Disclaimer: If you make this chocolate cake everyone will love you.

Expect marriage proposals, love notes, and unanticipated gifts from strangers.

Of course if you want unanticipated gifts from strangers that means you would have to feed this cake to strangers which might be awkward.

And of course most gifts from strangers are unanticipated.

But anyway this cake is really that good.

My mom makes this cake for weddings, funerals, new babies, old babies, and everyone in between.

It’s a staple at family dinners and holidays.

We love it that much.

It’s incredibly simple to make.

And only has five ingredients plus water.

You read that right.

Five plus water.

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Now, can I tell you my favorite cake story that involves unanticipated gifts from strangers?

KTHANKS, here goes.

My sister, Nancee Peery who lives in South Carolina, ordered her wedding cake from a local shop back during the summer of 2012.

She paid for the cake well in advance.

But the cake shop had automatic emails that went out reminding all their brides when payment was due…

My sister never got any of those emails.

The emails were accidentally delivered to the inbox of a Nancee Perry of Wisconsin.

And the automatic emails just kept coming to Nancee Perry of Wisconsin.

Nancee Perry in Wisconsin was a nice lady and started to get worried that this bride whose emails she was receiving was going to forget to pay for her wedding cake…

And subsequently miss out on having a cake on her wedding day.

So Nancee Perry of Wisconsin actually tracked down my sister’s phone number in SC and called her.

These two strangers, my sister and the lady from Wisconsin had a lovely chat for 15 minutes or so about weddings and cake.

Then my sister assured this nice lady from Wisconsin that the cake was paid for, and they both hung up.

And a few weeks later my sister received a wedding gift in the mail.

The gift was from the lady from Wisconsin.

She had sent a sweet gift and note of well wishes to my sister, a complete stranger.

Mrs. Nancee Perry of Wisconsin, I don’t know if you will ever read this, but this was the cake you helped make happen.

Thank you for your kindness.

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Here’s the recipe

Mom’s Triple Chocolate Cake

1 pkg Devil’s Food cake mix

1 pkg instant chocolate pudding

1 cup chocolate chips

 4 eggs

1/4 cup oil

1 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.

Grease a bundt pan thoroughly.

Combine all ingredients with a mixer.

The batter will be slightly lumpy (aren’t we all?).

Pour batter into greased bundt pan and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Remove from pan immediately and allow to cool on a rack.

Frost with icing or dust with powdered sugar.

Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days in the refrigerator.

Tip#1: This cake freezes really well.

Tip#2: This cake really does not need frosting. I prefer it simply dusted with powdered sugar.

Tip#3: You can make this as a traditional layered cake, just follow the baking times on the box of cake mix.

Tip#4: If you want a good chocolate frosting recipe, see this post.