(CU Independent/Ana Faria)
Chocolate and happiness go hand-in-hand like peanut butter and jelly. When in need of a rich and chocolaty treat, try this decadent sweet designed to lift the spirits and sate that sweet tooth.
Ingredients:
1 Devil’s food cake mix
1 package chocolate Jell-O instant pudding (3.4 ounces)
2 tablespoons flour (at high altitude)
¾ cup cooking oil
4 eggs
¾ cup water or cold weak coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla
¾ to 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Shortening and flour, or cooking spray with flour added
Powdered sugar
Small strainer
Bundt pan
Hand or stand mixer
First, pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees. Then, grease and flour your pan or spray it with a cooking spray that has flour added. For instructions on how to grease and flour a pan, see “Recipe of the week: Wine cake.”
To start on the batter for this treat, combine the cake mix, pudding mix and flour (if at high altitude) in a bowl. Stir once or twice. This evenly distributes the dry ingredients so the wet ones will mix properly.
Add the cooking oil, eggs and vanilla to the dry ingredients. The vanilla adds a needed dimension to an otherwise bland mix.
For the main wet ingredient, add either water or cold coffee. Coffee, with its warm and rich flavor, enhances chocolate when the two are combined and gives the chocolate a more sophisticated flavor. Water will always work, but the cake may not have as much depth as it would with coffee.
After all the ingredients have been added to the bowl, beat for four minutes. This extended mixing time creates an airy and glossy batter that will lead to a lighter and more consistent cake.
If walnuts are desired, stir them in at this point. The coarsely chopped walnuts add a crunchy side to the cake.
Also add in the chocolate chips, stirring only until the chips are evenly distributed in the batter.
Pour the batter into the pan, making sure it is distributed evenly. As the batter is poured, it is important to scrape the bowl to get every last drop of batter into the pan. Not only does this make sure as much batter as possible is used, but when it’s time to clean up there is less rinsing to be done.
Place the cake in the pre-heated oven and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Once the cake has finished baking, let it rest until cool enough to handle. Place a plate over the Bundt pan and flip the cake out. If the pan was properly greased there should be no problem popping the cake out and onto a serving plate.
There are a few ways to dress up this already scrumptious dessert.
For a more eye-friendly cake, fill a small strainer with powdered sugar and tap it over the top of the cake. It will look as if a perfect powdery snow has fallen over the cake, dusting it into perfection.
Whipped cream and strawberries on the side add a pretty touch of color to the cake. The fresh flavor of the fruit, combined with the smoothness of the cake and cream, adds a pleasing lightness to the dessert. Peaches and raspberries, when in season, also look and taste fabulous with this cake.
Because it draws from brownie heritage, this cake is wonderful when it is served warm and paired with cold vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. A cherry on top looks nice too. This chocolate delight is best enjoyed on days when a quickly grabbed cookie won’t stop that sweet tooth from nagging.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ana Faria at Ana.faria@colorado.edu.
