It took much longer to bake then the recipe called for and I really worried that the cake would either get dried out from baking longer, or not be baked thru because it just never felt done. I pulled it out after 50 minutes with fingers crossed it'd be good. And luckily it turned out great. I didn't weigh it but it's seriously heavy; my friend Sydney (she's 8) tried to lift it from under the table where I had it "hiding" during dinner and struggled to pick it up! It's very dense and rich, almost brownie like but very very moist.
I followed a recipe I found here for most of it, but I did the ganache layer using my standard recipe.
Ingredients:
Cake ~
- 1 box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
- 1 (3.4) box Chocolate Fudge Instant Pudding
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 T. vanilla
- 1/4 t. kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, plus an additional handful for garnish on top of the frosting if desired
Filling ~
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Ganache ~
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz. (1 1/3 cups) semi-sweet chocolate bar, chopped or chocolate chips
Frosting ~
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- ]1 t. vanilla
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 cup chopped pecan pieces
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (note you can use sweetened but I prefer unsweetened - this cake is already so sweet)
Cake directions:
Preheat oven to 350'.In a large bowl, combine all of the cake ingredients until fully mixed and pour into a greased 13x9" pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (as I noted above, this easily took 50 minutes and still seemed like it might be underdone but I pulled it at 50). Remove from the oven and poke holes all over the cake with a big skewer. While the cake is still hot, pour and spread the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake, it will soak in while the cake cools.
Meanwhile, while the cake is baking and then cooling, prepare the ganache by heating the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup in the microwave (or on the stove top if you prefer). Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl, pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted. Let it rest for a while, it'll thicken up as it cools down. Once it's thick and creamy, spread evenly over the top of the cooled cake.
Top with coconut-pecan frosting and sprinkle on additional mini chips if desired (I like how it looks). Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Frosting Directions:
Combine the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the coconut and pecans, stir to combine. Set aside until ready to use. Before putting on the cake, give the frosting a good stir to loosen and fluff it up a bit.
I have to tell you that I had the nicest compliment from a stranger about this cake! We took it to a restaurant for her birthday and gave pieces of it to the waitstaff (I always try to leave some cake since they usually bring extra plates, a knife, and silverware which is just more work for them!), the manager came to the table and asked who baked the cake, he wanted to shake my hand and say it was the best cake they've ever been given and everyone was in the kitchen devouring it. Hmmm, now that I'm writing that, it's occurring to me that maybe it's the best because no one has ever given them cake before? Whatever, I'm taking the compliment hahahah!
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