So what’s the best part of a fancy anniversary dinner? DESSERT!
This dessert is by far the richest, heaviest, most chocolatey, most decadent thing I’ve ever made…or have ever eaten. That one slice probably weighed about 6 pounds. Ok maybe not that much, but a lot. This “cake” was basically fudge covered in more fudge.
Now, I’m gonna be honest…this cake took some work. Between baking the cake mix, making the ganache, mixing the fudge, freezing, and frosting…it took several hours. But it was worth it. That’s what makes anniversary dinners special. I don’t spend that much time and effort on a normal weeknight meal, and he deserves to have something special once or twice a year!
And on a side note…please come to my house and help me eat this cake. There’s still a ton left, and because it’s so rich, you can only eat a small piece at a time. So…come on over and indulge.
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® chocolate fudge cake mix
- Water, vegetable oil (can be substituted with applesauce) and eggs called for on cake mix box
- Ganache Filling and Topping:
- 2 packages (8 oz each) semisweet baking chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 1/3 cups whipping cream
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cups cut-up fresh strawberries
- Garnish:
- 4 fresh strawberries, cut in half lengthwise through stem
- 1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips (or cream cheese frosting)
Directions
- Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil (or applesauce) and eggs.
- Bake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, in large bowl, place chopped chocolate; set aside. In 2-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream and butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil. Pour cream mixture over chocolate; stir until smooth.
- Line bottom of 9-inch springform pan with wax paper. Cut cake into 1-inch cubes. In large bowl, beat half of the cake cubes on low speed until cake is crumbly. Add remaining cake cubes and 1 3/4 cups of the ganache (reserve remaining ganache for topping). Beat on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed until well combined (mixture will look like fudge). Fold in 2 cups cut-up strawberries. Spoon mixture into springform pan; smooth top. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze 45 minutes or until firm enough to unmold.
- Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake mixture. Place serving plate upside down on pan; turn pan and plate over. Frost side and top of cake with reserved ganache. Arrange strawberry halves on top of cake.
- In small microwavable bowl, microwave baking chips uncovered on High 30 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted. (I didn't have white chocolate chips, so instead I just used cream cheese frosting. It melts in the microwave and drizzles well, plus it tastes great!) Drizzle over top of cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cake is best served the same day.
Source: Betty Crocker
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