Chocolate Filled Cherry Angel Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Cake:

1 pkg. angel food cake mix

1 cup water

3 tbsp. maraschino cherry juice

1/2 tsp. almond flavoring

2/3 cup chopped maraschino cherries

Filling:

1 giant (8-oz.) milk chocolate candy bar with almonds

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows, or 15 large

2 cups Cool Whip

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Icing: (quick, fluffy & prepared in 7-minutes)

2 egg whites

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

2 tbsp. maraschino cherry juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. vanilla

Cooking Directions

Cake:

Follow directions for mixing cake using the water, juice and flavoring above. After cake is mixed, gently fold in chopped cherries. Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Gently cut through batter with knife to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 360 degrees for about 30 minutes until golden and slightly dry on top, or as directed on package. Invert on a funnel to cool. When cold, remove from pan and chill.

Filling:

Chop candy bar into saucepan until almonds are in small pieces. Add milk and heat on low, stirring constantly, until melted. Add marshmallows and continue stirring until they are melted. Cool it completely. Fold in Cool Whip and chill 1 to 1 1/2 hours until just beginning to set up.

Icing:

Combine first six ingredients in top of double boiler. Cook over rapidly boiling water while beating with portable electric mixer at high speed until mixture stands in stiff peaks. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and continue beating into very stiff peaks. When icing cake, make pretty swirls or hobnailed peaks with back of spoon. This easy fluffy icing makes a beautiful and delicious presentation.

Presentation (Assemble the cake):

Place on serving plate with widest side down. With serrated or electric knife, cut a one-inch layer from the top and set aside. Make two cuts around cake - the one should be one inch from outer edge and the other one inch from inner edge to a depth of 1 1/2 inches from the bottom. With fork, scoop out the section of cake between the cuts, being careful to leave substantial walls and a base of cake 1 1/2 inches on bottom. Spoon chilled filling into cake cavity. Replace top of cake and press gently. Frost cake and garnish on top with chocolate curls or chopped maraschino cherries. Chill several hours before serving. Best to slice with serrated or electric knife.

Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

Ingredients

10 oz (280 g) bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa)

4/5 cup (180 g) butter

8 eggs

1+¼ cup (275 g) sugar

1+¼ cup (140 g) all-purpose flour

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C). Grease 10 large muffin tins or cups; paper muffin bake cups can also be used. Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it with butter over hot water. Beat the eggs with sugar and mix with flour. Slowly fold in the melted butter and chocolate. Bake at 350 degrees for only 8-12 minutes; the outer part should be cooked and the inner part liquid.

The Chocolate Lava Cakes may be served hot on its own or with custard, whipped cream, ice cream and / or berries. The Lava Cakes may be dusted with icing sugar. If your Lava Cakes stick to the tin/cup after baking, you should try lining the tins/cups with aluminum foil and grease the lined tins/cups well before use. You can also use paper muffin bake cups.

Variations

You may use pudding/souffle cups instead of muffin cups and serve the Lava Cakes in the cups in order to avoid the difficulty of removing the Lava Cakes from the muffin cups.

You may add two tablespoons of orange liqueur and finely grated rind of one orange. This gives a delicious orange-chocolate flavor.

You may try adding some ground cinnamon and nutmeg or cloves to the chocolate and butter mixture.

You may add some mint flavoring.

You may add a little coffee essence to mixture.

Place moulds in freezer then brush with melted butter to give a thin even coating. Use cocoa powder to "flour" the molds so when you turn out the Lava Cakes there is no white flour marks.

Serving suggestion: serve with an orange and star anise ice cream.

Yield: 10 servings

Black Forest Cake Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup (110 g) butter, softened
1+¼ cup (275 g) sugar

2 eggs

1+¼ cup (140 g) all-purpose flour

½ cup (50 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup (1.8 dl) buttermilk

For filling

¼ cup Kirschwasser (Kirsch/cherry brandy), optional

2 cans (14 oz or 400 g) cherry pie filling or pitted cherries

3 cups (7.2 dl) heavy whipping cream, chilled

¼ cup confectioners' sugar

Milk chocolate curls or shavings, for garnish

Maraschino cherries or sweet cherries, for garnish (optional)

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C).

Line a 9 inch (23 cm) cake pan with greaseproof or other non-stick paper.

With an electric mixer, beat the softened butter with sugar until white and fluffy.

Add one egg at a time, mix well between each egg.

Add sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and buttermilk, and mix until the batter is smooth.

Transfer to a cake pan and bake at 350 degrees just until set in the middle, approximately 45-60 minutes. A wooden pick inserted in center should come out with just a few moist crumbs on it. Do not over-bake!

When cake is cool, use a long serrated knife to cut the cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. It is easier to cut if kept in a refrigerator for a few hours before cutting.

Filling

Drain cherry pie filling in a colander to remove most of the thickened juices.

Beat the whipping cream with confectioners' sugar until it thickens.

Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate; refrigerate until the cake is assembled.

Assembling

Sprinkle each layer of the cake with Kirschwasser.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate.

Spread about one fifth of the whipped cream on the layer, and strew half of the cherries on top of the whipped cream.

Add the second cake layer.

Spread one fifth of the whipped cream on the second layer and the remaining cherries on top.

Add the third cake layer.

Spread one fifth of the whipped cream on top and one fifth on the sides. Gently press chocolate curls on the sides and/or on top of the cake.

Variations

You may substitute the cherry pie filling with cherry jam. In that case spread first the jam on the cake layers, then whipped cream on top.

You may use three cake tins intead of one. In that case the baking time must be shortened.

If cake flour is used, the cake comes out much fluffier.

Yield: 12 servings

JEN'S CHOCOLATE CHERRY DUMP CAKE

INGREDIENTS

2 cans of cherry pie filling (21 ounces each)
1 box of chocolate cake mix
2 sticks of butter, sliced into 12 pieces each
2.25 ounce bag of chopped pecans
1/8 cup white sugar

COOKING DIRECTIONS

This recipe is so easy and so delicious... a twist on regular dump cake.

Preheat the over to 350.

In a 9 x 13 cake pan:

Dump the 2 cans of cherry pie filling into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the box of chocolate cake mix evenly on top of that. Distribute the butter slices on top of the cake mix. Spread the pecans evenly over the butter and cake mix. Fianally, sprinkle the sugar over all.

Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes and serve warm!

This is also delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

CROCK POT CHOCOLATE CAKE

INGREDIENTS

1 box chocolate cake mix
8 oz sour cream
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 cup chocolate chips
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
1 cup water

COOKING DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into lightly greased 5qt crock pot, metal coffee can or Crock Pot Cake Bake pan. Cover.

Cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.