A friend of mine challenged me to recreate the Chocolate Chip Cake made by Little Debbie. She is apparently obsessed with them recently and wanted a homemade version. These were a little challenging presentation wise, but delicious nonetheless! I think this cake would also be ammmazing as a hot fudge cake.
This recipe has three components: the cake, filling, and glaze.
Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
3 cup all-purpose flour
2 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Hershey's cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Spray two 9x13 pans with bakings pray.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In another bowl, stir together the water and brewed coffee.
To the coffee mixture, add in the rest of the wet ingredients.
Add 1/2 of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined.
Pour in the rest of the wet ingredients, and mix until combined.
Pour half of the batter into one pan. Pour the other half of the batter into the other pan
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake!
Allow cake to cool completely. I place in the freezer to speed up the process and make the cake firmer to cut.
Cake Filling
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp pasteurized egg whites or meringue powder, optional
Directions
Beat the butter with electric mixer on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
Add in salt and vanilla, and mix on low.
Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time.
Alternate adding powdered sugar and small splashes of cream.
Add in meringue powder if you are using. This isn't necessary, but it makes the frosting super light and fluffy! So, if you have it - go ahead and add it.
Beat on high for about 2 minutes, the frosting should be fluffy.
Glaze
Ingredients
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Decor: chocolate chips
Directions
Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir together. You want the glaze to be thin enough to drip down the cake, but thick enough to sit on the top of the cake. If it is too thin, add more sugar. If it is too thick, add more cream.
Assembly Directions
Allow the cake to become cold and firm in freezer, you don't want it frozen but cool to touch and firm. The cake is very fluffy so this helps it to not tear when cutting it.
Use a sharp knife or cookie spatula to cut out even pieces of square cake.
Pipe the filling onto one piece of cake. Then cover the filling with a seperate piece of cake. Apply light pressure to the top to make it stick and not topple over.
Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake. It doesn't have to be perfect - have fun!
Decorate with chocolate chips on the glaze.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Take a picture and tag me on Facebook or Instagram!
