Yesterday I shared two new favorite cake recipes I discovered.
Today, I'm going to share two old favorites.
One of the nice things about these two cakes is that if you don't have two cake pans, you don't have to worry because the first cake uses a bundt pan and the second cake uses a 13x9 inch pan--and most people have one of those.
The first recipe is a chocolate and caramel concoction that is really rich, but it is to die for. I discovered the second recipe when I was looking for a birthday cake to make for my brother-in-law's birthday last year. I chose this recipe because I had a jar of marshmallow creme that I wanted to use up. The marshmallow creme is used in the frosting and you won't be able to stop eating it! Besides, doesn't marshmallow creme make EVERYTHING better? Okay, well maybe marshmallow creme wouldn't do mashed potatoes and gravy any favors, but in a dessert, marshmallow creme is a welcome ingredient!
Enjoy!
Serves: 16
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 50-55 Minutes
Assembly Time: 15 Minutes
Cake Ingredients:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 oz) plain devil's food cake mix
1 package (6 oz.; 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 package (3.9 oz.) chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean or sunflower
1/4 cup water
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Penuche Frosting (see below)
Instructions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 10 inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.
Place 2 tablespoons of the cake mix, the chocolate chips, and the pecans in a small bowl. stir and set aside.
Place the remaining cake mix, along with the chocolate pudding mix, sour cream, oil, water, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping the sides down again, if needed. The batter should be thick and well blended. Fold in the chocolate chip and pecan mixture until it is well distributed. pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.
Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 50-55 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert the cake onto a cooling rack, then invert it again onto a serving platter to finish cooling, 20 minutes more.
Prepare the Penuche Frosting. Spread the top and sides of the cooled cake with the warm frosting, using clean, smooth strokes. Let the cake stand 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Store this cake, covered in aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze it, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Penuche Frosting
Makes 3 cups, enough to frost a 2 or 3 layer cake or a bundt or tube cake.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup whole milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Instructions:
Place the brown sugar and butter in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring constantly, until well combined, 2 minutes. Carefully pour in the milk, stirring and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly.
Place the confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot brown sugar mixture over the confectioners' sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the frosting is smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
Use immediately (while still warm) to frost the cake of your choice or the frosting will harden. If it does harden while you are frosting the cake, simply place the pan back over low heat and stir until the frosting softens up.
Notes: If you don't like nuts or don't have them on hand, you can omit them. But don't skip the chocolate chips! The frosting is like a glaze that sets up after you pour it on the cake. Don't even try to use a knife to cover parts of the cake you may have missed. This frosting sets up so fast that if you try to do that, your cake will just look messy. Just let the frosting fall where it may and enjoy!
Source: The Cake Mix Doctor cookbook
Above: Mississippi Mud Cake with such luscious, gooey frosting that it overflows!
Mississippi Mud Cake
Ingredients:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1 package (18.25 oz) plain devil's cake mix
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme
Chocolate pan frosting (recipe below)
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (optional)
Directions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.
Place the cake mix, melted butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.
Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 40-42 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Spread the warm cake with the marshmallow creme.
Prepare the Chocolate Pan Frosting.
Pour the hot frosting on top of the marshmallow creme and spread it out with a spatula so that the frosting reaches the edges of the cake. Scatter the top with the toasted pecans. Cool the cake for 20 minutes before serving.
*Store this cake, covered in aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or freeze it, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter before serving.
Chocolate Pan Frosting
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), melted
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup whole milk
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Directions:
Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over low heat, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cocoa powder and milk. Let the mixture come just to a boil, stirring and then remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the confectioners' sugar until the frosting is thickened and smooth.
Pour the warm frosting over the top of a cooled cake of your choice, spreading it with a spatula so that it reaches all sides of the cake. Work quickly because this frosting goes on best while still warm.
Notes: Again, if you don't like nuts or don't have any on hand, you can omit them and the cake is just as good. I also swirled the frosting into the marshmallow creme to create a marbled effect.
Source: The Cake Mix Doctor cookbook
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