This past weekend was the boyfriend’s birthday, so I decided to make a batch of cupcakes that my grandmother has been getting on my back to make ever since she bestowed the recipe upon me. Better Than Sex cake was the cake she made for her friends’ birthdays back in the day. I remember eating it when I was little, but being too embarrassed to say the name of it and blushing whenever I saw the recipe on her refrigerator. But as a twenty-something woman, I asked for the recipe, and to quote my grandmother, “It’s your job to make that cake now. I’m retiring.”
There are a lot of different Better Than Sex cake recipes out there. I’ve seen recipes with caramel, toffee, and Paula Deen has one with pineapple. But this recipe is a classic fudgy chocolate cake with pecans and one of my favorite vanilla frostings. It’s not my go-to chocolate cake (Guinness Chocolate Cake is the current fave). It’s a bit too decadent and brownie-ish for everyday consumption, but it’s always a special occasion in my home when I decide to make it.
*Disclaimer: I feel weird about using pre-packaged foods when baking and mystery ingredients that have the same name in multiple languages (Cool Whip), but this is my one exception. This cake is too good to get finicky about. And yes, Cool Whip still scares me. Let’s move on.
Better Than Sex Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take 2 tablespoons of chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines Devil’s Food is my favorite) and coat 12 oz chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of chopped pecans (or walnuts). Place on the side. Mix the rest of the cake mix with 4 eggs, a 1/2 cup of oil, 1/4 cup of water, 1 cup of sour cream, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 package of instant chocolate pudding. Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips. Bake for 20 minutes.
For the frosting, whip together 1 package of instant vanilla pudding with 1 cup of milk. Add about a 1/2 cup (or more) of powdered sugar. Let sit for a few minutes to set. Fold in a 8 oz. package of Cool Whip. Frosting will be loose and won’t set completely, so keep refrigerated.
One Response to “Cool Whip & Chocolate”