Really Good.

What is it about a really moist, dense cake that is so good?  It must be because there is so much sugar, oil (or butter), and eggs packed in there.

That's what this cake is.  It's really good.  And for being really good, you might think that it is overly complicated.  But, let me tell you, it's amazing what you can do with a cheap box cake mix and a few other ingredients.

It's called Chocolate Chip Cake.  I got the recipe from a friend several years ago and have enjoyed making it ever since.  The secret of the cake is the two boxes of pudding and the whole bag of chocolate chips that go into it (and maybe the oil and eggs!).  But, as we all know, chocolate and peanut butter go together like peaches and cream or pumpkin and chocolate.  ("Really", you say to yourself, "pumpkin and chocolate go together?"  Yes, they do; we'll talk about that later.)  So, when is there a better opportunity to combine chocolate and peanut butter than now... in a cake?  I jumped at the chance to combine the two, and exchanged the chocolate chips for a bag of Reese's peanut butter chips.  It was well worth it.  Another great option is to use dark chocolate chunks.  This will satisfy any craving for a rich chocolate treat. 

I took this cake to a party last night.  I rushed home from work to get this cake mixed up and in the oven in an effort to make it to the party on time.  The cake takes 50 minutes or so to bake, and I had just enough time to make it and get to the party with what I knew would be a cake that was still warm from the oven.  But, to my chagrin, the cake took way longer to bake (because I had something else in the oven at the same time...).  So, when the cake was finally done, I plopped it onto the cake plate and carried a very warm cake to my car and went the party.  In my rush, I forgot to get a final picture of it, and I of course didn't have my camera there.  But, thanks to instagram (Who needs a real camera, anyway?  Well, never mind.), I snapped one at the party.  The cake was yummy and worth the extra baking time!

Once the cake is finished baking and has cooled, you can garnish with a light dusting of powdered sugar or chocolate ganache (although, it's great by itself, too!).  Don't be like me and put in on when the cake is still very warm!  But, this wasn't the first time I've garnished the cake when it was still warm, and I live to tell you that the world won't end if you do.

Here's the recipe... enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cake

1 yellow cake mix

1 4 oz. box of vanilla pudding

1 4oz. box of chocolate pudding

4 eggs

1 cup oil

1 cup water

1 bag chocolate chips or peanut butter chips

Mix first six ingredients until combined scraping down sides as needed.  Then, add the chocolate chips.  Pour into a well greased bundt pan and bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove to serving plate.  Dust with powdered sugar or other desired topping.