Why oh why was I not told....

I can't believe what today is....and I can't believe nobody gave me a heads up or let me know it was coming. Today is...

It just doesn't seem fair. Had I known, I could have baked a cake to take to work and we could have eaten chocolate all day. Sad, just sad. So since I am not baking a cake, I thought I would share my chocolate cake recipes so maybe you can make a cake today even if I can't. I would love to do another two layer cake, but I don't have the patience for that as much any more. 

But I make the same cake in a 9 x 13 all the time for work. My cakes are always moist and get rave reviews. They are always moist. But that is nothing I do. I owe it all to Duncan Hines cake mix. I use either the Butter Recipe Fudge or the Devil's Food Chocolate mix. So my cakes are semi-homemade since I use a mix but I do make my icing from scratch. Here is the icing recipe for a standard chocolate cake. 

1 box of confectioner sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 stick of butter (I always use Parkay)

5 tbsp cocoa

5-6 tbsp milk (whatever it takes to get the consistency of spreadable icing)

Put on cool cake.

The next recipe for my favorite chocolate cake is a cheat on the famous Texas Sheet Cake. If you will recall, the Texas Sheet Cake has cinnamon in the chocolate and a lighter milk chocolate color to the cake. So if you like that cake, but hate the time it takes to make from scratch, you can get the same flavor by using Duncan Hines Swiss Cake Mix.

The only thing you do different to the cake is add 1 or 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to the cake mix when you are making it. It's that simple. I use 2 so I can get more of the cinnamon/chocolate taste combo. Then you use the regular recipe for the Texas Sheet Cake frosting. You want to time it so it is ready to pour on the cake while the cake is warm. This is a similar recipe to above but this cooks on the stove first. 

In mixing bowl, pour in 1 box of confectioner sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and sit aside

In small sauce pan, mix:

1 stick of butter

4 tbls cocoa

6 tbls milk

Cook over medium heat until it starts to boil (not full rolling) and pour it over the 10X sugar and vanilla. Beat with mixer and pour on warm cake.  This is one of my favorite ways to have chocolate cake.

If you want, you can chop up walnuts or pecans and sprinkle over the top of the icing or if you prefer, put them in the cake mix. I just do mine with no nuts since not everyone in my family likes nuts. 

Hope this gives you ideas for National Chocolate Cake Day. Have a great one!