Dark Chocolate Walnut Layer Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Set aside.
• In the top of a double boiler, heat chocolate, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Stir in walnuts.
• In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the sugar, buttermilk, coffee, eggs, oil, chocolate and vanilla until well blended. In another large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into buttermilk mixture until blended., Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, combine the cream, sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in chocolate and butter until melted. , Transfer to a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 3 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease parchment., Cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition. Fold in walnuts., Transfer to prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., For frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and enough buttermilk to reach spreading consistency., Spread 1 cup frosting between cake layers. Spread top of cake with an additional 1 cup frosting. Spread remaining frosting in a thin layer over side of cake. Top with additional walnuts and, if desired, orange slices.

Steps:

• Bring 1/4 cup water to a rolling boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking to combine after each addition. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until completely melted. Set aside.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla in another medium bowl. Gradually add milk mixture to flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Add chocolate-butter mixture, whisking until smooth. Pour through a fine sieve into an airtight container; discard lumps. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Lightly coat an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet with melted butter. Heat over medium heat until just starting to smoke. Remove pan from heat; pour about 2 tablespoons batter into pan, swirling to cover bottom. Reduce heat to medium-low; return pan to heat. Cook, flipping once, until edges are golden and center is dry, about 30 seconds per side.
• Slide crepe onto a plate. Repeat process with remaining batter, coating pan with butter as needed. Crepes can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day.
• Place a crepe on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Spread with about 3 tablespoons hazelnut filling. Top with another crepe. Continue layering with hazelnut filling and crepes, using about 32 crepes and ending with a crepe on top. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Spoon 1/2 cup glaze on top of the cake, spreading to edges. Spread remaining glaze around sides of cake, coating completely. Refrigerate until glaze is firm and set, about 20 minutes. Cake can be refrigerated up to 3 days. Garnish with toasted and candied hazelnuts.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

Steps:

• FOR CAKE:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line with waxed paper. Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Cool.
• Sift flour and baking soda into small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla, then melted chocolate. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions each, beating just until blended after each addition. Mix in walnuts.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 20 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks.
• FOR ICING:
• Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Remove from over water. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in 2 tablespoons milk. Beat in chocolate. Thin with milk to spreading consistency.
• Cut around pan sides. Turn out cakes; peel off paper. Place 1 cake layer flat side down on platter. Spread 1 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer, flat side up. Spread remaining icing over cake. Press nuts onto sides of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch cake pans, and line base of each with parchment paper. In food processor, combine 1/2 cup walnut pieces and sugar. Process to a fine powder. Add butter, flour, baking powder, salt and eggs. Process to a smooth batter.
• Add 2 tablespoons milk to coffee mixture and pour this down feed tube with motor running. Mixture should be just soft enough to drop from a spoon; if not, add more milk. Divide cake batter between two pans. Bake until risen and springy to touch, about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on rack. Remove parchment paper. Cool completely. You may want to level them if they domed in the oven.
• For frosting: Place confectioners' sugar and salt in food processor and pulse until lump-free. Add butter and process until smooth. Add coffee mixture down feed tube and pulse until well blended.
• Place one cake upside down on a plate or cake stand. Spread with about half the frosting. Place second cake right side up on frosting, and cover top and sides in a swirly pattern. Place a walnut half in center of cake, and gently press remaining halves into top of cake, around the edge.

Steps:

• Cake Directions:.
• Cream butter and oil. Add sugar, beat until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolks and beat.
• Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda: add to creamed mixture, alternately with buttermilk. Stir in vanilla, coconut, and walnuts.
• Add 1 cup boiling water ( stir).
• Then Stiffly beat egg whites in separate bowl and immediately fold into cake batter.
• Pour batter into four(4) well-greased 9 inch round baking pans and pat chunky mixture to where it is thicker toward the edges of the pans.
• Bake at 300°F (149°C) until toothpick comes out clean (for around 50-55 minutes).
• Cream Cheese Icing Directions:.
• Beat cream cheese until smooth.
• In separate bowl, combine sugar, very soft butter and vanilla,cocoa, whole milk ; mix well. Add whipping topping mix well.
• Add to cream cheese and beat until smooth. ( If icing is too soft, add a bit more cocoa and sugar powder. If icing is too hard, add more whipped topping. Be careful when adding whipped topping. ).
• Cool each layer on cake racks. Put a dollop of icing on a large (12") plate before the first layer. Top each layer first with an ample amount of icing and then sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Frost sides with ample icing and then make a 1 inch icing skirt with remainder. (If icing is too thin to stay on the sided of the layers, cool both cake and icing in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and try again.) Pat small amounts of the coconut into the sides and a little will naturally fall onto the skirt. Sprinkle the skirt with 1/4 cup chopped walnuts.
• Store in refrigerator. With all the walnuts, it cuts easiest with a bread knife. Enjoy.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease the bottom and sides of the cake pans liberally with nonstick spray.
• Prepare the cake batter: Combine the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until light and lemon-colored, 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise and water together in a medium bowl; set aside. Finely chop 1/2 cup walnuts and combine with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, coffee and salt in a medium bowl. Stir 1/2 of the flour mixture and 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture into the eggs with the mixer on low until well blended. Do not over mix. The less you mix flour, the more tender the cake! Scrape down the bowl and repeat with the remaining flour and mayonnaise mixtures.
• Bake the cake: Fill each cake pan with 1/3 of the batter. Place the pans in the center of the oven. Rotate the pans halfway through cooking. Bake until the center is firm or when the tip of a small knife emerges clean when it pierces the center of each cake, about 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1/2 hour before unmolding. Cool completely before frosting.
• Candy the oranges: Cut the orange in half lengthwise (from the stem to navel ends). Continue cutting the orange pieces in half lengthwise until you have 16 wedges. Place the orange wedges in a skillet and fill with enough cold water to cover. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain the water and repeat this step to make the peels tender and remove bitterness. Gently remove the wedges from the pan and set aside. Place the sugar, 2 cups water, the cloves and the orange peels into the skillet. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and return the orange wedges to the skillet. Continue cooking over low heat until the syrup thickens and the wedges become translucent, about 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer the wedges to a baking sheet to cool.
• Make the frosting: Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and the cream in a small pot to warm over medium heat. When the cream simmers, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk gently until the chocolate blends with the cream. Cool completely. Blend the confectioner's sugar, butter and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor until smooth, 5-8 minutes. Stir the cooled chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture until smooth.
• Frost the cake: Chop 1 cup of walnuts; set aside. Place one cake round, top side down, onto a serving platter. Top with 1/4 of the frosting letting some of it spill over the top to coat the sides. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the walnuts on top of the frosting. Repeat with the next cake layer. Place the final layer on top of the other two, bottom side up, then coat the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts and the candied orange wedges.
• Note: Prepare the cake using a cake mix with 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts added to the batter before baking in place of the scratch cake, if desired.