DIY Cake Topper + Chocolate Cake

I think we all have recipes and things that our mom's made for us that hold a special place in our hearts. My mom's chocolate cake, takes the cake. It's the best. Seriously, THE BEST.

I ask her to make this cake for me frequently! And because she is a wonderful mama, she does. 

I also bought these new little tart pans so I could make it a triple layer. I stupidly over filled them the first time I made this and nearly set my house on fire because the excess dripped to the bottom of the oven. 

It was a complete baking fail, and I had to go back to the store to get more ingredients. I did however, pull my act together and manage to make a cute triple layer cake that I am very proud of! 

The cake topper is also a really simple (and reusable) way to add some color to the top of your cake! This DIY will take you all of 30 min to complete. 

*Pro tip: Make your cake topper during the baking and cooling time of your cake!

For the cake

Ingredients

• 1 package double fudge cake mix

• 1 package instant chocolate pudding

• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup warm water

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 4 large eggs

For the icing

• 1 cup butter at room temperature

• 3 cups confectioners sugar

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 350. Thoroughly grease your baking pans. I sprayed mine with canola oil, 

          then floured the sides. 

2.       Add eggs, cake mix, pudding, sour cream, warm water, and oil to a large bowl.  Use your 

          mixer to mix everything for about 1 minute until it's all incorporated. 

3.       Fold in the chocolate chips. Stir to make sure they are evenly distributed. 

4.       Pour into baking pans. 

5.       Bake for 30 - 45 min. Depending on what pan you use, you might bake longer. My 3 small 

          pans spent about 30 minutes in the oven. A single layer bundt cake would probably take around 

          45 minutes.   

6.       Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cake is done when you can pull a toothpick out 

          cleanly.  

7.       While cake cools, make the icing. Add sugar and butter to a large bowl. 

8.       On a low setting, mix the butter and sugar. You are looking for an icing consistency.

9.       Add vanilla extract. 

10.     Assemble your cake.

For the cake topper

Materials

• Foam paper sheets

• Scissors

• Paint

• Paint Brushes

• Dowels or Skewers

• Hot Glue

Directions

1.      Sketch your design. 

2.      Trace shapes onto foam paper. This tracing will be the backside, so no worries if it's messy.

3.      Cut out your foam shapes. 

4.      Use paint to create outlines on your flowers. 

5.      Cut skewers to size and glue in place. 

What do you think? Does it look like the best chocolate cake ever? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo Sallie