Tempe, Arizona

I made mini muffins, cupcakes and a small loaf from this one recipe. I added dark chocolate chips to the mix and sprinkled on the top of each. I also added about 2 - 3 Tbs of cocoa in addition to two small boxes of chocolate pudding mix. Even after all of this the baked goods came out with the taste of the original Amish Friendship Bread. Bleh. I like the Friendship Bread but it refused to be taken over by the flavor of chocolate. I had opted to try this recipe in hopes of finding a yummy keeper to share with the original starter recipe... I guess if I'm wanting chocolate I'll go for brownies or chocolate bread instead. BTW, you do not need to bake this in a non-metal pan because it doesn't alter anything at this point.

I honestly did not like this recipe. It wasn't terrible but I thought it tasted very ketchupy. It just wasn't what I was looking for, hoisin sauce instead of ketchup might help. Won't be making it again though.

I think one cup of oil is too much- I always just use the amount the cake mix calls for (typically 1/3 to 1/2 cup). I make this in either 2 8-inch round cake pans or in Bundt cake pan. I usually use fresh strawberries instead of frozen and I always put a layer of fresh strawberries in the middle of the frosted cake (if i use the Bundt pan I cut the cake in half after it has cooled). Also I always frost it with Whipped Cream Frosting (also from AR). The only bad about using that frosting is you have to keep the cake in the fridge. :)