{Tutorial} Neapolitan Layer Cake

May 13, 2013 by 5 Comments

Neapolitian Cake by JavaCupcake.comOoooooooooooh I’ve been in a funk.  A baking fun.  Last week I make a double chocolate layer cake but since then… nothing.  I haven’t even been motivated to make rice krispy treats.  (I have 4 boxes of Rice Krispies – thank you WIC.)  So today, I opened up my baking cookbooks, browsed Pinterest and checked out a few of my favorite blogs.  One of the themes I saw running across all of them – Neapolitian.  Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla together to make one delicious dessert.  So, with Mother’s Day this past weekend, I decided that I’d make a Mother’s Day Neapolitan Layer Cake to celebrate.

Mother's Day Neapolitian Cake by JavaCupcake.com

My mom passed away 3 years ago… so she was definitely on my mind as I was making this cake.  Especially when it was time to sit down and enjoy a slice.  I’m certain she would have enjoyed this cake with a big glass of milk!  Three layers of decadent cake filled with chocolate and strawberry frosting and topped with vanilla buttercream.  Eat bite has a unique flavor…. it’s like a party in your mouth with every bite!

Neapolitian Cake by JavaCupcake.com

What really inspired me to make this particular cake was one of my most favorite bloggers, Amanda of i am baker with her Neapolitan Rose Cake.  I’ve used her tutorials to make a rose cake before, but this one was going to be different.  I was going to make the neapolitan cake, but I wasn’t going to do roses.  Instead, I’d just smooth out the three flavors of frosting over the three different layers of cake.  But still, that’s a lot of work! I had a feeling thought it was going to be so worth it in the end.  And ya know what… all the hard work was TOTALLY worth it in the end because this cake was delicious!

So, instead of posting detailed recipes for this cake, I decided to write a tutorial on how to assemble and make this cake.  I’ve posted the chocolate and vanilla cake recipes several times before, but tried a new strawberry recipe… I’ve linked to all of them below.  You’ll also see what supplies you need to make this cake and a detailed tutorial to assemble it.

Enjoy!

{Tutorial} Neapolitan Layer Cake

For the chocolate cake:

I used THIS RECIPE for the chocolate cake. It actually makes too much batter… so when you prepare it, measure out a dozen cupcakes first and then pour the rest in your 9-inch round cake pan. Bake as directed in the recipe.

For the chocolate frosting:

I used my basic chocolate buttercream recipe, found HERE. You’ll probably use ALL of this for the cake, so you might want to make extra to frost the extra cupcakes.

For the strawberry cake:

I tried a new recipe for this cake and I think it turned out amazing!  Thanks to the blog, I made that! for the recipe!

For the strawberry frosting:

I took my basic vanilla buttercream recipe and substituted about 1/4 cup strawberry puree (that I had reserved from the cake recipe) for the cream. I also added 1 tsp strawberry extract instead of vanilla extract. It was super yummy!

For the vanilla cake & frosting:

I used a whole batch of batter using my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe. It made a very tall cake & I trimmed off a lot of extra cake. So next time, I’d scoop out 6 cupcakes first, then pour the rest into the pan to bake. I also used this same recipe for the vanilla frosting, but I doubled it.

Neapolitan Cake by JavaCupcake.com

Supplies needed to assemble the cake:

-Cake layers and frosting
-Offset spatula
-Wax paper
-Cake stand or cake turn table
-Paper towels
-1 cup measuring cup
-Spatula/scraper

Assembling the Neapolitan Cake:

  • Trim the three cake layers so they are the same height.  
  • Place a piece of wax paper on your cake turn table and place the chocolate layer with the trimmed side up.
  • Place 2 cups of chocolate frosting on to the first layer and spread evenly over the top.
  • Set the strawberry layer, trimmed side up, on to the chocolate frosting and gently press down.
  • Place 2 cups of strawberry frosting onto the top and spread evenly.
  • Place the finally vanilla layer, trimmed side DOWN, onto the strawberry frosting and gently press down.
  • Crumb coat each layer of cake with the coordinating frosting and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
  • Once the cake has set – begin frosting the outside of the cake starting with the chocolate on the bottom and working your way up to the top with the vanilla.  Use 2 cups of vanilla frosting on the top layer of the cake. If you need an idea of how to apply the frosting, check out my Ombre Cake Tutorial – see steps 3-6 for how to apply the frosting in layers on the side of the cake.
  • Make sure to clean off your spatula often with the paper towels. Mixing flavors at the seams will result in smears of color onto the wrong layers.
  • Using your offset spatula, do your best to smooth the sides of the cake without smudging the colors together.  This process takes a steady hand and a lot of time.  GO SLOW.  Unlike the ombre cake, you don’t want the colors to collide together to create the gradual change of colors… you want three distinct color layers – but still want a smooth, finished look.
  • To transfer the cake to your cake plate, gently and carefully pull the wax paper and cake off the edge of the cake turn table.  Place your hand under the cake as your peel away the wax paper and pull the cake completely off the stand.  Transfer the cake to the cake stand and use any additional chocolate frosting you have to touch up the bottom edges.
Filed Under: cake, cakes, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, family, frosting and icing, fruit, fruit filled cake, layer cake, life, recipes, strawberry cake, strawberry frosting, vanilla cake, vanilla frosting

Almost as good as Mom’s –
Double Chocolate Layer Cake

April 30, 2013 by 6 Comments

Almost as good as Mom's - Double Chocolate Layer Cake by JavaCupcake.com

When I want to bake but I’m not quite sure what to make I usually tend to make something that I’m craving.  Today – chocolate cake.  I am IN LOVE with my chocolate cake recipe.   It’s decadent, rich – but light and moist.  All things I love in a great cake!

I am pairing my favorite chocolate cake with a creamy whipped dark chocolate buttercream.  It’s a very simple recipe, but it’s so stinkin’ delicious that I’m pretty certain I may consume half the cake myself!

Mostly though, I love this cake because of the memories it brings me.  Growing up, I would request a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting every year for my birthday.  My mom, without fail, would make it for me… from scratch and with love every time.   Our birthdays were only 2 days apart, so we always shared a birthday cake.  I don’t know if she loved this cake as much as I did, because she never asked for anything different… or maybe she was just being a good mom and letting me have what I wanted.  Either way… nothing could ever beat her chocolate cake.  Not even this recipe.

My mom passed away a few years ago… but, every time I make a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting I am reminded of her and how we shared this cake on our birthdays.

Enjoy!

Almost as good as Mom's - Double Chocolate Layer Cake by JavaCupcake.com

Print
Almost as good as Mom's - Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Yield: 1 2-layer 9-inch cake

Ingredients

    Dark Chocolate Cake
    Chocolate Cake
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • 1 1/2 cups brewed coffee
  • 1 Tbsp espresso powder
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
    • Whipped Chocolate Frosting
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
  • 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup + 3-4 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • chocolate shavings (garnish)

Instructions

    Dark Chocolate Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease, line with parchment paper and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
  2. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the coffee, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and vanilla and whisk until combined. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and the eggs. SLOWLY add a few tablespoons of the chocolate mixture to the sour cream and eggs. Whisk to combine. In a slow stream, whisk in the remaining chocolate mixture until combined completely.
  5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in wet. Using a whisk, stir until no more lumps remain.
  6. Divide the batter evenly into the 2 prepared pans. Each pan should get 3 cups of batter.
  7. Bake 26-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to cool on a wire rack.
  8. Once the cakes have cooled, but are still warm, use a cake leveler to cut off the round mound on the top of the cake. Make sure both layers are the same height.
    9. Whipped Chocolate Frosting
  9. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whip the butter until smooth.
  10. Add the dark chocolate cocoa powder and mix on medium-high until combined.
  11. Add the sugar and salt and mix until incorporated. The frosting will be very thick.
  12. Mix in the vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream and mix until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again for 20 seconds.
  13. Add 3-4 Tbsp more of heavy cream until you have reached your desired consistency. Scrape the sides of the bowl and whip on high for 3-4 minutes.
    14. Assembly
  14. Place a piece of wax paper on your rotating cake prep stand and place the flattest side of one layer on it. Spread a thick layer of frosting on the top of this layer of cake.
  15. Place the second layer, flat side UP, on top of the frosting.
  16. Crumb coat the entire cake. (A crumb coat is a very thin layer of frosting that seals in the crumbs.) Place cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
  17. Spread a 1/2 inch layer of frosting on the top and side of the cake. Using an offset spatula, smooth out the sides.
  18. Spread an even layer of chocolate shavings on the top of the cake. Place cake back in freezer for 10-15 minutes.
  19. Gently slide the cake off the wax paper and place it onto your cake stand.
  20. Press remaining chocolate shavings onto the bottom edge of the cake closets to the cake stand.
  21. Serve with a giant glass of milk and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://javacupcake.com/2013/04/double-chocolate-layer-cake/

Filed Under: cake, cakes, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, dark chocolate, frosting and icing, layer cake, recipes

Irish Stout Cake with Bailey’s Ganache

March 15, 2013 by 6 Comments

Irish Stout Cake with Bailey's Ganache by JavaCupcake.com

It’s that time of year again… the time where I stock up on Guinness beer and Bailey’s Irish cream and Jameson whiskey.   And why? you may be wondering… well, it’s St. Patrick’s Day!  The day American’s celebrate their Irish heritage by getting sloshed! HA! I don’t particularly drink too much… so I like to use my liquor in my baking and this year made a chocolate Guinness Irish stout cake filled with Bailey’s cream cheese frosting and covered in white chocolate Bailey’s ganache.

OOooooooooooooooooooooh yeah.

Irish Stout Cake with Bailey's Ganache by JavaCupcake.com

This chocolate cake is seriously one of my all time favorites.   I mean, I could make this cake over and over and over again (and trust me, I already have) and NEVER get tired of it.

At first, I just wanted to make a single layer of cake and cover it in a simple white chocolate Bailey’s ganache.  BUT… I didn’t have a large enough round pan (I wanted a 10in round pan, but I only had an 8in round).   Boo.  So, two 8in rounds it was.   Between the  two layers of cake is a Bailey’s Irish cream & white chocolate ganache that I let set up overnight in the fridge so that I could spread it.  On top is hot ganache poured over the cake and down the sides.  I love that you can see the chocolate layers of this cake too.  Yaahh… this cake is good.

I brought it over to my neighbor Chrissy’s house to share with her family.  I served a big ole slice to her husband with a Guinness… HUGE hit!

Enjoy!

Irish Stout Cake with Bailey's Ganache by JavaCupcake.com

Print
Irish Stout Cake with Bailey’s Ganache

Total Time: 24 hours

Yield: 1 2-layer 8-inch cake

Dark chocolate Guinness Stout cake filled with Bailey's cream cheese frosting topped with Bailey's ganache and white chocolate shavings - the perfect St. Patrick's Day dessert!

Ingredients

    Irish Stout Cake
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 12oz bottle of Guinness Stout beer
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
  • 1 Tbsp espresso powder
    • Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 6oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream
    • Bailey's Ganahe
  • 6oz high quality white chocolate (not white chocolate chips)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • White chocolate shavings (garnish)

Instructions

    Irish Stout Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Grease and flour 2 8in round cake pans. I also lined mine with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the beer, cocoa powder and espresso powder until smooth. Bring to a simmmer and let bubble 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool 5-10 minutes.
  3. While it's cooling, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
  4. In another large bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs and buttermilk.
  5. Once the chocolate mixture has slightly cooled, add 1-2 Tbsp of it to the eggs and milk and whisk until smooth. This is going to temper the eggs so they don't scramble. Slowly pour the remaining chocolate in with the eggs and whisk until incorporated.
  6. Make a well in the flour and pour in the chocolate. Use a spatula to fold together until no more flour can be seen. It will still be clumpy at this point. With your whisk, quickly stir the batter 20 strokes. Do not over mix. The batter may still have a few lumps in it, but that's okay.
  7. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans. (I got about 2 3/4 cup of batter into each pan.)
  8. Bake at 375 F degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 F degrees and cook another 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  9. Cool cake in the pans for 10 minutes until removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Once cooled, trim the tops so that each cake is level and the same height.
  11. Wrap cake layers and freezer for several hours or over night.
    12. Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting
  12. Using your stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter and shortening until smooth.
  13. Add the powdered sugar and beat on high for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
  14. Add the Bailey's and salt and mix for 1 more minute.
  15. Chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes or until firm and easily spreadable without being too soft.
    16. Bailey's Ganache
  16. Run the white chocolate though the food processor until it is in very small, fine pieces. If you don't have a food processor you can just chop the chocolate into very small, fine pieces. Place them in a medium glass bowl.
  17. In a medium pot, bring the heavy cream, Bailey's and butter to a simmer. DO NOT BOIL. Pour cream over the chocolate and let it stand for 1 minute.
  18. Stir chocolate and cream slowly and smoothly until all the chocolate has melted. Do not over-stir the chocolate... you don't want to create air bubbles.
  19. Place the bowl in a ice bath until it has come to room temperature. Cover and chill for 1 hour or until it has thickened.
    20. Assembly
  20. Place first layer of cold from the freezer cake on your cake stand, cut side up. Using all the cream cheese frosting, spread an even, flat layer across the top of the cake to the edges. Place the second layer of cake, cut side down on top of the frosting. Press down gently until the top is level. Put cake in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
  21. Remove the cake from the freezer and spoon ganache on the top of the cake. Using an offset spatula, GENTLY AND SLOWLY spread the ganache to the sides of the cake. Add more ganache when needed to create an even layer. You'll want the ganache to slightly drip off the sides, but most of it to remain on top. Pop any air bubbles with a toothpick.
  22. Garnish the top of the cake with white chocolate shavings.
  23. Store cake in refrigerator until ready to serve. Remove 15-20 minutes before you want to cut the cake.
  24. Store in an air tight container up to 2 days.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://javacupcake.com/2013/03/irish-stout-cake-with-baileys-white-chocolate-ganache/

 

Filed Under: alcohol, alcohol frosting, cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, dark chocolate, frosting and icing, ganache, ganache, holiday, recipes, St. Patrick's Day, white chocolate frosting

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

February 22, 2013 by 10 Comments

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake by JavaCupcake.com

I’m heading out of town this weekend to Garmish, Germany for a marriage retreat courtesy of the US Army.  Three days and two nights at the Edelweiss Resort all on the Army’s dime.  When they offer these kinds of weekends – you don’t tell the Army no.  You say, THANK YOU and enjoy yourself!

Unfortunately, by going on this retreat I’ll be missing my dear friend Chasity’s birthday on Sunday.  Sad, yes.  BUT – being the awesome friend I am… I’m making her birthday cake before I head out of town!  Her husband asked me last week if I’d make the cake for her and of course I jumped at the chance.  Chasity’s favorite flavors are mint & chocolate chip.  No lie about this too.  We went to Poland together last weekend and stopped in Dresden and she ate two giant scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  She LOVES this stuff!  (PS Sorry, Chasity for calling you out on the ice cream haha!)

I started with a basic two layer 8-in chocolate cake.  You can use any recipe you like…  for a quick cake, I like chocolate fudge box mix or you can use my favorite recipe for chocolate cake. Since most of the awesomeness of this cake comes from the frosting and the decorations… the cake part wasn’t my primary focus. I frosted the cake with buttercream – but kicked it up a million notches by adding mint and chocolate chunks to create the mint chocolate chip aspect of the cake. For garnish I made a mint chocolate bark that was super simple yet so darn yummy.  Overall – this cake ruled!

Enjoy!

Print
Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Total Time: 6 hours

Yield: 1 2-layer 8-inch cake

Ingredients

    Chocolate Cake
  • Click on this LINK for the RECIPE
    • Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 2lbs powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp mint extract
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • Wilton Food Coloring Gel - Green
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
    • Chocolate Ganache
  • 4oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
    • Mint Chocolate Chip Bark
  • Click on this LINK for the RECIPE

Instructions

    Chocolate Cake
  1. Make 1/2 the recipe for the chocolate cake using the recipe in the link above.
  2. Cover and freeze layers for several hours or overnight.
    3. Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream
  3. Cream butter and shortening together until smooth.
  4. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. Mix in the mint, salt, and heavy cream. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat on high for 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. If the mixture is too thick, add more heavy cream.
  6. Add the food coloring and mix until the color is uniform.
  7. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
    8. Chocolate Ganache
  8. Place chocolate chunks in a medium glass bowl.
  9. In a small sauce pan, heat the milk, butter and vanilla until it boils.
  10. Pour immediately over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes.
  11. Using a metal spoon, stir slowly and gently until all the chocolate has melted making sure not to incorporate any air into the ganache.
    12. Mint Chocolate Chip Bark
  12. Follow the recipe found in the link above.
    13. Assembly
  13. Trim off the rounded edges of the top of both layers of cake.
  14. Using an offset spatula, spread a 1/2 inch layer of buttercream over the first layer of cake. Make sure to spread it flat and evenly all the way across the edge of the cake.
  15. Spread a thin crumb coat of buttercream around the outside of the cake. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  16. Generously spread more buttercream around the outside of the cake until you have about a 1/2 inch layer of frosting. Smooth out the buttercream.
  17. Prepare the ganache on the top of the cake in the center. Using an offset spatula, gently bring the ganache to the edge of the cake and let it pour over. Start by pouring a small amount of ganache, you can always add more if necessary.
  18. Garnish with a stack of mint chocolate chip bark.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://javacupcake.com/2013/02/mint-chocolate-chip-cake/

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake by JavaCupcake.com

Filed Under: cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, frosting and icing, mint frosting, peppermint and mint, recipes

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

January 17, 2013 by 8 Comments

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes by JavaCupcake

One of my very good friends, Margot, is having her baby shower tonight.  Her baby was born several months early and we didn’t get a chance to celebrate her baby girl before she arrived… so tonight, we celebrate Evalyn and Margot!  Margot loves my cupcakes… how do I know this?  Well, she was Emily’s teacher and the recipient of several “thank you” cupcakes thoughout the year and ALL the other teachers at the school were very jealous! tee hee hee

Margot & Evalyn

Now… you might be surprised that I didn’t make these cupcakes 100% from scratch.  I know… you’re used to seeing unique recipes for my creations that don’t include a box.  But this week I have been super duper busy that I didn’t want to take the chance of a recipe not working out and not having the time to redo the cupcakes.

So, I used Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake Mix.  This isn’t your $0.99 box of cake mix.  This cake mix produces a rich, dark chocolate cake that has ribbons of fudge and chunks of chocolate in it.  Really… for a box… it’s AMAZING!  And even more… paired with my favorite peanut butter buttercream it’s OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Have you had my peanut butter buttercream before?  Uhm…. it’s light and fluffy with the perfect amount of peanut butter flavor.  Not too sweet, not to strong… just perfect! I could eat this by the SPOONFUL!

Oh – and it’s Girl Scout Cookie Season and I just HAD to top these cupcakes with a Tagalong cookie!

Love those liners?  I got them from Sweets & Treats Boutique! I LOVE THEM!

Enjoy!

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes by JavaCupcake.com

Print
Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

51

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Yield: 2 dozen + 9 cupcakes

Ingredients

    Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
  • 2 boxes Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake Mix
  • Oil
  • Eggs
  • Water
    • Peanut Butter Buttercream
  • 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (I used Jiff)
  • 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3-1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • Chocolate jimmies
  • Tagalong Girl Scout Cookies - quartered

Instructions

    Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners.
  2. Prepare the fudge filling and the batter as directed on the box.
  3. Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners.
  4. Dollop a scan tablespoon of fudge filling on top of the batter. Use a toothpick to swirl fudge into the batter. You want to make sure that the batter is covering the fudge filling.
  5. Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan after 12 minutes.
  6. Cool in pan for at least 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
    7. Peanut Butter Buttercream
  7. Cream together the peanut butter and butter.
  8. Add the powdered sugar and mix on high until incorporated.
  9. Add 1/3 cup of heavy cream and mix until smooth. Add more cream until you reach your desired consistency.
  10. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat on high for 4-5 minutes. The frosting will lighten in color and become smooth and fluffy.
  11. Using a Wilton 1M tip, pipe frosting onto each cupcake.
  12. Top with chocolate jimmies and a Tagalong cookie piece.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://javacupcake.com/2013/01/triple-chocolate-peanut-butter-cupcakes/

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes by JavaCupcake.com

Filed Under: buttercream, cake, cake from a box, chocolate, chocolate cake, dark chocolate, frosting and icing, peanut butter, peanut butter frosting, recipes

The Best Chocolate Cake You’ll Ever Eat

September 27, 2012 by 19 Comments

Or… at least the best chocolate cake I’ll ever eat!!!

I crave my chocolate cake.  I mean, I think about it every day.   Dream about it.  Drool about it.  Everyone who ever needs a cake recipe, I tell them to use this one.  It’s by far the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever made.  The best part of it… it’s so incredibly simple to make.  It takes just a few minutes to put together and you don’t even need a mixer.  Two bowls, sauce pan and a whisk.

I’ve made this recipe so many times that I have it memorized.  Which is saying a lot for me because I don’t have ANY other recipes of mine memorized.  I always have to bring the tablet to the kitchen and look up the recipe on my blog.

Because this cake is just for me… I’m not decorating it fancy or doing anything special with it.  I am just baking it in a 9×13 pan and frosting it with my favorite chocolate fudge frosting (recipe from my Mamma) and garnishing with simple sprinkles.  I’m pretty sure my daughter and I will finish off a big slice tonight with a giant glass of milk and the rest will be gone by the weekend.  Hmmm, maybe I’ll even invite my neighbors over for a slice.  Maybe not.

This cake… this is the cake that you make when you want chocolate.  When you just need a fix of that rich decadence that is chocolate but you don’t want a candy bar or cookies and you definitely don’t want to spend 100 hours in the kitchen making something.  This is the chocolate cake you make when you know you want to eat it straight from the pan with a fork.

This is…

The Best Chocolate Cake You’ll Ever Eat!

Print
The Best Chocolate Cake You’ll Ever Eat

51

Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 1 9x13 cake

In my world, a quarter of the cake! hehe

The moist delicious chocolate cake you'll ever eat!

Ingredients

    Chocolate Cake
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp espresso powder
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
    • Chocolate Fudge Frosting
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 1oz squares baking chocolate
  • 1 lb sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ cup whipping cream

Instructions

    Chocolate Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 pan. I also lined mine with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the coffee, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and vanilla and whisk until combined. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and the eggs. SLOWLY add a few tablespoons of the chocolate mixture to the sour cream and eggs. Whisk to combine. In a slow stream, whisk in the remaining chocolate mixture until combined completely.
  5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in wet. Using a whisk, stir until no more lumps remain.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
  7. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan completely before frosting.
    8. Chocolate Fudge Frosting
  8. Once the cake has cooled completely, prepare the frosting.
  9. Sift sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment.
  10. In a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate together. Stir in the vanilla.
  11. With the mixer on low, slowly pour the chocolate into the powdered sugar. The frosting will be very thick and hard to mix.
  12. Add the whipping cream and beat until smooth. You may not need all the whipping cream, so add it slowly.
  13. As the frosting cools it will thicken so spread over cooled cake immediately.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://javacupcake.com/2012/09/the-best-chocolate-cake-youll-ever-eat/

Filed Under: cake, cakes, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, dark chocolate, frosting and icing, recipes

Chocolate Raspberry Ombre Petal Cake

August 17, 2012 by 19 Comments

Since I’ve been on a cake kick lately, I’ve been daydreaming non stop about what flavor to make next.   I’ve been craving my favorite chocolate cake recipe and my fridge is fully stocked with raspberries so I knew I had to incorporate them into this cake.  Next week I’m baking a cake for a birthday and thought today’s cake would be the perfect opportunity to practice a new decorating technique before I have to make the birthday cake!

I really took my time putting this cake together.  I started it about 11am and finished it around dinner time.  The most time consuming part was the frosting, not making the frosting, but decorating with the frosting. The cake itself only requires 2 bowls and a small pot, no mixer required.

Ombre is a style of decorating where you use several shades of the same color to frost your cake, beginning with the darkest and continue with lighter and lighter shades of your color until it becomes white.  This cake being raspberry, I figured pink would be the best choice.  I used Wilton Gel color pink, separated my frosting into four parts, thentinted my frosting three shades of pink and left one white.

The Petal Technique uses a round tip on your piping bag and a small spatula to create the effect.  It’s a simple process, just very time consuming.

Since I’d never made a cake like this before, I did my homework and read several blogs about how to successfully create these looks on a cake.  My favorite was from The Hungry Housewife.  She posted a tutorial on her blog that demonstrated both the ombre and petal effect to decorate a cake.  So, I watched this video, prepped my frosting and got to work!

I’m not going to include my step by step on how I decorated the cake, I’m going to let you read what The Hungry Housewife wrote… why reinvent the wheel.  But, I will give you the recipe for the cake I made and the raspberry filling.

Let’s talk about the cake for a second…

Dark chocolate, rich, dense and moist.  This is my FAVORITE chocolate cake recipe OF ALL TIME.  Yah, it’s that good.  And like I said before, no mixer required to make this cake… which makes it even better.  I’ve used this recipe for cupcakes before, but I’d never transitioned it into a cake, but it preformed wonderfully in cake pans!

Raspberry filling… nothing better next to chocolate than this raspberry filling.  Can I tell you a secret?  Last night, after the cake was finished, I spooned this raspberry filling onto extra pieces of chocolate cake and shoveled it into my mouth.  Actually, I made raspberry sandwiches with it… two pieces of cake filled with raspberry.  Decadent.  Heavenly.

A few things I realized during this cake that will make your cake making process a lot easier…

  1. PLAN AHEAD!  Decide what colors you want to use, what cake flavors you want to use and go over all your recipes and tutorials before you begin.  Be thorough so there are no surprises.
  2. Make sure you have all your tools ready.  You really want to have enough bags with the same tip prepared and ready to go when you start piping.  It will make this process 100x easier.
  3. Go slow.  Take your time.  Don’t rush it.  I know I get excited making new things and sometimes rush… but really, take your time.  Breathe and enjoy the process!

I really hope you try this cake for your next special occasion.  Your friends will be super impressed.  I’m even impressed with myself.  :)

 

Print
Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Ingredients

    Chocolate Cake
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • 1 1/2 cups brewed coffee
  • 1 Tbsp espresso powder
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
    • Raspberry Filling
  • 4 cups fresh raspberries
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • juice of a lime
  • 2 Tbsp corn starch
  • pinch of salt
    • Vanilla Buttercream for filling
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1-2 Tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1lb powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • vanilla bean - split the bean and scrape seeds from one half of bean
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2-3 Tbsp milk
    • Vanilla Buttercream for icing
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 Tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 2 1/2 lbs powdered sugar (about 10 cups)
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla
  • seeds of 1 1/2 vanilla beans
  • 1/4-1/2 cup milk
  • Wilton Food Coloring Gel - Pink

Instructions

    Dark Chocolate Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease and flour 4 8in cake pans.
  2. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the coffee, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and vanilla and whisk until combined. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and the eggs. SLOWLY add a few tablespoons of the chocolate mixture to the sour cream and eggs. Whisk to combine. In a slow stream, whisk in the remaining chocolate mixture until combined completely.
  5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in wet. Using a whisk, stir until no more lumps remain.
  6. Divide the batter evenly into the 4 prepared pans. Each pan should get about 1 1/2 heaping cups of batter.
  7. Bake 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to cool on a wire rack.
  8. Once the cakes have cooled, but are still warm, using a cake leveler to cut off the round mound on the top of the cake. Make sure all four layers are the same size.
    9. Raspberry Filling
  9. In a large pan, melt the butter.
  10. Add the raspberries, sugar and lime and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir continuously so that the raspberries begin to break down.
  11. Add the corn starch and stir to combine. Continue to cook until the raspberries thicken, about 2 minutes.
  12. Stir in the salt.
  13. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before filling cake.
    14. Buttercream (you'll use the same method to make both buttercreams)
  14. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese (shortening too if you're making the bc for the outside of the cake).
  15. One cup at a time, add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
  16. Mix in the vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds and salt.
  17. Add enough milk until you reach your desired consistency. Mix on high for about 5 minutes.
    18. To color the frosting:
  18. Divide frosting into four bowls. Set one aside that will remain white. Using a toothpick, dab a VERY SMALL amount of the pink dye into one bowl and mix until uniform in color. Use a little bit more color in the next bowl and even more color in the final bowl. The colors should get gradually darker.
    19. To assemble the cake:
  19. Place the first layer of cake on a cake board/cake stand. Using the first batch of buttercream, make a border of frosting on the top of the cake along the edge. This will create a space for the raspberry filling and keep it from oozing out the sides.
  20. Fill the top open space with 1/2 cup of raspberry filling, spreading evenly.
  21. Place the second layer of cake gently on top. Spread a 1/2 inch thick layer of buttercream evenly on top.
  22. Place the third layer of cake on top of the frosting and repeat the process used for the first raspberry layer.
  23. Finally, place the last cake layer on top. Using the remaining frosting to crumb coat the cake.
  24. Freeze cake for 20 minutes before frosting.
    25. Petal Cake Frosting Technique
  25. Visit The Hungry Housewife for a complete petal cake frosting tutorial.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin
http://javacupcake.com/2012/08/chocolate-raspberry-ombre-petal-cake/

 

 

Filed Under: buttercream, cake, cakes, chocolate, chocolate cake, dark chocolate, decorating ideas, featured, fruit filled cake, ombre, ombre cake, petal cake, raspberries, raspberry, recipes