CHOCOLATE CHIP KAHLUA CAKE

We have been making this cake for years, after my good friend Chris shared it with me, and it never fails to please every crowd. The chocolate flavor is enhanced by the Kahlua in the batter and the sauce that is soaked into the cake as it cools. The chocolate flavor is intense and the cake feels like a treat, yet it is not super sweet. The cake is moist on the inside, with an ever so slight crust on the outside from the sauce which makes it texturally satisfying in addition to tasting divine. It is simple to make (taking advantage of a boxed cake mix as a base) and yet feels special. An especially pretty bundt pan, like the one we used (available here on Amazon), helps up the special factor. It is especially nice to serve in the winter as a dusting of powdered sugar gives it a festive feel. 

We also love the fact that is lasts well for a few days afterwards in an air-tight container - making for great snacking. And to be honest, the cake (and leftovers) is great any time of day, as a dessert to lunch or dinner, as an addition to brunch or for afternoon tea and even for breakfast. Yes, on occasion I have been know to have cake for breakfast, doesn't everyone? 

An intricate bundt pan will yeild extra wows

Butter and flour your pan very well

Just in the oven

Almost done

Yum

Hard to resist eating it right out of the pan

Butter melted and the sauce just about to come to a boil

First, spoon sauce over entire surface to get a nice coating

Poke a few holes in the cake to help the syrup soak in, careful not to hit the edge of the cake as you risk DISTURBING its integrity 

Take your time adding the sauce

No words needed.... 

Ingredients 

For the Cake

Here's a version I made for a Halloween party! Just skip the powedered sugar and instead pipe on a spider web! The bundt shape really lends itself to the design.

1 box Devil’s food cake mix (ideally an organic mix; substitute any good chocolate flavors)
1 box chocolate instant pudding
½ cup mini milk chocolate chips
flour for coating chocolate chips
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup Kahlua liqueur
½ cup water

For the Sauce

¼ cup water
¼ cup Kahlua liqueur
½ cup butter
¾ cup sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bundt pan.

Mix cake mix and pudding in mixer with eggs, oil, Kahlua and water on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

Lightly coat the chocolate chips with flour, then fold into batter. Coating them in flour helps them "float" within the cake instead of just sinking to the bottom. 

Pour batter into bundt pan. Bake at for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven.

10 minutes before the cake is done, make sauce by mixing water, Kahlua, butter and sugar in a saucepan. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove cake from oven and spoon sauce over cake and down sides (do this over a plate or a baking sheet as some will spill out). Also poke a few holes in the cake with a chop stick or skewer to help the sauce work its way into more of the cake. Be careful to not squash the edge of the cake as you poke through to ensure it comes out perfectly. 

Let stand 30 minutes then remove from pan. Once cool, dust with powdered sugar if desired. This is purely for aesthetics.