Cookbook author Anne Byrn made Stacy’s Chocolate Chip Cake. Anne is celebrating the release of her new book, A New Take on Cake, in conversation with one of our other Talk of the Town favorites, Mary Hance. The event is at Parnassus Bookstore on Wednesday November 17 at 6:30pm. Parnassus will also be collecting donations for the Ms. Cheap Penny Drive for Second Harvest Food Bank during the event. Space is limited, so reservations are required. Get all the details online at https://www.parnassusbooks.net/event/store-anne-byrn-author-new-take-cake-conversation-mary-hance.
Stacy’s Chocolate Chip Cake
The sign of a great cake recipe is when you open the cookbook and you turn to a page splattered with batter—proof of every time someone has baked that cake. This is that cake, the recipe everyone wants to talk about at book signings. Stacy Ross of Nashville sent me this recipe back when I was writing The Cake Mix Doctor in 1998. I baked it for my family, and my mother, who was particular about baking, kept sneaking back into the kitchen to grab another slice. That’s how I knew it was a keeper. Stacy once told me she liked to bake this cake for gifts and I agree—it’s the perfect cake to share with everyone you love, another sign of a great recipe.
SERVES 12
PREP: 15 TO 20 MINUTES
BAKE: 45 TO 50 MINUTES
Vegetable oil spray or shortening, for greasing the pan
All-purpose flour, for dusting the pan
1 bar (4 ounces) German’s sweet chocolate
1 (15.25-ounce) package yellow or butter cake mix4 tablespoons (half a 3.4-ounce package) vanilla instant pudding mix
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (6 ounces) regular or mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar or 1 teaspoon each confectioners’ sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder, for garnish (optional)
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Set the pan aside.
2. Break the chocolate bar into 4 pieces and finely grate in a food processor (drop the pieces in one at a time with the processor running) or with a hand grater. Set the grated chocolate aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix and pudding mix. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the batter is smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Fold in the grated chocolate and the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.
4. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the cake springs back when gently pressed in the middle, 45 to 50 minutes.
5. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a long knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack or cake plate. Let the cake cool at least 20 minutes longer. Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the top, if desired. Slice and serve. Store, tightly covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.
COOK’S NOTE:This cake is baked in a Heritage Bundt pan
