Some October humor.

My daughter requested a “Donut Cake” for her birthday last weekend.

These are her favorite donuts.

So I decided to make a rich chocolate cake with a cream cheese based icing and cover it in donuts.

It was a piece of cake.

And this Icebox Cake….Swoon. I’m usually not bowled over by chocolate cake, but the tang of the icing against the cake and the shaved Hershey’s made this one mighty delicious.

Donut Decorated Triple Decker Chocolate Icebox Cake With Shaved Chocolate Icing

Ingredients for the cake:

1 package (18.25 ounces) chocolate cake mix with pudding
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Your favorite donuts to garnish

Ingredients for the shaved chocolate icing:

12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
16 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed, but cold
4 Hershey’s milk chocolate bars (1.55 ounces each), cut into thin shavings (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350℉.

2. Grease and flour three (9 inch) cake pans and set aside.

3. Place the cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes longer until well combined. Divide the cake batter among the three prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with the rubber spatula.

4. Bake the cake layers until the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 18 to 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make the shaved chocolate frosting. Place the cream cheese and sugars in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipped topping and chocolate. Beat on low speed until well combined and smooth, about 2 minutes. Set the frosting aside.

6. Let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another wire rack so that the cakes are right side up. Let the layers cool completely, 15 minutes longer.

7. When cake layers have cooled, assemble the cake, frosting generously between layers and covering the cake. Garnish as desired with donuts.

8. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. The cake tastes better after one day in the “icebox”.

Serves 12 to 16

Recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor Returns Cookbook by Anne Byrn

Before the donuts go on.

Perfect as a birthday cake for a donut lover.

The song I am currently obsessed with is this gorgeous one from Randolph’s Leap. Truly beautiful voice and lyrics. Quiet and lovely.

Check out Randolph’s Leap on Facebook and Bandcamp, where you can get the music.

Cheers!