Chocolate Nirvana Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8-by-2-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pan, tapping out the excess flour.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, then mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until just set in the middle. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then remove from the pan, turn the cake upside down on a wire rack set over a sheet pan and cool completely.
• For the icing, whisk together the confectioners' sugar with 1 tablespoon water until smooth, thick and just barely pourable. When you lift the icing from the bowl with the whisk, it should slowly fall back on itself in a ribbon. (You may need to add a few more drops of water.) Fit a pastry bag with a small round pastry tip and fill it with the icing. Set aside while you make the ganache.
• For the ganache, place the heavy cream, chocolate chips and coffee in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and heat the mixture until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Pour the ganache evenly over the top and sides of the cake, tilting the rack until the ganache is smooth all over.
• Immediately, before the ganache sets, pipe parallel lines about 1 inch apart on the entire cake, stopping just short of the edge. Lightly drag the back of a small paring knife through the ganache perpendicular to the white lines also 1 inch apart, alternating directions (first left to right, then right to left, and so on) and covering the whole cake. Allow the ganache and icing to set. Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Melt butter and chocolate in a sauce pan. Add the eggs, sugar and extract. Mix w/ beater. Pour into spring form pan sprayed with pam with a cookie sheet under it. Bake at 300 F for 45 mins. Cool and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Still in question on best time to remove from pan. In the end, I refrigerated it and then removed but it stuck to the bottom like a cheese cake. Melt the candy bar and spread over just the top of cake. Refrigerate until hardens. Serve with fresh whipped cream or raspberry glaze

Steps:

• CAKE:.
• Preheat oven to 350*. Grease 3 round cake pans(I also line the bottom with waxed paper). Set aside.Put water on to boil.
• Mix together flour, soda and salt. set aside.
• Beat together butter and sugar until light.
• Add eggs and vanilla.
• Add chocolate and beat 1-2 minutes.
• Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, alternating with buttermilk.Beat until smooth.
• Slowly add boiling water, beating until completely smooth-batter will be thin.
• Pour into pans. Bake 35-40 mins, until tester comes out clean.
• While baking, make ganache, caramel and whipped cream.
• Cool cakes in pans for 10 mins, then unmold onto racks to finish cooling.
• CARAMEL-cook sugar, corn syrup and butter over low heat until 242*. Remove from heat and add cream and vanilla.Cool. Will thicken as it cools.
• GANACHE-Melt butter, chocolate chips and cream over low heat.Whisk in almond extract. Cool.
• WHIPPED CREAM- Whisk cream until it just begins to thicken, then add pudding powder. whisk until ready.Refrigerate.
• PECANS- put butter on a cookie sheet& melt in oven (can toast pecans while baking cake)- when butter is melted, toss pecans in pan until coated. bake @ 350 until toasty smelling (~10 mins- watch carefully, they burn easily!)Salt to taste.
• When everything is cool, assemle the cake:.
• Place first layer on cake plate. Plop 1/3 of the whipped cream onto cake. Drizzle caramel and chocolate over cream. Repeat for next 2 layers, but be a little "artistic" with the top layer-oozing the caramel and chocolate over the sides of the cake. Sprinkle liberally with pecans!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Blend together 1 cup sugar, cocoa powder and 1/2 cup yogurt.
• In another bowl, cream butter with 1 cup sugar.
• Beat eggs, one at a time, into creamed butter.
• Then beat in cocoa mixture.
• In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking soda.
• Add flour to butter cocoa mixture, alternating with remaining 1/2 cup of yogurt into which the Kahlua has been blended.
• Fold in chocolate chips.
• Pour evenly into a buttered 10-inch springform tube pan that has been dusted with cocoa powder.
• Bake for approximately one hour or until tester comes out clean.
• Cool cake on a rack before removing from pan.
• For the Glaze---------------.
• Break chocolate into bits.
• Place double boiler over, not in, a pan of hot water.
• Add chocolate, cream, butter and Kahlua.
• Cover tightly and heat for a few minutes, stir until completely melted and smooth.
• Transfer to stainless steel bowl and cover.
• Keep at room temperature.
• Slowly pour about half the glaze over the top of the cake spreading it evenly with a metal spatula over the top, sides and in the center.
• Refrigerate until glaze is firm.
• Then repeat with remaining glaze.
• Refrigerate again to allow second layer of glaze to firm up.
• Decorate with piped buttercream chocolate frosting in an interesting shape and top each with a chocolate coffee bean or pecan or walnut half.
• Or just accent with fresh flowers in center and around the sides.
• Best served the next day.

Steps:

• Move oven rack to lowest position (remove other racks). Heat oven to 350°F. Make cake mix as directed on box--except gently stir chocolate chips into batter. Bake, cool and remove from pan as directed.
• To serve, cut into 12 slices. Drizzle each slice with chocolate syrup; top with berries.