Devils Food Heath Bar Cake

While perusing several of the blogs I follow, I found this over at Framed. I did change it up a bit as I'm not a big fan of Butterfingers. Plus, since Hermit Crab was home with her boyfriend, I totally missed a step and an ingredient, but I actually liked it better this way. The cake the original way was very good, but it totally fell apart. I like my cake a little more...toothy, or at least in one piece on the plate. It is VERY rich, so we cut it in 12 pieces; next time: 16.

Devils Food Heath Bar Cake

1 box Devils food cake mix
--ingredients called for on box
1 jar Hot caramel sauce (for ice cream)
1 container Cool Whip (or homemade-I didn't have the facility to whip the cream)
2 regular size Heath Bars (I had minis, so we crushed up about 12)

Bake cake according to directions on package for two 9-inch round pans. Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Flip out onto wire rack, then flip again onto a cookie sheet. Poke holes all over the top of the cake. I used a chop stick. Heat up the Hot caramel sauce in the jar in the microwave for about 40 seconds. Pour over the cake and let it seep into holes and pool on top. Let the cakes cool, then place one top of the other and let cool completely. Right before serving, top with Cool Whip (if you have limited options) or fresh whipped cream. Sprinkle with crushed Heath Bars.

You can check out Kathleen's site for original recipe from where she got the recipe. The original includes mixing the Hot caramel sauce with a can of sweetened condensed milk, then pouring it over the holey cake. It was terrific, but you need to not layer the cake or it will crumble, and it will crumble a little on the plate.

Brown Sugar Cake

This is all that was left of my cake. One last lonely piece. It sure made a good breakfast.
This is a super easy, dense, moist cake. It reminds me of a coffee cake, but I brought it in for a dessert to work.

Brown Sugar Cake

1 package yellow cake mix

1 3.4 oz package vanilla instant pudding

4 eggs

2/3 sour cream

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup chopped nuts-I used walnuts

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat cake mix, pudding, eggs, sour cream, water and the oil until well blended, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar, vanilla and nutmeg and mix just until combine. Stir in nuts. Pour mixture into a greased Bundt/tube pan. Bake one hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Loosen with a narrow spatula and invert onto a cake plate. When cake is completely cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Even better the next morning with a cup of joe.

Scratch me....

Cake that is. Well, not scratch the cake, but rather cake from scratch. I love to bake. I bake pies for the hubby a lot. I bake cookies. I bake cakes---from a box. I thought I would try making a cake from scratch as I had never done it before. My oldest (the Hermit Crab) bought me a cookbook for Christmas "9x13-the Pan that Can" by Better Homes and Gardens. I thinking to myself, "I have cooked for over 20 years, how hard can a cake be?" It wasn't hard, but it was very different from the box, 2 eggs, some oil and maybe water.


Here is the recipe from the above-mentioned cookbook. I adapted it slightly.

Marble Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt\
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 TBSP vanilla
3 eggs
1-1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
1 recipe Chocolate Butter frosting
2-1.4 ounce Heath bars, chopped (optional-I didn't have any in the pantry)

Grease a 9x13 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F for a metal pan and 325 degrees F for a glass pan. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition, just until combined. Transfer 3/4 cup of cake batter to small bowl. Stir in chocolate syrup. Spread light colored batter into prepared baking dish. Spoon chocolate batter over light batter. Using butter knife, swirl chocolate through batter to marble.



Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle of cake. Cool completely. Make frosting while cake cools. In a large bowl, combine 6 TBSP butter and 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; beat with an electric mixer on medium until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating until well mixed. Slowly beat in 1/4 cup milk and 1-1/2 tsp vanilla. Slowly beat in 2 more cups of powdered sugar. If necessary, beat in enough additional milk, 1 tsp at a time, to make spreading easier. Sprinkle with chopped Heath bars if you choose to. Who doesn't like Heath bars? I do, but didn't have any and didn't feel like driving to town at 2 AM, so I left them off.


I thought the frosting was way too sweet. It hardens a little bit also after it sits a little while. I cut down the amounts a little here for the ratios. I brought it to work and they all loved it, so maybe I am just too used to the stuff in the plastic can! They all said they would eat it again, but I think that Lemon Meringue pie is on the agenda for this week!