Best 7 Tuscan Country Chocolate Wedding Cake Recipes

TUSCAN COUNTRY CHOCOLATE WEDDING CAKE

Steps:

• For assembly:
• one 8-inch cardboard round.
• one 6-inch cardboard round
• three 8-inch plastic straws
• Make cake layers:.
• Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 buttered 7- by 2-inch round cake pans and 2 buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pans with rounds of wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Put cocoa powder in a bowl and whisk in boiling water in a stream until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate and let stand 5 minutes. Stir mixture until smooth and chocolate is melted and cool mixture. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl of a standing electric mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down side of bowl. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until batter is combined well.
• Pour 2 cups batter into each 7-inch pan and smooth tops. Divide remaining batter between 9-inch pans (about 33/4 cups each) and smooth tops. In middle and lower thirds of oven arrange one 9-inch layer and one 7-inch layer on each rack, putting 7-inch layers in front part of oven. Bake 7-inch layers 25 to 30 minutes and 9-inch layers 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto racks. Peel off paper and cool cakes completely. Cake layers may be made 2 days ahead and kept at cool room temperature, wrapped well in plastic wrap, or 2 weeks ahead and frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil. Defrost cake layers (without unwrapping) at room temperature.
• Make ganache:.
• In a small saucepan bring cream just to a boil. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, butter, zest, and liqueur. Let ganache stand 3 minutes and whisk until chocolate is melted. Chill ganache just until cool, about 40 minutes.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat ganache just until light and fluffy before using (do not overbeat or it will become grainy).
• Assemble cake:.
• Put one 9-inch layer on 8-inch cardboard round and spread evenly with 2 cups ganache. Top with remaining 9-inch layer and gently press layers together to form an even tier. Put one 7-inch layer on 6-inch cardboard round and top with remaining ganache and remaining 7-inch layer in same manner.
• Frost top and sides of 9-inch tier with some buttercream and chill while frosting 7-inch tier. Chill both tiers until buttercream is firm.
• Cut straws in half and insert 1 straw piece all the way into center of 9-inch tier. Trim straw flush with top of tier and insert remaining 5 straw pieces in same manner in a circle about 1 1/2 inches from center straw. Center 7-inch tier (still on cardboard) on top of 9-inch tier. Fill in any gaps between tiers with buttercream and transfer cake to a cake stand or platter. Chill cake at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
• Arrange fraises des bois and roses decoratively on top and around sides of cake. Let cake stand at cool room temperature (buttercream is sensitive to warm temperatures) 2 to 4 hours before serving. Serves about 30 (including top tier).
• Make orange curd:.
• In a small heavy saucepan whisk together yolks and sugar and whisk in orange juice, butter, and a pinch salt. Cook mixture over moderately low heat, whisking, until it just reaches boiling point, 5 to 7 minutes (do not let boil), and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Whisk in lemon juice and cool curd, its surface covered with plastic wrap. Chill orange curd, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.
• Make buttercream:.
• In a heavy saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, undisturbed, until it registers 248°F on a candy thermometer. While syrup is boiling, in large bowl of a standing electric mixer beat whites with a pinch salt until foamy and beat in cream of tartar. Beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks and beat in hot syrup in a stream (try to avoid beaters and side of bowl). Beat mixture at medium speed until completely cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Beat in butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until thickened and smooth. (Buttercream will at first appear very thin and at some point look like it is breaking but, as more butter is beaten in, it will thicken and become glossy and smooth.) Beat in orange curd, salt, and zest until smooth. Buttercream may be made 4 days ahead and chilled in an airtight container or 2 weeks ahead and frozen in an airtight container. Bring buttercream completely to room temperature (this may take several hours if frozen) and beat before using. (If buttercream is too cold when beaten it will not be glossy and smooth.) Makes about 8 cups.
• Note: A cake-decorating turntable is extremely helpful for assembling and decorating a wedding cake.
• Decoration: fraises des bois (wild strawberries) and small roses with some leaves attached (both fruit and flowers must be nontoxic and pesticide-free).

CHOCOLATE MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES (COOKIES)

Steps:

• In a food processor or blender, process pecans with 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar, until very fine. Mix in flour, cocoa and salt & set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter with 3/4 cup of the powdered sugar; Blend until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla until well blended.
• Add flour mixtureslowly, until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Mix together remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar and cinnamon. When cookies have cooled slightly, roll in cinnamon mixture. Finish cooling on wire racks.
• Makes 36 cookies.

AMAZING CHOCOLATE WEDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Bake ultimate chocolate cake and give it enough time to cool completely. This cake will keep out of the fridge OR in the fridge for a week or so as long as it is well wrapped. For a 10" square cake the cooking is usually around 3 hours but you should check regularly with a cake tester.
• If not already in the fridge put the cooked, cool cake into the fridge for 3 hours before cutting
• Cut with a cake cutter (easier than a knife) into 3 sections (2 cuts).
• put the lowest level onto your cake board and top with thin slices of strawberries and a handful of blueberries. Put just under 1/2 of the whipped cream on top and flatten. Do not go too near to the sides as you do not want it to squidge out.
• place middle layer on top of cream and repeat with strawberries etc.
• Place top layer on top.
• now even out the sides with whipped cream so that the cake sides do not have big 'holes' in, use a palette knife to carefully add the remaining whipped cream.
• Now, melt the chocolate in the microwave/carefully on the hob until smooth. Add the last pot of cream (not whipped) and stir. If the mixture curdles you need more cream. Use this 'topping' for the top of the cake and try and line the sides too.
• Let this stand for a little while, but still while the chocolate is 'sticky' (not hard) place the cigarellos around the edge of the cake, neatly.
• On the morning of serving, top the cake with remaining strawberries and blueberries. Place a ribbon around the cake for decoration.

CHOCOLATE MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, cornstarch, cocoa and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts., Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or until set., In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and remaining confectioners' sugar. Roll warm cookies in sugar mixture; cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

ITALIAN WEDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 8 inch pans. Combine the buttermilk, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract. Beat in the buttermilk mixture alternately with the flour, mixing just until incorporated. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Stir in pineapple, coconut and 1 cup pecans.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake layers to cool 10 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• To make the frosting: Cream together the butter, cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until blended. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 cup pecans. If frosting is too stiff to spread, stir in milk a teaspoon at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

CHOCOLATE NOUGAT CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar until fluffy. Blend in egg yolks and chocolate. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. stir in nuts. Beat egg whites with remaining sugar until stiff peaks form; fold gently into batter., Pour into two greased and floured 8-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes. Cool in pans on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely. , For frosting, combine all ingredients except vanilla in the top of a double boiler. With an electric mixer, beat on low for 30 seconds. Cook over boiling water for 7 minutes, beating constantly on high until stiff peaks form. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Beat 2-3 minutes or until frosting has a spreading consistency. Frost cake.

MEXICAN WEDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and 2 cups sugar; set aside.
• Beat the eggs and add them to the flour mixture. Then stir in the crushed pineapple and juice until just blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
• To Make Frosting: In a medium saucepan bring to a boil the 1 cup white sugar, butter, and evaporated milk. Boil for 2 minutes, watching carefully to be sure it doesn't burn. Stir the mixture frequently while cooking. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, coconut and pecans. Beat until it cools to lukewarm then pour over the cooled cake.