Chocolate Creme Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans. Separate the eggs.
• Cream 1/2 cup of the butter, shortening and sugar together. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla.
• Sift soda, flour and 1/4 cup cocoa together. Add alternately with buttermilk to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in the coconut and 1 cup of the chopped pecans.
• Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into the batter. Pour batter into the prepared cake pans.
• Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cakes cool completely before frosting between layers and on sides.
• To Make Frosting: Cream the cream cheese and butter together. Sift confectioner's sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa, beating in a little at a time until well-creamed. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup pecans.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the cake and pudding mixes, oil, water and eggs. Pour into a greased and floured 13x9-in. baking pan. , Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. , In a small saucepan, combine flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool. , In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy; beat in milk mixture until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. , Split cake into two horizontal layers. Spread filling over the bottom layer; cover with top layer. Cut into serving-size pieces. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Remove from freezer 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using a greased and floured 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Cool completely., For filling, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and flour. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Transfer to a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until completely cool. , In a large bowl, beat the butter and shortening until fluffy. Beat in milk mixture and vanilla until smooth. Split cake into two horizontal layers; spread filling over bottom cake layer. Top with remaining cake layer., For glaze, in a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa and cornstarch. Gradually add water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Remove from the heat; stir in butter and vanilla until glaze is smooth. Cool to lukewarm. Spread over top of the cake. Let stand until set. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Grease and line with parchment paper a 10-inch/25 cm cake pan, with quite high sides.
• Boil a full kettle of water and set aside. Have a roasting pan at the ready that will accommodate the cake pan comfortably.
• Put the Cognac or rum, espresso, chocolate and vanilla into a saucepan and melt over a bain-marie.
• Break the eggs into a large glass or metal bowl with the sugar. Set the bowl over a pot of warm water, and beat until the mixture has tripled in volume and has the consistency of whipped cream. This will take about 10 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, whip the cream into peaks.
• Partially fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add the whipped heavy cream and continue folding the mixtures until evenly combined. Pour into the cake pan. Set the cake pan into the roasting pan, and slide it into the oven. Now, pour the hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
• Bake until set, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven, open the door and let the cake sit for 15 minutes to sink evenly back into the pan. Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit 30 minutes in the water bath. Remove from the bath and flip the cake onto a platter. Press gold leaf, if using, on the top to decorate. Serve with sweetened whipped cream on the side.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch square cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
• Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, egg, vanilla and 1/2 cup water together in another bowl until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking until just combined. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through cooking, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Discard the parchment paper and flip the cakes right side up again. Let the cakes cool completely.
• Make the caramel creme: Heat 1/2 cup sugar in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until it turns dark amber in color, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the heavy cream (mixture will bubble up). When the bubbles subside, add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the salt and stir until both dissolve in the caramel. Scrape the caramel into the bowl of a food processor and let cool completely.
• Combine the gelatin with 1 tablespoon cold water in a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Heat the gelatin in the microwave until it melts completely, about 10 seconds, stirring to dissolve. Add the gelatin mixture, cream cheese and sour cream to the food processor and process until smooth. Scrape the caramel creme filling into a bowl and refrigerate, checking every 5 minutes, until it is just thick enough to spread, 5 to 15 minutes. (Do not let the filling firm up too much.) Before layering the cake, give the mixture a good whisking to aerate it slightly. This will make for a lighter texture.
• Place one cake on a cake stand and pile the caramel filling in the center, spreading it in a thick layer almost to the edge. Top with the remaining cake, aligning the layers directly on top of each other so the cake does not lean. Refrigerate the assembled cake for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan then remove from the heat. Add the chocolate, shaking the pan gently to submerge it. Allow the pan to stand, off the heat, for 3 minutes to melt the chocolate. Whisk the ganache until smooth, then refrigerate until it is just thick enough to spread (like mayonnaise), about 15 minutes. (Do not let the ganache harden too much.)
• Stir the ganache again and scoop it on top of the cake, spreading it over the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake until the ganache is set, at least 2 hours or overnight.