"Let's Get Chocolate Wasted!"

I am a sucker for catchy food names, so when I discovered this little gem for "Chocolate Wasted Cake", I knew I had to try it. I found the perfect excuse with my new job and my brother's first day at a new college.

This is a great multi-step cake for beginners and bakers looking to perfect their cake skills alike, plus it's a great recipe that allows you to use what you have in the pantry for the topping. (Hint hint all that leftover Christmas stocking candy...)

The recipe comes from "The Art of Dessert", a self-explanatory blog that I discovered thanks to Pinterest. This is my first recipe from this blog, and with the ease I found making this delectable dish, I will definitely be checking out future recipes. Let's get to the good stuff...

The Art of Dessert. A work of art. Photo from http://www.artofdesign.com/

Mine

Oh my.

Check out that drizzle. I ain't even complainin' about the mess

Chocolate Wasted CakeMakes 8-12 servings
Allergy Note: contains wheat and dairy ingredients
(See notes for allergen-friendly or vegan alternatives)

cake: 
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1 cup butter, melted
4 tsp. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

frosting:
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/3-1/2 cup whole milk (start out with 1/3 cup of milk and add more milk to your desired consistency)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

liqueur for drizzling on the cake layers (i.e. chocolate, coffee or almond)

melted chocolate for drizzling, :
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips*
(* I didn't have enough chocolate chips, so I melted 4 Hershey's Bars instead)
2-3 Tbs. heavy cream or vegetable oil
semi-sweet chocolate chips for the sides of the cake

assorted chocolate candies for the top of the cake*

To make the cake:

(Note: Instead of milk, you can replace it with water or cooled brewed coffee. Instead of butter, you can use vegetable oil. Instead of honey, you can use corn syrup or agave nectar. Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can use Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips. For allergen-free alternatives for the candies, you can try Enjoy Life chocolate chips, bars or cookies)

Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Grease and dust two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans with cocoa powder. Set aside.

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, combine milk, butter, honey and vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the milk/butter mixture. Mix until combined.  Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pour in the batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and wait for about 10 minutes to remove from cake pans and place on a cooling rack.  Allow to cool completely before decorating.

Mix the dry ingredients.

Mix the wet. I LOVE my brand new Mixer!

Add dry ingredients to wet. Mix till combined.

Baked cakes!

To make the frosting:

Note: instead of butter, you can use any allowed margarine, Spectrum organic vegetable shortening, or coconut oil.  Instead of milk, you can use rice milk or soy milk.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the butter, milk and vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, slowly mix together at a low speed. Once all the ingredients are combined, increase the speed and beat till fluffy.

It is so much easier mixing for 2-4 minutes without a hand mixer.

To assemble the cake:

Place the first cake layer on a plate or cake circle.  Lightly drizzle with liqueur.  Spread an even layer of frosting. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Lightly drizzle with liqueur. Cover the sides and top of the cake with frosting.  Cover the sides of the cake with semi-sweet chocolate chips and cover the top with assorted chocolate candies. Drizzle the melted chocolate all over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides of the cake.

Frosting the cake. (I'm not that good at making pretty desserts as we now know)

The final product post drizzle

(*I don't drink so I left out the liqueur completely. It's just as good and will still get you plenty wasted...chocolate wasted ;)

Pros: Did you see the pictures!? I think they speak for themselves. The cake is amazing and the recipe is very easy to follow. Also, the time it takes to bake the cake gives you the perfect time to prepare the frosting, get some dishes washed and out of the way, and prep for the decoration of the cake.

Cons: That it is going to force me to buy a bigger pair of pants. Other than that I have no qualms.

Revisions: My first revision was actually a mistake. I left out a stick of butter from the cake (oops), but it actually turned out just fine, it just finished baking sooner and wasn't as moist as if I had used the correct amount. Also, I left out the liqueur and used chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips, melted, for the drizzle. As far as the topping goes, I just used what I had, which included: mini marshmallows, tiny chocolate bars, M&M's, and crumbled double stuffed oreos. Ok now I'm hungry again.

This is a definite hall of famer. It will become your go to cake (although don't make my mistake and bake it for only three people!). So, get creative, use what you have for the topping, and get chocolate wasted!

Can we just take a moment to ooo and ahhh over my new mixer? I am seriously in love.