This week I was so jammed between rehearsals, appointments for the blog and running a million errands, that I found myself scrambling to bake a chocolate cake for my son, Yale’s, birthday. I have always baked my kids’ birthday cakes, with the rare exception of one or two times, and so I gave Yale the choice: a cake from Hansen’s or one by FabuLesley. He chose FabuLesley. I was torn as to what I should bake, so I called the best baker that I know of, my mother, Irene. She told me not to fret, to simply use a mix! “A mix? Really?” I asked. To which she replied, “Yes, of course…I do it all the time. Besides, it actually tastes better than a scratch cake… that is after you doctor the mix.”

She uses 2 Duncan Hines Devils Food cake mixes and adds 1 large package of dry chocolate pudding and package of chocolate chips. I made the frosting from scratch, and since I enjoy decorating their cakes, it was truly a labor of love!

Cake Ingredients