The Gourmet Librarian
The "Gourmet Librarian" is a monthly series on the CCPL Website
August 2007
Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake
I'm planning what I'm going to make for the potluck dinner at my husband's family reunion. The Laswell family reunion occurs every year in July. We gather in Batesville, Indiana at a campground that has approximately fifty cabins. My mother-in-law, Jean Laswell Breithaupt, is the eldest of seven children - Peggy, Nancy, Billy, Betty, Gary, and Bonita. All of Jean's siblings, most of who are retired, arrive on Thursday, and their families follow on Friday and Saturday. We manage to fill most of the cabins!
Saturday morning begins with a big breakfast followed by visiting with each other and swimming and fishing throughout the day. Later in the day, we gather together for the traditional potluck. Jean and her siblings bring their specialties, covering the tables, and we sit and enjoy the wonderful food and company. Most of our discussion centers around how we always bring too much food and how we'll all try to "cut back" next year. Thankfully, this never happens.
After the potluck, everyone heads back to the cabins to wash dishes and nap. Later in the evening, someone builds a huge bonfire, and it's time for s'mores, more visiting and corn hole!
I usually head to bed with sleepy children, but my husband, his sisters, and cousins have been known to talk until 4 in the morning.
Sunday morning comes too soon, and it's time to pack up and say goodbye to uncles, aunts, and cousins until next year. I'm so fortunate to have married into such a warm and loving family. As they grow older, I'm sure that my children, Joshua and Isabel, will come to treasure these gatherings and will have many wonderful memories of their aunts, uncles, cousins and grandma.
I've decided this year I'll be taking my "Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake". I have taken it to the reunion before, and it always seems to be a hit.
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH! MEET ME IN THE KITCHEN!
Lisa, The Gourmet Librarian
Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake
To Start and Have Prepared:
- 1 package dark chocolate cake mix
- 1 3.9 package of instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 (16 ounce) container of sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup of coffee flavored Liqueur or 1/2 cup of strong coffee
- 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt Pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil and coffee liqueur or coffee. Beat until ingredients are well blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Cool in pan, then turn out and cool completely.
This recipe is so moist that icing isn't necessary, but when I want to be decadent I ice it with the darkest fudge icing that I can find in the cake-baking aisle.