Mimi's Chocolate Cake

I call this cake "Mimi's Chocolate Cake" not because this was her recipe, but because this was her favorite dessert I made. So I named it after her.  She loved sweets - a lot! But this cake she always raved about. She once told me she hid it so other people wouldn't eat it and that she ate it for breakfast. I gave her a mini cake for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day (along with the chocolate covered strawberries that were tradition between her and I for Valentine's). Sadly, she passed away suddenly right before our first child was born. As a tribute to her I make this cake for her birthday every year. We eat it and and tell funny Mimi stories. She once told me I was pretty when I wore make-up. She wasn't trying to insult me whatsoever. It was funny and still is. Whenever I wear make-up (which isn't often) my hubby will laugh and say, "You look pretty when you wear make-up." She once told me she watched a great movie called the Whispering Horse (aka the Horse Whisperer). She was funny even though she wasn't trying to be. She was beautiful. She always worked hard. She loved purple onions, glitzy jewelry, bread and butter, Rum and Cokes with tons of cherry juice and fruit cake. But most of all, she loved her family and we love her. 

Here's the recipe. Be sure to share it with someone you love.

Mimi's Chocolate Cake:

Boxed Dark Chocolate Cake Mix
1 box Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding
3 Eggs (room temp)
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Seltzer Water (room temp)
1 tsp Espresso Powder
1 tsp Vanilla
Dash of Cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together thoughly except the pudding mix and cake mix. Make sure everything is room temperature. It makes a difference, trust me. Shift in cake mix. Again, this makes a difference. After all the cake mix is sifted in, add the jello and whisk just enough to combine. Do not over-mix. Again, trust me on this. Bake the cake according to the box directions.

Now for the frosting... no canned goop is good enough for this cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

1 stick of salted butter (room temp)
3 ounces of cream cheese (room temp)
1/4 cup Milk Chocolate Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
2 tbsp whole milk with 1tsp Espresso Powder desolved in
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups Confectionery Sugar
Dash of salt

Whip up the butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and cocoa powders. Mix until well incorporated. Add some of the milk mixture if needed. Add in the sugar 1 cup at a time and alternate with the espresso powder milk mixture until your desired consistency. Once the icing is whipped, add a dash of salt and whip again. It makes a difference, again trust me!

It's a great cake. It's still my go to Chocolate Cake. Vanilla cakes I make from scratch with a great Buttermilk recipe, but trust me this Chocolate Cake is AMAZING even though it comes from a box!

Cheers,
Melisa