CHOCOLATE WEDDINGS RECIPES

Steps:

• Sift together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa. Set aside.
• Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add flour and next 3 ingredients, beating until blended. Stir in pecans. (Dough will be stiff.) Shape into 1-inch balls, and place on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks, and cool slightly. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar mixture, and cool completely on wire racks.

Steps:

• DIRECTIONS:.
• Special Equipment:.
• Wilton 14", 10" & 6" cake pans.
• separator plates & columns.
• base plate or heavy cardboard base.
• 1/4" dowel rods, cut to size.
• pastry bags.
• icing decorator tips in various sizes.
• food paste coloring.
• Bridal cake topper.
• other non-edible decorations as desired.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In small saucepan, melt chopped white chocolate and hot water over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Stir in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Mix in melted white chocolate and vanilla.
• Grease & flour pans. Divide batter into pans according to their volume measurements.
• (either measure volume by pouring water into each cake pan, or it may be marked on bottom of Wilton cake pans).
• Do not fill over 2/3 full.
• Bake 6" cakes for 30 to 35 minutes; bake 10" cakes for 35-40 minutes; bake 14" cakes for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
• You will have to clean and re-use the pans to make the correct number of layers. Cool the cakes about 7-9 minutes in the pans, then remove them from the pans to wire racks. Allow to cool completely before frosting. Continue baking as above.
• When cool, brush crumbs from surface, frost thinly with a layer of buttercream to seal, then start with the 14" layers, placing them on a large serving platter (or foil wrapped heavy cardboard cut to match shape of your cake).
• Secure 14" layer with 5-7 1/4" dowel rods cut to the depth of the two cake layers. Insert the dowel rods in a circle (or match shape of next layer) 2" in from the edge of cake.
• Place a separator plate on top of dowel rods and place the 10" cake layers, frosted with buttercream on plate. Cut 3-5 dowel rods as before to the depth of the 10" cake layers. Stabilize middle layers with dowel rods placed in 5" circle(or match shape of cake).
• Place the 6" layers on a small separator plate, frost with buttercream and decorate layers as desired. Cover lightly with plastic wrap.
• Cake can be transferred at this point by wedging the two bottom layers into a box just larger than the serving platter and deeper than the layers.
• Place top layer in separate cake carrier (it should fit in a Tupperware or Rubbermaid carrier). Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.
• When setting up for reception, assemble separator plate with columns and place on top of second layer to settle the top layer.
• Have extra icing on hand to repair decorations as needed. Place bridal topper on top of cake, and use fresh or silk flowers or other non-edible decorations as desired.