Chocolate Wasted Cake

This is an egg-free recipe I created to accommodate my son's food allergies. If you'd like to use my original chocolate cake recipe please go to my post One Good Chocolate Cake)
Makes 8-12 servings
Allergy Note: contains wheat and dairy

Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 cups milk

1 cup butter, melted

4 tsp. honey

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

1/3-1/2 cup whole milk (start out with 1/3 cup of milk and add more milk to your desired consistency)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

liqueur for drizzling on the cake layers (i.e. chocolate, coffee or almond)

melted chocolate for drizzling,

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream or 1/4 cup vegetable oil

semi-sweet, bittersweet or dark chocolate chips for the sides of the cake

assorted chocolate candies for the top of the cake

To make the cake:

(Note: Instead of milk, you can replace it with water or cooled brewed coffee. Instead of butter, you can use vegetable oil. Instead of honey, you can use corn syrup or agave nectar. Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can use Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips. For allergen-free alternatives for the candies, you can try Enjoy Life chocolate chips, bars or cookies)

Preheat oven to 325 350 F degrees. Grease and dust two to three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans with flour. To prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, line the bottom with a parchment paper circle. Set aside.

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, combine milk, butter, honey and vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the milk/butter mixture. Mix until combined. Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pour in the batter into prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and wait for about 10 minutes to remove from cake pans and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before decorating.

To make the frosting:

Note: instead of butter, you can use any allowed margarine, Spectrum organic vegetable shortening, or coconut oil. Instead of milk, you can use rice milk or soy milk.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the butter, milk and vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, slowly mix together at a low speed. Once all the ingredients are combined, increase the speed and beat till fluffy.

To assemble the cake:

Place the first cake layer on a plate or cake circle. Lightly drizzle with liqueur. Spread an even layer of frosting. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Lightly drizzle with liqueur. Cover the sides and top of the cake with frosting. Cover the sides of the cake with semi-sweet chocolate chips and cover the top with assorted chocolate candies. Drizzle the melted chocolate all over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides of the cake.