From Denny: Looking through some old magazines today I found quite an impressive chocolate cake that was a category winner in the contest Your Best Recipe. What are the four chocolate tastes that converge all into this one gorgeous cake? There is bittersweet and semisweet chocolate used in the cake batter. Then to "gild the lily" she dresses this cake with a mocha cream filling and the final adornment is a coffee liqueur ganache icing, topped with dark chocolate curls.
What makes this cake so special is the brown sugar in the cake batter that adds that mysterious hint of caramel flavor that goes so well with intense chocolate.
Awesome! I'm telling you this is THE cake to make for Valentine's Day! I hope I can wait that long...:) You will definitely get rave reviews for this beauty.
From: Category winner of Your Best Recipe, Florence Neavoll of Salem, Oregon - Southern Living, re-published January 2006
Prep: 30 min.
Bake: 30 min.
Cool: 10 min.
Yield: Makes 12 to 14 servings
Ingredients:
cooking spray
vegetable shortening
1/2 (4 ounce) semisweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
1/2 (4 ounce) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup boiling water
Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing
Mocha-Chocolate Cream Filling
Garnish: chocolate curls
Directions:
Coat 3 (8-inch) round cakepans with cooking spray. Line bottoms of pans with wax paper; grease wax paper with shortening, and set aside.
Melt chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth; set aside.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla.
Sift together flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating at low speed just until blended, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in boiling water. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
Bake at 350° for 28 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread top with 4 tablespoons Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing. Spread half of Mocha-Chocolate Cream Filling evenly over ganache on cake layer. Top with second cake layer; spread top with 4 tablespoons Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing and remaining Mocha-Chocolate Cream Filling. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing on top and sides of cake. Garnish, if desired.
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