Chocolate Praline Cake

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter, cut up
1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) devil's food cake mix with pudding
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Sweetened Cream (recipe to follow)
1 square (1 oz.) semisweet chocolate, for garnish

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 F. Set aside two 9-inch round cake pans.

2. Place the butter, cream, and brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the butter is melted, 3 minutes. Pour the mixture evenly into the cake pans and sprinkle it evenly with the chopped pecans. Set the pans aside.

3. Place the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, pouring it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

4. Bake the cakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 35 to 37 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack to cool, praline side up.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the Sweetened Cream. Grate the semisweet chocolate for the garnish.

6. Place one cake layer, praline side up, on a serving platter ans spread half of the Sweetened Cream on top. Place the second layer, praline side up, on top of the first and frost the top of it with the remaining Sweetened Cream, working with clean, smooth strokes. Scatter the grated chocolate on top of the cake. Slice and serve.

or
Bake cake in a 13 x 9 inch pan for 55 minutes. Cool cake for 10 minutes in pan and then invert the cake onto a serving platter. Let the cake cool completely, frost it with Sweetened Cream, and garnish it with the grated chocolate.

Sweetened Cream
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Place a clean, large mixing bowl and electric mixer beaters in the freezer for a few minutes while you assemble the ingredients. Pour the whipping cream into the chilled bowl and beat with the electric mixer on high speed until the cream has thickened, 1 1/2 minutes. Stop the machine and add the sugar. Beat the cream and sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes more.

* Store this cake, covered loosely in waxed paper, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
published in "the Cake mix Doctor..."