grandma midori's kahlua cake, patriotic edition

happy 4th of july!

i meant to post this earlier, but i got caught up with preparing for a party i was going to - and the result was this amazing cake! it's easily one of my favorite cakes - dark, sweet, and irresistibly moist.

it's also super easy to make! and no one will know that most of it is from boxed mix. magical?! i think yes! so whip this up and prepare to capture some hearts with this show stopper!

THE CAKE

ingredients 
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box chocolate pudding (small)
4 eggs
1/2 cup of oil
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup kahlua

what to do!!!1. beat eggs in a mixing bowl until frothy.
2. add in the rest of the liquids until well incorporated
3. sift in the yellow cake mix and chocolate pudding and mix little by little.
4. prepare your cake pan.
    a. spray with nonstick spray or rub butter into your bundt pan
    b. evenly distribute with a paper towel
    c. coat with flour; tap excess flour around the pan until it is evenly coated
5. pour batter into your bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour
6. it's done! let your mouth water while the the cake cools on a rack. it should plop out easily!
7. cover with the glaze, sprinkles, and candy of your choice! just the glaze is good too!

THE GLAZE

ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup kahlua
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chocolate chips

what to do!!!
1. in a double boiler (or a glass bowl over a pot filled with water that is not touching the bowl), dissolve the powdered sugar in the kahlua over medium heat.
2. add in the chocolate chips and stir with a spatula. lower the heat to medium-low
3. add the butter and stir briskly to incorporate.

your glaze should be super shiny! just keep on stirring - if you want, a whisk works with achieving that gloss! if it is too thick, add some more kahlua. if it's too runny, add more chocolate chips and add 1/2 teaspoon of butter for every 1/4 cup of chocolate added. over the lowest heat, let the mixture keep warm while you drizzle the glaze. sprinkle on your toppings quickly before the glaze sets. once the glaze cools, it will take on a soft, ganache denseness that pairs nicely with the super soft cake.

enjoy!