Chocolate Pecan Praline Cake Food

CHOCOLATE-TOPPED PRALINES

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and have a tablespoon-sized cookie scooper ready.
• Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, butter and baking soda to a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally, until the sugars are dissolved and the mixture begins to boil. Clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pot and continue to cook until the mixture reaches between 235 to 240 degrees F. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes. Add the pecans, vanilla and salt and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the candy begins to dull and the mixture starts to thicken, about 4 minutes. Working quickly, drop heaping tablespoon-sized mounds with the cookie scooper onto the prepared baking sheet (see Cook's Note). Cool completely until set and the pralines have reached room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Add the chocolate chips to a heat-resistant metal or glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water and stir until completely melted. Remove bowl from the heat. Using a spoon, add a dollop of chocolate on the top of each of the praline mounds and use the back of the spoon to spread slightly and create a swirl in the chocolate. Sprinkle with the flaked sea salt, if using. Let cool completely until set (see Cook's Note). Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator with wax paper between the layers of pralines.

CHOCOLATE-PRALINE CAKE IN A JAR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place 10 to 12 1/2-pint glass canning jars on a rimmed baking sheet, evenly arranged with space between them. (If you have a Silpat liner, place it under the jars to prevent them from sliding around.)
• To make the cakes, in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. Add half of the flour, then half of the sour cream, and mix until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Drizzle in the coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin, like heavy cream.
• Pour the batter into the jars, filling them halfway. Bake until the tops of the cakes are firm to the touch, about 25 minutes.*
• To make the topping, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the brown sugar and 1?2 cup water and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar until combined, then return to the heat and bring to a boil. Stir in the nuts.
• Pour the praline topping over the cakes to cover, working quickly, because the praline hardens quickly as it cools. Let the cakes cool completely if they aren't already, before screwing on jar lids.**
• Do-Aheads
• *The cakes can be made ahead, cooled, covered, and kept at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• **The finished cakes will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature.

SOUTHERN PRALINE PECAN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9 or 10 inch Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Combine the cake mix with the frosting, eggs, oil, water and 1/2 of the pecan pieces. Mix until combined.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of pecans in the prepared Bundt pan then pour in the cake batter.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

DARK CHOCOLATE PECAN CAKE

Steps:

• Line a 5-3/4x3x2-in. loaf pan with parchment; coat with cooking spray. In a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in brown sugar and cream. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Pour into prepared pan. Top with pecans. Cover and refrigerate., In a small bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with water. Beat just until combined. , Pour over pecans. Bake at 325° until a toothpick comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan., In a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form. Remove cake from pan; split into two horizontal layers. Place bottom cake layer, nut side up, on a serving plate. Spread with half of the topping. Top with remaining layer and topping. If desired, garnish with chocolate curls and chopped pecans.

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH GANACHE AND PRALINE TOPPING

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch cake pan with nonstick spray. Line with parchment. Spray parchment. Dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
• Place butter and cocoa powder in medium bowl. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over; stir. Let stand 2 minutes; whisk until blended. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and coarse salt in another medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and vanilla in large bowl. Gradually whisk cocoa mixture into buttermilk mixture; whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, whisking to blend between additions (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Run knife around pan edges to release cake. Invert onto rack; remove pan and parchment. Cool completely.
• For ganache:
• Place chocolate and cream in microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Stir in butter. Let stand until spreadable, about 30 minutes. Spread over top and sides of cake. Transfer cake to plate. Chill 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• For praline:
• Stir first 3 ingredients in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until butter melts. Boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla. Add pecans; stir just to incorporate. Quickly pour praline over cake. Spread just to edges (topping sets quickly). DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome. Store at room temperature.

OLD SOUTHERN CHOCOLATE PECAN SHEET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch pan.
• Mix 2 cups white sugar, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl.
• Combine water, vegetable shortening, margarine, and 3 tablespoons cocoa powder in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Pour liquid into flour mixture and stir well. Return saucepan to stove and set it aside.
• Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk in a large liquid measuring cup and stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Pour egg mixture into cake batter and mix until fully combined. Transfer batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake the cake in preheated oven until cake springs back when touched lightly with a finger or a tester comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
• While cake is baking, prepare icing using reserved saucepan. Combine confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, butter, milk, vanilla, and pecans in saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Pour icing over hot cake immediately after it comes out of the oven. Allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack.

CHOCOLATE PRALINE TORTE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and cream. Stir over low heat until butter is melted. Pour into two greased 9-in. round baking pans. Sprinkle with pecans; set aside. , Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Carefully pour batter over pecans. Bake at 325° for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes; invert onto wire racks to cool completely. , For topping, beat cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff. , Place one cake layer, pecan side up, on a serving plate. Spread with half of the topping. Top with second cake layer and remaining topping. Sprinkle with chocolate curls if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PRALINE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• In a small heavy saucepan, cook the butter, whipping cream and brown sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Divide evenly into two 9" cake pans. Spread this mixture over the bottom of pans and sprinkle liberally with ½ cup pecans in each.
• In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, water & eggs at low speed until moistened; then beat 2 minutes at high speed. Divide evenly into the two cake pans by carefully spooning batter over pecans around edges of pan and then over the center area.
• Bake 50-60 minutes or until ice pick inserted in the center tests clean.
• Cool 5 minutes only. Then cover each pan with wax paper and invert onto wire racks to finish cooling. Determine which cake layer will be the top layer and add as many additional chopped pecans as desired to make topping lush and attractive looking.
• When completely cooled, with both hands, carefully lift up the layer of cake to be the bottom layer and remove the waxed paper. Place on a serving/cake platter.
• Spread frosting over the top of the pecans, filling in all the spaces around the bottom layer. Repeat procedure to place top layer of cake on the bottom layer, except DO NOT frost the top. Frost the sides only.
• Then melt chocolate morsels with about a teaspoon of vegetable oil to a consistency that you can drizzle back and forth across the top of the cake to give it a finished look. You can do this by putting the chocolate chips and oil in a small Ziploc bag and placing the sealed bag in a pan or dish of hot water for a few minutes until chips are melted. Lift bag from water and dry off. Then compress the contents together with your fingers until well blended. Snip off a very small corner and the bottom of the bag and allow glaze to drizzle out while moving bag across top of the cake.

TEXAS PRALINE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease just the bottom of a 10 inch tube pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1 cup brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in vanilla. Dissolve the coffee crystals in water, and stir into the creamed mixture until blended. Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; stir into the batter until just incorporated. Fold in pecans. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
• Bake for about 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack.
• In a chilled bowl, stir together the heavy cream, salt, vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar so that the sugar is dissolved. Whip using chilled beaters until stiff. Run a knife around the outer edge of the cake in the pan, and tap it out onto a serving plate. Make sure cake is completely cool before frosting. Decorate with pecan halves if you like.

SOUTHERN PECAN PRALINE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick baking spray.
• Place the cake mix, coconut frosting, eggs, oil and water in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand held or your stand mixer and mix well to combine everything. Add the pecans and mix again.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake pulls away from the sides. Set aside to cool on a wire cooling rack.
• To make the praline topping, combine the butter and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan and stir until the butter is melted. Add the pecans and mix well. Pour over the cooled cake and serve.
• RECIPE NOTES.
• Southern Pecan Praline Cake keeps well covered in the fridge for approximately one week, or you can wrap it well in foil and store in a large ziplock bag in your freezer for up to two months.
• *To roast pecans, spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.

PRALINE-CHOCOLATE DESSERT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together dry cake mix, butter and cocoa. Press evenly in ungreased 13x9x2-inch rectangular pan.
• Stir frosting, milk, raisins, flour and egg, using same bowl, until blended. Pour evenly over mixture in pan.
• Bake 45 to 48 minutes or until set. Serve warm or cool. Garnish each serving with remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate any remaining dessert.

CHOCOLATE PECAN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil or butter a 9- by 2-inch round springform pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper or foil.
• In a double boiler or a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolates and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and stir in bourbon or rum.
• In a food processor pulse pecans with 3/4 cup sugar until finely ground. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in flour.
• In another bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with salt at medium speed until white, opaque, and beginning to hold their shape. Gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating at high speed until whites hold soft (not stiff), slightly glossy peaks. Stir in pecan mixture with a spatula until well blended and fold in chocolate mixture until no streaks remain (batter will deflate).
• Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Bake cake in middle of oven 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Run a thin knife around edge of cake to loosen and invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.
• Remove parchment or foil and transfer cake to a platter. Cake may be wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled 1 week or frozen 1 month. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.
• Just before serving, dust cake with confectioners' sugar.

CHOCOLATE PRALINES, MEXICAN STYLE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Stir white sugar, light brown sugar, evaporated milk, corn syrup, and cocoa powder in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly, until the syrup reaches 220 degrees F (104 degrees C) when measured with a candy thermometer. A small amount of syrup dropped into cold water should form a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in marshmallows, vanilla extract, butter, and pecans, beating the candy by hand until creamy and the candy begins to to set up slightly at the edges of the pan, about 10 minutes.
• Drop the warm candy by teaspoons onto the parchment paper; allow room for pralines to spread slightly. Cool the candy thoroughly before serving.

CHOCOLATE-PRALINE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• In a small heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour into two greased 9-in. round baking pans and sprinkle with pecans., In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, eggs, milk, butter, sweetened condensed milk and pudding mix; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Transfer to prepared pans., Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form., Place one cake layer on a serving plate, praline side up. Spread with half of the whipped cream. Top with remaining cake layer; spread remaining whipped cream over top. Garnish with chocolate curls and candies.

NEW ORLEANS DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE PRALINE-FUDGE CAKE

Steps:

• Cake:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine butter, cocoa and water in a saucepan.
• Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until the mixture is smooth and butter has melted; remove from heat and cool.
• Combine the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla; beat on medium speed with a mixer until smooth.
• Combine the butter mixture and buttermilk mixture; beat until well blended.
• Combine the sugar, flour and salt in a bowl; mix well.
• Gradually add the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture; beat until blended.
• The batter should be thin.
• Spray three 8" round cake pans with cooking spray and line them with wax paper.
• Pour the batter evenly into the pans and bake at 350 degrees for 22-24 minutes or until cake tests for doneness.
• Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.
• To assemble the cake:.
• Spread 1/2 c ganache between the cake layers; spread the remainder on the sides of the cake and chill for 30 minutes.
• Slowly pour the frosting over the center of the cake.
• Spread it to the edges of the cake, allowing some frosting to run down the sides.
• Chocolate Ganache:.
• Microwave the chocolate and cream in a glass bowl for 2-3 minutes, or until the chocolate is melted; whisk until smooth.
• Gradually add the butter, whisking until smooth and melted.
• Cool, whisking often, until spreading consistency, about 15-20 minutes.
• Praline Frosting:.
• Combine the butter, brown sugar and whipping cream in a 2 quart saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring often.
• Boil 1 min; remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla.
• Add the pecans and stir gently for 2-5 minutes, or until the frosting begins to cool and thicken slightly.
• Pour immediately over the cake.

HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE PRALINES

Steps:

• Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper.
• In a heavy 3 quart saucepan combine sugar,brown sugar,cocoa and light cream.
• Cook over medium heat,stirring constantly until mixture boils.
• Reduce heat to low,cook stirring occanionally to 234 degrees (soft ball stage).
• Remove from heat.
• Add butter and vanilla.
• DO NOT STIR.
• Cool at room temperature to 160 degrees.
• Add pecans,Beat with wooden spoon just until mixture begins to thicken (about 1-2 minutes) but is still glossy.
• Quickly drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
• Cool.
• Store covered.

CHOCOLATE PRALINE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a heavy saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup whipping cream and brown sugar.
• Cook over low heat just until butter is melted, stirring occasionally.
• Pour into two 9-inch round cake pans; sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans.
• In a large bowl, combine remaining cake ingredients at low speed until moistened; beat 2 minutes at high speed.
• Carefully spoon batter over pecan mixture around edges of pan; spoon remaining batter in center of pans.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, or until done.
• Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.
• In a small bowl, beat 1 1/4 cup whipping cream until soft peaks form.
• Blend in powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form.
• To assemble cake, place 1 layer on serving plate, praline side up.
• Spread with half of whipped cream.
• Top with second layer, praline side up; spread top with remaining whipped cream.
• Garnish with pecan halves and chocolate curls if desired.
• Store in refrigerator.