The Yummiest Chocolate Cake Ever

We're sick around here. Coughing for three weeks sick. Fever sick. Throw up sick. Miserable, I-don't-want-to-do-anything-but-sit-on-the-couch-and-ignore-the-piles-of-everything sick. Hence, the quietness from me in the blog world. (But hey, on the plus side, I've been to bed before 10:00 two of the three days so far this week. Yay goal!)

But I wanted to link up with CaJoh's Friday's Feast (yes, I realize it's Thursday. No, I don't care.) I posted this chocolate cake recipe a couple of years ago that is to die for. My grandma made it for my dad growing up, and it's the recipe my brother asked for every year for his birthday when he was young. (I always asked for Oreo Cheesecake. I'm a sucker for calories.) Now, when you read this recipe it will seem long and drawn out. That's because...well, let's just say that following recipes doesn't come easily or naturally for me, and I need to spell every little thing out and then follow it to a T. But it really is easy, and it really is delicious. And with my birthday coming up, I'm too scared to attempt a cheesecake myself, but I actually can make this cake. Yum.

The Yummiest Chocolate Cake Ever

-Use one chocolate cake mix – bake as directed in two 8-inch cake pans, cool and then cut in half horizontally.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
crushed Oreos (optional)

Whip the whipping cream. Then add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix the cream cheese in a separate bowl until nice and soft, then fold into the whipped cream and crushed Oreos (if you choose to make an Oreo cake).

Chocolate Icing:
Put in saucepan on medium heat– ½ cup butter, 1/8 cup baking cocoa, 1/3 cup milk. Stir occasionally. Bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 lb. (1/2 bag) powdered sugar. Beat well and cool until spread-able consistency.

You will have four skinny 8 inch cake halves. Put one on your plate or serving dish, add 1/3 of filling. Then put another cake half on top, add 1/3 of filling, another cake half, 1/3 of filling, then last cake half on top. Frost with chocolate icing.

This is really yummy in and of itself. If you want to make it into an Oreo chocolate cake, crush 8 or 9 Oreos (with your hands) and add them to the filling portion of the recipe when you are folding in the cream cheese. And then on top of the frosted cake, you can add this as a very top layer (on top of the icing):

4 Tbls. soft butter
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
3-4 Tbls. milk (approx.)
pinch of salt
Mix all together adding milk a little at a time until it is of thin enough consistency to place on top of cake and work with the back of a spoon to edges of the cake to drip down the sides just a little bit. Crush 4-6 Oreos and put on top as garnish.

Eat. Swoon.