I was born on this day… a long time ago.  Yep, it’s my birthday.  And it’s a big one.  I have some wonderful friends coming into town this weekend to help me celebrate.  It’s nice to have friends.  It’s nice to have GOOD FRIENDS.  And it’s nice to have birthdays. Some people get kind of freaked out about birthdays in the later years.  I’m probably going to be one of those people.  This big birthday hasn’t quite hit me yet.  I’m sure it will.  And then I’ll be freaked out… like those people.

I’m so caught up in “birthdays” that we haven’t even discussed the cake at hand today.  It’s a super-easy-to-make Kahlua Cake.  If you’re the sort of person who scoffs at cake mixes, then you may be disappointed with this recipe I’m sharing today.  But if you like a short-cut now and then… and you don’t mind starting with a boxed mix… well then this cake might be for you. I make plenty of homemade cakes, but I did grow up on boxed cake mixes… so I don’t mind using them once in a while.  This cake has a generous dose of Kahlua added to it.  That boozes things up a bit.  If you’re a lover of Kahlua, I’d say this cake might please your taste-buds.  A brief shower of powdered sugar coats the cake.

Commonly asked question:  Can I leave out the Kahlua and use something else?

I’m just going to go ahead and say, “No” on that one.  It’s a Kahlua cake.  If you just want a chocolate cake, then you should just look for a recipe for chocolate cake.  In fact, I have an Easy Chocolate Cake recipe for you to try.  And my Chocolate Pound Cake is pretty delicious too.

Another commonly asked question:  Can I make this cake homemade– without a cake mix?

I’m going to give you another, “No” on that one.  If you’d like to make a totally homemade chocolate cake without any kind of cake mix involved, I have a couple recipes for you to try.  My Chocolate Sheet Cake is wonderful and super easy to make.  And Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake is a delicious layer cake that turns out perfect every time. Since it’s my birthday and all, I must say that I’m pretty happy with this Kahlua Cake.  Happy birthday to me- and to everyone else who has a birthday today! Thank you to Miranda from the CookieDoughAndOvenMitt.com blog for shooting beautiful photos of this cake for me.  I think Miranda captured how delicious it is!

Here are a few more recipes using Kahlua that you might enjoy:

Kahlua Peppermint Patties Kahlua Brownies Tiramisu Italiano Kahlua Chocolate Cheesecake Kahlua Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies