All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [58]
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SPECIAL TOUCHES
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4. Place the cake mix, cocoa powder, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 1½ to 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Divide the cake batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
5. Bake the cake layers until the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Let the layers cool completely, 20 minutes longer.
6. Meanwhile, test the thickness of the ganache to see if it is ready for spreading. It needs to be thick enough to cling to a long metal spatula. If it is not, place the bowl in the refrigerator so that the ganache firms up enough to frost.
7. To assemble the cake, when the ganache is spreadable and the layers are cool, transfer one layer, right side up, to a cake plate. Spread the top with about a cup of ganache. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first and frost the top and side of the cake, working with smooth, clean strokes.
Keep It Fresh! Store this cake, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to one day, then in the refrigerator for up to one week. Freeze the cake, in a cake saver or wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to six months. Let the cake thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
THE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CAKE
THE STORY GOES that Martha Bowden, my friend and recipe tester, and I had been experimenting with chocolate cake mixes and we tried adding all sorts of fruits to them for flavor and moisture. The idea of chocolate and raspberry really appealed to us, but we thought it would be too reckless, too out of touch, to insist that people go out and buy fresh raspberries and then throw them in a cake batter. Better to save those precious berries for garnishing the top of the cake and let frozen raspberries do the trick in the batter. This cake is the result—easy, flavorful, and having an unexpected “wow” factor. I had to include this favorite classic so I can tell you it is better if you strain out the raspberry seeds before you bake the cake and even more decadent if you fold in one cup of miniature chocolate chips before baking. It is a showstopper if you cover the top of the frosted cake with fresh raspberries and then dust them with confectioners’ sugar. We learned to do this at one of my QVC appearances, and this cake became the camera’s dream. All eyes will be on it at your house, too.
serves:
12 to 16
prep:
30 minutes
bake:
23 to 27 minutes
cool:
25 minutes
Recipe Reminders
MADE FOR
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______________________
______________________
PREP NOTES
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DON