Karens Chocolate Birthday Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
• Combine chocolate pudding and milk in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick, stirring frequently.
• Remove pan from heat and add in dry cake mix. Mix together and pour into the lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Evenly spread the chocolate chips over the top of the cake.
• Bake at 350 degrees F(175 degrees C) for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool and serve.

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven, and preheat it to 350. Butter the interiors of two 9-inch round cake pans, dust with a little cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Working with an electric mixer (use the paddle, if you have one), beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, and beat for a minute after each goes in; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (start and finish with the dry, and don't worry if the buttermilk makes the batter look slightly curdled). Mix in the melted chocolate. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
• Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, until a tester poked into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer to racks, let rest 5 minutes and then run a blunt knife around the edges of the pans. Unmold the cakes onto the racks, and cool to room temperature.
• Make the frosting: Sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder. Using an electric mixer (with the paddle, if available), beat the sugar, cocoa, salt and butter on high speed until fluffy. On low speed, add the chocolate. When it's almost incorporated, beat in the buttermilk. It's best to use the frosting immediately.
• If necessary, just before you're ready to frost the cakes, slice a sliver off the top of each layer to create a flat surface. To assemble, place one cake layer, top up, on a serving platter, and cover with frosting. Top with the second layer, top down, jiggling it into the frosting to hold it in place. Frost the top and sides of the cake - go sleek or swirly. If you're using decorations, scatter them over the cake. Chill for at least 1 hour (or for up to 1 day); bring to room temperature before serving.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350
• 2. Spray bottom of 12 cup Bundt Pan with flour baking spray (it is important to spray the bottom of the pan to prevent the chips from potentially sticking and tearing the top off your cake) If you don't have a flour baking spray, lightly oil and flour the pan. Be sure to discard excess flour.
• 3. Dump all ingredients, except chocolate chips, into a large bowl and whisk together until combined. Batter will be lumpy.
• 4. Add chocolate chips and stir until mixed in. Pour mixture evenly into prepared bundt pan
• 5. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. I usually check the cake at 45 minutes but have found 55-60 minutes is perfect regardless of the oven I've used.
• 6. When finished baking, allow cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes then turn it out onto a platter to finish cooling. IMPORTANT--Don't let the cake sit too long in the pan as the chips start to solidify and cause the top to stick and tear off when inverted.
• 7. Serve cake warm with vanilla ice cream or allow to cool completely.
• 8. This recipe is very versatile and the kahlua and chips can be substituted for whatever you'd like. I've changed the cake mix to yellow and made rum cake as well as used strawberry schnapps to make a strawberry cake. Substituting the semi sweet chips for mint chips makes for a really nice change. I've also substituted the cake mix with a German Chocolate mix and used milk chocolate chips. Followed the recipe, but used 2 round layer pans instead of a bundt pan. Baked for 30 mins per the box and iced with the coconut pecan icing...OH SOOOO GOOD! People love this German Chocolate cake.