Chocolate Covered Celebration Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Combine the first seven ingredients; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Transfer to two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans., Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 28-32 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a large bowl, cream butter, confectioner's sugar and cocoa until light and fluffy. Beat in milk until smooth. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake., For ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. Heat cream just to a boil; pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over top of cake, allowing ganache to drape down the sides. Arrange strawberries on top of cake. If desired, brush jam onto strawberries.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Prepare cake batter and bake in 2 (9-inch) round pans as directed on package. Cool cakes in pans 10 min. Invert onto wire racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.
• Microwave chocolate and butter in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 min. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP.
• Place 1 cake layer on plate; spread with cream cheese mixture. Top with cookie crumbs and remaining cake layer. Spread top with chocolate glaze; let stand 10 min. or until firm. Decorate with icing. Keep refrigerated.

Steps:

• In 1-quart saucepan, mix 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar and 3/4 cup water. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes. In small bowl, place cranberries. Pour syrup over berries; stir to blend. Refrigerate, uncovered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Remove berries from refrigerator and drain; discard liquid. In small bowl, place remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Working with a few berries at a time, roll one by one in the sugar to completely coat. Place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour or until dry. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, beat Cake ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour 1 2/3 cups of the batter in each pan.
• Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In large bowl, beat marshmallow creme, softened butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in powdered sugar until fluffy. If necessary, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time, until spreading consistency.
• Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread 3/4 cup frosting on top; top with second cake layer. Spread 3/4 cup frosting on top; top with third cake layer. Frost sides with a thin layer of frosting so sides are covered but cake still shows through. Spread remaining frosting on top.
• Place sugared cranberries around base of cake, and press in slightly to adhere to frosting. Place remaining cranberries on top, mounding in center of cake; garnish with sprigs of rosemary. Loosely cover and refrigerate any remaining cake.

Steps:

• To make the layers for the cake, heat oven to 350. Grease and line three 10-by-14-inch jellyroll pans with parchment paper. (If you only have one, you can make the layers separately.)
• Put a medium-size pot with a few inches of water in it over medium heat, and bring it to a simmer. Place a large, heatproof bowl on top of the pot, making sure that the base of the bowl is not touching the water. Put the chocolate in the bowl, and melt it over the simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the heat, and set aside to cool slightly.
• Put the egg yolks and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Mix for about 3 minutes, until thick and pale, and then gently fold the mixture into the melted chocolate. Stir until almost combined, and set aside.
• Put the egg whites in the clean bowl of an electric mixer with a clean whisk attachment. Beat at high speed until soft peaks form, and then gently fold them into the chocolate, followed by the brandy.
• Divide the chocolate mixture between the 3 jellyroll pans (or pour a third of the mix into one, if you're baking in 3 batches). Use a spatula to even out the tops or top, and place in the oven. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, until firm to touch and a skewer inserted in comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
• Once the cakes have cooled, place a sheet of parchment on a sheet pan, and set it over one of the finished spongecakes, then flip the whole thing over, so the sheet pan is now sitting under the cake. Remove the jellyroll pan and the used paper. Repeat with the remaining cakes, placing each on a clean sheet of parchment paper and stacking them. Wrap them well with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 24 hours.
• To make the ganache, place white chocolate in a large bowl and set aside. Add the cream to a medium saucepan with a heavy base and place it on medium-low heat. Cook until just starting to simmer, and then pour it over the chocolate. Allow to sit for 3 minutes or so, until the chocolate has softened, and then gently stir until the chocolate is melted and fully combined with the cream. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (or for up to 3 days).
• To assemble the cake, put the ganache into the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Add the cream, and whip on medium-high until the mixture has achieved the consistency of soft whipped cream. (Keep a close eye on it so as not to overwhip.)
• Mix the berries you are not holding back for garnish in a large bowl, and set aside.
• Remove one sponge layer from the freezer at a time, and place on a serving platter or cutting board. Do not remove them all at once; they need to be frozen. Trim about 1/2 inch off all the edges to make a clean rectangle, then spread roughly 1/3 of the ganache mixture across the top of the cake. Scatter 1/2 of the berries on top of the ganache mixture, making sure they are evenly spread right to the edges of the cake. Trim the second sponge layer, place it on top of the first and cover it with another 1/3 of the ganache mixture and the remainder of the fruit. Remove the final layer of cake from the freezer, trim it and place it on top of the second, then spread the remaining ganache across the top of the cake, smoothing it with a palette knife. Place the fruit reserved as garnish in each corner of the cake, and dust the whole thing lightly with powdered sugar, if you like. If you're not serving the cake right away, store in the refrigerator for a few hours, bringing it out 30 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil three 20cm cake tins and line with baking parchment. Weigh out the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb and sugar into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and whisk gently to combine. Shake the bowl to bring any lumps of sugar to the surface and squeeze these with your fingertips.
• Measure the oil, milk, vinegar, coffee and vanilla into a jug, then add the eggs and whisk to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a whisk until smooth, making sure there are no pockets of flour at the bottom of the bowl - the mixture will be quite runny. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins, then bake on the middle shelf of the oven (or middle and top if they don't all fit on one shelf) for 25 mins. Swap the tins around and bake 5 mins more.
• Check the cakes are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of each - if any wet batter clings to the skewer, return the tins to the oven for another 5 mins, then check again. Leave to cool in the tins for 30 mins, then turn the sponges out onto wire racks to cool completely. If making ahead, wrap the cooled sponges well and store in an airtight container for up to three days, or the freezer for up to two months.
• For the buttercream, beat the butter using an electric whisk or in a stand mixer for a few minutes until smooth and creamy. Add half the icing sugar and beat again to combine. Add the remaining icing sugar, the vanilla and 4 tbsp milk and beat again to combine, adding a splash more milk if needed to make a smooth, fluffy buttercream. Divide between three bowls. Add a few drops of different food colouring paste to each bowl, then mix well - we used pastel pink, purple and yellow.
• Spoon the coloured buttercream mixtures into three separate piping bags and snip off the tips. Pipe a dot of buttercream onto a cake stand or board and place a sponge on top to help keep it in place. Pipe small blobs of purple buttercream all over the top of the sponge by holding the piping bag directly above the cake, about ½cm from the surface, and squeezing the bag while pulling upwards to create a small peak.
• Place the second sponge on top, then repeat the process with the pink buttercream. Add the third sponge on top, then neatly pipe blobs of yellow buttercream over the surface. Decorate with edible flowers, sugared almonds or mini chocolate eggs, if you like. Will keep in a tin at room temperature for up to five days.