Watch 'Today' Host Hoda Kotb Fall in Love With Ree’s Top-Secret Chocolate Cake

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In case you missed it, Ree Drummond shared some of her favorite recipes from her new cookbook live on the Today show! While The Pioneer Woman's drool-worthy buffalo chicken totchos were a big hit (they’re the perfect game day snack!), it was her secret-ingredient chocolate cake that knocked the Today hosts' socks off. In fact, Hoda Kotb was so enamored with the dish, she cleaned her plate before they even finished the segment!

It's no surprise that Ree’s chocolate dessert would make such a splash. She's already known for her delicious chocolate sheet cake that's a staple for Drummond family birthdays. (It’s even been praised by the likes of Jennifer Gardner!) This time around, instead of a sheet cake, Ree’s new recipe is a bundt cake that looks just a little bit fancy and tastes over-the-top good. But there’s a secret to this cake that makes it super easy! Like most of the recipes in her new book, Ree’s chocolate cake uses a shortcut ingredient that will save you a ton of time. That means, you can bake a cake for weekday events, last minute Christmas desserts, or whenever the craving for something chocolatey strikes. So, what is the secret to Ree’s chocolate cake?

To make Ree’s top-secret cake, all you need is boxed cake mix and a few extra ingredients to doctor it up. Then—and this is the good part—pour a luscious chocolate ganache over the top to really transform the cake into something miraculous. The rich glaze takes this recipe from a simple chocolate cake to an irresistible delicacy that makes even TV hosts want to clean their plates.

In the fourth hour of Today, Hoda and Jenna Bush Hager bring Ree back for even more shortcut recipes—but they couldn’t resist mentioning Hoda’s love of the chocolate cake one more time.

"It was really quiet and then all of a sudden the cake was gone," Ree joked.

Starting today, Ree will be traveling across the country for her cookbook tour. You can pre-order a copy of her new book featuring more shortcut recipes now—just in time for early Christmas gift shopping!