Under A Spell Chocolate Cake Recipes

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 (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans, or spray with baking spray with flour. Dissolve 1 tablespoon coffee in 1 1/4 cups water. Make cake batter as directed on box, using coffee mixture in place of the water. Bake and cool as directed.
• Dissolve 2 teaspoons coffee in 1 tablespoon cool water. Stir 2 teaspoons of the coffee mixture into frosting. In medium bowl, stir together whipped topping and remaining coffee mixture; gently stir in 1/4 cup of the frosting mixture.
• On serving plate, place 1 cake layer, rounded side down. Spread with half of the whipped topping mixture (about 3/4 cup) to within 1/4 inch of edge. Top with second layer, rounded side up. Frost side and top of cake with frosting. Pipe remaining whipped topping mixture around top of cake. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until chilled. Garnish top of cake with espresso beans. Store covered in refrigerator.

Steps:

• In 1-quart saucepan, mix 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar and 3/4 cup water. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes. In small bowl, place cranberries. Pour syrup over berries; stir to blend. Refrigerate, uncovered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Remove berries from refrigerator and drain; discard liquid. In small bowl, place remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Working with a few berries at a time, roll one by one in the sugar to completely coat. Place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour or until dry. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, beat Cake ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour 1 2/3 cups of the batter in each pan.
• Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In large bowl, beat marshmallow creme, softened butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in powdered sugar until fluffy. If necessary, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time, until spreading consistency.
• Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread 3/4 cup frosting on top; top with second cake layer. Spread 3/4 cup frosting on top; top with third cake layer. Frost sides with a thin layer of frosting so sides are covered but cake still shows through. Spread remaining frosting on top.
• Place sugared cranberries around base of cake, and press in slightly to adhere to frosting. Place remaining cranberries on top, mounding in center of cake; garnish with sprigs of rosemary. Loosely cover and refrigerate any remaining cake.

Steps:

• For cake: heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter sides of two 8-inch cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment paper. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a knife blade, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Process to make a smooth, thick batter.
• Using a rubber spatula, divide batter between pans, and smooth tops. Bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes; do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from cake pans.
• For frosting: Combine chocolate and butter in a large heat-proof bowl, and heat until melted in a microwave oven or over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in corn syrup, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until very smooth. Frosting should be thick and spreadable. If necessary, add a teaspoon or two of boiling water to thin it, or additional sifted confectioners' sugar to thicken.
• Cut four strips of waxed or parchment paper, and place them side by side on a cake plate, covering the surface. Place one cake layer domed-side down on plate.
• Spoon about a third of the frosting onto center of cake, and use a knife or a spatula to spread it evenly. Place the other cake on top, domed side up. Spoon another third of frosting on top of cake, spreading to make swirls or a smooth finish. Spread sides of cake with remaining frosting, and allow to sit for a few minutes until set. Carefully remove paper strips. Place cake under glass or in an airtight container, and set aside in a cool place until serving.

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.