My Chocolate Fantasy

Resistance is futile! It is indeed hard to resist the sweet smell of chocolate cake, especially when the aroma is linked with nice memories.

My mom is a very open person, and always willing to share. Not only is she generous with her advice, but she will share with you all the things that she experienced. she is always willing to explain sewing, cooking, or advanced mathematics. There is one thing, however, that she guards jealously. It is her biggest secret, and she had promises that she will carry to the grave. And that is her chocolate cake recipe. So far, we tried everything to to get it from her.

This is not just a normal chocolate mix cake recipe. This is seriously gourmet. It is not a simple chocolate cake recipe, either. Chocolate cake is normally very easy to make, but hers demands all day and all night. She is literally in there for 12 hours at a time, slaving away on the perfect chocolate cake. But it is wonderful. It is priceless. It is the most delicious cake that I have ever ate. I could do anything to get that chocolate cake recipe.

The thing is, my mother isn’t all that into chocolate in general. She never makes chocolate brownies. When she goes to a restaurant she won’t even order a chocolate brownie. But that chocolate cake recipe is her favourite thing in the world. Every holiday she cooks it, and each time we ask for more. Nobody ever gets sick of it. Even my friends, strict vegetarians who will only eat vegan chocolate cake recipes usually, will make an exception for her delectable chocolate cake. It really is that good.

The truly sad part is that, since I first tasted that chocolate cake, I will not eat any other sort of chocolate desert. Even the finest German chocolate cake recipe leaves me unsatisfied. Part of it is that my dear mother made it. She spends so much time on it, and clearly wants us to like it so much, that it is hard to resist. I don’t know if I would like it quite as much if it were someone else who made it, but even so I would like it still. After all, she has won several cookingcontests with her chocolate cake recipe. She has only participated a handful of times, but every time she has entered the same recipe, and every time she has won. It was no use to try to sneak in the kitchen. Until I left the room, she just refused to go on with her cooking. I hope some day she will share the recipe with us.

Black Forest Cake, is a chocolate cake with a strong cherry element to it which is popular throughout North America.

Called Schwarzwälderkirschtorte in German, which means Black Forest Cherry Torte (torte is the German word for cake).

The origin of this cake in unknown, but it is believed to have originated in the late 16th century in the Black Forest Region (Der Schwarzwald in German) located in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg. The area is known for its sour cherries and Kirsch or Kirschwasser (a double distilled, clear cherry brandy made from the sour Morello cherry).

It is a chocolate layer cake with Kirsch, whipped cream, sour cherries and chocolate curls.

Ingredients:

Cake

4oz Irish butter

8oz brown sugar

4oz plain chocolate

7oz self-raising flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 pint sour cream

3 tablespoons strong cold black coffee

2 eggs

pinch of salt

Pastry Base

4oz cream flour

pinch of salt

2oz icing sugar

2oz/ Irish butter

1 egg yolk

a few drops of vanilla essence

Other:

1 pint cream

1lb tin black cherries

4 table spoons black cherry jam

brandy or cherry juice

4oz grated chocolate

Directions:

Cake:

Cream butter and sugar together well.

Melt the chocolate and beat into the creamed mixture, then mix in the eggs.

Sift flour, salt and cinnamon together.

Fold the dry mix lightly into the liquids, then fold in the sour cream and cold coffee.

Into a lined and greased 9-inch round, deep tin pour the cake mixture and bake for 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Set to cool on a wire rack.

Pastry Base:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and bind until the mixture stiffens.

Roll the pastry onto a floured board worktable until pastry is about the same size as the base of the tin.

Lay out on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Assembly:

Whip cream until it holds its shape.

Put some cream into pastry piping bag with a star pipe attached, and reserve this for the decoration.

Slice the cake into 3 equal-sized layers.

Drain the cherries, reserve 8 for decoration and remove the stones from the remainder.

Put pastry on serving plate and spread the pastry with black cherry jam.

Soak the cakes with sprit used.

Put one layer of cake on top of coated pastry.

Spread a layer of cream with half the stoned cherries.

Put the second layer of cake and add another layer of cream and cherries.

Add the final layer of the cake.

mask the entire cake with the remaining cream and press on the grated chocolate. Decorate the top with piped rosettes of cream and the reserved whole black cherries.

Tips:

Using 3 identical cake pans instead of 1 large is OK.

Margarine, vegetable oil or regular butter will substitute for Irish butter.

In some countries the brandy is often replaced by rum, in Germany itself it is almost always replaced by Kirschwasser.

This recipe did not come with a temperature to bake at for either the pastry or cake. Cakes usually work at between

325°F and 400°F (160°C and 205°C). Pastries usually work at between 350°F and 425°F (175°C and 220°C).

A cake is one of the most important foods for an occasion. Cakes are sweet and baked, and are best topped best with candy-colored confectionaries especially if it is meant for kids. Cakes are often made from flour, sugar, egg, butter, shortening, or margarine, milk, water and other flavorings. It is often topped with frosting like butter cream. There are also different varieties like those of bread-like, those that are elaborate and luxurious and the ice cream cakes. Making cake before is a complicated procedure. However, you can now make cake simply with cooking games. Bake your favorite cake at cooking games and you will learn how to bake different cakes aside from your favorite too. Prepare your mixer, bowls and microwave oven at the virtual kitchen now!Chocolate cake. Cakes have many variations, so as chocolate cakes. These variations are based on the ingredients that have been used. There can be the banana brownie cake, fudge cake, chocolate chip cake or chocolate cake glazed with chocolate butter cream. You can do the basic procedure in baking cake and do variations on the frosting and the flavor.Strawberry cake. Strawberry cake is one of the worth-trying cakes. This is a special cake made with strawberries. In making the cake, you will need two cups white sugar, strawberry flavored gelatin, 1 cup butter, 4 eggs, cake flour, baking powder, milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and 1/2 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries. It is best to let this cake sit in the refrigerator to chill before serving.Ice cream cake. Ice cream cakes are made from cake mix and ice cream. Its cake and ice cream in two cold layers! You can try to make black forest ice cream cake, brownie ice cream cake, cranberry pistachio ice cream cake or any of your favorite ice cream.There are still other cakes that you will love to eat and bake. If you want to learn more on how to do these recipes, try cooking at online games. In the virtual kitchen, everything is prepared and you only need to follow instructions carefully. Bake chocolate cake, strawberry cake, ice cream cake the way you like it. Experiment with the ingredients and you will be an expert pastry chef.Cooking games can really be an exciting thing that you can spend your time with. Explore various cake recipes and other pastries and be a chef. If you are already learned in baking, you can get into real kitchen and do real cakes. For now, enjoy cooking and decorate cakes too. Put your artistic creativity in making cake and you will surely make a very special cake for a very special event for those you love.

They say that for every occasion there is always a delicious cake to complete it. These gourmet cakes come in a wide array of ingredients. Most of the time gourmet cakes are baked on special events like birthdays, ceremonies, parties, and so much more. Even on an ordinary day, you can choose to complete your meal with a tasty cake as a desert. Food recipes are usually categorized into many different kinds. A cake recipe can be found in a cookbook or could be found in the internet. There are web sites which let you have a look at their assorted food recipes for free. Cakes are loved by everyone. They have a sweet and distinctive taste and they can come in different shapes, sizes, and designs. So what are the different types of gourmet cakes and what is behind a satisfying cake recipe? Let’s start off with the bundt cake. It is a cake with no artistic designs and icing decorations on it. It is simply a cake that is baked in a bundt pan and the most popular ones of this kind are the banana, cinnamon, apple and peanut butter cake. Another very famous type of cake is the chocolate cake. Wondering what is the best chocolate cake recipe? There are actually several types of chocolate flavored cakes but on top of these are the Dessert Torte, Black Forest, Chocolate Almond Cake, and so much more. They usually have a round or a square shape with a thick layer of chocolate and icing on top and on the sides of it. Among others, another popular cake recipe is the dessert cake. It is called as such because it is smaller compared to the gourmet cakes. They are often made at home as a daily desert. Some of the most common desert cakes are the chocolate mallows, san rival, tiramisu, mango float, and icebox cake. Some food recipes are intended for people who are on a diet. The cake recipe for these is usually low in sugar and uses an alternative for it. The most commonly used substitute for sugar in these cakes is the maple syrup. Cheesecakes have cheese as the main ingredient and it has a creamy taste. It could be done with layers and for each layer, you can add a filling such as jam, icing, or mousse meringue. This is the cake recipe kids and moms love to bake because it is easy yet delicious at the same time. The crust used in this cake could be cookies and the filling may be a mix of blueberry, chocolate, caramel, strawberry, and many others. This type of cake is very versatile so you can even make these food recipes in your own preference.

Wedding cakes are created to look and taste fabulous, but sometimes flavor is compromised for style. When selecting a wedding cake, the perfect combination of taste and appearance should be paramount. The goal is that you and your guests admire the design of the cake just as much as they love eating it!
Wedding cakes come in a wide variety of flavors these days and couples no longer have to choose between traditional tastes like vanilla, chocolate and marble. Modern wedding cake bakers provide a wealth of flavor choices including imaginative combinations as diverse as coconut key-lime, chocolate hazelnut mocha, lemon poppy seed and orange-mango.
A good parameter to use when making your flavor selection is to coordinate it with the colors and theme of the wedding – or select the cake first and plan design details around it. Other important factors include the season and location of your wedding, so decide on your priorities before beginning the wedding cake selection and sampling process.
The simple rule is heavier chocolate cakes in the colder months/climates and airy, light cakes during the warmer months/climates.
The top wedding cake flavor suggestions for the seasons are as follows:
Fall/Winter
• Kahlua Mocha- dark liqueur cake with coffee, vanilla and chocolate liqueur and topped with fudge icing
• Mexican Chocolate Cake- moist and enhanced with three types of chocolate and a bit of cinnamon with a smooth milk-chocolate frosting
• Red Velvet Cake- traditional Southern chocolate-red cake with cream cheese frosting
• Texas Turtle- devil’s food cake with nuts and caramel filling and fudge frosting
Spring/Summer
• Princess Cake- moist, creamy white cake topped with cream cheese frosting (traditional choice)
• Orange Marmalade and Lemon Cake- tangy lemon cake made using bitter English orange marmalade and lemon zest with a lemon butter sauce poured over the cake after baking and iced with cream cheese frosting
• Fresh Strawberry Cake- chopped strawberries folded in a white cake batter topped with rich cream cheese frosting
Be sure to spend ample time seeking out a bakery that will suit all of your needs since there are plenty of options and competition for your business. You might want to start your search online or through referrals – then begin deciding which providers seem most appropriate for your needs. The more time and patience you spend selecting your cake, the happier you and your guests will be with the outcome.
There are additional cake-related decisions to consider. If you are concerned about price consider using fresh flowers and fruits in lieu of frosted ones. You can also order a beautiful cake that is a bit too small to feed the crowd and serve from less extraordinary sheet cakes that can be left out of sight and sliced and delivered by the venue staff. You also might want to consider a square cake as opposed to round being that square cakes cut more slices and will feed more people.
Of course, these are just suggestions and many wedding cake bakeries allow the happy couple to customize their cake to satisfy their palette and pricing concerns. Be sure to have an idea of how many people will be attending and ask the bakery about price per slice when considering the various flavors and shapes.

Chocolate wedding cakes, icing wedding cakes, fruit wedding cakes, or any other wedding cake . . . each should be a beautiful work of art. Your wedding cake will be the first and longest lasting impression your guests will have of your special day! Creating the perfect wedding cake is not easy. Every bride wants to know that her wedding cake will be exactly the way she always imagined.

Your wedding cake will be crafted by hand, using only the finest ingredients, so why not supply us with your ideas and let us create a unique bespoke wedding cake for your special wedding day? The pictures on our website are only an example of the many chocolate, icing and fruit wedding cake designs we can create. If any of these wedding cake pictures attract you, we can of course change the flowers, colours and decoration to coordinate with your individual wedding theme.

Your wedding cake can be filled with whatever you desire, such as chocolate. Your wedding cake filling can vary depending on your taste. You can even create your own filling, or choose different fillings for each tier of your wedding cake. Gone are the days when the only choice you had was a fruit wedding cake.

We can make up a chocolate wedding cake to perfectly suit your individual needs. Chocolate wedding cakes are very popular with many brides and grooms who want something different for their wedding. We bake a delicious moist chocolate wedding cake, which is filled with a chocolate filling and tastes divine. Chocolate wedding cakes make great desserts that you can either serve on their own or with fresh fruit and cream. You can choose a chocolate cake, which is decorated in fondant for a traditional feel, or for chocoholics, have it decorated with a choice of milk, white or dark chocolate. Or, why not have all three?

If you have a chocolate or any other wedding cake design to discuss, please feel free to phone one of our staff to discuss your wedding cake requirements. Most wedding cakes are made up within two weeks, but if you have a special requirement, please try to give our bakers enough time to complete your order perfectly.

Alternatively, all our wedding cakes can be seen and tasted at our Regent Street, Knightsbridge and High Street Kensington branches. Why not drop in for a taste of something special and discuss your wedding cake requirements?

 

Who doesn’t enjoy cakes that are baked at home? Whether you love to bake for your family, celebrate a special event or just crave something sweet, cakes are always a huge hit and the talk of a party.

Want a freshly baked cake, but haven’t got the time for anything too complicated? Here are some easy-to-bake recipes are simple to make and oh so delicious!

Indulge in incredible, simple, rich and mouthwatering cakes that are quick to prepare!

6 MINUTE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour, all-purpose

1 cup sugar

3 Tbs. cocoa, unsweetened

1 Tsp. baking soda

1/2 Tsp. salt

1 Tsp. instant coffee, or espresso

6 Tbs. oil

1 Tbs. vinegar

1 Tsp. vanilla

1 cup cold water, or strong coffee

Directions

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Then, in a 9×9 cake pan, measure and blend thoroughly with a fork the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, instant coffee powder, and salt.

Next, make 3 indentations in the dry ingredients with your fork. Into the first, pour 6 tb. of oil. Into the second, pour 1 tb. vinegar. Into the third, pour 1 tsp. vanilla.

Then, over all ingredients, pour 1 cup of cold water or strong, cold coffee. Stir with a fork until evenly blended.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

This chocolate cake recipe is very rich and best served alone, with whipped cream, ice cream, or your favorite frosting.

CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE GLAZE

Ingredients

4 ea. Eggs

3 Tbs. Brown sugar, packed

4 Tsp. Vegetable oil

1 Tsp. Vanilla

1 1/3 c. Instant dry milk powder

3/4 c. Whole wheat flour

2 Tsp. Baking soda

2 Tsp. Ground cinnamon

3 c. Grated carrots

1 c. Crushed pineapple, drained

1/4 c. Dark raisins

Directions

Spray an 8 tube pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Combine eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla; beat well. With mixer at low speed beat in milk powder, flour, baking soda and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pan and bake 40-45 minutes until cake tests done. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove cake from pan; drizzle with CREAM CHEESE GLAZE.

CHEESE CAKE (NURIT)

Ingredients

MAIN: 500 g Cheese – 5 fat

250 g Cheese – 9 fat

1 c. Leben *

6 Eggs

1 c. Sugar

4 Tbs. Vanilla Instant Pudding

4 Tbs. Corn flour

tb Vanilla Sugar (optional)

TOPPING: 1 c. Cream

Vanilla Instant Pudding (the remnant from above)

Some chocolate -or- Minced nuts (for decoration)

* Sour cream of less than 5% fat

Directions

For this cake recipe, beat the egg whites with the sugar to make a solid foam. Mix the other ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the foam with light movements. Pour into a baking pan of 26 cm diameter. Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated hot oven then lower temperature to medium and leave the cake in for about 45 minutes. When ready (check with a tooth pick) let it cool down for at least 10 minutes in the partly open oven. Beat the cream with the rest of the instant pudding. Put this on the cake in a thin layer. Spread some chocolate crumbs or minced nuts for decoration.

When we think of Black Forest Cake we usually think of a chocolate cake, whipped cream, and cherries.  But not this Black Forest Cake.  If you notice this is Han’s Black Forest Cake and you can imagine that Han is a German name.  So he knows his Black Forest Cake.  This original recipe was made famous in Texas by a German named  Hans who gave it up to the public domain years ago.  I have made a few changes but still call it Han’s to differenciate it from my other Black Forest Cake recipes. Give it a try, you won’t even miss the cherries.  I promise!  This cake is sure to become a favorite among your family and friends!

HAN’S BLACK FOREST CAKE

10 large egg whites3 cups minus 2 tbsp sugar, divided1 tbsp cornstarch1/2 lb blanched almonds, finely grated1 envelope unflavored gelatin2 tbsp hot water3 cups whipping cream1 tsp vanilla extractdark sweet chocolate, shaveddark sweet chocolate, finely gratedpowdered sugar for dusting

Beat the egg whites in a large mixing bowl until foamy. Gradually add 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons of the sugar, beating constantly until mixture forms a mass that will stand in a stiff peak. Combine 1 cup of the sugar with the cornstarch; carefully fold this into the beaten egg whites along with the grated almonds. Spread the mixture onto baking sheets lined with buttered parchment paper, forming three 10-inch circles using the collar of a 10-inch springform pan. (Place the collar on the paper, fill with the mixture, lift the collar and repeat twice more.) Bake in a 250 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from pans, cool on wire racks.

Dissolve the gelatin in the hot water then allow to cool slightly. Commbine the whipping cream and the vanilla; beat until stiff. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar and the warm gelatin mixture, mixing carefully.

To assemble the cake: Spread some of the whipped cream mixture between the meringue layers. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream mixture. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings over the top of the cake and press the grated chocolate onto the sides. Sift the powdered sugar over the top. Store in a cool area.

NOTE: You are not misreading the recipe and it is not a mistake; there are no cherries in or on this cake.  But you will never miss them!

Enjoy!

If you love chocolate cake you need to add this Chocolate Spice Cake to your recipe collection as one can never have too many chocolate cake recipes.  This cake is different because of the spices–just enough to make it special without being overpowering.  Surprise your family and friends with this different chocolate cake.  It’s up to you whether or not to give away your secret for this delicious cake.  We won’t tell what spices it contains or that it is moist because of the applesauce!  This cake is just as yummy as a glazed Bundt cake or as a frosted sheet cake.CHOCOLATE SPICE CAKE1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour1 3/4 cups sugar1/3 cup cocoa2 tsp baking soda1 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp nutmeg1/4 tsp allspice1/8 tsp salt1 1/2 cups applesauce1/2 cup milk1/2 cup butter, melted1 tsp vanilla extract1/2 cup raisins1 cup chopped nuts, optionalVanilla glazeIn a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Stir in the applesauce, milk, butter, and vanilla extract; combine thoroughly. Add raisins and the nuts, if desired.Pour batter into greased and floured 9-cup Bundt pan OR a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes if using a Bundt pan. If using an oblong pan bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from Bundt pan and cool on a wire rack. Leave oblong cake in pan.Glaze Bundt cake with Vanilla Glaze or frost oblong cake as desired.VANILLA GLAZE:1 tbsp softened butter1 cup powdered sugar1/2 tsp vanilla1 to 2 tbsp milkCombine butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add milk gradually until glaze is smooth and of desired consistency. Drizzle over the Bundt cake. Enjoy!

When most people think of Christmas, there are certain smells and tastes that immediately come to mind. A kitchen that tantalises the senses is a place that invites family to gather and to linger. Create that kind of kitchen this Christmas with these easy Christmas cakes recipes. Most of the cake ingredients are easy to find; you may already have them in your kitchen cupboards. 1. Holiday Fruitcake – This is a traditional Christmas cake that uses dried fruit, glace cherries, citrus peels, nuts such as pecans or walnuts, sugar, butter, milk, allspice, baking soda, flour, and eggs. 2. Apple and Carrot Pudding – A lower fat Christmas pudding, this recipe is still bursting with flavour. It has carrots, apples, raisins, breadcrumbs, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, sugar, butter, and eggs. 3. Cream Cheese Pound Cake – This is great to serve with ice cream or fresh fruit but is tasty enough by itself. It has simple cake ingredients including butter, sugar, cream cheese, eggs, flour, and baking powder. 4. Pumpkin Bread Pudding – Give a new twist to pumpkin pie with this great recipe that uses eggs, milk, sugar, pureed pumpkin, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, bread cubes, chocolate chips, and brown sugar. 5. Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake – Especially for the chocolate lovers, this recipe calls for chocolate cake mix, instant pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, water, baking chocolate, whipped cream, and nuts such as almonds. 6. Steamed Christmas Pudding – This unique recipe can use any filling from mincemeat to fruit. It needs self-rising flour, sugar, cinnamon, eggs, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and your choice of filling. 7. Frozen Mocha Torte – As a frozen cake, this is a great recipe to make ahead of time. You’ll need chocolate wafer crumbs, sugar, butter, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate syrup, instant coffee granules, hot water, and heavy whipping cream. 8. Plum Pudding – A delightful combination of brown sugar, butter, milk, flour, dates, raisins, currants, and candied fruit peel, this steamed pudding is great with custard, whipped cream, or ice cream. 9. Popcorn Cake – This is a favourite among kids and people of all ages. The simple cake ingredients are butter, marshmallows, popped popcorn, gumdrops, chocolate covered peanuts, and candy-coated milk chocolate pieces. 10. Crème Brulee – This classy Christmas recipe only needs eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Impress your guests and keep your family hanging around the kitchen with these classic Christmas pudding and cake recipes. Using simple ingredients start your own traditions that can be passed down from generation to generation as your family feasts on these delightfully tasty treats.