Holy Cow Cake

That's what your mouth will say when you take a bite of this moist and delicious chocolate cake! This recipe is a traditional birthday cake recipe for my family. Many thanks to Anne Byrn author of "The Cake Mix Doctor". *Special Note - cake mixes do not come in the 18 ounce size any more! See my note at the end of the directions on how to deal with the smaller size cake mix.

• Ready In: 58 mins
• Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 18  ounces  devil's food cake mix
• 1 1⁄3 cups water
• 1⁄2 cup  vegetable oil
• 3  large eggs
• 8  ounces  caramel topping
• 14  ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1  cup  butterfinger candy bar, crushed
• 12  ounces  frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 8  ounces cream cheese, softened

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly spray a 13 by 9 inch pan with cooking spray.
3. Mix cake mix, water, oil and eggs with an electric mixer. Blend on low speed for 1 minute, scrap the sides and then mix at medium for 2 more minutes.
4. The batter should look thick and well blended.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing out the top with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.
6. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 38 minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack.
8. Immediately poke holes in the top of the cake with a drinking straw or chopstick.
9. While the cake is baking prepare the topping. Place the caramel topping and the sweetened condensed milk in a small bowl and stir to combine.
10. Spoon this mixture over the warm cake so that it can seep down into the holes. Measure out half of the crushed candy bars and sprinkle the pieces over the cake.
11. Place the whipped topping and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth and combined.
12. Spread the frosting over the candy covered cake.
13. Sprinkle the remaining candy pieces on top.
14. Place the pan, uncovered, the refrigerator to chill the cake for about 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
15. Store this cake, covered with wax paper, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (if it lasts that long!).
16. *Here is a tip from the Cake Doctor: Smaller Cake Mix Fix: Many cooks have been frustrated to watch cake mix package sizes shrink lately. But do not despair! If you are accustomed to baking recipes with 18.25-ounce mixes, there is a simple way that you can add flour to the smaller mixes and still bake Cake Mix Doctor recipes. Pour the cake mix into a large bowl and whisk in 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Now proceed as the recipe instructs. Not only will the cake achieve good volume, but it will have a nice structure and slice evenly. I learned this trick years ago before the mixes were downsized. If I added a little flour to the cake mix, then the cake seemed to have more body, and it did not sink or shrink when cooling. I hope you enjoy this simple solution!