Chocolate Harvest Cake Food

CHOCOLATE HARVEST CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans; set aside.

CHOCOLATE HARVEST CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease (and flour) two 9"x1 1/2" round baking pans.
• Combine and whisk all cake ingredients BUT flour and cocoa powder.
• Add flour and cocoa powder and whisk until even.
• Spread evenly into the two pans.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until top springs back or toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cool.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together Pumpkin Cream Filling ingredients. (Make sure cream cheese is soft enough so you don't end up with cream cheese chunks!).
• Spread Pumpkin Filling on top of one cake and top it with the other.
• Boil whipping cream over medium-high heat.
• Remove from heat and add chocolate, DO NOT stir.
• Wait 5 minutes until chocolate is melty, then stir until smooth and chocolate is liquid.
• Wait until glaze has thickened (10 minutes) and then pour over top of cake.
• Refrigerate cake or let set until glaze is fairly solid (15-30 min).
• OPTIONAL: top with seasonal berries or nuts.

CHOCOLATE HARVEST CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 9" round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
• 2. FOR THE CAKE: Sift all purpose flour and cocoa in a small bowl and set aside. NOTE: You'll notice that the cake is not prepared in a mixer. I was going to use mine but it wasn't large enough to accommodate the mixture without splattering batter everywhere. I followed these instructions. In an extra-large bowl, combine buttermilk, water, oil, 2 cups sugar, eggs, baking soda and salt. Using a large wire whisk, whisk until combined. Add flour-cocoa mixture and whisk vigorously until smooth.
• 3. Divide batter between pans and bake for 30-35 minutes until tops springs back when lightly touched in center. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
• 4. FOR THE CREAM FILLING: In a mixer with a whisk, whisk together cream cheese, pumpkin, 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon until thick.
• 5. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread all the filling over the top. Top with the second layer.
• 6. FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE: In a sauce pan bring whipping cream just to boiling over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and add semisweet chocolate (DO NOT STIR). Let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour over cake, allowing glaze to drip down sides. Chill cake until set, about 30 minutes. Top with desired toppers or serve as is.

HARVEST CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place cake mix in bowl.
• Substitute apple cider for whatever the water amount is that the cake box requires.
• Add eggs as required by cake mix.
• Mix well.
• Once batter is moist and mixed well, add pumpkin.
• Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured bundt pan.
• Sprinkle nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon over batter.
• Add remaining batter on top.
• Cook according to mix directions for bundt pan, about 30 to 35 minutes.
• Serve with whipped cream.

HARVEST LOAF CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, mix flour, soda, salt, 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Add flour mixture alternately with pumpkin. Stir in chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the walnuts. Pour batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle remaining nuts on top.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 65 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. While still warm, drizzle with glaze. Cool for 6 hours before serving.
• to make the glaze: In a medium bowl, combine confectioners sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix and add 1 to 2 teaspoons cream until drizzling consistency.

CHOCOLATE GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Optional: Place Baker's chocolate at room temperature several hours in advance to make the chopping easier.
• Preheat oven to 300.
• Put butter, sugar and molasses into a medium pot and stir over low heat until butter has melted. Chop chocolate into small pieces (not too small - spare yourself the trouble as they melt anyhow) while watching the pot. Turn off heat once butter has melted and ingredients in pot have blended.
• Add flour, spices and baking soda to pot, and stir well.
• Add milk, egg and chocolate and stir until smooth.
• Pour into greased 9 inch square glass pan.
• Bake 50/55 minutes, until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Enjoy with fresh whipped cream!

CHOCOLATE HARVEST CAKE

Steps:

• 1. CHOCOLATE GANACHE (needs to be prepared day before) Recipe makes enough for one 9" cake. About 1 1/3 cups. Bring cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. Remove pan from heat. Add chocolate and stir until melted. Pour into bowl; refrigerate overnight. Just before using, beat with electric mixer until just fluffy, about 5 seconds.
• 2. CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 9" cake pan with 1 1/2" high sides.
• 3. Sift 3/4 cup flour with cocoa and baking powder into medium bowl.
• 4. Whisk eggs and sugar in large bowl. Set over saucepan of boiling water and whisk eggs until warm to the touch. Remove bowl from over water.
• 5. Using electric mixer, beat egg mixture until it whitens and more than triples in volume, about 5 minutes. Mix in vanilla.
• 6. Sift dry ingredients again and gently fold into egg mixture until just incorporated.
• 7. Add butter and fold in until just incorporated; do not overmix.
• 8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Invert on cake rack and cool.
• 9. FRUIT FILLING: Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• 10. Puree mixture in blender with brandy. Cool completely in blender. Add butter to puree and blend until smooth.
• 11. CHOCOLATE GLAZE: Recipe makes enough for 1 9" cake. (about 1 1/8 cups)
• 12. Melt butter and chocolate in heavy small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Mix in corn syrup. (can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature. Whisk over low heat until melted before continuing.)
• 13. Let glaze stand until just cool to touch, about 20 minutes. Use immediately.
• 14. ASSEMBLING THE CAKE: Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers using a serrated knife. Place bottom layer on a 9" cardboard round or cake pan bottom.
• 15. Set aside 1/2 cup ganache for cake top and sides. Spread half of remaining ganache over bottom cake layer.
• 16. Spread scant 1/2 cup fruit filling over layer of ganache. Top with middle cake layer.
• 17. Spread middle cake layer with other half of ganache. Spread scant 1/2 cup fruit filling over that layer of ganache. Cover with top cake layer.
• 18. Spread remaining fruit filling over top of cake. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• 19. Spread reserved 1/2 cup ganache over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until ganache is firm, about 1 hour.
• 20. Place cake on rack set over rimmed baking sheet. Spoon some of the glaze over sides of cake. Pour remaining glaze over top of cake.
• 21. Smooth top and sides with spatula if necessary. Let stand 30 minutes. Press toasted walnuts onto sides of cake using palm of hand.
• 22. Roll 3 dried apricots and 3 pitted prunes out on lightly oiled surface to thickness of 1/8". Cut into assorted leaf shapes. Arrange in clusters atop the cake. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead, refrigerate. Let cake stand 3 1/2 hours at room temperature before serving.)