream melts down in the cake and the chocolate icing is slightly melted. Yum.....I think I hear some cake calling me from the fridge.

Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

 

This is a copy cat recipe I have had for a long time and really like it every time I make it. My hubby who has an affinity for sweet breakfast foods really likes it too. It is supposed to be the coffee cake recipe for Starbucks Coffee Cake. I have not had Starbucks coffee cake but I may have to venture out and get some to compare!



Ingredients:

Box Yellow Cake Mix (plus ingredients on back of box)
2 Sticks cold salted butter
2 1/4 Cups flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 ¾ Cups brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

PREHEAT oven to 350.

PREPARE cake mix according to directions on box. Spray 9X13 pan with non-stick spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until center is just barely set.

WHILE the cake is baking, prepare crumb topping. In large bowl combine butter, flour, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla until all crumbly.

IMMEDIATELY after cake is removed from oven, break crumb topping into marble size pieces with fingers and sprinkle over top. Put back in the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (topping will begin to look a little less wet/raw). Let the cake cool fully and the then dust with powdered sugar.

CUT into squares and serve.

This didn't last long at our house before our boys were born. J has the some affinity for sweet breakfast foods so if you don't claim your squares they will be gone in a blink!