The Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Three Layer Cake Food

BEST-EVER CHOCOLATE FUDGE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Chop 2 oz. chocolate. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with mixer until blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into 2 (9-inch) round pans sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans. Invert onto wire racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.
• Microwave COOL WHIP and remaining chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 min. to thicken.
• Stack cake layers on plate, filling and frosting with COOL WHIP mixture. Sprinkle with nuts.

MEGA MAGICAL 7 LAYER CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch-round cake pans with butter and line with parchment paper.
• Place the sugar and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, one by one, until completely incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and buttermilk and continue mixing until combined.
• Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mix together the coffee and warm water. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the coffee mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until you don't see any lumps and a thin batter has formed.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set on the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• For the dark chocolate mousse: Place the dark chocolate in a large bowl and set aside. Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit for 3 minutes.
• Remove the towel and slowly whisk the ganache until it's smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool to about room temperature.
• Meanwhile, whip the remaining cup of heavy cream to stiff peaks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or by hand. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-fourth of the whipped cream into the cooled ganache to lighten the consistency, then fold that mixture into the remaining whipped cream until almost completely combined with just a few streaks. Add the vanilla and salt and gently fold until combined into a light, fluffy mousse.
• For the chocolate fudge buttercream frosting: Place the sugar, hot fudge, cocoa powder, butter, milk, vanilla extract and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed to combine. When the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until the buttercream is smooth and satiny, 8 to 10 minutes.
• For the chocolate royal icing: Place the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder and water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until the icing holds stiff peaks, 5 to 8 minutes. If it seems too soft, add more confectioners' sugar in 1 tablespoon increments. If it is too stiff, add a bit more water, drop by drop. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
• For the white chocolate ganache: Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit for 3 minutes.
• Remove the towel and slowly whisk the ganache until it's smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool to about room temperature, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
• To assemble, level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife or cake leveler. Spread half of the mousse over the top of one cake layer. Stack the second layer and repeat. Add the third cake layer and frost the top and sides with a thin coat of the buttercream. Refrigerate until the frosting is firm, 20 to 30 minutes.
• When the cake is ready, frost the top and sides with a thicker layer of the buttercream and refrigerate again until very firm, about 1 hour.
• When the cake is almost ready, lightly dust your work area with cornstarch and roll the fondant into a circle about 20-inches wide and 1/8-inch thick. Drape the rolled fondant over the cake and, using a fondant smoother or your hands, lightly press and smooth it onto the cake, working your way from the top down the sides. Pop any air bubbles with a cake tester or toothpick and continue to smooth the surface.
• Trim any excess fondant from the base of the cake with a pizza cutter. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom half of the cake with the piping gel, then cover it with chocolate sprinkles.
• Pipe a scalloped border around the edge with the chocolate royal icing. Pipe little rosettes of the white chocolate ganache around the cake and press 1 hazelnut truffle onto each. Continue to pipe and decorate with the royal icing, white chocolate ganache and hazelnut truffles to your liking.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE AND GOLDEN LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (9-inch) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together 3 times and set aside.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix until blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing after each addition until blended. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix.
• With the mixer running at low speed, and working in alternating batches, add the dry ingredients and the milk to the butter mixture, mixing just to combine after each addition. Mix until just smooth. Pour into 2 cake pans. Bake until risen, golden, and firm to the touch, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans.
• For the frosting: In a mixer with a whip attachment, cream the butter well. Add the confectioners' sugar gradually. Add the melted chocolate, then the vanilla. Add the milk by spoonfuls until you have reached a fudgy yet spreadable consistency.
• Once the cakes have cooled, place 1 layer on a serving platter and cover the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top of that but bottom-side up, to create a nice flat top. Press down to secure the layer. Frost the top and sides using a swirling motion. Or if you want it to look more professional, do a crumb layer of frosting, chill, then do a topcoat.

THE ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE FUDGE THREE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• For cake: Combine water and chocolate in small saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Beat 2/3 cup shortening until creamy; gradually add 1 3/4 cups sugar, beating well and scrapping down edges of bowl.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Sift 2 1/2 cups flour, soda, and 1/2 tsp salt; add to cake batter, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Add cooled chocolate mixture and 1 tsp vanilla; mix just until blended.
• Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch layer pans.
• Bake at 350* for 17-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool in pans on wire wracks for 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wracks.
• For filling: Place 1/4 cup flour in small saucepan; gradually stir in milk.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick.
• Remove from heat and let cool completely.
• Beat butter and 1/2 cup shortening until creamy; gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating well.
• Add 1 Tbsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt, and milk mixture; beat until smooth.
• Spread filling between cake layers.
• For frosting: Combine 3 cups sugar, 3/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup butter, 3 ounces chocolate in a medium saucepan.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts.
• Cook over medium heat until mixture boils; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Beat at high speed of electric mixer until frosting is of spreading consistency.
• Immediately spread on cake.
• Garnish with chocolate shavings.

THE VERY BEST CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch-round by 2-inch-high cake pans with softened butter; dust pans with flour and knock out excess. Combine chocolate, cocoa powder, and hot water in medium heatproof bowl; set bowl over saucepan containing 1 inch of simmering water and stir with rubber spatula until chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup sugar to chocolate mixture and stir until thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool.
• 2. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in small bowl. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk eggs and yolks on medium-low speed until combined, about 10 seconds. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, increase speed to high, and whisk until fluffy and lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Replace whisk with paddle attachment. Add cooled chocolate mixture to egg/sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated, 30 to 45 seconds, pausing to scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add softened butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing about 10 seconds after each addition. Add about one-third of flour mixture followed by half of buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated after each addition (about 15 seconds). Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture (batter may appear separated). Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; smooth batter to edges of pan with spatula.
• 3. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Cool cakes to room temperature before frosting, 45 to 60 minutes.