Berry Topped Chocolate Cake Food

BERRY-TOPPED CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Grease a 9" springform pan and line with parchment paper. In small bowl, combine almonds, flour and salt. Set aside.
• Melt butter in saucepan and stir in cocoa and sugar.
• In large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick; gradually blend in cocoa mixture. Stir in almond mixture.
• In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add sugar. Fold whites into chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of torte and remove sides of springform pan. TORTE WILL FALL IN MIDDLE. Don't worry, you can fill it with whipped cream.
• Drizzle 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier over cake. Cool completely and wrap with plastic wrap. This can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days.
• Whip cream and fold in Grand Marnier. Spread on torte and decorate with berries and chocolate curls. To make chocolate curls, choose good quality chocolate, store at room temperature and shave with a vegetable peeler.

BERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make the topping: In an oven-safe 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, lemon juice and salt, and whisk until the brown sugar melts, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Let cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to smell like caramel and darkens slightly, about 1 minute longer. (Don't walk away or the mixture may burn.) The mixture will clump and separate, but that's OK.
• Add fruit, gently tossing to coat with the caramel. Remove from heat and arrange fruit into an even layer on bottom of skillet. Ignore any sugar clumps; they will dissolve during baking.
• Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest until thoroughly combined. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add sour cream and whisk until well mixed. Sprinkle in baking powder, salt and baking soda into the batter, one at a time, and whisking vigorously after each addition.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in flour until just incorporated. The mixture will be lumpy, but that's OK. Don't overmix. Scrape batter into the skillet over the fruit and spread evenly.
• Bake until the surface is deeply browned all over (with darker brown edges) and the fruit is lightly bubbling along the sides of the skillet, about 35 to 45 minutes, rotating halfway through. A toothpick inserted into cake will come out clean.
• Once the cake is out of the oven, immediately run a butter knife or offset spatula around the edge of the skillet. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to cool slightly. Carefully invert cake into serving platter. If some berries stick to bottom of skillet, gently remove using offset spatula or knife and place back onto cake. Let cake cool until the fruit topping sets, at least 30 minutes to 1 hour, before serving. Cake is best served on the day it is baked.

WORLD'S BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/170 degrees Celsius. Grease a 9-inch/23-centimeter round springform pan with butter and line with parchment paper, then set aside.
• Make the cake: Place butter, chocolate and hot coffee in a large heatproof bowl and mix well until everything is melted, combined and smooth. Whisk in sugar by hand until dissolved. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again until thoroughly combined and smooth. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl and then whisk this into the melted chocolate mixture. The batter here is liquid, but don't think you have missed something; this is how it should be.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the cake is cooked and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs attached. The top will form a crust and crack a little, but don't worry, this is expected. Leave the cake to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan, then set aside until completely cool.
• Make the chocolate ganache, if desired: Place chocolate pieces in a food processor, process until fine and set aside. Combine cream and corn syrup in a small pan and place over medium-high heat. As soon as bubbles begin to appear (just before it comes to a boil), remove from the heat. Get the food processor running again, with the chocolate still inside, and pour in the hot cream in a steady stream. Process for 10 seconds, then add butter. Continue to process until mixture is shiny and smooth. (You can also make the ganache by hand; just make sure the chocolate is chopped fairly finely before adding the cream mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until almost melted, then add the butter. Stir again until the ganache is smooth.)
• Use a rubber spatula to scrape the ganache into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic actually touching the top of the ganache. Set aside until it has set to the consistency you want. If you want a thin layer to spread over the cake, it can be poured over while liquid so that you get an even, light and shiny coating. For a thicker ganache with a spreading consistency, leave it for about 2 hours at room temperature. (The ganache can be stored at room temperature, providing it's not too warm, for 3 days or kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It can also be frozen, although it will lose a bit of its shine when defrosted.)
• Make the espresso cinnamon mascarpone cream, if desired: Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until soft peaks form.
• Peel the parchment from the cake and discard. Transfer to a serving platter and spread the ganache, if using, on top of the cake. Slice into wedges, divide the cake among plates and, if using, spoon the mascarpone cream alongside. With or without icing, the cake will keep well for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container.

BERRY-TOPPED CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Make Cake, Filling and Ganache Heat oven to 350 °F (325° F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray 2 (8- or 9-inch) round pans with cooking spray. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for round pans, using oil and eggs called for on box and the 1 cup water. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Using serrated knife, cut rounded top off cakes to make a level surface.
• In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed just until blended, adding enough milk for spreading consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• In 1-quart saucepan, heat ganache ingredients over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Refrigerate about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and spreadable.
• Assemble and Decorate Cut each cake layer horizontally to make a total of 4 layers. Fill each layer with a generous 1/3 cup filling. Spread ganache over side and top of cake.
• In medium microwaveable bowl, microwave raspberry preserves on High 10 to 20 seconds or until melted. Add berries to preserves; toss gently to coat. Arrange berries on top of cake. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator.