Chocolate Wasted Cake.

Oh-Em-Gee.

This cake has been on my Must Make This Pinterest board for awhile.

What is wrong with me?

I should have made this tower of chocolate perfection the minute I laid eyes on the photo. As cakes go, this one is completely over the top which is exactly the kind of dessert that I adore making and eating.

The chocolate cake layers are made from scratch, but my daughter and I agree that there is so much going on flavor-wise, in the cake, that a box mix would stand in just fine. And that “flavor-wise” includes chocolate chips in the cake batter, coffee liqueur infusing into the cake layers, a divine chocolate icing encasing all, chocolate chips encrusting the sides, and an assortment of your favorite chocolate candies adorning the top. The whole mess is then drenched in melted chocolate.

Mmmmmmm cake. Make this soon for every chocolate lover you love. Getting chocolate wasted has never felt so good.

Chocolate Wasted Cake

Ingredients for 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
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ingredients for icing:

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup whole milk
liqueur for drizzling on the cake layers (I used 2 Tbs of Kahlúa for each layer)

Ingredients for decorating the cake:

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream or 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Semi-sweet chocolate chips for the sides of the cake
Assorted chocolate candies, chopped, for the top of the cake (I used Kit Kat bars, mini Reese’s cups, Skor bars, Twix bars, Milky Way bars, Hershey’s Kisses and chopped Hershey bars)

Directions to make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.

2. Grease and dust three 8-inch cake pans with flour. Line the bottom of each pan with a parchment paper circle. Set aside.

3. Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, combine milk, butter and vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the milk/butter mixture. Beat until combined. Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

4. Divide the batter among prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before turning cakes out onto cooling rack. Cool layers completely before decorating.

Directions to make the icing:

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together confectioners’ 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. Add a bit more milk if needed to achieve a spreadable consistency.

Directions to assemble the cake:

1. Place one cake layer on a serving plate and lightly drizzle with liqueur. Spread with an even layer of icing.

2. Place the second cake layer on top of the icing. Lightly drizzle with liqueur. Repeat with third cake layer.

3. Cover the sides and top of the cake with icing. Press chocolate chips into the sides of the cake. Cover top of cake with assorted chocolate candies.

4. Melt the 2 cups of chocolate chips with the heavy cream.

5. Drizzle the melted chocolate all over the top of the cake and let drip down the sides of the cake.

Serves 12

Recipe from Art Of Dessert

A dreamy cake deserves to be accompanied by some dreamy music.

Edinburgh’s Stefan Noons’ songs are just the ticket. There are just two that I have heard so far and both are extremely good. This particular style of dream pop is sufficiently different enough to hold my attention and the vocals are intriguing.

Check out Stefan Noons on Facebook and Soundcloud, where you can get the music.

Cheers!