secret family recipes

quote from a recent email Aunt Jo Ann sent-

"I have a new recipe to try.

I will let you know if it works. "

Cindy baked a chocolate chip cake this week and it reminded me of her aunts - Jo Ann and Robbie. The cake recipe called for a large box of chocolate pudding, but since she did not have that ingredient she substituted two small boxes of vanilla pudding and added cocoa to the recipe. The recipe also called for a cup of sour cream but she only had a half cup, so that is what she used. She also did not have milk chocolate chips so she used semi-sweet dark chocolate chips. The recipe called for ½ cup water, but she thought it needed more and so she added a little more. Of course, this is the kind of cake you know that I am going to say was "really, really good!" (and my wife will probably never make it this way again.) She reminded me that I liked the cake the last time it was made and she had used all the specified ingredients below.

Here is the recipe :

SIS LENNON’S CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE (from Aunt Roxy Baggett)

1 box choc. Fudge cake mix (pudding in the mix preferred)
4 eggs
1 large (5 oz) box of instant chocolate pudding
½ cup warm water
1 cup sour cream
½ cup vegetable oil
12 oz. pkg milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix all but chips for 4 minutes with mixer. Stir in chocolate chips for 1 minute. Gently pour into well-greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cake is done when it pulls away from edge of pan slightly. It will be cracked on top. Let it sit in pan before unmolding to partially cool. Loosen around edges before unmolding.

By the way, Jo Ann's recipe was for a pie that you do not make in a pie plate, so I will let her explain that to you someday!