Overview & Why It Works
The “Death by Chocolate Cake” title suggests an ultra‑rich, chocolate lover’s dream. The “Toll House” aspect comes from incorporating Nestlé Toll House chocolate chips into the batter (and perhaps topping). Many versions use a boxed chocolate cake mix + instant chocolate pudding mix as a shortcut, then enrich with sour cream (or buttermilk), coffee, eggs, oil, and chocolate chips. The result is a moist, dense, chocolatey cake with bursts of melted chips and a silky ganache icing.
Sources consistent among multiple recipes:
Use a Devil’s Food cake mix + instant chocolate pudding box as base dry ingredients.
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Use 5 eggs, oil, sour cream or buttermilk, brewed coffee to intensify chocolate flavor.
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Fold in 2 cups of Toll House chocolate chips into the batter.
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Bake in a greased bundt pan at 350 °F (175 °C) for about 45 minutes.
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For icing/ganache, many recipes melt butter + cocoa + powdered sugar + milk + vanilla, and sometimes nuts or pecans.
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Putting it all together, here’s a full, step‑by‑step, elaborated version.
Ingredients & Equipment
Cake Ingredients
1 box Devil’s Food cake mix (standard size, ~15.25 oz or ~432 g)
1 box (3.9 oz / ~110 g) instant chocolate pudding mix (unprepared)
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream (or alternate: buttermilk)
¾ cup brewed coffee (cooled)
2 cups Nestlé Toll House semi‑sweet chocolate chips
Ganache / Icing
1 stick salted butter (≈ 113 g)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ box powdered sugar (i.e. half of the powdered sugar box used in many U.S. versions, ~2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk (or cream)
½ cup pecan pieces (or walnuts) — optional
Equipment & Tools
Bundt cake pan (or 10‑ or 12‑cup capacity)
Nonstick spray or butter & flour (for greasing)
Two mixing bowls (one for dry, one for wet)
Electric mixer (hand or stand)
Spatula for folding
Whisk
Measuring cups & spoons
Saucepan (for ganache)
Cooling rack
Knife or toothpick (tester)
Step‑by‑Step Instructions (with Tips & Notes)
1. Prep & Preheat
Preheat your oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
Grease your bundt pan thoroughly — oil or butter + flour, or nonstick spray. Ensure the center tube and all curves are coated so the cake releases cleanly.
If you like, place a baking sheet underneath the bundt pan (in case the ganache drips or overflow occurs).
2. Combine Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and instant chocolate pudding mix. Whisk lightly to blend. This mix forms your base for structure and internal chocolate flavor.
Tip: Because pudding mix contains starch and sugar, this helps the cake stay moist.
3. Mix the Wet Ingredients
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla extract, oil, sour cream (or buttermilk), and the cooled brewed coffee.
Note: The coffee deepens the chocolate flavor — it doesn’t add a coffee taste if you use a mild brew.
4. Combine & Fold in Chocolate Chips
Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Using an electric mixer at low/medium speed, beat until smooth and well combined (about 1–2 minutes).
Fold in 2 cups chocolate chips carefully using a spatula, distributing them without overmixing.
5. Bake the Cake
Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan, smoothing the top lightly.
Bake in the preheated oven for ~45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a central slot comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs OK).
If the top begins to brown excessively, you may loosely tent with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes.
Once baked, remove from oven. Let the cake sit in the pan for ~10 minutes to firm up. Then invert carefully onto a cooling rack to cool fully.
6. Prepare Ganache / Icing
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter.
Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth.
Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring in small amounts to avoid lumps.
Add vanilla extract and milk, stirring until the mixture reaches a smooth, pourable glaze consistency.
Fold in pecan pieces (if using).
When the cake is fully cooled (or gently warm, if you want a slightly melted drip), pour the ganache over the top, letting it cascade over the sides.
7. Serve & Store
For the best experience, serve slices warm or at room temperature so the ganache is glossy and soft. Many versions praise serving the cake warm, especially with vanilla ice cream.
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Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2‑3 days. If refrigerated, allow it to come to room temp before serving (ganache firms when cold).
You may also reheat individual slices for a few seconds in the microwave to soften the ganache.
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Full Recipe (Printable / Consolidated)
Nestlé Toll House Death by Chocolate Cake
Yields: ~12–16 slices
Prep time: ~15 minutes
Bake time: ~45 minutes
Cooling + icing time: ~30 minutes
Total time: ~1½ hours
Ingredients
Cake Base:
1 box Devil’s Food cake mix
1 box (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream (or buttermilk)
¾ cup brewed coffee
2 cups Nestlé Toll House chocolate chips
Ganache Icing:
1 stick (113 g) salted butter
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
½ box powdered sugar (≈ 2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tbsp milk (or more as needed)
½ cup pecan pieces
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease a bundt pan thoroughly.
Mix cake mix + pudding mix in bowl.
Whisk eggs, vanilla, oil, sour cream, coffee in separate bowl.
Combine wet into dry; beat until smooth.
Fold in chocolate chips gently.
Pour batter into pan, smooth top.
Bake ~45 minutes or until tester is clean. Tent with foil if browning too fast.
Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto rack to cool fully.
For ganache: melt butter, whisk in cocoa, powdered sugar, vanilla, milk until smooth, fold in pecans.
Pour ganache over cake (warm or cooled).
Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
Variations, Enhancements & Troubleshooting
Variations & Flavor Twists
Use buttermilk instead of sour cream for a slight tang and softer crumb.
Dark chocolate twist: Use dark or bittersweet chocolate chips, or partially melt extra chocolate for drizzle.
Nut-free version: Omit pecans in ganache.
Extra chocolate drizzle: Add a second chocolate drizzle (white chocolate, caramel) for contrast.
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream for an indulgent pairing.
Mini bundt or cupcakes: Use batter in smaller molds; reduce baking time (≈ 20‑25 min).
Layer cake version: Bake in two round pans, stack with ganache between layers.
Add espresso powder (½ tsp) to the batter to further deepen chocolate flavor (without making it taste like coffee).
Salted chocolate version: Sprinkle flaky sea salt on ganache after pouring for contrasting flavor.
Troubleshooting & Tips
Problem Likely Cause Solution
Cake sinks in center or is undercooked oven temperature too low or cake removed too early Verify oven temp with thermometer; bake until tester comes out with moist crumbs or slight clean
Top browns too much oven runs hot or not tented use foil tenting, place rack lower, reduce bake time
Ganache too thick / clumpy overcooked sugar mixture or too much powdered sugar add more milk or cream, whisk gently over low heat
Ganache slides off cake cake too warm or ganache too thin allow cake to cool fully, chill slightly before icing
Chocolate chips sink batter too thin or chips too heavy toss chips in flour before folding, or use smaller chips
Cake sticks to pan insufficient greasing grease and flour carefully, use parchment liner
Dry crumb overbaking, too much flour, insufficient fat reduce bake time, measure flour properly (spoon & level), ensure oil/sour cream ratios
This recipe—combining the classic elements from online sources with more detail, techniques, and variations—should give you a robust “Death by Chocolate” cake that lives up to the name.
If you like, I can send you a metric conversion, or a one‑page printable card, or adapt this for altitude or your specific oven. Would you like me to send that next?
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