Triple Chocolate Berry Cake

This is one of my all time favorites. My friend and I made this at her house and all her neighbors came over to test our baking skills. It was a hit!! everybody loved it and there was enough for people to take home.

First preheat the oven to 350 degrees and it would be a smart idea to line the bottoms of all three circled pans with parchment paper. (depending on how tall and big your circled pans are, you might need 4 of them)

melt together

5 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 1/4 stick of butter

let it cool

sift together

2 3/4 cup of sifted cake flour (not self rising)

1/4 cup of cocoa powder

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

set aside

With an electric mixer beat together

4 large eggs (room temperature)

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

mix until pale, for about 3-5 minutes

next, mix in the melted chocolate with the beated egg mixture. Then, in 3 batches, alternate incorporating the flour mixture with the sour cream (2 cups) into the egg mixture. Once mixed, pour the batter into the pans evenly without any air bubbles. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until you can poke a toothpick in the middle and have no batter come onto the pick.

Now for the delectable chocolate frosting :)

Whisk together

1 cup of sugar

6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons of cocoa powder

a pinch of salt

Whisk it in a small saucepan over medium heat

than add

1 1/2 cups of milk

whisk constantly until mixture boils and thickens, about 3-5 minutes

remove from heat and whisk in

4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

transfer it to a bowl to let it cool down to room temperature. cover it with parch paper to prevent a skin from forming

next beat 6 sticked (1 1/2) pounds of butter (unsalted, at room temperature) until creamy, then add cooled mixture a little at a time. Beat until frosting is fluffy and spreadable. 

Once the cakes are done, run a knife around the edges of the pans. carefully place one layered cake on a plate and frost it. I found that putting strawberries on each layer really adds to the cake so I would strongly recommend doing that. You cut the strawberries so that they are thin (not too thin though). once you have frosted that layer and placed the strawberries on top, carefully tip over another layer of cake onto the already frosted one. Once again, frost that cake and place the strawberries on top. Continue doing that with every layer.

now, you will be able to agree with me when I say it's one of my all time favorite desserts :)

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

You have to be a huge chocolate fan to like these ones. They are so rich and flavorful and are best right when they come out of the oven.

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. in a medium bowl swift together
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
set aside

using a mixer, combine
6 tablespoons of butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup of sugar
until pale or for about a minute and than add
1 egg and stir until just combined.
gently add in half the flour mixture and than 2/3 cup of milk and than the rest of the flour mixture.
to make the cupcakes more moist, I always add 2 big spoonfuls of sour cream
set aside

In a small bowl combine
6 ounces of cream cheese (room temperature)
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
as many chocolate chips you want
set aside

fill the cupcake liners with the chocolate batter until the bottom is just covered. Than add a little bit of the cream cheese filling followed by more of the chocolate batter. Cover the cream cheese filling.
Bake for 20 minutes


now for the ganache frosting :)
place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. in this bowl place
3/4 cup of semisweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup of heavy cream
continue whisking until the chocolate is melted and is thick, about 4 minutes. remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes

Once the cupcakes have cooled down for about 5 minutes, take a spoon and pour the frosting onto the cupcakes. To top it all off, a raspberry can be placed on top of each cupcake. Any fruit would work. You could also just sprinkle them :)