Spiced Chocolate Layer Cake Recipes

CHOCOLATE SPICE LAYER CAKE WITH CARAMEL ICING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of two well-greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment paper; grease paper. In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool slightly., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in chocolate. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, spicy chocolate cinnamon sugar, salt, allspice and cloves; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, cream and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook and stir 3 minutes. Remove from heat; gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla., Place one cake layer on a serving plate; pour half of the warm icing over the cake. Top with remaining cake layer. Pour remaining icing over top of cake. If desired, top with caramel popcorn.

CHOCOLATE SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in applesauce and 1/2 cup coffee. Combine the flour, 1/4 cup baking cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, salt and cloves; gradually beat into creamed mixture until blended. Fold in raisins and walnuts., Pour into a 10-in. fluted tube pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and remaining baking cocoa and coffee; drizzle over cake.

CHOCOLATE SPICE CAKE WITH CARAMEL ICING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 well-greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease paper. In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool slightly., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in chocolate. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, allspice and cloves; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, cream and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook and stir 3 minutes. Remove from heat; gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla., Place one cake layer on a serving plate; pour half of the warm icing over the cake. Top with remaining cake layer. Pour remaining icing over top of cake. If desired, top with caramel popcorn.

SPICED CHOCOLATE APPLESAUCE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F Line 2 nine-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, and grease the sides of the pans.
• Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
• Beat together the oil and sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Blend in the vanilla and the applesauce.
• Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
• Bake in the preheated 350°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake tests done.
• Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack.
• Remove from the pans; cool on rack. Ice with frosting as desired.

WINTER SPICE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE TREES

Steps:

• MAKE THE CAKE Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base and sides of three 20cm cake tins with baking parchment - if your cake tins are quite shallow, line the sides to a depth of at least 5cm.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, mixed spice and salt in a bowl.
• Whisk the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract and 75ml water with the eggs until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until well combined. Scoop about a third of the cake mixture into a tin. If using, mix the food colouring into the remaining batter and divide this between the other tins. Bake for 25-30 mins, or until the cakes have risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment and cool. The sponges will keep, wrapped tightly in cling film, for three days, or wrap and freeze for up to two months.
• NOW MAKE THE ICING Beat the butter with half the icing sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and the cream cheese, and beat again until combined - don't overmix or the icing may become runny.
• NEXT, ASSEMBLE THE CAKE Put one of the red sponges on a cake stand or cake board, sticking it down with a small blob of icing. Sandwich with the gold sponge, being generous with the icing. Top with more icing and the final red sponge, flat-side up. When assembled, use a palette knife to cover the entire cake with a thin layer of the icing, filling any gaps between sponges, but don't worry about completely covering the sponges at this stage. This is called a crumb coat and ensures that your final layer is crumb-free. Make space in the fridge and chill for 30 mins to allow the icing to firm up.
• MAKE THE CHOCOLATE TREES Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, or in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir in a spot of green food colouring gel if you want to make them green. Transfer to a piping bag and leave to firm up for a few mins (this will make the trees thicker). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Snip off the end of the piping bag and quickly pipe the chocolate backwards and forwards in thin lines to create little Christmas trees (ours were 7-10cm tall).
• Decorate with sprinkles and chill until you're ready to decorate the cake.
• ICE THE CAKE Once the crumb coat is chilled, use the remaining icing to completely cover the cake. This is easiest if you pile the icing on top of the cake, then use a palette knife to ease it over the edge and down the sides. You can make it as smooth or as rough as you like. Chill for another 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, for the chocolate drip, melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of lightly simmering water or in the microwave in short bursts. Pour into a disposable piping bag and set aside to firm up a little - you want it to be pourable but not too runny.
• Remove the cake from the fridge. If you like, you can use an edible gold spray to cover the surface in a thin layer of shimmer. When the white chocolate is the correct consistency, snip off the end of the piping bag and pipe drizzles down the side of the cake. Fill in the top with the remaining chocolate. Push them into the white chocolate topping before it sets.