A couple of months ago, I visited a local Houston dessert bar called the
Chocolate Bar. On display, they had the biggest, most beautiful chocolate cake I had ever seen. It was like the Mount Everest of desserts...
Challenge extended.
Challenge accepted.
Given my culinary prowess (please refer to
this post)... clearly I could replicate it for Little Sister's birthday. The actual cake is made of box cake mix with mini chocolate chips with a layer of white chocolate mousse in between, topped with a very creamy chocolate icing and chocolate glaze. The theme here was chocolate.
My apologies for the poorly lit photos. The villagers could not keep their hands off and after seven hours in the kitchen (that is how long it takes when you are not good in the kitchen people), I did not have the energy to defend the fort. I quickly snapped some pictures before the cake magically disappeared. For whatever reason, the chocolate glaze looks a little muddy in some places, but it looked perfect in real life. I hate you flash.
The cake was thick but moist. The mousse has a mild hint of white chocolate, the perfect addition to the overwhelming chocolate avalanche that was this cake. The frosting was not overpowering so the chocolate glaze could really hog the spotlight.
This cake is not for the faint of heart. I am convinced that it had about 4,000 calories per slice...I may be exaggerating but not by much. Enjoy!!
Colossal Chocolate Cake
Chocolate cake
1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a
very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be
thick.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Pour batter into cake pan of choice. For cooking time, use the cooking times on
the back of the devil’s food cake box as a guide and add 10 minutes.
White Chocolate Mousse (filling)
6 oz white chocolate chips
1 7/8 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
1. Place a stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer.
2. Place the white chocolate chips in a
bowl and microwave on a low power setting for around two minutes, running the
microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until it is smooth and
completely melted. Set aside.
3. Place heavy cream and sugar in the
well-chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the chilled whisk
attachment. Whisk on high-speed until stiff peaks form. Remove the bowl from
the mixer.
4. By hand, whisk to combine 1/4 of the whipped cream into the melted
white chocolate until smooth and completely incorporated.
5. Add the combined
whipped cream and chocolate to the remaining whipped cream and use a rubber
spatula to fold together.
6. Spread the mousse over the top of
the cooled cake base evenly. Use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Place the other
cake round over the mousse, pressing down lightly. Chill for at least 1 hour.
Frosting
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1% with stellar
results)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) butter, cut into 24 pieces and softened at room
temperature
1/4 cup cocoa
powder
3
ounces of semisweet chocolate
1. In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt.
2. Slowly whisk
in the milk until the mixture is smooth.
3. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a
medium saucepan and pour the milk mixture through the strainer into the
saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the
mixture boils and is thick enough that it starts to become difficult to easily
whisk. It should bubble quite a bit at the end (be careful of the
splatters) and thicken considerably.
4. Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and cool to room
temperature. If it is even slightly warm, the
frosting won’t beat up properly.
5. Once the frosting is completely cooled to room
temperature, beat the mixture with
the vanilla on low speed until it is well combined, about 30 seconds.
6. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat
the frosting until all the butter has been incorporated fully, about 2 minutes.
7. Increase the speed to medium-high. Beat the
frosting for five minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Once
the frosting has been mixed for five minutes and is light and fluffy, mix in 3
ounces of semisweet chocolate that has been melted and completely cooled to
room temperature.
Chocolate Glaze
½ cup heavy cream
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons corn syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla
1. Gently heat the cream and chocolate together in the
microwave or in a double boiler, stirring often until smooth and shiny.
2. Stir in the corn syrup and vanilla.
3. Allow to come to room temperature
before pouring over the top of the cake and spreading to the edge with a
spatula so that it drips over the sides.
4. If the glaze gets too thick, heat it
again for a few seconds (it won’t take long) and stir before pouring over the
cake. Serve the cake at room temperature.
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