Chocolate Cream Cake

I was at the store today with the intent of just quickly picking up some Cool Whip. I noticed cake mixes were on sale. I went back to the store entrance and exchanged my basket for a cart so could stock up.
My thoughts returned me to my most memorable childhood Christmas.
On that cold December night, long ago we stood in awe for a moment of the service done on our behalf. After we brought all if the tall brown grocery bags into the house, we unloaded each one with delight. It had been a few years since we had this much food in the house at one time. One of the sacks had a couple of cake mixes in it. All of our eggs had been used to make the Holiday Pumpkin Bread, so it wasn't possible to make a cake. Nonetheless we dumped one of the mixes into a large bowl and the six of us kids huddled around it eating the dry mix by the spoonfuls. We were thrilled by our treat.
The recipe I share today isn't written down in any of my recipe indexes. Thus- I haven't made it in a considerable amount of time. But it's a simple dessert that is a hit anywhere I take it.

Chocolate Cream Cake

Use a 12 x 17.5 baking sheet. Begin by making Yummy In My Tummy Chocolate Cake, omitting the chocolate chips. This is a refrigerated dessert. If you make the cake with chocolate chips, they will be hard and produce an undesirable crunch to your dessert.
Chill the cake.
Spread the chocolate cream onto the cake layer.

Chocolate Cream
12 oz. softened cream cheese
3/4 cup dry chocolate pudding mix (about 5 oz.)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. almond extract (optional)

I use the food processor to thoroughly blend all of the ingredients until smooth.
Then, fold in 12oz. Cool Whip.

Spread 12 more ounces of Cool Whip onto the chocolate cream layer.

Refrigerate for several hours.
Before serving, drizzle with room temperature Chocolate Glaze.
Serve cake well chilled and refrigerate leftovers.

The 12 x 17.5 baking sheet makes nice snack size informal desserts. You can also make this into a round, square or rectangular layer cake.

I have been experiencing some memory glitches lately- can’t remember why I enter a certain room, names of people I’ve known for twenty years are unable to be recalled, etc. A friend who is just a few years older than me has assured me it is just a phase. She told me I’d never again be as sharp as I was in my twenties, but I won’t settle into middle age long term being quite this bad. My family was delighted that I could still remember this recipe :) It was enjoyed tonight after the Stromboli we ate for dinner.

Chocolate Glaze

I am a member of the largest women’s group in the world. Usually, I take this membership for granted. I try and sign up for volunteer opportunities sanctioned by this group, or within this group, but rarely take the opportunity to attend social functions.
Last week, I finagled my schedule, and was bailed out of a responsibility by Y, and was thus able to attend the Christmas progressive dinner. Y attended the parent meeting for my daughter's basketball team :) Many of the women contributed some form to the dinner. I had volunteered to make dessert. I decided to make a dessert that isn't so popular with my own kids nor with my husband’s extended family, thus I rarely have a platform for or excuse to make it.
I had thoroughly enjoyed the evening of delicious flavors and textures atypical of a Tuesday night. We all converged on the last home for dessert and a short program. I brought my tall layer cake to the kitchen and cut slices all the way around. It was a chilled dessert, complete with layers of fudge cake, coconut cream, and pecan filling topped with rich chocolate glaze.
"How soon 'til we eat?" I inquired.
"Right away." responded the P.I.C.
Begrudgingly I left my cake and joined the rest of the ladies in the large gathering room. I assumed there would be a short welcome and thank you to the ladies who had graciously opened their homes making the evening a delightful success. Moments later, an unexpected group of carolers came in from the porch. The tune was lovely, but I was immediately distracted by a series of phone calls and texts from Y. I was running a little late, and he needed to leave his sister (J) to make his next commitment. J is old enough to stay home alone, but is almost as afraid of what might be lurking in the dark as her mother. After several failed attempts to phone the kids, I felt I needed to leave the gala and safeguard the homestead. As I drove away, I was left wondering whether the cake I made was as good as I hoped it would be.
Someday, I'll make it again, and pass along the recipe. For now, I'll begin with a few chocolate glaze recipes that I use somewhat interchangeably with many desserts.

Chocolate Glaze

1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
12 oz. chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet)
1-2 T milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Heat the condensed milk, chips, and milk on low heat stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
Let set until desired temperature. Transfer into a quart size gallon Ziploc and snip the corner. Pipe the glaze in desired pattern or coverage.


Chocolate Glaze

2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cups chocolate chips
1 T butter

Heat the cream and chips on low heat stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in the butter until melted. Let set until desired temperature. Transfer into a quart size gallon Ziploc and snip the corner. Pipe the glaze in desired pattern or coverage.

I still think about that cake; must be because I never got closure on tasting the combination of layers :) The inspiration for making it came from a dessert I had at Cheesecake Factory. Unfortunately, there isn’t one of those restaurants in my town. Or maybe it is fortunate, since after all, my treadmill IS broken.