Chocolate Wedding Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter, double-line and wrap the sides of the 30cm deep-round cake tin as before. Put the butter and chocolate into a medium saucepan, then stir over a low heat until melted and smooth. Stir in the coffee and vanilla.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into the biggest bowl you have. Add the sugar, breaking down any lumps with your fingertips if necessary. Beat the eggs and soured cream together in a jug or bowl and pour into the flour mix. Pour in the melted chocolate mix as well, then stir with a wooden spoon until you have a thick, even chocolaty batter.
• Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 2½ hrs - don't open the oven door before 2 hrs is up, as this will cause the cake to sink. Once cooked, leave in the tin to cool completely. The unfilled cake will keep for up to four days, wrapped as before, or frozen for a month.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ground pecans, 1/2 cup ground chocolate, cinnamon and salt; mix well.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 1 to 2 hours, or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch. Cool 1 minute on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.
• For the coating, sift 1/2 cup of the confectioner's sugar and 1/4 cup of the ground cocoa into a shallow bowl. While cookies are still warm, roll them in the coating.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350º F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until creamy, beat in vanilla extract. Gradually add flour, nuts, and cinnamon. Stir in 1 1/2 cup of chocolate morsels and stir until dough is well combined. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for approximately 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly golden brown on bottom. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes than place on wire racks to cool completely.
• Microwave remaining chocolate chips in small bowl or heavy-duty plastic bag for 30 seconds. Stir chips or knead bag. Microwave at 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring or kneading until smooth. If using a bowl to melt chips, pour chocolate into a plastic bag. Snip a small portion of the bag in the corner; slowly squeeze chocolate to drizzle over cookies. Refrigerate cookies for about 5 minutes or until chocolate is set. Store cookies at room temperature in airtight container.

Steps:

• Preparing The Cake:
• 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).
• Preparing The Orange Buttercream:
• 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.

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:

• In a food processor or blender, process pecans with 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar, until very fine. Mix in flour, cocoa and salt & set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter with 3/4 cup of the powdered sugar; Blend until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla until well blended.
• Add flour mixtureslowly, until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Mix together remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar and cinnamon. When cookies have cooled slightly, roll in cinnamon mixture. Finish cooling on wire racks.
• Makes 36 cookies.

Steps:

• Bake ultimate chocolate cake and give it enough time to cool completely. This cake will keep out of the fridge OR in the fridge for a week or so as long as it is well wrapped. For a 10" square cake the cooking is usually around 3 hours but you should check regularly with a cake tester.
• If not already in the fridge put the cooked, cool cake into the fridge for 3 hours before cutting
• Cut with a cake cutter (easier than a knife) into 3 sections (2 cuts).
• put the lowest level onto your cake board and top with thin slices of strawberries and a handful of blueberries. Put just under 1/2 of the whipped cream on top and flatten. Do not go too near to the sides as you do not want it to squidge out.
• place middle layer on top of cream and repeat with strawberries etc.
• Place top layer on top.
• now even out the sides with whipped cream so that the cake sides do not have big 'holes' in, use a palette knife to carefully add the remaining whipped cream.
• Now, melt the chocolate in the microwave/carefully on the hob until smooth. Add the last pot of cream (not whipped) and stir. If the mixture curdles you need more cream. Use this 'topping' for the top of the cake and try and line the sides too.
• Let this stand for a little while, but still while the chocolate is 'sticky' (not hard) place the cigarellos around the edge of the cake, neatly.
• On the morning of serving, top the cake with remaining strawberries and blueberries. Place a ribbon around the cake for decoration.

Steps:

• For Cake Layers:
• Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter one 5-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides, one 8-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides and one 12-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Dust pans with flour; line bottoms with parchment. Combine 1/3 cup orange juice and 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate in heavy small saucepan. Stir mixture over medium-low heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat. Gradually mix in 1 2/3 cups orange juice.
• Sift 3 cups flour, 2/3 cup cocoa, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder into medium bowl. using electric mixer, beat 1 cup (2 sticks) butter and 3 cups sugar in large bowl until blended (mixture will look grainy). Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating to blend after each. Beat in 1 tablespoon orange peel and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients alternately with orange juice mixture in 3 additions each, beating well after each addition. Mix in 1 cup chocolate chips.
• Transfer 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons batter to prepared 5-inch pan, 3 cups batter to prepared 8-inch pan and remaining batter (about 6 cups) to 12-inch pan. Place 5-inch and 8-inch pans on center rack of oven. Place 12-inch pan on lower rack of oven. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes in pans to racks and cool completely.
• Mark 4-inch diameter circle on one 6-inch-diameter cardboard cake round. Cut out marked circle. Mark 7-inch-diameter circle on one 8-inch-diameter cardboard cake round. Cut out marked circle. Mark 11-inch-diameter circle on one 12-inch-diameter cardboard cake round. Cut out marked circle. Cut around sides of 5-inch-cake to loosen. Place 4-inch cardboard over pan. Hold cardboard and pan together; turn cake out onto cardboard. Peel off parchment.Wrap cakes on its cardboard in foil. Repeat turning out, peeling off parchment and wrapping cakes in foil, using 7-inch cardboard for 8-inch cake and 11-inch cardboard for 12-inch cake.
• Using remaining ingredients, make 1 more batch of cake batter and bake 3 more cake layers as described above. Cool cakes in pans. Cover cakes in pans tightly with foil. (Can be prepared ahead. Let stand at room temperature up to 1 day or double-wrap all cake layers and freeze up to 1 week. Bring cake layers to room temperature before using.)
• For Filling and Frosting Cake Layers:
• Place first 12-inch cake on its cardboard on work surface. Spread 2 3/4 cups ganache over top of cake and all the way to edge. Spread 2/3 cup jam over ganache, leaving 1/2-inch chocolate border at edge. Drop 1 3/4 cups white chocolate frosting by spoonfuls over jam. Gently spread frosting over jam, leaving 1/2-inch chocolate border at edge. Rub some cocoa powder over second 12-inch cardboard. Cut around sides of second 12-inch cake to loosen. Place cardboard, cocoa side down, over pan. Turn cake out onto cardboard. Peel off parchment. Carefully slide cake off cardboard and onto filling on first 12-inch cake. Refrigerate.
• Place first 8-inch cake on its cardboard on work surface. Spread 1 cup ganache over top all the way to edge. Spread 1/4 cup jam over, leaving 1/2-inch chocolate border at edge. Drop 1 cup white chocolate frosting by spoonfuls over jam. Gently spread frosting over jam, leaving 1/2-inch chocolate border at edge. Rub some cocoa over second 8-inch cardboard. Cut around sides of second 8-inch cake to loosen. Place cardboard, cocoa side down, over pan. Turn cake out onto cardboard. Peel off parchment. Slide cake off cardboard and onto filling on first 8-inch cake. Refrigerate.
• Place first 5-inch cake on its cardboard on work surface. Spread 1/2 cup ganache over top of cake and all the way to edge. Spread 2 tablespoons jam over, leaving 1/2-inch chocolate border at edge. Drop 1/3 cup white chocolate frosting by spoonfuls over jam. Gently spread frosting over jam, leaving 1/2-inch chocolate border at edge. Rub cocoa over second 6-inch cardboard. Cut around sides of second 5-inch cake to loosen. Place cardboard, cocoa side down, over pan. Turn cake out onto cardboard. Peel off parchment. Slide cake off cardboard and onto filling on first 5-inch cake. Chill all cakes 1 hour to set filling.
• Place 12-inch tiered cake on its cardboard on revolving cake stand. Spread 2 2/3 cups frosting over top and sides of cake as a first coat.
• Refrigerate cake.
• Place 8-inch tiered cake on its cardboard on cake stand. Spread 1 1/4 cups frosting over top and sides of cake as a first coat. Refrigerate cake.
• Place 5-inch tiered cake on its cardboard on cake stand. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over top and sides of cake as a first coat. Refrigerate all cakes until first coats of frosting set, about 1 hour. (Cakes can be made to this point up to 1 day ahead; cover and keep refrigerate.)
• Prepare second batch of frosting, using remaining frosting ingredients and following directions for first batch. Spoon 2 cups frosting into pastry bag fitted with small star tip.
• Place 12-inch cake on its cardboard on large flat platter. Place platter on cake stand. Using icing spatula, spread 2 1/2 cups frosting over top and sides of cake; smooth top. Using filled pastry bag, pipe decorative border around top edge of cake. Refrigerate cake on platter.
• Place 8-inch cake on its cardboard on cake stand. Using icing spatula, spread 1 1/2 cups frosting over top and sides of cake; smooth top. Using pastry bag, pipe decorative border around top edge of cake. Refrigerate cake on its cardboard.
• Place 5-inch cake on its cardboard on cake stand. Using icing spatula, spread 3/4 cup frosting over top and sides of cake; smooth top. Using pastry bag, pipe decorative border around top edge of cake, spooning more frosting into bag if necessary. Refrigerate cake on its cardboard.
• Keep all cakes refrigerated until frosting sets, about 2 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover loosely; keep refrigerated.)
• Assembly
• Place 12-inch cake on platter on work surface. Press 1 wooden dowel straight down into and completely through center of cake. Mark dowel 1/4 inch above top of frosting. Remove dowel and cut with serrated knife at marked point. Cut 4 more dowels to same length. Press 1 cut dowel back into center of cake. Press remaining 4 cut dowels into cake, positioning 3 1/2 inches inward from cake edges and spacing evenly.
• Place 8-inch cake on its cardboard on work surface. Press 1 dowel straight down into and completely through center of cake. Mark dowel 1/4 inch above top of frosting. Remove dowel and cut with serrated knife at marked point. Cut 3 more dowels to same length. Press 1 cut dowel back into center of cake. Press remaining 3 cut dowels into cake, positioning 2 1/2 inches inward from edges and spacing evenly. Using large metal spatula as aid, place 8-inch cake on its cardboard atop dowels in 12-inch cake, centering carefully. Gently place 5-inch cake on its cardboard atop dowels in 8-inch cake, centering carefully.
• Using citrus stripper, cut long strips of orange peel from oranges. Cut strips into long segments. To make orange peel coils, wrap peel segment around handle of wooden spoon; gently slide peel off handle so that peel keeps coiled shape. Garnish cake with orange peel coils, ivy or mint sprigs, and some berries. (Assembled cake can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Let stand at cool room temperature.)
• Serving
• Remove top and middle cake tiers. Remove dowels from cakes. Cut top and middle cakes into slices. To cut 12-inch cake: Starting 3 inches inward from edge and inserting knife straight down, cut through from top to bottom to make 6-inch-diameter circle in center of cake. Cut outer portion of cake into slices; cut inner portion into slices and serve with strawberries.