Guys… I have a confession to make. I cheated… On cakes! This cake is awesome and quick and so easy to put together, but there is a reason for it… The base of the cake comes from using a cake mix! I saw a picture of a really decadent looking chocolate cake on Pinterest and I was thinking how yummy it looked, then when I clicked into it, I saw the blogger used cake mix as a base for the cake. I thought, well I really want cake but I also don’t want it to take too long (and I wanted to use my new bundt pan!) so I thought, what the hell, why not jazz up a cake mix?
And it turned out so deliciously! Look at all that chocolate mixed into the rich cake! I took it into work and a few people said it was the best cake they’d ever had, and they couldn’t believe it when I said that it was made from a cake mix! Now, I still very much stand by cakes made from scratch as I love my Favourite Chocolate Cake recipe and it’s still the only recipe I would use for a layer cake. Sometimes though, the craving for chocolate hits and you just can’t wait for a proper chocolate cake. That’s where this recipe comes in! So easy, so quick and so intensely satisfying.
I feel like I should apologise as well… I have definitely had an extended absence over the last few weeks and I have been slowly working on this post because I knew I really had to bring you guys something good. I hope this cake makes up for it!
I have been pretty busy since I came back from my trip, trying to catch up with everything at work and life in general plus I moved out again! It’s been really fun and so good for me to finally move into a flat with new flatmates (apartment with roommates for the USAers!) and everything has been really good so far, the girls I’m living with are really great so that makes it pretty awesome. I forget how long it takes to get everything set up though! This is our third week here (although feels much longer!) and I feel like for me anyway, I’ve only really just finished unpacking everything and getting it all set up. Good things take time ae? Except for this cake! 😀
All you need for this recipe is a cake mix, a chocolate pudding (or instant dessert in NZ) mix and 10 minutes, then just whack it in the oven. So simple, but so good! The chocolate ganache frosting is optional, but it definitely makes the cake just a little bit better, so I would include it. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have, happy baking!
- [b]Chocolate Cake[/b]
- 1 (15oz/450g) box chocolate cake mix
- 1 (4oz/70g) packet instant chocolate pudding
- 450g (16oz) sour cream
- 3 eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips[br]
- [b]Ganache Frosting:[/b]
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate bits or chopped chocolate
- 1/3 cup (double) cream
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 25cm (10in) bundt pan with a lot of butter or cake release to ensure it doesn’t stick.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl and using a hand beater) combine all the cake ingredients.
- Mix on low for 30 seconds until combined and then on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon by hand, then pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the cake is set. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert the pan onto a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.[br]
- Place the chocolate into a heat proof bowl and set aside.
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan over a low heat until it’s just below boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and leave for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate.
- Then whisk the chocolate cream mixture, starting from the centre and working your way to the outside until the mixture is smooth and emulsified. If there are still pieces of chocolate that haven’t melted, microwave the mixture in short bursts until these are melted.
- Once the cake has cooled, move cake to a serving plate and pour the ganache generously all over the top of the cake.
- Time to eat!
- The cake will keep up to 3 days without the ganache frosting, but really only 1-2 days with the frosting, in an airtight container.
