Chocolate Candy Cake

I gave a little overview of my middle child's 10th birthday last week, with a pic of her Pinterest inspired over-the-top cake. I mean a cake surrounded in Kit Kat candy bars and covered with M&M's...every kids dream right?! (and me being the chocoholic that I am was secretly super excited to have an excuse to make it!)  Her friends were quite impressed, and deemed me the best baker ever. hahaha, candy will win them over every time!

However, the outside wasn't the only yummy part of this cake.  The inside was also delicious.  It was chocolate cake and chocolate icing...per Miss Two's request.  The inside was moist and chocolate-y and the icing was the new Cool Whip frosting, which was light and the perfect match for this cake.

This cake is adapted from this one. I've been making it for years, but usually make it as a bundt cake.  Since I wanted this cake to be a layer cake, I changed the recipe a little to have a cake that was a little less dense and heavy. The result was 'fluffier', but not dry.

Chocolate Layer Cake

1 package devil's food cake mix (without pudding in the mix)
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix (I used sugar free/fat free)
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm coffee
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, yogurt, oil, beaten eggs and coffee. 
• Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into two greased and floured cake pans. (or pan of choice!)
• Bake for suggested time on back of cake mix box, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
• Allow cake to cool in pan for about 20 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack to cool completely before icing. 

• To assemble "Kit Kat" cake - frost cake as desired, then place full size Kit Kat bars all around the outside of the cake.  My cake used 3 "king size" Kit Kats plus one "regular size".  I just broke the bars into singles (but I think leaving them as double sticks would be better) and stick them to the frosting on the cake. 
• Once the cake is covered all around the sides with Kit Kat bars, you can cover the top in whatever you like. We used pretzel M&M's and mini M&M's.  You could make this cake match whatever theme you are using, or Holiday, based on the color candy you use on top. It makes for such a cool presentation.  I added ribbon around the cake, b/c that is what I had seen on Pinterest.  I thought maybe the ribbon was needed to keep the Kit Kats from falling off, but we didn't have any issue with that (it might happen if the frosting started to melt however).  

This is definitely a "special occasion" cake, with all that candy on top (which is why I made a "lighter" cake), but it makes quite an impression on kids and adults alike!

I am linking this recipe up at (Monday) The Tumbleweed Contessa, Holly's Stamping Addiction, The Dedicated House, Homemaker on a Dime,Delightfully Dowling, Skip to my Lou, Project Inspire, Making the World Cuter, Mrs. Happy Homemaker, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, This Gal Cooks, Watch Out, Martha!, My Favorite Finds (Tuesday) Snappee Turtle, Naptime Creations, Mandy's Recipe Box, Pocket Change Gourmet,  33 Shades of Green, Blessed with Grace, Zentmrs. & The Mr., Memories By the Mile (Wednesday) Semi Homemade Mom, Adorned from Above, Lady Behind the Curtain, Ginger Snap Crafts, Hungry Little Girl, Naptime is My Time (Thursday)Designed Decor, Taste and Tell,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage, The Mandatory Mooch,  The Busy Bee's, (Friday) Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Simple Living and Eating, Just Us Four, Bacon Time with the Hungry Hungry Hypo, Diana Rambles, The Better Baker,Craftionary, Mummy Deals, One Artsy Mama, The Best Blog Recipes, One Creative Mommy  (Saturday) Sweet as Sugar Cookies,  Six Sisters' Stuff, (Sunday) Mommy's Sweet Confessions , Finding Joy in My Kitchen (Ingredient Spotlight: Chocolate), Eat at Home (Ingredient Spotlight: Coffee), Mums Make Lists