No Such Thing As Too Much Chocolate

Last year I wanted to make a chocolate cake that was going to be melt-in-your-mouth moist and over-the-top chocolatey. Enter "Too Much Chocolate" Cake from allrecipes.com. A simple search allowed me to discover its beauty. So easy! SO good! I am now required to make it for my sister's fiancé every year for his birthday. No skin off my back, that means I have an excuse to eat it every year! While it's certainly not healthy, I try to use the less-fat version of each ingredient where possible and no one can taste the difference, it's so rich.

Usually I make it as a rectangle pan cake (because I don't have a bundt pan which is suggested for it), but with the success of my first layer cake I decided to step it up a bit this time.

Too Much Chocolate Cake

from allrecipes

1 (18.25 oz) package of devil's food cake mix (I've been able to find a lowfat version of this)

1 (5.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix (again, I use the no sugar added version)

1 cup sour cream (I use light)

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (feel free to get creative here with different kinds)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix the first six ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. Carefully fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into 2 greased 8-9" cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and it passes the toothpick test.

You can easily use whatever kind of cake pan you want, just remember to adjust the cooking time accordingly (or watch it like a hawk if you're not sure).

Let cool in a rack completely then assemble and dress as desired (if doing a layer, follow the instructions in my previous layer cake post!). In the past I've topped it with jarred fudge sauce and powdered sugar. This time I looked at the ingredients in jarred fudge, the first of which is high-fructose corn syrup of course. I decided that it's just as easy to make my own fudge sauce and it came out great!

Hot Fudge Sauce

from allrecipes

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup butter

4 cups confectioners' sugar

~1 can evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

In a large saucepan, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until melted. Gradually mix in the sugar then the milk, adding only enough milk that makes the consistency you want. The main recipe calls for 2 2/3 cups, but many of the reviews noted that it was too thin. I added less than 1 can and it had just the right thickness required for a cake topping.