Ultimate Death by Chocolate Brownie Cake

Ingredients

• Chocolate Cake Mix (any chocolate flavor)
• Brownie Mix (13×9 Family Size)
• 2 cans of chocolate frosting (any chocolate flavor – dark, milk, fudge…etc)
• 5 eggs (for the cake and brownie mix)
• Veg oil (for the mixes)
• One 12oz package of Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• Two (or three) 8″ round pans

Make the Cake & the Brownie:

1. Make the chocolate cake according to the box. Pour batter evenly into two lightly greased 8″ round pans and bake at 350 degrees for 32-37 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a plate to cool completely.

2. Make the brownie mix according to the package. Pour entire brownie batter into one (1) lightly greased 8″ round pan. Make sure the brownie pan is the same size as the cake pans that you used!  Bake the brownie at 350 degrees for 25-27 minutes. Watch the brownies carefully as not to overcook them but make sure they aren’t completely doughy in the center.Cool in pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a plate to cool completely. I found it was easiest to remove the brownie carefully using a wide spatula underneath.

Assemble the Cake:

3. Pick the plate you want the cake to be displayed on and start with one (1) cake layer. Frost the top of the cake layer with about 1/3 of one of the frosting containers. Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on that layer. (Note: Any chopped up candy – Reese’s, M&Ms, Heath Bits etc can be substituted for the chocolate chips to add another flavor!) Carefully place the brownie layer on top of the cake layer.

4. Frost the top of the brownie layer with about 1/3 of one of the frosting containers. Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on that layer. Carefully place the 2nd cake layer on top of the brownie layer. Carefully frost the top of the cake with the remaining 1/3 of the frosting container.

5. Spread the entire 2nd container of frosting on the sides and top of the cake. BEFORE THE FROSTING SETS, you need to apply the chocolate chips to the outside. Take a handful of chocolate chips at a time and firmly press against the side of the cake until most of the chips stick. Some chips will fall to the plate and you will use those to fill in the holes.

6. Repeat this process around the entire cake. Take the fallen chips and the chips that you have left and fill in the holes and sprinkle on top.

7. That’s it!  You will be the hit of the birthday, holiday or occasion!!  Enjoy! Look at the inside brownie layer!!!  To Die For!!!

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Cranberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Cranberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake
Serves 6-8

• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• the zest from 1 orange zest
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• ½ cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with orange zest and 1 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the cranberries with 2 tablespoons of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the cranberries.

4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes, then check for doneness by touching the top gently or by inserting a toothpick. If necessary, return pan to oven, check every five minutes or so — it took my cake a little bit over 45 minutes to cook. (Note: Baking for as long as 50 minutes might be necessary, especially if you made the batter in advance.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Store batter in a tupperware overnight, then transfer to prepared pan in the morning.

Source: http://www.alexandracooks.com

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Red Velvet Cake with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 
  3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs 
• 3 tablespoons red liquid food coloring
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add food coloring and vanilla, beating until blended.
2. 2. Whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Spoon batter into 4 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans.
3. 3. Bake all pans at the same time, with 2 pans on top rack and 2 pans on bottom rack, at 350° for 10 minutes; rotate pans, and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
4. 4. Spread about 1 cup Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting between cake layers; spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake.
5. http://www.myrecipes.com

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2 Minutes Chocolate Mug Cake

Salted Caramel Mug CakeWhat you’ll need: {makes 1 mug cake}
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg – beaten
3 tablespoons skim milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 salted caramels

What to do: 1. Into a small bowl add: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, egg, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix to combine.

2. Pour mixture into a regular sized coffee mug. Drop caramels into center of mixture one at a time.

3. Microwave on high for one minute and 30 seconds. If needed {if cake batter is still gooey}, microwave on high for up to an additional 30 seconds.

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Tiramisu cake

Ingredients:

2 ready made round sponges (21cm diameter and about 3-4cm thick) 
1,5 package lady-fingers biscuits
1 tbsp good quality cocoa powder (I used Dutch-processed) 

Tiramisu cream:
250g mascarpone,
250ml heavy cream,
3 eggs,
100ml Kahlua (any coffee liqueur or Irish Cream would work well)
1 leaf gelatine (you can add 1 more leaf for stronger texture or for the summer time),
1/2 cup caster sugar,
1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla essence,


Soak gelatine leaf in cold water. Set aside.
Put the mascarpone in a small bowl and gently fold in the liqueur and vanilla seeds (or vanilla essence). Set aside.
Put the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar on a double boiler and whisk until sugar dissolved and mixture is hot on touch. Remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy then gently fold in the mascarpone mixture.
Whip the cream until soft peaks and fold in the mascarpone mixture. 
Drain the water from the gelatine and dissolve it in microwave or over a double boiler.
Whip the egg whites until soft peaks, continuing whipping slowly add the dissolved gelatine and whip until glossy. Slowly fold in the mascarpone mixture. 


Syrup:

100ml strong espresso,
4 tbsp sugar,
50ml Kahlua.

Mix all ingredients and stir until sugar dissolved. Allow to cool. 

To assemble:
Put one circle of sponge on the bottom of 23cm spring-form cake pan. Arrange lady-finger biscuits around the sides of the pan. Moist the sponge with prepared syrup then cover with the half of mascarpone cream. Cover with second sponge, moist it with the syrup then cover with the remaining mascarpone cream. Dust over with the cocoa powder. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. 

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Tuxedo Cake

Tuxedo Cake makes a three tiered 8 or 9 inch cake
Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 cups water
1 cup canola oil
4 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour three 8 or 9 inch cake pans. Place a round of parchment paper in the bottom of each pan.

Place butter, water and oil in a small saucepan and heat until butter is melted. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa powder and flour. Pour melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until incorporated and smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, incorporating eggs between each addition. Whisk in buttermilk. Add baking soda, salt and vanilla and give it one more whisk to combine all the ingredients. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cakes cool in their pans for about 20 minutes. Invert them onto a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:
4 cups heavy cream, chilled thoroughly
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Place heavy cream into a large mixing bowl and whip on medium-high power with an electric mixer. Once soft peaks have formed add powdered sugar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks have formed.

Frost cooled cake and chill in the fridge for at least a hour before glazing.

For the chocolate glaze:
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract

Place chocolate in a small heat proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering. Immediately pour cream over the chocolate and let sit for at least 20 seconds. Whisk together mixture until chocolate and cream are completely incorporated. Add in corn syrup and vanilla. Pour glaze into a liquid measuring cup, small pitcher, or anything with a pouring spout. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Remove the cake from the fridge and pour chocolate glaze over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Move quickly because the frosting will start to melt a bit. Immediately return the fridge to set, at least an hour. Top with chocolate covered strawberries if desired.

Recipe from The Pastry Queen

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Pink Velvet Roulade

Pink Velvet Roulade
serves 8-10                                                                                                                

Cake: 
4 eggs
3/4 cup extra fine granulated sugar
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 drop or small dab of Wilton rose gel food coloring (Americolor pink would also work)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 jelly-roll pan with white vegetable shortening and line with parchment; grease parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with a hand mixer for 5 full minutes - set a timer if you need to!  Properly whipped eggs will lighten in color considerably and have the appearance of yellow cake batter.

With the mixer still running, slowly add sugar and oil to the whipped eggs.  Next, add buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract and food coloring (add food coloring a little at a time until desired color is achieved).  

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  Slowly add to the liquid ingredients.  Mix until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and tilt pan to distribute batter evenly.

Sprinkle a cotton tea towel with powdered sugar and rub sugar into the towel with your hands.  Terry-cloth towels and towels with texture (such as waffle pattern) are NOT ideal for making cake rolls.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Check at 12 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back when pressed with fingers. 


When cake is baked turn it out onto the tea towel - do this without delay! Peel off parchment and immediately roll cake into the tea towel, beginning at the narrow end.  Roll tightly and as evenly as possible.  Place rolled cake on a wire rack seam-side down and let cool completely.

Swiss buttercream filling:
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg white (use two whites if your eggs are small)
12 tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 US sticks)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk egg white(s) and sugar together in a large heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water.  Whisk constantly until the sugar melts into the egg white. Check consistency by rubbing a bit between two fingers.  If sugar granules remain, keep heating/whisking.

When sugar and egg white are blended, transfer to a stand mixer.  Whip until the mixtures doubles in size.  Add vanilla extract, and then whip in softened butter a little at a time until mixture has thickened to buttercream icing consistency.

Assembly:
Carefully unwrap/unroll velvet cake, allowing the most tightly rolled end to curl slightly (see video).  Frost inside with Swiss buttercream and roll cake tightly.  Cut into pieces with a serrated knife and serve.

Pretty when garnished with sweetened whipped cream and glace' or maraschino cherries.

sprinklebakes.com

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Cherry-Vanilla Layer Cake

Serves 8-10                                                                                                   

Maraschino Cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice

2 teaspoons almond extract

2 tablespoons flour for sprinkling over diced cherries

10 oz bottle maraschino cherries, finely chopped
Drop or two of red food coloring, or Americolor Deep Pink food coloring gel *optional

4 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

1. Preheat oven to 340 degrees.  Grease two 7” spring-form pans (or one 9”) and line with parchment paper.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy.   In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder .  Combine milk,cherry juice and almond extract, and add alternately to the butter and sugar with the flour mixture.
3. In a small bowl, sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour over the diced cherries and stir until the flour has been completely absorbed.  Note: It’s okay if the cherries still have a little juice on them after this. 
4. Stir cherries into the batter.  Stir in food coloring if desired
5. Fold stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter.  Pour into prepared cake pans and bake for 50-60 minutes.   Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting:

5 egg whites

1 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature

3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract

1. Set a saucepan filled one-third full of water over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a large heatproof bowl. Set over the simmering water and whisk until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar has dissolved.
3. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
4. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase to medium-high until stiff peaks are formed.
5. Continue beating at medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy and has cooled (the mixing bowl should feel cool to the touch).
6. Turn the mixer off and switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle. Turn the mixer on medium-low and add the butter, a few cubes at a time, beating until well incorporated before the next addition.
7. Add the vanilla extract.  Divide batter and tint with food coloring, if desired.  I kept a little un-tinted frosting out to pipe around the edges of the cake. To achieve my favoriteblue/green tint, I used a dot each of Sky Blue and Kelly Green Wilton gel food colorings.
8. Beat until the frosting is thick and completely smooth.
9. Store in an airtight container until ready for use. 

Note: The heart topper is a piece of gum paste with a piece of clean, unused floral wire inserted through the center. The surface was brushed with corn syrup and dipped in multicolored sprinkles.

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Bittersweet Chocolate Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, grated or broken into small pieces
• 3 Tbsp water (or more if needed)
• 12 eggs, separated
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 3 1/2 sticks (3/4 lb plus 4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
• Powdered sugar

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Add a few tablespoons of sugar and gently shake so that all the sides and bottom of the pan are coated with sugar. Tap out excess sugar.

2 Beat egg yolks with the granulated sugar until they are thick and pale yellow and form a ribbon when they fall from the beater.

3 Place chocolate and 3 Tbsp of water in the top of a double boiler. Melt over simmering water, whisking until smooth. If the chocolate gets too thick, and looks like it will firm up, whisk in a tablespoon or more of water. Let cool slightly. 

4 Fold the warm chocolate into the egg mixture. Stir in the softened butter. Stir in the grated orange peel. Fold in the sifted flour. Mix thoroughly but gently.

5 Beat egg whites until stiff. (See this wonderful explanation ofwhisking egg whites taken from La Bonne Cuisine de Madame Sant-Ange.) Stir a large spoonful of the chocolate mixture into the beaten egg whites. Mix well. Pour this mixture into the chocolate mixture, fold together gently, incorporating the whites completely. Be careful at this stage not to overmix.

6 Turn batter into the springform pan. It will come close to the top of the pan. Set the pan on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove the outer rim. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate.

7 When ready to serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 20 small, but quite rich, servings.

simplyrecipes.com

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