Recently, I was asked to make 5 lovely, chocolate wedding cakes for the wedding reception of Tessa and her true love Jared. Tessa is the beautiful, artistic and stylish daughter of Jill -my best friend from 4th grade-who is also beautiful, artistic and stylish – go figure!
I was honored to be asked and came up with a variation of my family’s favorite chocolate cake recipe -the one that we use most often for birthdays. I added cocoa to a basic brown sugar-sour cream cake that traditionally uses only unsweetened chocolate. The cocoa revs up the chocolate flavor without changing the texture too much. This cake ages well and is actually better on the 2nd or 3rd day after baking it.
The cakes were frosted with a chocolate fudge frosting and then three of them were coated in a nice shiny, rich, dark chocolate ganache. I hand molded Ranunculus and leaves out of modeling chocolate (made from semisweet chocolate and glucose) for the top of one cake. I was going for an “Anthropologie” look with the pleats, stripes and floral geometrics.
The room at the wedding reception was filled with the heady aroma of chocolate… great vigilance was needed to make sure little (and big) fingers stayed out of the frosting until it was time to be served.
My sweet sister, Tonya, flew in from far away parts to help me bake, frost and to give oodles of support- it was a pleasure and a joy to be with her baking cakes of love. So -many thanks T!
recipe below:
Gabi's Favorite Fudge Cake, makes one 9 inch -two layer cake -can be doubled. 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled 2 Cups sifted all purpose flour (plus more for pans) 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted for lumps 1/2 Cup (1/4lb) butter, softened to room temperature (plus more for pans) 2-1/4 Cups light brown sugar, firmly packed 3 eggs, room temperature 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract 1 Cup sour cream 1 Cup boiling water Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and lightly flour two 9inch round cake pans, place a parchment circle that has been cut to fit the bottom in each round and butter and flour the parchment. Sift flour, soda, salt and cocoa together in small bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter until soft. Add brown sugar and eggs and beat at high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and melted, cooled chocolate. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with sour cream, beating slowly but well until incorporated after each addition. Add boiling water and stir until batter is evenly thin. Pour at once into prepared pans and bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pans 5 minutes on wire racks and then run a straight spatula around the sides and remove to rack, paper side down, to cool completely.
