This recipe ROCKS!! Obviously, it's not low-fat, so save it for a special occasion. It is by far our favorite chocolate cake. We made it at Jon & Kir's house last week and we all enjoyed it (for breakfast, too!! Hey, it's vacation!).
To Die For Chocolate Decadence Cake
Cake:
1 box Devil's Food cake mix (or any chocolate cake mix)
1 (3 oz.) box instant chocolate pudding
2 C. sour cream
5 eggs
1 C. melted butter
1 tsp. almond extract
1 C. chocolate chips (I recommend ghirardelli)
6-10 Hershey bars
In a large bowl, beat first 6 ingredients until well blended. Mixture will be thick. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into three greased 9” pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-40 minutes. (Keep an eye on them so they don’t overbake). Pull out of oven and place half of the Hershey bars on each cake. When bars are melted, spread evenly over tops of cake. Let cool completely. When cool (Hershey bars should be mostly set—you can put the cakes in the fridge to speed things up) place cake layers on top of each other.
Ganache frosting:
10 ounces Bittersweet chocolate, chopped
10 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
2 c. heavy cream
Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a cake. Start at the center of the cake and work outward. For a fluffy frosting or chocolate filling, allow it to cool until thick, then whip with a whisk until light and fluffy.
NOTES: I originally baked this in two 9" pans, but the cake always seemed to bake unevenly. I recommend using three 9" pans and putting 3 Hershey Bars on top of each after they come out of the oven.
