Tuscan Country Chocolate Wedding Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For assembly:
• one 8-inch cardboard round.
• one 6-inch cardboard round
• three 8-inch plastic straws
• Make cake layers:.
• Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 buttered 7- by 2-inch round cake pans and 2 buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pans with rounds of wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Put cocoa powder in a bowl and whisk in boiling water in a stream until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate and let stand 5 minutes. Stir mixture until smooth and chocolate is melted and cool mixture. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl of a standing electric mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down side of bowl. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until batter is combined well.
• Pour 2 cups batter into each 7-inch pan and smooth tops. Divide remaining batter between 9-inch pans (about 33/4 cups each) and smooth tops. In middle and lower thirds of oven arrange one 9-inch layer and one 7-inch layer on each rack, putting 7-inch layers in front part of oven. Bake 7-inch layers 25 to 30 minutes and 9-inch layers 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto racks. Peel off paper and cool cakes completely. Cake layers may be made 2 days ahead and kept at cool room temperature, wrapped well in plastic wrap, or 2 weeks ahead and frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil. Defrost cake layers (without unwrapping) at room temperature.
• Make ganache:.
• In a small saucepan bring cream just to a boil. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, butter, zest, and liqueur. Let ganache stand 3 minutes and whisk until chocolate is melted. Chill ganache just until cool, about 40 minutes.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat ganache just until light and fluffy before using (do not overbeat or it will become grainy).
• Assemble cake:.
• Put one 9-inch layer on 8-inch cardboard round and spread evenly with 2 cups ganache. Top with remaining 9-inch layer and gently press layers together to form an even tier. Put one 7-inch layer on 6-inch cardboard round and top with remaining ganache and remaining 7-inch layer in same manner.
• Frost top and sides of 9-inch tier with some buttercream and chill while frosting 7-inch tier. Chill both tiers until buttercream is firm.
• Cut straws in half and insert 1 straw piece all the way into center of 9-inch tier. Trim straw flush with top of tier and insert remaining 5 straw pieces in same manner in a circle about 1 1/2 inches from center straw. Center 7-inch tier (still on cardboard) on top of 9-inch tier. Fill in any gaps between tiers with buttercream and transfer cake to a cake stand or platter. Chill cake at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
• Arrange fraises des bois and roses decoratively on top and around sides of cake. Let cake stand at cool room temperature (buttercream is sensitive to warm temperatures) 2 to 4 hours before serving. Serves about 30 (including top tier).
• Make orange curd:.
• In a small heavy saucepan whisk together yolks and sugar and whisk in orange juice, butter, and a pinch salt. Cook mixture over moderately low heat, whisking, until it just reaches boiling point, 5 to 7 minutes (do not let boil), and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Whisk in lemon juice and cool curd, its surface covered with plastic wrap. Chill orange curd, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.
• Make buttercream:.
• In a heavy saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, undisturbed, until it registers 248°F on a candy thermometer. While syrup is boiling, in large bowl of a standing electric mixer beat whites with a pinch salt until foamy and beat in cream of tartar. Beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks and beat in hot syrup in a stream (try to avoid beaters and side of bowl). Beat mixture at medium speed until completely cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Beat in butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until thickened and smooth. (Buttercream will at first appear very thin and at some point look like it is breaking but, as more butter is beaten in, it will thicken and become glossy and smooth.) Beat in orange curd, salt, and zest until smooth. Buttercream may be made 4 days ahead and chilled in an airtight container or 2 weeks ahead and frozen in an airtight container. Bring buttercream completely to room temperature (this may take several hours if frozen) and beat before using. (If buttercream is too cold when beaten it will not be glossy and smooth.) Makes about 8 cups.
• Note: A cake-decorating turntable is extremely helpful for assembling and decorating a wedding cake.
• Decoration: fraises des bois (wild strawberries) and small roses with some leaves attached (both fruit and flowers must be nontoxic and pesticide-free).

Steps:

• Prepare a 2 quart sauce pan using a non-stick vegetable spray.
• Combine sugar, milk, cream, syrup and salt in sauce pan and cook at medium heat until it boils.
• Stir gently and continue to boil at lowest heat (Med to Med-High) until boiling temperature reaches 236-238 degrees F.
• Remove from heat and add butter, stir gently, then let sit without stirring.
• When cools to a lukewarm (roughly 110°F) beat vigorously until it begins to lose it's gloss (5-10 minutes).
• Spread into loaf pan (8" x 4"). Double recipe to make enough to fill an 8" x 8" pan.
• Score when warm and cut when cool.
• Makes about 1 pound.

Steps:

• For the cookies: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Add walnuts, and mix again.
• In a small saucepan, combine shortening and milk. Place over low heat until shortening melts. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and whisk to blend. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until well blended. While warm, roll dough into 1- to 1 1/2-inch balls. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased or parchment paper lined baking sheets, and bake until surface is no longer shiny, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• For icing and decorating: Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and mix in enough milk to make icing just thick enough to coat the top of a cookie. Dip top of each cookie into icing, then into sprinkles, and set aside to dry. When cookies are completely dry, store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 8 inch pans. Combine the buttermilk, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract. Beat in the buttermilk mixture alternately with the flour, mixing just until incorporated. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Stir in pineapple, coconut and 1 cup pecans.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake layers to cool 10 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• To make the frosting: Cream together the butter, cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until blended. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 cup pecans. If frosting is too stiff to spread, stir in milk a teaspoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

Steps:

• sift together flour, bp and salt twice.
• beat egg whites until foamy.
• add 6 Tbs sugar, 1Tbs at a time beating until mixture stands in soft peaks.
• cream shortening, add 1 2/3 cup sugar, cream until light and fluffy, add vanilla and almond extract.
• Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating after eah addition until smooth.
• Add egg whites and beat for one minute until smooth.
• Grease pans two nine inch square pans or one 13x9x2.
• Bake in moderate oven 350, square pans take 30 to 40 min oblong pan 35 to40.
• Cool cake on racks 10 minute.
• Loosen from sides of pan turn right side up to cool.
• To keep from drying cover or wrap cake as soon as cooled.
• Make recipe 5 times to serve 100 guest.
• When cake is assembled frost the sides of whole cake.
• Start at the top and work toward bottom layers.
• Ornamental frosting: 12 cup butter 1/2 tsp salt 12 cup confectioners sugar sifted 5 egg whites unbeaten 1/2 cup cream 2 tsp vanilla.
• Cream butter, add salt gradually add about 1 cup of the sugar, blending well.
• Add creaming sugar alternately with egg whites. Cream until right consistency to spread.
• Aply a thin glaze to cake before frosting to anchor crumbs.
• Make glaze by adding hot water to some of the frosting.
• About 1 tbs water to 1 cup frosting.
• To tint frosting add about 1/4 tsp food color with 1 tbs frosting, add small amounts of this to your base frosting.
• Tint enough to frost whole cake as it is hard to match colors with another batch.

Steps:

• Prepare cake mix as directed on box. Pour batter into 9 x 13 x 2 inch greased baking dish. Set aside.
• Combine ricotta cheese, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Blend well. Spread mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 75 minutes if using a glass baking dish, 90 minutes if using a metal pan.
• Blend pudding mix and milk until thickened. Blend in whipped topping. Spread over cooled cake.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, cornstarch, cocoa and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts., Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or until set., In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and remaining confectioners' sugar. Roll warm cookies in sugar mixture; cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

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.