Chocolate Fudge Cake With Pink Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting Food

PEPPERMINT FUDGE CAKE

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl to blend. Place cocoa in medium bowl; whisk in 1 2/3 cups boiling water. Cool cocoa mixture to room temperature, whisking occasionally.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar, then vanilla. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. At low speed, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with cocoa mixture in 2 additions. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Cut around cakes to loosen; turn out onto racks. Cool completely.
• Make peppermint mousse:
• Combine white chocolate, 3/4 cup whipping cream and sour cream in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat just until chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer white chocolate mixture to large bowl; cool to barely lukewarm, whisking occasionally, about 20 minutes. Mix in candies. Beat remaining 1 cup cream in medium bowl to soft peaks. Fold cream into barely lukewarm white chocolate mixture in 4 additions. Chill mousse until beginning to set, about 2 hours. Place 1 cake layer on 8-inch cardboard round. Spread half of mousse over top of cake. Top with second cake layer, remaining mousse and third cake layer. Chill assembled cake until mousse is cold and set, about 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, prepare ganache:
• Bring cream to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Remove from heat. Add bittersweet chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Cool ganache until thick but still pourable, about 45 minutes.
• Place cake on rack set over baking sheet. Pour ganache over cake, spreading with metal spatula to cover sides evenly. Chill cake until ganache sets, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE WITH PINK PEPPERMINT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Make cake as directed on box for two 9-inch rounds; cool completely.
• Beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; gradually add sugar, beating until smooth. Add vanilla, peppermint extract and food color, a drop at a time, beating until desired color is obtained.
• Split each cake horizontally to make 2 layers. Place 1 layer on serving plate; spread top with thin coat frosting. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost side and top of cake with thin coat frosting; refrigerate 10 minutes to allow frosting to firm up. Frost side and top of cake with remaining frosting. Arrange whole peppermints then sprinkle crushed peppermint around side and top of cake.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE

Steps:

• Grease a 13x9-in. baking pan; line with parchment. Grease the paper; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with water and milk, beating well after each addition., Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Discard parchment. Cool cake completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and cocoa until smooth. Beat in enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Transfer cake to a serving platter. Spread with chocolate frosting; decorate with vanilla frosting.

MINT CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH MINT CREAM CHEESE ICING/FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour two 8 inch layer pans (or the equivalent).
• Mix the sugar, sifted flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• Slowly add the hot milk and butter while stirring.
• Add the eggs and 3/4 tsp of peppermint extract.
• Distribute evenly in the pans and bake for 25 minutes, or longer, until toothpick comes out clean.
• For the icing, beat one stick of soft butter and the three room temperature packages of cream cheese until smooth.
• Add 3/4 tsp of peppermint extract and 5 cups of powdered sugar.

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH PEPPERMINT FROSTING

Steps:

• Make the cake: Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease an 8-by-8-inch square or 9-inch round light-colored metal baking pan with oil.
• In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and eggs. Use a whisk or an electric mixer to beat the mixture until foamy and slightly lighter in texture and color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, 1/2 cup oil, vanilla and salt, and whisk until combined and smooth, about 1 minute.
• Whisk in the cocoa powder until combined. Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and whisk until combined and no streaks of flour remain. Stir the espresso powder into the hot water, then add the mixture to the bowl. Whisk until incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap on the counter a few times to release any large air bubbles. Bake until puffed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan set on a rack for about 45 minutes.
• While the cake bakes, clean the mixing bowl and make the frosting: Add the butter to the bowl and mix on medium-high with an electric mixer until smooth, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn the speed to low, and slowly add the confectioners' sugar. Mix until the sugar is moistened, then add 2 teaspoons of the cream, the vanilla extract, 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract and salt. Turn the speed up to medium-high, and whip until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes, adding a bit more cream a teaspoon at a time, if necessary, to make a smooth and light frosting. Taste the frosting, and add a few more drops of peppermint extract if desired. The frosting can be kept at room temperature while the cake finishes baking and cooling.
• Top the cooled cake with an even layer of frosting, then use the tip of a toothpick to dot the frosting with a few small dots of gel food coloring, if using. Use a spoon or offset spatula to swirl the food coloring into the frosting to create candy cane-like stripes - just a few swipes will do the trick. If you mix it in too much, the frosting will turn pink. Top the cake with sprinkles and shaved chocolate, if desired. Store leftover cake loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

FABULOUS FUDGE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter or margarine and 2 1/2 cups brown sugar until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla and melted chocolate squares. Add 1/2 the sour cream and then 1/2 the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until well blended.
• Add the remaining sour cream and dry ingredients to the batter. Stir in boiling water.
• Bake in a greased 9 X 13 inch pan for 35 minutes.
• Let cool 10 minutes before icing.
• To Make Caramel Icing: First melt 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan. Stir in 1 cup brown sugar and boil about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup milk and bring to a boil. Place pan in cold water and stir in the confectioners' sugar. Continue stirring until smooth. Spread over still warm cake.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift together flour sugar and salt.
• Set aside.
• In separate bowl beat eggs, buttermilk, soda and vanilla.
• set aside.
• In a saucepan bring butter, cocoa and water to a boil.
• Combine 3 mixtures and mix till blended.
• Pour into a greased 9 x 13" pan.
• Bake 25 minutes at 350F degrees.
• ---Icing---.
• Make icing while cake is baking.
• Bring butter, cocoa and milk to a boil.
• pour over sugar.
• mix well.
• add vanilla and nuts.
• Pour over cake while its hot.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for one minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.
• Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds.
• Add the peppermint extract and two cups of the confectioners' sugar and blend on low until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, one minute more, adding up to ½ cup more sugar if needed to make a spreadable consistency.
• Feel free to fold in up to ½ cup crushed peppermint candy for a crunchy and creamy frosting!
• Will frost 24 cupcakes generously. (see Cake Doctor's Red-less Velvet Cupcakes).