Death by Chocolate Cake
Prep: 60 min. Cook: 60 min.
8 servings
Ingredients
Cake:
2 cheapest chocolate cake mixes*
2 instant chocolate pudding mixes
8 large eggs
1/2 lb good flavored margarine (not diet)
3 C water
Frosting:
3/4 C butter (softened)
4 C powdered sugar
3/4 C Hershey's Cooking Cocoa
Evaporated milk (1/2 can or less)
3 Tbsp real vanilla extract
1 pkg. of sliced almonds
Directions
Make cake mixes one at a time, by using 1 cake mix, 1 pudding mix, 1/2 C margarine (melted), 4 eggs and 1 1/2 C water. Beat thoroughly. Bake in 2 (8 in.) layer pans. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, before inverting on a cooling rack to finish cooling. As each layer is cool, wrap it carefully and completely without scrunching the sides. Place in the freezer to freeze. You can stack the layers fairly easily; just make sure they aren't crowded, altering their shape. After layers are frozen, prepare frosting.
Beat butter 'until smooth. Combine cocoa and powdered sugar in a separate bowl with a whisk to ensure completely combined. Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to butter, beating completely. Add about 1/2 of evaporated milk. Beat thoroughly, and add the rest of the dry ingredients. Add vanilla and enough evaporated milk to achieve a desired frosting consistency. Keep it kind of thick, to hold a bit of a shape, but not so thin it's runny!
Remove one layer of cake at a time from the freezer. Slice it in half from left to right. Put the layer on the chosen serving platter, and place wide strips of waxed paper under the edges to keep frosting off of the plate. Frost the layer, and place the top of that layer on top. Frost. Continue, one layer at a time, frosting each layer generously. Generously, frost the sides of the cake, and then the top, ensuring the entire cake is covered and uniform. Create swirls on the top with a few peaks. Place a hand full of almonds in your hand, and stick them gently onto the side of the cake. Cover entire sides of cake as you go around, bringing up the spillage of almonds to help get the bottom and avoid waste. Remove the waxed paper. Place a few wrapped or unwrapped fun-sized candy bars on top to prevent cover from sticking to cake. Cover and freeze. Defrost for about 1/2 an hour before serving.