Chocolate-Orange Punch Bowl Cake

This recipe is from one of the small Betty Crocker booklets you buy at the grocery in the check out line, April 2004 Super Moist Cake Mix Recipes. This can also be found on line. I made this dessert for Easter. It was a big hit. I had to put in two glass containers since I didn't have one big glass bowl. It's a light dessert. I would definitely make this one again.

Ingredients:

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil's food cake mix
water, vegetable oil and eggs as called for on box
4 cups milk
4 tsp grated orange peel
2 boxes (4 serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 cup chocolate flavored syrup
2 cans (15 oz size) mandarin orange segments, drained
1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray.

2. Beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl constantly. Pour into pan.

3. Bake 34-39 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife around the side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, beat pudding mix into milk and orange peel in large bowl with wire whisk about 2 minutes or until blended.

4. Cut or tear into 1-inch pieces. Arrange half of the pieces in 3 1/2 quart glass serving bowl, cutting pieces to fit shape of bowl. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the chocolate syrup over cake; spread with 2 cups of the pudding. Reserve 1/2 cup orange segments for garnish; arrange remaining orange segments over pudding. Add remaining cake pices. Top with remaining chocolate syrup, remaining pudding and the whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate.

5. Garnish with reserved orange segments. Store covered in refrigerator up to 8 hours.

Yield: 16 servings