Wedding Cake Rich Dark Chocolate Cake Food

WEDDING CAKE - RICH DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter, double-line and wrap the sides of the 30cm deep-round cake tin as before. Put the butter and chocolate into a medium saucepan, then stir over a low heat until melted and smooth. Stir in the coffee and vanilla.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into the biggest bowl you have. Add the sugar, breaking down any lumps with your fingertips if necessary. Beat the eggs and soured cream together in a jug or bowl and pour into the flour mix. Pour in the melted chocolate mix as well, then stir with a wooden spoon until you have a thick, even chocolaty batter.
• Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 2½ hrs - don't open the oven door before 2 hrs is up, as this will cause the cake to sink. Once cooked, leave in the tin to cool completely. The unfilled cake will keep for up to four days, wrapped as before, or frozen for a month.

DARK CHOCOLATE WEDDING CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ORANGE GANACHE AND ORANGE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preparing The Cake:
• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 350° F. and line 2 buttered 7- by 2-inch round cake pans and 2 buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pans with rounds of wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Put cocoa powder in a bowl and whisk in boiling water in a stream until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate and let stand 5 minutes. Stir mixture until smooth and chocolate is melted and cool mixture. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl of a standing electric mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down side of bowl. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until batter is combined well.
• Pour 2 cups batter into each 7-inch pan and smooth tops. Divide remaining batter between 9-inch pans (about 33/4 cups each) and smooth tops. In middle and lower thirds of oven arrange one 9-inch layer and one 7-inch layer on each rack, putting 7-inch layers in front part of oven. Bake 7-inch layers 25 to 30 minutes and 9-inch layers 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto racks. Peel off paper and cool cakes completely. Cake layers may be made 2 days ahead and kept at cool room temperature, wrapped well in plastic wrap, or 2 weeks ahead and frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil. Defrost cake layers (without unwrapping) at room temperature.
• Make ganache:
• In a small saucepan bring cream just to a boil. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, butter, zest, and liqueur. Let ganache stand 3 minutes and whisk until chocolate is melted. Chill ganache just until cool, about 40 minutes.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat ganache just until light and fluffy before using (do not overbeat or it will become grainy).
• Assemble cake:
• Put one 9-inch layer on 8-inch cardboard round and spread evenly with 2 cups ganache. Top with remaining 9-inch layer and gently press layers together to form an even tier. Put one 7-inch layer on 6-inch cardboard round and top with remaining ganache and remaining 7-inch layer in same manner.
• Frost top and sides of 9-inch tier with some buttercream and chill while frosting 7-inch tier. Chill both tiers until buttercream is firm.
• Cut straws in half and insert 1 straw piece all the way into center of 9-inch tier. Trim straw flush with top of tier and insert remaining 5 straw pieces in same manner in a circle about 1 1/2 inches from center straw. Center 7-inch tier (still on cardboard) on top of 9-inch tier. Fill in any gaps between tiers with buttercream and transfer cake to a cake stand or platter. Chill cake at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
• Arrange fraises des bois and roses decoratively on top and around sides of cake. Let cake stand at cool room temperature (buttercream is sensitive to warm temperatures) 2 to 4 hours before serving. Serves about 30 (including top tier).
• Preparing The Orange Buttercream:
• Make orange curd:
• In a small heavy saucepan whisk together yolks and sugar and whisk in orange juice, butter, and a pinch salt. Cook mixture over moderately low heat, whisking, until it just reaches boiling point, 5 to 7 minutes (do not let boil), and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Whisk in lemon juice and cool curd, its surface covered with plastic wrap. Chill orange curd, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.
• Make buttercream:
• In a heavy saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, undisturbed, until it registers 248° F. on a candy thermometer. While syrup is boiling, in large bowl of a standing electric mixer beat whites with a pinch salt until foamy and beat in cream of tartar. Beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks and beat in hot syrup in a stream (try to avoid beaters and side of bowl). Beat mixture at medium speed until completely cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Beat in butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until thickened and smooth. (Buttercream will at first appear very thin and at some point look like it is breaking but, as more butter is beaten in, it will thicken and become glossy and smooth.) Beat in orange curd, salt, and zest until smooth. Buttercream may be made 4 days ahead and chilled in an airtight container or 2 weeks ahead and frozen in an airtight container. Bring buttercream completely to room temperature (this may take several hours if frozen) and beat before using. (If buttercream is too cold when beaten it will not be glossy and smooth.) Makes about 8 cups.

RICH DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Sift Dry ingred seperate bowl.
• Mix wet ingreds sperate bowl.
• Then add all ingred together and with electric handheld blender mix 2 - 3 minutes Pour into lined and greased cake tin (8"round is good) and bake 175 degrees celcius for 35-45 minutes
• Icing 1 cup icing sugar, 2T cocoa, 1T butter and 1 1/2 T boiling water (may need extra) and blend using knife until smooth.
• Cake needs to be cooled in fridge before eating to blend flavours.

MOIST AND RICH HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CAKE!

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut parchment paper circles to fit three 9 inch cake pans, or 2 larger cake pans (depending on the size and style of cake you want to create).
• Alternatively, this recipe will make about 3 1/2 dozen cupcakes, using muffins tins lined with cupcake papers.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Set aside.
• Whisk the cocoa and coffee together until smooth (no lumps).
• Set aside.
• In a large mixer bowl, cream butter (about 1 minute), add oil, beat for one minute.
• Add sugars, beat for 10 minutes.
• Add eggs, beat 5 minutes.
• Add vanilla, beat until blended.
• Alternately add coffee and cocoa mixture and dry ingredients into butter mixture, mixing after each addition, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl often.
• Pour into prepared pans.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• If making cupcakes, bake for about 20 minutes.
• Spread frosting over layers, and frost entire cake.
• Another delicious idea is to melt jam until it's syrup consistency (if using raspberry jam, make sure you strain it!) and brush the tops of the layers with the melted jam before frosting them.

RICH & MOIST DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE (USES CAKE MIX)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8" pans with cooking spray (or spray bundt pan).
• Blend together cake mix, oil, water, eggs, and sour cream in large bowl on low speed for 1 minute then medium high speed for 2 minutes.
• Stir in chocolate chips by hand then pour batter evenly into pans.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes (or 40 minutes for bundt pan) until done. Remove from oven & let cool in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pans.
• Cool completely before frosting.

DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Grease and flour two 9 inch round baking pans or one 13x9 inch pan.
• In large mixer bowl, stir together dry ingredients.
• Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Stir in boiling water by hand (batter will be thin). NOTE: I have tried it with 1/2 cup, 2/3 cup and 3/4 cup boiling water and we prefer it with less than 1 cup water. I usually use between 2/3 & 3/4 cups. The cake is still very moist but it doesn't seem to "fall" as much as it cools. This might have to do with our high humidity or brand of flour or other factors so I don't know if it will work for everyone.
• Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round 9-inch pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (Do not use 8-inch pans or the batter will overflow.).
• Because they have a tendency to overflow if you fill them more than 2/3 full, I usually get about 27-28 cupcakes per batch. Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes.
• Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire racks.
• Please note: baking cocoa isn't hot chocolate drink mix! Baking cocoa contains no sugar and it is found on the baking aisle. Chocolate drink mixes that you add to milk or water to drink WILL NOT work in this recipe.

ULTIMATE DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 1. Measure and sift all the dry ingredients (first six) in a medium size bowl,
• stir and set aside.
• 2. Mix eggs and oil in mixing bowl.
• 3. Add vanilla and coffee.
• 4. Alternate mixed dry ingredients and half & half mixing in between.
• 5. Pour batter into greased pans and bake. Cupcakes use liners no grease.
• Either two 9 inch round cake pans for 20 minutes or
• one 9x13 inch pan longer - 30 minutes ? check after 25 or
• 24 cupcake (use 1/3 cup of batter for each) 17 minutes or.
• 48 mini cupcakes (use slightly less than 1/4 cup batter) 15 minutes.