Better Than Sex Cake

Ok, so I admit this isn't the most 'gourmet' cake out there... but it's great if you need to make a dessert in a pinch. I brought it into work for someone's birthday and they said it was the best cake they have ever had :)

This cake reminds me of Tres Leches (a Mexican dessert) in which a cake is soaked in a mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cream. This cake is immersed in a rich caramel/condensed milk sauce instead. I had run out of eggs, but had some egg whites leftover from the Chocolate Crème brûlée I had made, so I took this opportunity to also try out the 'diet Coke cake' recipe that's always being talked about on the What's Cooking Board. Basically you can take any type of boxed cake mix and combine it with any diet soda (12 oz) and you end up with a relatively low fat cake! Just make sure that you use light colored sodas with light cake mixes and dark colored sodas with dark cake mixes. You can also add a few egg whites to the mix if desired. The cake turned out great, and you would never know that it was made with diet soda unless someone told you! Granted, this dessert isn't by any means low fat due to the sauce and toppings you put on it, but I just wanted to share the diet Coke recipe here for those who haven't heard about it :)

You'll find several different variations of this recipe on Allrecipes.com. Most call for a container of whipped topping, i.e. Cool Whip, however homemade whipped cream is so easy to make (and tastes so much better) so I made that substitution. I originally wanted to make my own caramel sauce for this cake too; however, I made it on a weeknight and didn't get home until late so I'll have to try that next time...

Better Than Sex Cake
modified from allrecipes.com

1 Box of Chocolate Cake Mix (I used German Chocolate Cake Mix)
12 ounce Bag Semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 ounce Jar Caramel Sauce
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed*
1 cup Heath Bar Bits 'o Brickle

* I made homemade whipped cream instead: add 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract to 1 pint heavy whipping cream. Whip on medium/high until soft peaks form (do not over whip the cream)

Prepare cake mix as directed on box. (Instead of adding oil and eggs as directed, I simply added one 12 oz can of diet Coke and 2 egg whites.) Add half of the chocolate chips and stir until well incorporated. Pour into 13 x 9" cake pan and top with remaining chocolate chips. Bake as directed on box.

While the cake is baking, mix the caramel and condensed milk together in a medium bowl.

When the cake is done, remove from oven and poke holes in the cake with a straw or chopstick (I used a toothpick to create smaller holes.) Pour the caramel mixture over the top and let the cake cool completely. Top with whipped topping and toffee bits. Refrigerate before serving.