Aunt Doads Chocolate Cake Food

DARN GOOD CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. I like to use a nonstick baking spray with flour in it.
• Add cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, warm water, and vegetable oil to a large mixing bowl.
• Mix on low speed for about 1 minute.
• Increase the speed to medium, and continue to mix for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as-needed.
• Fold in chocolate chips.
• Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, smoothing the batter out as needed.
• Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed, about 45-55 minutes. A wooden toothpick inserted in the center may come out with melted chocolate but shouldn't have any batter on it.
• Cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
• Run a thin knife around the pan and invert onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

SALTED CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the inside of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter that as well. Dust with cocoa powder, being sure to tap out the excess. Set aside.
• Whisk together the cocoa, flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until there are no large lumps. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, melted butter, sour cream, instant espresso and 1 1/2 cups water. Slowly start to work everything together, adding the dry to the wet ingredients as you go until everything is combined and you have a smooth batter. Do not over mix. Divide evenly in the prepared cake pans and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Unmold onto a wire rack and cool completely.
• For the frosting: Beat the butter in a medium bowl on medium speed using a hand-held mixer until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, vanilla and kosher salt and continue to beat on medium speed until light, fluffy and creamy.
• Place one layer of cake on a plate or cake stand. Spread one-quarter of the frosting on the cake evenly all the way to the sides using a small offset spatula. Place the other layer of cake on top and press gently. Spoon the remaining frosting on top and spread evenly, pushing the frosting over the edge and spreading it around the sides. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the top evenly with the flake salt to serve.

BEATTY'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
• Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
• Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.
• Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

GREAT AUNT LOLA'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix flour, sugars, soda and cinnamon.
• In heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat til melted and just UNDER a boil, don't boil!, the 2 sticks butter, 4 Tbl. cocoa and the 1 cup water.
• Pour over dry ingredients.
• Stir. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Stir well til all is combined.
• I use a large whisk for this.
• Scrape sides and bottom to incorporate all til smooth, but you don't have to over-mix. Pour into greased and floured 13x9 pan.
• I use my old metal one for this, *it seems to come out MUCH better than using a glass one.
• Bake in 350º oven for 35-40 minutes, test with a toothpick.
• Remove from oven and while cooling, make icing.
• Fudge Icing:.
• In heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt and bring just UNDER a boil, the butter, cocoa and cream or milk.
• Stir in quickly the powdered sugar and vanilla til creamy.
• Then QUICKLY spread/pour over warm cake. Spread icing evenly over top.
• Chill in fridge til set.
• *For the icing, it's 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar or 1 (1 lb. ) box. It doesn't want to show up in the recipe.

AUNT CAROL'S CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and flour a cookie sheet and preheat oven to 400ºF.
• In a small bowl, mix the eggs, baking soda and sour cream.
• In a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar and salt, stir to combine.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water and cocoa powder, heat and stir to combine.
• Add cocoa mixture to flour/sugar, blend with mixer. Add egg mixture and beat 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips if desired. Put in cookie sheet and bake 14-20 minutes.
• When the cake is out of the oven, put the cream in a saucepan and heat to simmer.
• Add chocolate to the bowl of a food processor.
• Once the cream is heated, pour into food processor and let sit 4 minutes.
• Pulse a few times then process 5-10 seconds to smooth out the mixture.
• Transfer ganache to a non-plastic bowl. For a glaze style ganache, top cake now. For a lighter, fluffier "frosting", refrigerate 1-2 hours, whip in mixer, then top the cake. Top with walnuts, optional.
• Refrigerate the cake at least an hour before serving.

AUNT DOAD'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Don't try to make this cake without the pans I have at home!
• Remove bottoms from 3 9" cake pans with removable bottoms. Trace 3 9" rounds of waxed paper and cut out.
• Grease inside of pans and bottoms, and stick wax paper rounds into bottoms. Flour pans and tap out excess.
• For cake: cream sugar and shortening until like soft butter, at least 5 minutes.
• Add egg yolks one at a time, beating each one in thoroughly. Add and mix in melted chocolate.
• Sift baking powder, sifted cake flour, and salt together and set aside.
• Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing each in. When both are all added, add sour cream. Beat at 3 or 4 speed for 1 1/2 minutes.
• Add vanilla and mix.
• In a separate, clean, dry bowl, with clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites until stiff.
• Gently fold stiffley beaten egg whites into cake batter.
• Divide between prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min. Until tester inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean.
• Cool in pans on wire racks until you can touch pans. Remove pans from rack, and one at a time, place a rack on top of a cake in it's pan. Invert cake onto rack so pan is on top. Remove pan sides, slide a knife under pan bottom to remove if needed, and remove wax paper round. Do this for all three cakes, and let them cool completely, not stacked, on wire racks.
• While cakes cool, melt 1 oz (1 square) of bakers unsweetened chocolate with 1/3 cup of water, 4 Tbsp of butter, 2 Tbsp of unsweeened cocoa, and 1 tsp instant coffee over low heat.
• Put 6 cups sifted powdered sugar in a bowl and add the above mixture to it while it's hot. Mix well on low speed until sugar is incorporated.
• Add two egg yolks and 1 tsp vanilla to the frosting and mix again. Add hot water as necessary to make a spreadable consistency.
• When cakes are fully cool, put one on a plate. If the top is domed, level it. Top with enough frosting to evenly cover the top, but don't make it too thick. Top with another cake, and repeat the process.Top with the final cake and repeat the process again, using enough frosting that it starts to fall down the sides of the cake. Spread any frosting that has squeezed out from between the layers onto the sides of the cake. Fill in openings in the side frosting with excess from the top edges. Use extra frosting to smooth the top and sides. This cake is prone to having chunks come out of it while you're frosting it. Grit your teeth, swear, and keep going. It'll all hold together eventually. I've been making this cake for 40 years, and am just now getting to where I can make it without too much trouble, if I'm lucky! Cut yourself some slack, remember how much you love the person you're making it for, and keep going. It may not look great, but it'll taste spectacular!!