Chocolate-Chocolate Cake...or Cupcakes

I made this cake last year for my husband's birthday. It works great for cupcakes as well.

For the Cake:
2½ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons salt
3 eggs, at room temperature
1½ cups 1% milk

3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (into milk 10-15 minutes ahead)
1½ cups strong black coffee, hot
¾ cup vegetable oil
4½ teaspoons Bourbon vanilla extract

For the Cream cheese Icing:
1 package Cream Cheese-at room temperature

1bag powdered sugar
1 cup unsalted Butter at room temperature
2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

half and half (to thin icing desired consistency)
(Use food coloring if desired to color white icing)**I used varying amounts of cornmeal blue to achieve the ombre hues.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease six 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper, grease the parchment, then flour the insides of the pans, tapping out excess; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk-with vinegar already added 10 minutes ahead), coffee, oil and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for an additional 20 seconds (the batter will be very thin).

Divide the batter evenly among six prepared pans (greased & floured). I use a 1 cup scoop, & add just under two cups to each pan, then divide what’s left over evenly. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans in the oven. Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs), about 12 more minutes. Cool the cakes (in the pans) on wire racks for 20 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely. I chill the cake prior to icing. Sometimes I also brush each layer with a Chocolate flavored liquor.

Cream Cheese Icing: Beat the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar on low speed until blended together, about 1 minute. Add the clear vanilla extract and increase the speed to medium-high; beat for 3 minutes. Stop the mixer, and scrape down the sides. Continue to mix on a low speed until well combined, and light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl as necessary. Ice your cake & serve.

 

Chocolate-Mocha Layer Easter Cake with Marshmallow and Chocolate-Mocha Icing

This is the cake I made for our Easter dinner. I did modify it some from a Brown Eyed Baker recipe, as well as the frostings. It came out better than I could have imagined. This will now be my go-to recipe for chocolate cake or cupcakes.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
2½ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder (Vaharona, Calebut or otherwise)-I used Calebut from France
1 tablespoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons salt
3 eggs, at room temperature
1½ cups of 1% milk
3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (into milk 10-15 minutes ahead)
1½ cups strong black coffee, hot
¾ cup vegetable oil
4½ teaspoons Bourbon vanilla extract

For the Marshmallow Icing:
1 bag powdered sugar
½ cup Crisco-Butter flavored (or can also use unsalted butter)
2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

1/2 cup half and half (thin to desired consistency)
1 package Cream Cheese-at room temperature
1/8 cup Monin Marshmallow flavored Syrup

For the Chocolate Mocha Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup Mocha powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, melted and cooled
½ cup heavy cream (until desired consistency is reached)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease six 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper, grease the parchment, then flour the insides of the pans, tapping out excess; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk-with vinegar already added 10 minutes ahead), coffee, oil and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for an additional 20 seconds (the batter will be very thin).

Divide the batter evenly among six prepared pans (greased & floured). I use a 1 cup scoop, & add just under two cups to each pan, then divide what’s left over evenly. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans in the oven. Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs), about 12 more minutes. Cool the cakes (in the pans) on wire racks for 20 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely. I covered each cake with Saran wrap, & stored in the fridge to be iced the next day.

Marshmallow Icing: Beat the butter (shortening), cream cheese, and powdered sugar on low speed until blended together, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract and increase the speed to medium-high; beat for 3 minutes. Stop the mixer, add the Marshmallow syrup, continue to mix on a low speed until well combined, and light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl as necessary.

Chocolate-Mocha Icing: Beat the butter and powdered sugar on low speed until blended together, about 1 minute. Add the Mocha powder, and vanilla. Beat on low until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and beat on medium-high speed for another minute.

Cake assembly: Place your first layer face-up on a cake plate and cover with one-third of the Marshmallow Icing. Place another cake layer face-up and cover with about ¾ to 1 cup of Chocolate-Mocha Frosting. Repeat, alternating marshmallow and chocolate filling layers, until you come to your cake final layer, which you will place face-down. Frost the entire outside of cake with the remaining
Chocolate-Mocha Frosting.

**Adapted from a Brown Eyed Baker recipe

 

This recipe is an oldie, but goodie. I usually make these for Easter, & since Easter is right around the corner-why not. I think the chocolate on the bottom of the macaroon is the only way to go. Without it, the coconut is a bit overpowering, but the chocolate helps balance it it.


I have also made them in a ball shape, then thumb printed them, & filled the hole with ganache, or an Easter colored chocolate M&M. These are really cute if you dress them up to correspond to the holiday you are making them for.

With Valentines Day coming up, you could also do a cute heart shape, or even fill them in the middle with a heart shaped chocolate, or color the coconut a pinkish tint. whatever you decide-just have fun!

Coconut Macaroons in Chocolate Ganache

Macaroons

1 1/3 cups of whole blanched almonds (lightly toasted)

3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 cups toasted desiccated coconut

6 egg whites (from six large eggs)

1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

A pinch salt

Ganache Filling

1/2 cup of heavy cream

2 teaspoons whole milk

2 1/2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

4 ounces chocolate (fine-quality bitter-sweet, not unsweetened), finely chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Directions:

Pulse almonds with 2 cups confectioner's sugar in a food processor until finely ground (almost to a powder) Add remaining 1 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar and pulse until combined. Add coconut. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderately high speed until they hold soft peaks. Fold in almond mixture in 3 batches gently, but thoroughly (batter will be very soft).

Transfer batter to pastry bag and pipe small (1 inch diameter) mounds about 2 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake macaroons in batches in the middle of the oven until the top are slightly cracked and appear dry, but are still slightly soft to the touch, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer macaroons on parchment to a dampened kitchen towel and cool 5 minutes. Peel from paper and completely cool on racks. Move onto making the filling.

                          Finish with Ganache Filling

Bring milk and cream to a total boil in a small, heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Whisk in cocoa, then remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Cool Chocolate Macaroons filling, then chill, covered, until firm enough to hold its shape when spread, about 30 minutes. Dip bottom of macaroon in Ganache & allow to dry on parchment paper covered cookie sheet.

Chocolate Mounds Pie

My hubby & I both LOVE Mounds candy. This has all the same ingredients, but isn't made with Mounds. It IS delicious! And for all you out there with Gluten allergies, it's gluten free. Yeahhhhhh!

Chocolate Mounds Pie

Ingredients for the crust:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4 cups sweetened shredded coconut

¼ cup Coconut flour

¼ cup Almonds (raw & unsalted)

Ingredients for the filling:

2 cups heavy cream

16 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 61 percent cacao), finely chopped

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a food processor, process butter, almonds, & coconut flour untill it forms a crust-like mixture. Place into a large mixing bowl, & add in coconut. Mix until a crust forms. In a glass pie pan, use 2/3 of the mixture to press into the bottom and sides of pan as a crust. Sprinkle remaining coconut mixture around the edges forming a high crust edge. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove & cool.

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate in a medium heat proof  bowl. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes, & then stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is combined. Add vanilla. Pour into coconut crust. Refrigerate until filling is set, (about 3 hours).

Dark Rum Chocolate Cake Balls

(Can also be used to make cake pops)

Cake Balls:

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge cake Mix

(any ingredients called for by cake mix directions)

½ cup Dark Rum or Kahlua (I used Kahlua last time & it was great) which you will substitute for ½ cup of the water called for in the cake mix

1 teaspoon pure Vanilla

Icing (use the recipe below or you can always use 1 cup pre-made, but honestly the one below will make your cake balls much better).

Icing:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. Mascarpone cheese at room temperature

1/3 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup Honey

1 tablespoon dark Rum

Coating:

1 large package chocolate Almond Bark-Melted (I also used a vanilla flavored candy coating for the white cake balls, which can be colored with Wilton’s gel edible food coloring for variety).

Any other sprinkles or decorations you would like to add.

Directions:

Preheat oven as directed. Follow cake directions on the back of your box, but reduce water & add additional ingredients. Bake cake according to directions. Remove & cool on a large rack. Once cooled, remove cake and crumble into fine crumbs in a large mixing bowl, removing any crispy or hard edges.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, mascarpone, cream cheese, confection sugar, and honey together. Once combined, add rum. Set aside 1 cup. The remaining icing can be refrigerated and used at a later date. Add icing to cake crumbs, mixing well, until the entire cup of icing has been absorbed by cake. Set into freezer to chill for at least 20 minutes.

Remove and measure out equal scoops of cake mix to obtain uniform measurements for cake balls. Once all of your cake balls are measured, roll and form into smooth balls, and set onto parchment paper, and allow to chill in the freezer while you melt your candy coating or Almond bark. Remove cake balls from freezer, and dip into candy coating. I found that setting each cake ball into the coating, then scooping in onto a fork while the excess coating drips off, then pushing it carefully into the parchment paper with a skewer stick cut in half, was the best technique. Add any sprinkles or decoration now so that it will set. I stored the cake balls in Tupperware overnight, but they are good at room temperature, covered for up to 2 days. Enjoy!

14 Layer Cake with Chocolate Ganache & Hand Piped Candy Designs-Part 1

14-Layer Cake with Chocolate Ganache and hand piped Candy Designs-Part 1

You will need: 14 aluminum 8x5 disposable pans, parchment paper, & cake cardboard round, and a rack (to place cake on while icing).

Cake Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

3 cups milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ganache Filling:

2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut up

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

¼ cup dark Rum-for brushing onto layers

Directions for Ganache:

To make the ganache, bring the sugar, cocoa, butter and evaporated milk to a full boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the icing has thickened slightly (it will resemble chocolate syrup but will thicken as it cools), about 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Let the icing cool until thick enough to spread, but still pourable. Before icing each layer with ganache, brush lightly with dark rum, then cover with ganache, taking care to cover the edges of the cake. Once the entire cake is covered in ganache, chill & set in fridge for 30 minutes, while you make your spreadable icing.

Chocolate Ganache Spreadable Frosting:
1 large 24 oz. semi-sweet Hershey’s chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla or dark rum

Directions for Ganache Spreadable Icing:

In a medium saucepan, heat cream to 110 degrees. Pour over chocolate chips in a glass bowl, mixing slowly. Do not whisk or beat. This can cause the fat to separate from the chocolate. Once completely melted and combined, add the vanilla or rum. Spread over cake with an icing knife once it cools to the desired consistency.   

Cake Directions:

Position racks in the center and bottom third of the oven and preheat to 375°. Lightly butter four 8 1/2- to 9-inch cake pans (you will bake the cakes in three batches) and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Flour the pans and tap out the excess.
To make the layers, sift together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the mixture one more time, and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle blade on high speed until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl and be sure the mixture is well-blended. On low speed, add the flour in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the milk, beginning and ending with the flour, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Using a scant cup for each layer, spread the batter evenly in the pans. It will make a thin layer.

Staggering the pans on the racks so they are at least 2 inches from each other and the sides of the oven and not directly over each other, bake the layers until they feel firm when pressed in the centers and are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pans, about 12 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Invert the layers onto cake racks, remove the parchment paper, and cool completely. Wash and prepare the pans. Repeat the procedure until all 12 layers have been baked and cooled.

Place a layer of cake on a wire rack set over a jelly-roll pan. Spread with a few tablespoons of the icing, letting the excess run down the sides. Stack the remaining cakes, icing each layer. Pour the remaining icing over the top of the cake. If you wish, smooth the icing on the edges to cover the sides. Let stand until the glaze sets. (The cake is best served the day it is made. To store, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)

Then, I cut 14 sheets of parchment paper, stapled them together and cut out circles the same size as the bottom of the pan. I decided to err on the side of caution with greasing the pans, because fourteen stuck cakes would make me very unhappy. So, I greased the bottom and sides with a stick of butter. Then, I laid the parchment circles down and lightly buttered and floured the top of the parchment paper. While those are waiting, I mixed up all the ingredients for the cake batter - the HUGE amount of cake batter. Then I placed a heaping 2/3 cup full of batter in each pan.

Then, just spread it out as evenly as possible. I was able to bake three cakes at a time. Each set baked for 12 minutes at 350 degrees, (the recipe says 375, but I went with 350). So that means there were five sets at 12 minutes each. (About an hour to bake. Not too bad.) When the last batch of cakes go in the oven, it’s a good time to start making the icing. Then, after the icing cools and before it hardens, you can start spreading a little bit on the top of each layer of cooled cake. Before you start… place the cake on a cake board. Place the board on a wire rack. And place the wire rack over a jelly roll pan to catch any icing that drips. When you’re done with the last layer, pour any extra icing over the top and spread it around the sides to cover. Then ice with the second ganache recipe, using a spreadable icing knife. Decorate as desired, or see my recipe to follow for hand-piped candy designs.

-My cake at auction!

Inspired by http://www.oprah.com/food/The-Smith-Familys-12-Layer-Cake  & some directional information by Bakerella.