Sunday, July 31, 2011

Make This: Kahlua Cake

I first wrote about this cake 4 years ago. I made it over the weekend and was reminded just how good it is and decided to revamp my original post.

Kahlua Cake

A cake that Sandra Lee could be proud of. 

*hiccup*
There's 4 parts to this cake.

1. Cake
Bake a chocolate cake. Any box mix will do. When it's cool poke holes with a fork or skewer all over it and pour Kahlua on top. 1/3 of a cup or whatever you feel necessary. Let it soak for an hour or even overnight. When ready to assemble the cake use a knife to cut the cake into 1 inch squares - or cubes.

2. Mousse
Make chocolate mousse. Any chocolate mousse will work. I've used a brand called Dream Whip, then added a box (4 serving size) of Jell-O instant pudding and pie filling to make the mousse before. The recipe is on the side of the Dream Whip box. There's a ton of different mousse products out there. Just choose one and go with it. 

3. Cool Whip
Pretty explanatory. Get a big container or two small ones. Either way you'll have some leftover - but you need more than one small one.

4. Candy Pieces
My favorite candy to use is Skor bars, but they're hard to find. Heath bars are an alternative. I've used the already crumbled ones that you'd find in the chocolate chip aisle but prefer to buy the candy bars and smash them myself with a meat pounder. I like the bigger chunks. You'll need around 5 or 6 bars. You can freeze any leftovers for cookies - or more cake later on.

Assemble
Any deep bowl is acceptable. Normally 2 layers are used, but doing just one layer and using a deep sided lasagna pan would work too. 

Work with what you've got.

Start with a layer of cake cubes. Then goes a layer of the chocolate mouse. Then a layer of Cool Whip. Then sprinkle candy pieces. Repeat ending with the Cool Whip and candy on top. 

Easy Peasy

This looks like it would be heavy and over the top. However, you'll be surprised just how light it is. The mousse and the Cool Whip are responsible for the lightness.

It's a crowd pleaser. Make it. You'll be glad you did.

59 Responses to “Make This: Kahlua Cake”

  1. Okay...YUM! I am drooling. I found you over at Creative Blogger's Party and Hop and I am now following you. I am also pinning this on Pinterest so I don't forget where to grab this recipe. I hope you will come visit me and maybe follow if you like what you see. :)

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  2. Thanks for visiting and following along!

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  3. Oh my, this sounds so tantalizing and I MUST make some. Another craving I've had lately is for some "Better Than Sex Cake"....yum! I might have to make some tomorrow because in a few days I won't have the pregnancy excuse to use for a reason to eat like a pig anymore! Hopefully I don't get judgmental looks for going to the store to buy Kahlua with my big ol' pregger belly! :) Thanks for sharing!

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  4. Maybe it will induce labor! Good thing you have experience with dealing with judgemental people! :) Thanks for stopping by and hope this new little baby takes it easy on you these last couple of days!

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  5. I think I'm in heaven. I am so saving this recipe for the ladies I work with. Thank you. Beautiful blog btw.

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  6. That looks so delicious! I will have to bookmark this one so I can try it out!

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  7. You had me at "Kahlua." And then to see that it's so easy to make. Oh myyyyyyyyyyyy! This is one recipe I'll definitely be trying.

    Pinning it on pinterest. :)

    Cheers,
    Tracy Screaming Sardine

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  8. Yummy. That looks so good. It is only 6:30 am and I want to eat that. I remember you posting it before and I am glad you re-posted because I am going to make it. We have company this weekend, so it would be a great dessert. Yum!!!!

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  9. Thanks everyone!

    Sarah, if you do make it let me know how it turns out. Have a great weekend with your guests!

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  10. Thanks for stopping by my blog! The frosting I used for the Oreo Cake was this one: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/thate28099s-the-best-frosting-ie28099ve-ever-had/ I love the idea of using ice-cream in the middle!

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  11. Oh yeah. You are killing me. :) I want to reach right through my monitor to grab a piece. :) Thanks so much for linking this up to Motivated Monday at BeColorful.

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  12. Anonymous12:33 PM

    As usual Sis, it was delicious!! Thanks for making it for us. Mom

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  13. Oh. My. Goodness! That kahlua and chocolate looks so good together. I just posted a simple mousse recipe that would be perfect for this trifle. Yum. I host a recipe swap every week and I'd love for you to come by and show off a recipe or two. Have a blessed day :)
    Katie

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  14. PS- My best friend for ages name is Charis and your name is the first variation I've seen on Charis. How cool :)

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  15. I know that you have so many blog parties to choose from so thank you for choosing Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop. This amazing post added to the party blast! Enjoy the rest of the week :)

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  16. I made a similar trifle this weekend and didn't really have enough pudding so it was drier than i would have liked. I didn't even THINK about adding khalua! Thatr would have totally moistened the whole thing. Great idea!!

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  17. That looks yummy! Saw you on blog hop, now google following you, would love if you could pop by and follow too, Karima x www.karimascrafts.com

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  18. Anonymous3:22 PM

    My family makes this with one variation. We use Ghiradelli chocolate brownie mix (Costco) for the base and it's called "Death by Chocolate". It is the best dessert ever for chocoholics!

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  19. michele (maryland)7:52 PM

    HI,I want to make this cake on Sat. I got all the ingredients including the Dream Whip, but, I do not see a recipe for the mouse on the box. Do you know the recipe? Help! Thanks

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  20. Hi Michelle! So glad you're going to make this over the weekend. Hope everyone likes it!

    I don't have a box on hand, BUT I know the recipe is on there because the "Dream Whip Pie" calls for chocolate mousse. It's usually tricky to find but it's within the other recipe. I hope that makes sense! All you add is the powder packet and milk together - just not sure how much milk. I'm sure if you Google around you may find an exact answer. Keep in mind too that it doesn't have to be Dream Whip brand - any chocolate mousse will do. Sorry I'm not more help! (If I run to the store tomorrow I'll take a look on a box to see if I can find it too.)

    Let me know if you find an answer and how it turns out!

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  21. michele (maryland)10:18 AM

    Hi, Thanks so much, I did google it and found the recipe on line. How long before hand can you put it all together? Sorry I have so many questions.

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  22. No problem! If you need to you can always email me too - madtownmacs @ gmail

    All the components can be made a day in advance. I'd wait to put everything together right before your party though or else your cake might get too soggy. I'd say even a few hours before is fine and keep it in the fridge so everything stays chilly.

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  23. michele (maryland)2:09 PM

    Charisa: Thank you so much for that information. Hope this all works out, I am sure it will. You have been fantastic! Merry Christmas.

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  24. Anonymous2:03 PM

    I made one box of mousse. It seemed really skimpy to me. Oh, well, it's Christmas Day and there aren't ANY stores near me out here in the boonies so I had to make do with one box. Sure hope that it is as tasty as it looks.

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  25. Oh my God this looks amazing! Found you on Pinterest!

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  26. This looks delightful!! I am just wondering though, what kind of bowl is it in the photo? I have one of those (got it at my wedding) and want to know the name of it so I can search for more recipes that work well in it. Let me know. Thanks so much!

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  27. The cake in the top picture is in a fruit compote bowl. It works okay for this but it's meant to be in a trifile dish, which is what's used for the bottom picture. (The compote bowl is cone shaped where the trifile dish has a flat bottom.) I'm sure if you Google trifile recipies you'll find some great ideas. Thanks for commenting!

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  28. I made your cake, and shared it on my blog with a Link to your for people to get the AMAZING recipe. If you'd like to check it out here'smy link, I am now your newest follower :)

    http://itsacowgirlthing.blogspot.com/2012/02/kahlua-cake.html

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  29. Anonymous9:13 AM

    This was fantastic and looks like you worked really hard on it when it really is easy and a crowd pleaser. I was going to post a picture of the one I made but can't paste a picture in the comment box. Thanks for a great recipe!

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  30. A mousse alternative is 3 boxes of instant Jell-O chocolate (or choc. fudge) pudding and 5 cups milk. We've made this for close to 20 years and it's a family favorite! =)

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  31. Thanks Jenner! Since originally posting this there has been a lot of other mousse products that have come out. So helpful!

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  32. I found this recipe a LONG time ago (and that's how I found out about you!) and knew instantly I had to make it. Unfortunately with only two of us in our house I knew it wasn't going to be made until we were having people over or going somewhere we'd have help eating it. Finally decided to make it yesterday for the Super Bowl and it was a HUGE hit! We came home with one small helping left. There were two "desserts" on the table; only one serving was missing out of the other bowl. Hehe...Thanks for such a DELICOUS recipe! I'm not a fan of drinking Kahluha but we all agreed this recipe is going into our cookbook to be made again (both the boys AND girls loved it)!

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  33. OH! Forgot to ask...May I please share this recipe and a link to it on your blog? Many would like the recipe to make again for themselves.

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  34. Thanks Christine! So glad it was a hit at your party. Yes, feel free to share it on your blog but please direct your readers to my site for the full recipe. Send me a link - I'd love to check it out!

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  35. Has anyone used real whipped cream instead of Cool Whip? (I'm just not a fan of Cool Whip.) Thanks, this looks amazing!

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  36. Hi Judy! I've never tried real whipped cream with this recipe but why not? If you have the time to make real I say give it a try! If you do, report back and let us know! Thanks for stopping by!

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  37. I've made this for years, but call it "Death By Chocolate". Only difference in my recipe, is I use a brownie mix instead of cake mix. Makes this crazy rich, and I think the brownies don't turn to mush like cake would

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  38. Anonymous8:23 AM

    this cake looks so good. I only have one crazy question. What is Kahluha? thanks

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  39. It's a coffee flavored liquor.

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  40. what can you substitute for kahlua, so the cake will be kid-friendly?

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  41. Anonymous5:49 PM

    We have the same recipe but we call it "Death By Chocolate." But it doesn't matter what it is called, it is DELICIOUS!!!!

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  42. Anonymous5:50 PM

    C Fears....we just use strong coffee.

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  43. Hmmm....I grew up eating this cake, along with many other kids, and also let my kids eat this cake. I have never thought about it not being kid friendly. Yes, the alcohol doesn't get baked off but it's pretty minimal. I'm sure you could leave it out and it would be just as good. Do what makes you feel comfortable!

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  44. Anonymous7:50 AM

    After I originally commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me
    when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment.
    There has to be an easy method you can remove me from that service?
    Thanks a lot!
    get likes on facebook

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  45. I'm really sorry, Anonymous. I wish I could help but I do not have access to what you have subscribed to. Maybe try Googling for an answer? Plus, being an anonymous commenter I have no information about you. Best of Luck

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  46. A long time ago I used to make a similar easy, pretty dessert.
    Make a Chocolate Wacky Cake
    Make a bunch of Bird's Eye Custard
    Assemble in layers with sliced bananas
    Top with whipped cream

    Wish I had thought to use the Kahlua part of your recipes, coffee, chocolate, custard and bananas! No part of that would have been wrong.

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  47. Lynne6:10 AM

    First off to Anonymous. When you get the email notifying you of a new comment, scroll right to the bottom and you should see either an Unsubscribe link or something that says Manage Your Preferences (or along those lines).

    As to the recipe, I am going to change it slightly using the suggestions in the comments i.e. I am going to use brownie mix to make it richer, maybe Tia Maria as I don't like coffee, and real whipped cream to balance the other strong tastes. I will be making it on Christmas Day for our southern hemisphere summer Christmas :-)

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  48. Anonymous1:52 PM

    I made this for my daughter's 21st birthday.....it was awesome!! All her friends loved it, it was quite a hit at her party!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

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  49. Anonymous12:59 AM

    This look so good. Its easy to find skor bars where I live.

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  50. Anonymous4:54 PM

    It's a good dessert except for the CoolWhip...I use real whipped heavy cream and it makes a world of difference.....in my opinion :)

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  51. I have everything made for my party tomorrow afternoon. Is it better to put it together tonight, or in the morning... or does it matter?

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  52. Hi Nicholas!

    I would wait and put it together in the morning. That way, nothing gets soggy. If you have to you can, of course, but if you do have some time I'd wait. That way on Sunday the leftovers will still be good too. Hope you enjoy it!

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  53. This turned out to be the most delicious, elegant dessert I've ever made. It's going to a church dinner tonight! I hope they like it. I used Costco's Ghiradelli chocolate brownie mix and poured about 1/4 c Kahlua over it once it had cooled. It became very moist which is great for a trifle. I also used real whipped cream so it would not break down over the evening. Thanks for the recipe.

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  54. How much Kahlua do you recommend?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lisa! I usually add 1/3 cup or a little less.

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  55. Anonymous10:42 AM

    Hi, This looks delicious! I just have a quick questions. Do you add the pudding dry to the dream whip or do you make the pudding and combine it to the dream whip? Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Hi! Thanks! I follow the Dream Whip directions on the box to make the chocolate mousse - add the dry dream whip mix and dry pudding mix with the milk, then beat. Really, the goal is just to make mousse. Lately, my grocery store has had another brand of a chocolate mousse mix that only calls for milk, so it omits the pudding and makes it a bit easier. Hope that helps!

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