I made this cake yesterday and brought it into work today and there's not one crumb left. It's awesome. No one guessed it started with a mix, and several people commented that it's one of the best cakes they've ever had. I was really leery about making it as my daughter made it awhile ago and thought it was dry. When I checked the reviews I noticed that others had the same complaint. I also noted that many people had had great success by adding additional liquids. I was nervous about the cake falling when it was taken out of the oven because this had happened a few times, but I needn't have worried. The cake was unbelievably moist...almost wet, but it was a light moist, not heavy like a pound cake. The texture was very dense, but the crumb was tender.

I made several changes to the recipe. I started with a DH Fudge cake mix and added an instant vanilla pudding (I didn't have any chocolate on hand). My ice cream flavor was Death By Chocolate and it was a premium brand. It was still fairly thick when I added it to the batter and it wasn't at room temperature.

I added a cup of brewed hazelnut coffee with 2 Tbsp. of the International mocha coffee dissolved in it, plus 1/4 cup of Tia Maria.

Instead of dusting the greased pan with flour I used finely ground espresso coffee beans. They seemed to cut the sweetness of the chocolate.

I baked the cake with a pan of water on the bottom rack of my oven. I find this really helps to add moisture. My bundt pan is a light colour so I didn't lower the oven temperature but set it for just slightly under 350°. The cake took 63 minutes to bake and rose beautifully; however, it did shrink a bit when I took it out of the oven. It didn't collapse though.

I made the Kahlua Dream Glaze from the CCMD but substituted Tia Maria for the Kahlua. To add a bit of crunch, I sprinkled the glaze with Skor bits.

I'd say of all the CMD cakes I've tried so far this is my favorite. The flavors seemed to blend nicely and not one stood out over the other. The coffee just enhanced the chocolate flavor. The fact that the cake wasn't overly sweet meant you could enjoy a bigger piece!! It's definitely a 5 star.

Sorry about the long post but I didn't want to leave anything out.

Sadie

Sadie,

Thanks for the post. This one was next in line for me, so the review was just in time. I'm going for a Chocolate Raspberry Cake but will note the additional liquid since you recommend that. I loved all the details! Thanks again.

Marsha

Sadie:

Thanks so much for the details. I really want to try this cake soon. I have been find alot of cakes a little to sweet for my taste so I'm glad to know how to fix this one.

Diane