Cook Shares Tips For Award-Winning Chocolate Cake

14 Cool and Unusual Beds

Photo Courtesy of Toxel.com

Chocolate Cake Bed!

14 Cool and Unusual Beds: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

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DOUBLE DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

chocolate barometer cake – how to test your new kitchen | wee eats

DOUBLE DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE
– Adapted from Ina Garten

1 ¾ C all-purpose flour
2 C sugar
¾ C cocoa powder
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 C buttermilk, shaken
½ C vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C hot coffee (I used espresso)
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans – Line with parchment, then butter and flour the pans (or I used “PAM for Baking”).

1. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.

2. In another bowl or large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla, gently whisk.

3. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine – scrape up from the bottom to catch any pesky flour mixture hiding below.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack to complete cooling.

Chocolate Buttercream:

6 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature (I omitted this because raw egg does not excite me)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 – 1 ¼ C confectioners’ sugar, to taste

1. Chop the chocolate and place it in a double boiler (or heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water). Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on med-high speed until pale and fluffy.

3. Add the egg yolk (if using) and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes.

4. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Don’t whip!

Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

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Photos Courtesy of Wee Bakes

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Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

Photo Courtesy of Kirbie's Kitchen

Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Torte | Kirbie's Cravings | A San Diego food blog sharing restaurant reviews and recipes

Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Torte
[Adapted from Sugarlaws]

Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp raw hazelnuts
7 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3.5 ounces dark chocolate (60 or 70% cacoa)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 9-inch tart dish or cake pan and line with alumnum foil.

2. Toast the hazelnuts in the oven or in a nonstick saute pan on medium
heat for 5 minutes. Cool for a few minutes, then place the nuts in a
food processor and pulse until the nuts become powder, with a
flour-like texture. (I used ground hazelnuts so I skipped this step)

3. Break the chocolate into pieces, and microwave it with the buter for
1 minute on high. Stir it — if
the chocolate is not melted or close, repeat. Once everything is
melted, stir in the cocoa powder.

4. Mix together the the sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until
blended. Add the hazelnut powder and chocolate/butter mixture and fold
them into the batter.

5. Pour the batter into a 9 inch round pan and bake for about 25 minutes (a toothpick inserted
into the cake will come out with wet crumbs). Cool to room temperature
on a rack.

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Three Ingredient Chocolate Cake

PhotoCourtesy of Kirbie's Cravings

Three Ingredient Chocolate Cake | Kirbie's Cravings | A San Diego food blog sharing restaurant reviews and recipes

Three Ingredient Chocolate Cake

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 22 mins
Total time: 32 mins

Ingredients

4 eggs
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (you can use semisweet if you prefer a sweeter chocolate)
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of an 6 or 7-inch springform pan with parchment paper or waxed paper and grease the sides of the pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil and set it in a large roasting pan. Bring a kettle or pot of water to boil.
In a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at high speed until the volume doubles (about 5 minutes).
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and butter together. I put them in a glass bowl and put it in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between until the mixture is melted and smooth. Then fold about a third of the beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture using a large rubber spatula until no streaks of egg are visible. Then fold in another third of the egg mixture, and then the last third of the egg mixture.
Scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Place the roasting pan on the oven rack and pour in enough boiling water to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the springform pan from the water bath and set on a wire rack; cool to room temperature.

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Avocado Chocolate Cake

Photos Courtesy of Kirbie's Cake

Avocado Chocolate Cake | Kirbie's Cravings | A San Diego food blog sharing restaurant reviews and recipes:

Avocado Chocolate Cake

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 50 mins
Total time: 1 hour 5 mins
Ingredients

Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soft avocado, well mashed (About one avocado. I put mine in a food processor to ensure there weren’t any lumps)
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate ganache frosting
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Use Pam Spray with flour and spray an 8-10 cup bundt pan. Set aside.
Sift together all of the dry ingredients except the sugar.
Mix all the wet ingredients together in a bowl, including the mashed avocado.
Add sugar into the wet mix and stir.
Mix the wet with the dry all at once, and beat with a whisk (by hand) until smooth.
Pour batter into a greased cake pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
To make the chocolate ganache frosting, combine chopped chocolate and heavy cream in a glass bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. If it isn’t hot enough to melt the chocolate, microwave for about 10-15 more seconds.
Let chocolate ganache cool for a few minutes. Then put into piping bag and pipe chocolate ganache along the lines of the bundt cake. I then added some Valrhona pearls.

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Easycooking: Death by Chocolate Cake

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Easycooking: Death by Chocolate Cake: "Death by Chocolate Cake

Main Ingredients required

Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Whipped Cream [Filling]
Chocolate Ganache
Soaking Syrup

Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake
Recipe source - Hershey's
Ingredients
Sugar - 2 cups
Flour - 1 3/4 cups
Cocoa Powder - 3/4 cup[I used Cadbury's]
Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Eggs - 2
Milk - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Oil - 1/2 cup
Boiling water - 1 cup
Method:
Preheat oven to 175C.Grease and line two 9' round cake tins.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Chocolate Whipped Cream
Recipe source - Dorie Greenspan's BFMHTY
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate - 3oz [approximately 85gms]
Heavy Cream - 2 cups [I used 400 ml Amul Cream]
Sugar - 2-3 tbsp
Method:
In a thick bottomed saucepan boil the cream along with the sugar.
In a big mixing bowl add the chopped chocolate and the boiling cream and mix well using a whisk.
Let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.
[The cream whips well if it is refrigerated for 4 hours or more,better still refrigerate it for 24 hours].
If you have refrigerated it for only 4 hours,it is better to whip it using an ice-bath otherwise,beat the cream well using a hand held mixer until it starts forming soft peaks.
Keep refrigerated until use.

Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate - 200 gms[I used Morde]
Cream - 200 ml[I used Amul]
Method:
Chop the chocolate and keep aside.
Heat the cream until it starts boiling,add to the chocolate and stir well using a whisk.
Let it come to room temperature and then refrigerate it.
Ganache thickens as it cools down,so if it has become too thick to be poured on top of the cake as a glaze,microwave it using 10 second spurts until it becomes the required consistency.

Soaking Syrup
Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water along with a tsp rum or vanilla and mix well.refrigerate till required.

Assembling the cake
Poke small holes on the cakes using a toothpick and using a pastry brush,apply the soaking syrup all over.
Sandwich the cooled cakes using the chocolate whipped cream and crumb coat the cake.Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Apply the cream on top and sides to cover the cake completely.
Pour the ganache glaze on top and tilt the cake slightly so that it is equally distributed on top of the cake.
Make a spidey web pattern on top using the cream.
Pipe swirls on the sides of the cake using the ganache.
Serve chilled.

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Many thanks divyascookbook!

Quickies: : Classic Chocolate Cake and Coconut Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting

Chocolate Almond Cake Recipe

Photo Courtesy of hotpolkadot.com

Chocolate Almond Cake Recipe | The White Library

INGREDIENTS:

2 cup unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean
2 heaping cup almonds, blanched and toasted
2 2/3 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup flour
12 large egg whites
6 tbsp granulated sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup Almond Butter for filling
Sliced almonds for garnish
Chocolate covered almonds for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Butter two 9 inch spring form or cake pans then fit the bottom of each with a circle of parchment paper and butter that as well.

Slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the edge of the knife. Combine the vanilla seeds, empty pod and butter in a small sauce pan then melt it on medium heat. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes until the foam subsides, the butter turns amber brown and it smells nutty. Take it off the heat and set it aside to cool to room temperature.

Combine the toasted almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor and grind it until the almonds are finely ground. Blend in the flour until the mixture is consistent.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment beat the egg whites and granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Alternate folding the almond mixture and browned butter into the egg whites in thirds until the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans and bake them for 30 – 40 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer then to a cooling rack and let them sit for 10 – 15 minutes in their pans. Turn them out of their pans and let them cool completely before frosting.

While the cakes are cooling make the Whipped Ganache Frosting.

Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set it aside. Combine the cream and butter in a small sauce pan and heat it on medium heat until the butter melts and the cream just reaches a boil. Pour it over the chocolate and let it sit covered for a few minutes before stirring it until it’s smooth.

Let the ganache reach room temperature before whipping it with an electric mixer until it lightens in colour and before light and fluffy. Fill a small pastry bag fitted with a round tip with about a cup of the frosting.

To assemble the cake place the bottom layer on a cake plate. Pipe a circle of frosting around the inside edge of the cake to act as a dam to keep the Almond Butter it. Fill that ring with a generous helping of Almond Butter and place the other cake layer on top. Liberally frost the cake with the rest of the Whipped Chocolate Ganache. Decorate the finished cake with flowers made of chocolate covered almonds and sliced almonds.

Enjoy!

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Many thanksWhiteLibrary.com and HotPolkaDot.com!

Mile High German Chocolate Cake

Photo Courtesy of Galley Gourmet

The Galley Gourmet: Sunday Dinner

Mile High German Chocolate Cake
serves 12-16

For the cake
6 oz milk chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed Cocoa powder
2/3 cup boiling water
2 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 extra large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream (regular or reduced fat, not fat free), at room temperature

For the filling
12 oz can fat-free evaporated milk
5 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
7 0z sweetened flaked coconut

For the syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

For the icing
8 oz dark chocolate
2 tablespoons corn syrup
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz ) unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

For the cake
Adjust the rack to lower-middle position and heat to 350ºF. Line two 9' cake pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick baking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the chocolate, cocoa, and boiling water until smooth; set aside to cool. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until light in color, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with sour cream. Mix just until combined.

Evenly pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert them on a wire rack to cool completely. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 2 days.

For the filling
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Spread pecans and coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the nuts are toasted and the coconut is light golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the milk, cornstarch, butter, brown sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until bubbling, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook until mixture is thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Stir in the pecans and coconut and set aside to cool to room temperature.

For the syrup
Heat the water and sugar in a small sauce pan until the sugar is melted. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate liqueur. Set aside to cool.

For the icing
Place the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter in a medium bowl. Heat the heavy cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute, then stir until smooth and completely melted. Set aside to cool completely. Mixture will thicken as it cools.

To assemble
Slice the cake layers in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Brush with some of the syrup. Spread 1/4 of the filling on the cake. Place another cake layer on top and repeat with the syrup filling and cake layers. Spread the sides of the cake with the cooled icing and pipe rosettes of icing around the edges of the cake. Enjoy!

Source: Cake and filling adapted from Cook's Country, syrup and icing from David Lebovtiz

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Many thanks Galley Gourmet!

Coconut-Nut-Chocolate Cake:ANother quickie for the night!

YUMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!