Cake for Thanksgiving instead of pie? I say; "Let 'm' eat cake!"., Recipe Cake for Thanksgiving instead of pie? I say; "Let 'm' eat cake!".

Cake for Thanksgiving instead of pie? I say; "Let 'm' eat...

Posted the 22/11/2008 02:17:00 By All about cakes. (Visit website)

Whoops! I posted a picture of "Easter Death by Cholcolate". Oh well, you get the idea! Use turkeys or pumkins on top instead of the Chocolate Bunnies. (Smile)

Why not? I have been decorating cakes for Thanksgiving dinner for the past 15 years or so. Before that only a few once and awhile. Many more people are deciding to break with tradition and go for the cake.

My most popular cake during the holidays is of course carrot, but neck and neck around the finish line is my "Death by Chocolate" cake. Yes, one piece and you are in heaven! You really have to be a chocolate lover though to consider eating this after a large Thanksgiving dinner, but I have customers driving miles to get to me next week in order to have this cake on their dessert table. Many of my customers bring this cake to their host instead of a pie. The recipients are very "Thankful".

German chocolate cake, chocolate mousse filling, mocha/chocolate icing, and finished off with dark chocolate poured gnash.
GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 (4-oz.) package of Baker's Sweetened Chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
4 eggs whites
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 9? cake pans Greased lightly with ?Crisco butter shortening? and flour

1. Take one package of Baker's sweetened chocolate and mix it with 1/2 cup of boiling water. You are done mixing the chocolate once it is all dissolved. Let this cool before adding it to the mixture in step four.
You will want to go ahead and preheat the oven to 350F so it will be ready when you need it.
2. Mix 1 cup of butter with 2 cups of sugar until they are fluffy and rich. This should not take but a few minutes.
3. Slowly add in your egg yolks while beating the mixture. Once no more streaks or spots of yellow remain they have been mixed in well enough.
4. Add Chocolate liquid and 1 teaspoon vanilla after the egg yolk is completely mixed in to the batter.
5. It is important to sift the flour in order to remove all the lumps. This is the time when you add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the flour.
6 .Add the milk and flour to the mixture at the same time, but alternating between the two (milk, flour, milk, flour...) don?t stop mixing as you do this. Once you are done beating in the milk and flour, make sure that it is smooth.
(If you have never beaten egg whites before; it can be tricky, read carefully)
7. Take your four egg whites and beat them at a high speed. When you lift the beater out of the bowl it should have a peak, or pointed tip at the end of it. This means they are done being whipped. This process should take about 5 minutes.
You will want to move quickly on to the next step to keep the egg white fluffy.
Make sure that there are no egg yolks mixed into your egg whites.
8. Now fold in your egg whites SLOWLY. DO NOT STIR OR BEAT THEM IN!! This would ruin the texture of the cake.
Pour equal amounts of batter into each 9 inch cake pan.
Put the cakes in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Do not open the oven until the cake has been in for the required time, if you do it will disrupt the raising process and there is a good chance the center of the cake will fall. Stick a tooth pick in your cake after baking. If it comes out clean your cake is done, if it comes out gooey then it needs another five to ten minutes.
Remove from pans and place the bottom layer of the cake on a wire rack with a cookie sheet under the rack to catch the drippings.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE FILLING:
? 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
? 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
? 3 large egg yolks
? 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
? 1/4 cup water
In a medium-sized stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan or double boiler, of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Set aside but keep the bowl over the warm water so the chocolate will stay slightly warm.
In the bowl of an electric mixer
(Or with a hand mixer), whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Refrigerate, covered, until needed.
Place the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Boil until the sugar dissolves a minute or two. This produces sugar syrup. Then, whisking constantly, pour the boiling syrup over the egg yolks. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly (you can use a hand mixer on low speed) until the mixture is thick and light in color. This mixture should be hot to the touch. (About 10 minutes)
Remove the bowl from the heat and, working quickly; scrape the egg mixture into a clean large bowl of your electric mixer. On medium speed (or with a hand mixer) beat until the volume has doubled and the bottom of the bowl is completely cool to the touch. Turn speed to low, and beat in the warm melted chocolate until well combined. Fold in half the reserved whipped cream and then fold in the remaining cream. The mixture should resemble softly whipped cream. This can be used immediately or refrigerated, covered, until needed. If the mixture seems a little runny, the chocolate may have been too warm, but after refrigerating for an hour or so, it will firm up. Can be made and refrigerate a day ahead of time. Makes about 3 cups of filling.
After the mousse firms up FILL bottom layer of cake. Place top layer on now.
CHOCOLATE/MOCHA ICING
? 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
? 1/3 cup strong, hot, brewed coffee
? 3 cups confectioners' sugar
? 1/3 cup melted butter
? 1/8 teaspoon salt
? 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
? 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1. Combine coffee and cocoa in small bowl of electric mixer. Beat until blended. Add sugar, butter or margarine, salt, and vanilla. Beat until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat icing until it has a spreading consistency.
POURED DARK CHOCOLATE GNASH!
? ½ cup whipping cream
? 1 cup dark semi sweet chips
? ½ ts. vanilla
? Dash salt
In a the bottom half of a double boiler of slightly larger pan than the one you are going to make the gnash in, bring water to a rolling bowl.
In the other pan, now bring the cream to a rolling boil, remove immediately from the heat. Place over the pan of hot water now. Pour in chips and stir constantly until creamy and has a wonderful shine to the chocolate. Add the vanilla and a dash of salt.
Let cool for a couple of minutes. Now pour onto the center top of the cake, slowly so the sauce coats the top of the cake and runs down the sides. If it starts to pull away from the icing it is still too hot. If it does not run over the sides it is too cold, reheat.