CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERS RECIPES

Steps:

• FOR CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 9-inch layer cake pans (I use Wilton, they are the best). Cut out circles of wax paper and line bottom of pans. If you have Wilton Bake-Even Cake Strips, use them. If not, you will have to level cakes after they are cooled.
• Combine boiling water and cocoa. Stir until smooth. Set aside in the fridge to cool.
• Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla at high speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 5 min is perfect).
• In a separate bowl combine flour, soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Alternately add flour.
• Then cocoa mixture beginning and ending with flour.
• Do not overbeat or cake will be tough!
• Pour batter into prepared pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 or until top springs back. Do not overbake!
• Cool in pans 10 minutes.
• Then flip out onto a large plate and put in the freezer. Don't worry, I know what I am doing. This keeps the cakes from falling apart and won't leave crumbs in your icing.
• GANACHE FILLING: Place the chocolate into a medium bowl.
• Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Watch very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot.
• When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chocolate chips.
• Whisk until smooth.
• Stir in the Grand Marnier and the orange zest.
• Transfer hot chocolate to a relatively deep stainless steel bowl and immerse it into a bowl of ice water. Then whip with a hand mixer until it is thick and fluffy.
• Once it is desired consistency, take out of ice bath or it will continue to harden; set aside.
• SATINY CHOCOLATE FROSTING: Combine chips, milk, and butter in a LARGE saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth.
• Remove from heat; blend in powdered sugar.
• Set the pan (or transfer to a mixing bowl) into an ice bath; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer.
• Stop occassionally to scrape down the sides. Mix until frosting is fluffy and holds its shape.
• It should make a peak with a spoon and hold it. Remove from ice bath or it will continue to harden!
• CAKE ASSEMBLY: Remove frozen layers from the freezer and put on a platter lined with wax paper strips to catch the mess. Place the first cake and spoon about half of the ganache.
• Place the next cake on top of the ganache layer.
• Spoon the rest of the ganache on top.
• Place the last cake on top. Frost the top with the satiny chocolate frosting first. Then start on the sides. Smooth top as much as possible with a flat knife dipped in hot water.
• Take your chocolate jimmies (chocolate sprinkles). Gently take your hand and press them into the sides only. Continue until you have gone all he way around. Gently remove the wax paper strips and discard. Put remaining filling into a piping bag and pipe 12 medium size swirls on top of the cake. I used a #21 tip. Space them out before you start piping to make sure you get 12 and they are even. Top each swirl with a Lindt chocolate truffle and a white chocolate truffle, alternating. If the bottom of your cake is messy where you pulled out the paper, you may use the same tip to pipe a border around the base of the cake.
• Chill in the refrigerator immediately. Before serving, let the cake set out at room temperature 30 minutes so the chocolate will soften back up slightly. Enjoy!
• ALTERNATE GARNISH: Pipe a border around top and bottom lip of cake. Take Pirouette creme filled wafers and line them up around the sides of cake. (They do not have to be all the same height). Add M&M's to the middle of the cake . ***Finished Cake #2 in my photo #2 made in (3) 9-inch pans. Serves at least 14, huge cake.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and line a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep).
• Put 200g chopped dark chocolate in a medium pan with 200g butter.
• Mix 1 tbsp instant coffee granules into 125ml cold water and pour into the pan.
• Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted – don’t overheat. Or melt in the microwave for about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Mix 85g self-raising flour, 85g plain flour, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 200g light muscovado sugar, 200g golden caster sugar and 25g cocoa powder, and squash out any lumps.
• Beat 3 medium eggs with 75ml buttermilk.
• Pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir everything to a smooth, quite runny consistency.
• Pour this into the tin and bake for 1hr 25 – 1hr 30 mins. If you push a skewer into the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don’t worry if it cracks a bit).
• Leave to cool in the tin (don’t worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the cold cake horizontally into three.
• To make the ganache, put 200g chopped dark chocolate in a bowl.  Pour 300ml double cream into a pan, add 2 tbsp golden caster sugar and heat until it is about to boil.
• Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool until it is a little thicker but still pourable.
• Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smooth over any gaps with a palette knife.
• Decorate with 50g grated chocolate or 100g chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.