Chocolate Cake Perfection

Allow me to interrupt this unintentional blogging hiatus to bring you a public service announcement: this chocolate cake is da bomb. It is absolutely perfect in my book. Dense. Fudgy. Toothsome (thanks to the oats in it...yep. But you'll never know, promise). And frosted with the most fantastic glaze that includes melted marshmallows, which utterly delighted my marshmallow-obsessed daughters. Best part of all of this? It's ridiculously easy and super fast to make. You want this cake. You need this cake. This cake will send you into the carb sweats if you've been abstaining, but it's worth it. I speak from experience. Enjoy, friends. I've got at least 10 recipes to share in queue, but ain't nobody got time for that when they are packing for a trip. Aloha!

Chocolate Cake of Malia's Dreams (Chocolate Oatmeal Cake)

-from pinchofyum.com

For the cake: 

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten 
• 1¾ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1¾ cups boiling water
• 1 12 oz bag chocolate chips, divided --make this high quality, like Ghirardelli 

For glaze: 

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 1½ cups sugar
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (more good ones)
• 3/4 cup mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Add boiling water to oatmeal and let stand for a few minutes. Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugars in a stand mixer. Add the eggs and mix well. Add flour, soda, salt and cocoa and mix until just incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Once oats are soft, add oats/water mixture to the batter and mix well. Stir in half of the bag of chocolate chips (about a cup). Pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan (man I love it when you can make cakes in a 9x13...no inverting or artful frosting technique required. Just bake and slap on some frosting and you're good to go). Sprinkle the top of the cake with the rest of the bag of chocolate chips (this will be just short of another cup or so). Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until the surface springs back lightly when touched. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, melt the butter, sugar, and milk in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 seconds.

Reduce heat to low and add chocolate chips and marshmallows. Stir until frosting is smooth. Pour immediately over the cooled cake. It sets up fast so work quickly. After typing this out I've decided I really might need some for breakfast. Shhhh...don't tell.

Um, yes. That frosting? Cooked frostings are my very very favorite. Just divine.

While we were having a Spiderman-themed birthday for the man of the house, Rapunzel attended the celebration. You may think this looks like Little Red Riding Hood, but I assure you that this 'cape' is really Rapunzel hair. Imaginations run wild, friends. Rapunzel loves chocolate. She licks her plate Every. Single. Time.

Yes, I'm watching you.