Under A Spell Chocolate Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with shortening; line with cooking parchment paper.
• Make cake batter as directed on box. Divide batter evenly among 3 pans.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling racks; remove parchment paper. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Place 1 cake layer on cardboard round. Frost top with 1/3 cup frosting. Top with second cake layer; frost top with 1/3 cup frosting. Top with third cake layer; frost top and side of cake with thin layer of frosting to form a crumb coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Place 1/3 cup frosting in 1-quart resealable food-storage plastic bag; set aside. Remove cake from refrigerator; frost top and side. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave candy melts uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted. Holding pretzel rod on one end, spread melted candy melts to cover three-fourths of the rod. Place rod on piece of cooking parchment or waxed paper; sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sprinkles to cover. Let stand about 15 minutes or until sprinkles are attached to rod.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and whipping cream uncovered on High 45 to 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes or until chocolate has cooled and mounds slightly when drizzled from spoon.
• Remove cake from refrigerator; place on cooling rack with cooking parchment or waxed paper under rack. Pour chocolate mixture on center of cake, spreading to edge of cake, allowing some to drip down sides.
• Place sprinkle-covered rod off center on top of cake; push into cake slightly so it is at an angle. Cut off one corner of bag with reserved frosting. Pipe frosting around rod, going upward to form large mound around base. Sprinkle top of cake with candy sprinkles.
• Press 2 candy-coated chocolate candies on side of cake. Use icing pen to make small circle in center of each chocolate candy to create an "eye." Place 6 slivered almonds around two eyes to look like claws. Repeat with remaining candies and almonds around side of cake. Refrigerate 30 minutes to harden.
• Transfer cake to serving plate when ready to serve. Decorate small brown bag as desired, and place on top of sprinkle-covered rod. Use piece of crumpled foil to fill inside of bag to maintain shape if needed. Store covered at room temperature; remove rod when covering cake for storage.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Line 2 (15x10x1-inch) pans with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle 1 clean kitchen towel with 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder; sprinkle remaining cocoa powder onto large cutting board. Beat cake mix, 1 pkg. dry pudding mix, water, oil and eggs with mixer until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.
• Bake 15 to 17 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately invert 1 cake onto prepared towel; invert second cake onto prepared cutting board. Remove pans and foil. Cut cake on board crosswise into thirds to make 3 (10x5-inch) rectangles; place on wire racks, then cover with a second clean kitchen towel. Set aside. Roll up remaining cake loosely with towel, starting at one long side. Cool all cakes completely.
• Beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add remaining dry pudding mixes; beat 2 min. until well blended. Whisk in COOL WHIP.
• Unroll cake slowly; remove towel. Cut cake crosswise into thirds to make 3 (10x5-inch) rectangles. Spread pudding mixture over all 6 cake rectangles. Reroll 1 rolled cake piece, starting at one short side; stand in center of large plate. Wrap remaining 2 rolled cake pieces, pudding-sides in, around first piece to resemble spiral. Wrap the 3 flat cake pieces around spiral to complete the cake.
• Microwave chocolate and butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is well blended; cool. Spoon around top edge of cake to cover outer cake pieces only, allowing glaze to drip down side. Refrigerate 2 hours. Cut cake into wedges to serve.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
• Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
• VARIATIONS:.
• ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350°F Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
• THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
• BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.
• CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 3 (7- or 8-inch, 2-inch-deep) round cake pans and line bottoms with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together water, cocoa, and espresso powder until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.
• Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing at low speed until just combined.
• Divide batter among pans (about 2 1/3 cups per pan), smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes for 7-inch pans or 20 to 25 minutes for 8-inch. Cool in pans on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.
• Make ganache while cakes bake:
• Bring cream to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate until smooth. Transfer ganache to a bowl and chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened but spreadable, about 4 hours. (If ganache becomes too thick, let stand at room temperature until slightly softened.)
• Assemble cake:
• Arrange 1 layer on a cake stand or plate and spread 2/3 cup ganache evenly over it. Top with another cake layer and 2/3 cup ganache, spreading evenly, then third cake layer. (Chill ganache if necessary to keep at a spreadable consistency.) Chill cake until ganache filling is firm, about 1 hour. Keep remaining ganache at a spreadable consistency, chilling when necessary.
• Spread a thin layer of ganache over top and sides of cake to seal in crumbs, then chill 30 minutes. Spread remaining ganache evenly over top and sides of cake.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with shortening; coat with flour (do not use cooking spray). Lightly grease 2 muffin cups in mini muffin pan.
• Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour into 2 mini muffin cups, filling two-thirds full. Pour remaining batter into round pans. Bake cupcakes 11 to 14 minutes, rounds 29 to 34 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from muffin cups and pans; place rounded sides up on cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour. If necessary, cut off rounded tops of cakes.
• Meanwhile, reserve 2 tablespoons of the frosting in small bowl. In medium bowl, stir orange gel food color into remaining frosting until smooth.
• Place 1 cake layer, rounded side down, on serving plate. Spread 1/2 cup of the frosting over cake layer to within 1/4 inch of edge. Top with second layer, rounded side up. Frost with remaining frosting.
• Cut 1 mini cupcake in half at an angle; press into cake to make the witch's behind. Frost with reserved 2 tablespoons frosting, sprinkle with black coarse sugar.
• Microwave chewy chocolate candies on High 3 to 8 seconds, just until moldable. Press 1 candy on uncut end of each hard candy stick. Mold chocolate candies to make witch's shoes. Mold the remaining 2 chocolate candies together to make hat.
• Insert cut end of hard candy sticks into cake near witch's behind. Sprinkle cookie crumbs around witch's behind.
• Using paring knife, cut the orange strip out of the rainbow-berry flavor sweet-sour chewy licorice. Wrap the orange candy strip around the witch's hat, and gently tie it onto the hat.
• To make pumpkins, wrap remaining mini cupcake and both marshmallows with punch berry fruit snack, pinching to seal fruit snack. Firmly press green licorice candies into top of wrapped pumpkins to make stem. Press miniature chocolate chips in cupcake face for eyes and brown candies for mouth. Place on cake.
• Fold remaining fruit snack in half lengthwise with paring knife; cut small slits into fruit snack without cutting all the way through. Wrap fruit snack around one end of chocolate licorice stick to make broom; place on cake. Decorate with candy pumpkins. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.