Maybe it was the titillating title, racy for the ’80s, but ever since Better Than Sex Cake made the column, it has been a perennial reader favorite. It is a dense, triple-chocolate cake, so what isn’t to love?
“This has been our family celebration cake for more than 20 years,” L.M. wrote in nominating it for Cook’s Corner’s Top 10 all-time recipes. “I made it for my son’s first birthday, and I just made it for his graduation.”
Added Patty Castillo: “I don’t bake, but this is one cake that never fails and just looks and tastes spectacular.”
CHOCOLATE BETTER THAN SEX CAKE
1 standard box chocolate cake mix (butter recipe devil’s food preferred)
3/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
1 (4-serving) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup coffee or water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze:
1 (12-ounce) package chocolate chips
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Toss pecans and half the chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of the cake mix and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the remaining cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil, coffee and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold in the nut and chocolate chip mixture.
Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan. Pour in the cake mix and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until cake tests done. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn onto wire rack and cool completely before glazing.
To make glaze: Combine chocolate chips with 1 cup water in the top of a double boiler over simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. (Alternately, do this in the microwave). Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Let cool until slightly thickened, then spoon over cake. Makes 16 servings.
Per serving: 510 calories (47 percent from fat), 28 g fat (5 g saturated), 60 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 64 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g fiber, 455 mg sodium.
Source: Linda Cicero’s Cook’s Corner archives.
QUICK FIXES
Hat tip: Here's a great cupcake decorating tip for graduation parties from McCormick's: Have ready 24 cupcakes. Stir 1 to 2 teaspoons black food coloring into 16 ounces of homemade or purchased dark chocolate frosting. Dip 24 graham cracker squares into the frosting using a fork, and let any excess drip off. Let stand 30 minutes on parchment paper until frosting is firm.
Use sharp kitchen scissors to cut licorice strips into 2-inch tassels. Trim the tops of cupcakes to level if necessary. Place cupcakes upside down on serving platter. Use a drop of frosting to secure graham cracker square to top of cupcake. Place a licorice strip and a chocolate candy on top of each, securing with a drop of frosting.
Sweet-hot shrimp: This super-easy, super-fast sweet chili shrimp recipe is perfect as we embrace barbecue season. Just be careful when you grill to keep an eye on the skewer since the sweetening agent in the sauce will make it go from a tasty burnish to burned really quickly.
For those unfamiliar, sweet chili sauce is a popular Thai condiment made primarily with red chile peppers, vinegar and a sweetener. Once available only in Asian markets, it has moved into mainstream supermarkets and is even bottled now by American brand Frank’s RedHot.
SWEET CHILI SAUCE SHRIMP
1 1/2 pounds jumbo or extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup bottled sweet chili sauce, divided
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
Thread shrimp on metal skewers. Baste shrimp generously with 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce. Grill shrimp over medium heat about 5 minutes, until shrimp turn pink. Sprinkle with green onion. Serve shrimp with additional sauce. Makes 6 servings.
Per serving: 186 calories (7 percent from fat), 1.1 g fat (0.3 g saturated, 0.2 g mono), 143 mg cholesterol, 15.5 g protein, 17.3 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 1042 mg sodium.
Source: Adapted by Linda Cicero for Cook’s Corner from a recipe by Frank’s RedHot.
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