Make a cake in the middle of the week? Yes, you can. I got a new cookbook from my BIL and SIL for my birthday, The Cake Mix Doctor, and it has 150 cake recipes that use a regular cake mix you'd buy at the grocery store. Well, that sounds pretty simple, right?
I often read the introduction to cookbooks because the author may share a few tried and true tips that I might not already know. I was particularly glad I did this time. Anne Byrn emphasized most of the recipes in her book call for a cake mix without pudding. The pudding adds moisture to the cake, but if you're adding other ingredients, it will make the cake too wet, cause too much shrinkage, etc.
I went to my pantry and pulled out the three boxes of cake mix I had and read the fronts very carefully. Darn...all three had pudding in the mix! But upon further reading, all was not lost. Several of the recipes called for a plain cake mix or pudding in the mix. Okay, I was in business.
The Chocolate cake chapter looked the most promising, so I started looking at all the recipes to see which one I could use, since all I had was a pudding cake mix. Hmmm.....
Here's the result. I did change the recipe a bit. I had a triple chocolate, "pudding in the mix" cake mix, so I used that instead of a plain devil's food cake mix. I used the almond extract, but you could use cherry liquor instead of the almond extract for a more grown-up taste. I left the cake in the pan instead of turning it out, (didn't want to clean up another mess) and poked holes in the cake with a wooden skewer so the glaze would soak into the cake. There was plenty of glaze left on the top. Lastly, I had some red sugar left over from last year's Christmas cookies, so I sprinkled it on top to make the cake look pretty. I think the crunch of the sugar was a nice contrast to the creamy frosting.
This was done, start to finish in under 45 minutes. So make one tonight for the kids and hubby. My kids ate it up, and David had I don't know how many pieces... maybe 3.
I often read the introduction to cookbooks because the author may share a few tried and true tips that I might not already know. I was particularly glad I did this time. Anne Byrn emphasized most of the recipes in her book call for a cake mix without pudding. The pudding adds moisture to the cake, but if you're adding other ingredients, it will make the cake too wet, cause too much shrinkage, etc.
I went to my pantry and pulled out the three boxes of cake mix I had and read the fronts very carefully. Darn...all three had pudding in the mix! But upon further reading, all was not lost. Several of the recipes called for a plain cake mix or pudding in the mix. Okay, I was in business.
The Chocolate cake chapter looked the most promising, so I started looking at all the recipes to see which one I could use, since all I had was a pudding cake mix. Hmmm.....
Here's the result. I did change the recipe a bit. I had a triple chocolate, "pudding in the mix" cake mix, so I used that instead of a plain devil's food cake mix. I used the almond extract, but you could use cherry liquor instead of the almond extract for a more grown-up taste. I left the cake in the pan instead of turning it out, (didn't want to clean up another mess) and poked holes in the cake with a wooden skewer so the glaze would soak into the cake. There was plenty of glaze left on the top. Lastly, I had some red sugar left over from last year's Christmas cookies, so I sprinkled it on top to make the cake look pretty. I think the crunch of the sugar was a nice contrast to the creamy frosting.
This was done, start to finish in under 45 minutes. So make one tonight for the kids and hubby. My kids ate it up, and David had I don't know how many pieces... maybe 3.
Cherry Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze
CAKE:
Vegetable oil cooking spray for the baking pan
1 box triple chocolate, pudding in the mix cake mix (or plain devil's food cake mix)
1 can of cherry pie filling (21 ounces)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure almond extract (or cherry liquor)
GLAZE:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 milk
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and place a rack in the center of your oven. Spray the bottom and sides of your baking pan with the cooking spray and set aside.
In a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer, blend the cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs, and almond extract on low speed for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes more. Pour the batter (it will be thick) into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove pan and let cool while you make the glaze.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and milk, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly to ensure all the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Keep stirring until all the chocolate has melted and the glaze is nice and smooth. Poke holes all over the cake with a wooden skewer and pour the glaze over the cake. Let the glaze settle and cool for about 5 minutes, then sprinkle with red sugar.
This cake turned out moist and very chocolatey. David and I fought over the edge pieces because there was more glaze on them, since the cake had pulled away from the pan while it baked--yum. All the desert plates were licked clean, let me tell you!
You can't go wrong with a great chocolate cake. God bless your table tonight!
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