Welcome to day 3 of #Choctoberfest! I hope you have been able to find some yummy, fun recipes that you want to make! Today I made a Chocolate Mini Cake all dressed up in colorful frosting to celebrate Halloween! I made This cake was made on a mini waffle maker, and if you have never made a waffle cake, you will want to try it asap! They are very easy, and so quick to make. Plus they are fun! They follow the back of the box recipe, and the fun comes in decorating the cake in all the seasonal colors and candy compliments!
5 Layer Chocolate Autumn Cake (one mix makes 2-3 mini cakes) (printable recipe at end of page)
1 box Duncan Hines Cake 1 1/3 cup Water 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil 3 Eggs
Frosting 3 ounces Warm Water 2 1/2 tablespoons Meringue Powder 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar 1 pound Confectioner's Sugar Orange and Yellow Decorating Color Small selection of Candy Corn and Pumpkin Candy
Mix the water and vegetable oil into the cake mix. Add the eggs and mix well.
I used a mini waffle maker for this small cake! Follow the directions for the waffle maker you are using, and cook your layers.
Let the layers cool while you make your frosting.
In a large bowl, pour in the warm water and the meringue powder. Mix it with a whisk for approx. 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar and mix for 30 seconds more. Pour in all the confectioners sugar at one time, and using a paddle attachment on low speed, mix for 10 minutes. The icing will become thick and creamy.Keep this frosting covered to prevent it from drying out.You won't need all the frosting for this cake. You will need approximately 1 cup or less. Remove a cup from the frosting and thin it with water, a teaspoon at a time, until you are happy with the drizzle. Divide the frosting into 2 separate bowls. Tint one with orange and one with yellow color.
Start building the layers, drizzling on and over each layer. I used 5 layers.
Decorate the cake on top and around the bottom.
Enjoy your 5 Layer Chocolate Autumn Cake!
Don't forget about our huge giveaway, which I posted on Monday!
It is #Choctoberfest this week, which means that a lot of your favorite bloggers will be sharing recipes featuring chocolate. My chocolate recipe today is an Easy Fall Chocolate Tart. I really do mean easy. There is no oven involved. Which is great because I know a lot of us are still experiencing summer! I made this recipe with four small tart pans thinking of a dinner party dessert, or maybe Thanksgiving.
You could also serve this for Christmas and decorate with candy canes. Crush them and sprinkle them all over, or use mini candy canes to decorate the way I did the pumpkins.
Easy Fall Chocolate Tart
(printable recipe at end of page)
(Makes 4 mini tarts)
1 pound block solid Milk Chocolate
3-5 ounces Heavy Whipping Cream
4 Mini Tart Pans (with removable bottoms)
9 ounce package Chocolate Wafer Cookies
4 ounces Butter
Candy Pumpkins
Royal Icing
1/2 cup Solid vegetable Shortening
1/2 cup Butter
1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
1 pound Imperial Sugar 10X Powdered Sugar
2 tablespoons Milk
Chop chocolate into small pieces for even and quicker melting. Place in double boiler to melt over low heat.
Heat 6 ounces of heavy whipping cream in a separate pan. Do not get hot, just bring it to warm temperature.
Add warmed whipping cream to chocolate, a little at a time, and whisk together. The consistency should be slightly loose, and should take 3-5 ounces of cream. Keep double boiler on medium low heat.
Crush cookies with a food processor, or place cookies in a ziplock plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Set aside.
The tart
pans I used are 4 1/2" across, and 3/4" high. You will need 1/2 cup of
crushed wafers per tart. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, per tart, and add
it to the crushed wafers. Add the butter a little at a time. If too much
is added, they will become soggy. You can always add more. Using a
fork to mix the two together works very well. I mixed the crust for each
tart individually, and not together. it is easier to use the correct
amounts this way. Place the mix in each tart. Use your hands to push the
crushed cookie mix against the sides of the tart pan and against the
bottom. Try to keep the amount of cookie crust you are placing on the
side of the pan even all the way around. That was my only struggle with
these.
Pour chocolate in to each mini tart pan. Let set up. Make the buttercream frosting by creaming the butter and vegetable shortening together. Add the vanilla, and add the Imperial Sugar, (click for their awesome Halloween ideas!), a little at a time, mixing on medium speed. Once all the sugar is added, add the milk and mix again. This recipe makes 3 cups, so you may want to divide it in half. Color some of the frosting green for the leaves. Decorate with pumpkins and leaves. Use a Wilton #4 for the stems and a Wilton #68 for the leaves. You can cover and refrigerate these, and they will collect moisture on them, but let them sit outside the fridge for 15 minutes or so, before serving them so they will be soft and yummy! ( the moisture will dissipate)
Thanks for joining me today! Don't forget to enter the #Choctoberfest Giveaway!
Chop chocolate into small pieces for even and quicker melting. Place in double boiler to melt over low heat.
Heat 6 ounces of heavy whipping cream in a separate pan. Do not get hot, just bring it to warm temperature.
Add warmed whipping cream to chocolate, a little at a time, and whisk together. The consistency should be slightly loose, and should take 3-5 ounces of cream. Keep double boiler on medium low heat.
Crush cookies with a food processor, or place cookies in a ziplock plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Set aside.
The tart pans I used are 4 1/2" across, and 3/4" high. You will need 1/2 cup of crushed wafers per tart. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, per tart, and add it to the crushed wafers. Add the butter a little at a time. If too much is added, they will become soggy. You can always add more. Using a fork to mix the two together works very well. I mixed the crust for each tart individually, and not together. it is easier to use the correct amounts this way. Place the mix in each tart. Use your hands to push the crushed cookie mix against the sides of the tart pan and against the bottom. Try to keep the amount of cookie crust you are placing on the side of the pan even all the way around. That was my only struggle with these.
Pour chocolate in to each mini tart pan. Let set up. Make the buttercream frosting by creaming the butter and vegetable shortening together. Add the vanilla, and add the sugar, a little at a time, mixing on medium speed. Once all the sugar is added, add the milk and mix again. This recipe makes 3 cups, so you may want to divide it in half. Color some of the frosting green for the leaves. Decorate with pumpkins and leaves. Use a Wilton #4 for the stems and a Wilton #68 for the leaves. You can cover and refrigerate these, and they will collect moisture on them, but let them sit outside the fridge for 15 minutes or so, before serving them so they will be soft and yummy! ( the moisture will dissipate)
