Mocha Fudge Cake

Ingredients :
(about 12 servings)

For the Cake

• All Purpose Flour - 1 cup

• Sugar - 2 cups

• Dark Cocoa - 3/4 cup

• Unsalted Butter - 1 & 1/4 cup (2 & 1/2 stick)

• Eggs - 4

• Pecan (finely chopped) - 1 cup

• Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

• Salt - 1/4 tsp

• Chocolate Curls / Shavings

Coffee Filling
(about 3 cups filling)

• Whipping Cream (cold) - 1 & 1/2 cups

• Light Brown Sugar - 1/3 cup

• Coffee (instant & powdered) - 2 tsp

Method :

• Melt the butter, either in a bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the gas.

• To the melted butter, add cocoa and mix well to blend it perfectly. Let it cool slightly.

• Take the eggs in a separate bowl (large) and beat them until foamy. Add the salt and vanilla to it.

• Now add sugar and beat it well (preferably use a electric mixer).

• Add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat well to blend all ingredient thoroughly.

• Add the flour. Stir in the pecans (make sure they are finely chopped).

• Grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round baking pans. You may also use parchment / butter / wax paper to line the bottoms of the pans.

• Heat oven to 350 F.

• Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes and then check with a toothpick inserted in center which should come out clean. (Do not over-bake).

• Cool for about 5 minutes by placing the pans over wire racks.

• Now remove the cakes from the pans and place them over the wire racks and let them cool completely (take off the parchment paper now, if you used it).

• Coffee Filling - mix all ingredients and stir until the coffee is almost dissolved. Beat until stiff.

Assemble : 

• Spread the creamy coffee filling between the layers, over the top and sides of the cake.

• Garnish with chocolate shavings / curls (optional).

• Refrigerate 1 hour or longer before serving.

Recipe Source : Hershey's

Boston Cream Pie

Just came across this recipe and immediately wanted to try it. I had all the ingredients with me so on a normal weekday I went on to make the delicious Boston Cream Pie. And it was a great surprise fro Abhishek when he was back from office and I handed him this gorgeous piece of cake to eat!!

Boston Cream Pie is basically cake (not a pie) with a custard filling and chocolate topping..

All that I used :

(serves about 8 people)

For the cake - 

• All purpose flour - 1 & 1/4 cup

• Sugar - 1 cup

• Shortening - 1/3 cup

• Eggs - 2

• Milk - 3/4 cup

• Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

• Baking powder - 1 & 1/2 tsp

• Salt - a pinch

Custard Filing -

Check the recipe here.

Chocolate Topping -

Check the recipe here.

How I made it :

• Take the shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large bowl. Beat them with a mixer (hand / stand) until it turns fluffy

• Add milk to this wet mixture and stir well.

• Now take another bowl and mix all the dry ingredients - the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well with a spatula.

• Add the dry mixture to the wet fluffy batter, in 2-3 small batches. Use the mixer to blend in all the ingredients in a smooth uniform batter.

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

• Grease a 9 inch cake pan. Pour the prepared batter in the pan.

• Put the pan in the oven and bake it for about 3-35 minutes, till an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.

• Once done, take it out of the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

• Put the cake on a flat base (like your kitchen counter or a flat plate). Use a long serrated knife and cut cake horizontally into two even layers.

• Take the bottom piece of the cake and place it (cut side facing up) on a plate (normal flat or any other serving plate).

• Pour the custard filling over the cut cake layer. Use a bread knife or a cake spread knife  to spread the custard (on the cake) nicely and as uniformly as you can. 

• Put the other piece on top now (cut side down). 

• Pour the chocolate sauce on top of cake, allowing it to drizzle down the edges.

• Now put the cake in the fridge for a few hours for it (the custard and the chocolate sauce) to settle down.

• Take it out when you have to serve!!!!

Recipe Source : Hershey's

Chocolate Sauce (for Cake Toppings)

This is a simple and quick recipe to make some nice and syrupy chocolate sauce. You can use this recipe when you need to pout chocolate glaze over a cake  like Boston Cream Pie or any other dessert.

If not anything else, you can serve it on top of plain vanilla ice-cream and serve as a dessert, or use a spoonful in a glass of milk and give to your babies!!! They will surely like it....

All that I used : 
(Makes 1 cup sauce, enough for topping up 1 cake)

• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 3 Tbsp

• Butter - 2 Tbsp

• Powdered sugar - 1 cup

• Water - about 3 Tbsp

• Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

How I made it :

• Take a non-stick saucepan and put it n medium heat.

• Put the water and butter in it. Mix it well and bring it to a boil.

• Give it about 2 minutes then remove from heat. 

• Now add in the unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's). Mix well, making sure to remove lumps, if any.

• Now add the powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar) and the vanilla extract.

• Mix it all very well so that it is a smooth sauce.

• Let it cool and then use it as you like.