Crunchy Chocolate Birthday Cake

We tried a new birthday cake tonight. The recipe is from my Aunt, I don't know the origins beyond that. She promised an easy recipe to add elegance to a simple box mix!

1 box cake mix- chocolate or devil food
1 Stick of butter
1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
1 ½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Prepare cake mix as directed on the box and pour into two cake pans. Melt butter, add graham cracker crumbs let this mixture cool then add the nuts and chips. Pat this crunchy mixture into the top of each cake pan and bake as directed (i could have cooked mine less than the box recommended). Cool the cake, remove from the pan but do not turn upside down so that the crunchy portion will be on top and in the middle of the cake.

Frosting:
1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
1 ½ Tbsp instant coffee powder
1/3 cup powder sugar

Cool cake completely. Mix frosting ingredients together and beat on high until whipped consistency. Frost the middle and sides of cake only.

Since my daughter isn't big on nuts or coffee flavors, I only put nuts on half the cake & used plain whipped cream on half the cake as well. She loved crushing the graham crackers & helping make this cake.