i 've been making cakes for friends and family for some time now and i just got my first order for a real paying customer- she wants a death by chocolate cake for around 50 people. she said the design and decorations are up to me. it's for her husbands birthday, all she wants is chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. any ideas??? and what size cake should i make for 50 people?
she said she's willing to pay up to $150.00
thanks in advance for any and all ideas.

I made a cake for my brother who LOVES chocolate. I made a triple chocolate cake and added mini chocolate chips to it. Then used chocolate ganache for the filling and iced it in chocolate ganache too.

i got a toothache just reading that!! holy cow!
umm, i think that would qualify as "death by chocolate"--hahaha

I just made a cake tonight that was so rich and delicious it was amazing. Actually, I made it 2 weeks ago, froze it, and then iced and shared it with family for Mother's Day. Here's how I did it.

I used the recipe on the Ghiradelli Cocoa can for their Chocolate Fudge cake. It made 2, 9 inch round cakes, so you would need to make the appropriate amounts from that. It tasted like a brownie with more of a cake texture but not really airy.

Then, I used a rich chocolate icing. It is from the Cake Doctor book. I think it was called the Chocolate Pan frosting Icing. I used it between the layers and on the top of the cake and used it somewhat thick.

Then in a pan, I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and marshmallows (50/50 mixture). After the chocolate was melted, I added milk by the tablespoon and stirred until it was a rich chocolate sauce. I poured it over the cake. The frosting hardened like a soft chocolate bar. Easy to slice but definitely harder than frosting.

I refrigerated the cake for an hour. It was amazing. We all went into chocolate shock, in a good way though. It would serve a ton of people, because you only need sliver slices. I served normal slices and noone could finish them. Let me know if you want the recipe for the pan icing. I can send it.

Good luck!

At work when someone wants a super duper chocolate cake we like to layer with ganache and chocolate mousse.

Then for decorations, we take melted chocolate and spread it in a sheet, and then randomly swirl white chocolate into it (use a skewer to get it more swirly). Then let it set until its soft enough to cut but firm enough to hold its shape....and cut it into rectangle panels slightly higher than the cake. Then ice the cake chocolate and place the panels to where they are touching all around the cake ...top it off with some chocolate curls or whatever else will make it look rich on top. You can even take maybe a gold ribbon and gently tie it around the middle of the cake, around the panels. It makes a neat looking cake!

Whoooaaaaaaaaa...that cake sounds too good!!!!! I would love to have the chocolate pan icing recipe, please!!!!!!!!!
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I adore chocolate and want to try this cake. Thanks for sharing!!!!

(I must find the Cake Doctor book and treat myself)

thanks so much!
woodyfam i would love the recipe, it sounds delicious! maybe i'll take a little from each persons idea. i like the idea of the melted chocolate with white chocolate too.
please keep them coming.
anyone on the size i should make?
thanks

I am going to PM you the recipe. If you don't get it let me know!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109248

This is a link to a chocolate BC someone posted awhile back I tried it and im hooked it is the most amazing rich choco BC ever. one litle caution though i broke my old mixer makeing this one it can get thick so make sure you have a good strong mixer.

I made a chocolate/ chocolate chip cake with chocolate buttercream. I used a 12" square double layer. This is a really large cake and would be plenty for 50 people. Use the basketweave technique and WOW them. I have also used a large tip and made a lot of random swirls on the top them drizzled with either white chocolate or darker chocolate candy melts.It is really easy but looks quite impressive. Or you could garnish with chocolate dipped strawberries, also very easy but a show stopper! Good luck

What do you mean when you say 50/50 choc chips and marshmallow? Do you mean half the bag of each? Large marshmallow or mini? The recipe sounds delicious.

i charged 125 for my first one!!!!! it payed for alot of the stuff i needed i had like 7 dollers left over but i would do 3 times diped strawberiesi would do the choclate cake as she requested then i would put a CREAMY butter cream with lots!!!! of chocolate and then over each teair befor stacking i would drisle hot fudge over the butter cream and then put LOTS of the dipped strawberies i would do 3 layers and just have it as a cake of a woman (*with that time of the months dream*) lol i know i would die to have a cake like that with a big glass of milk (OH GOD I NEED TO STOP IM HUNGARY AGAIN!!!)

Do you have the recipe for the Ghiradelli cake? I would love to try that whole thing - also, do you think you could put fondant over the marshmellow icing you described??? This would be great for a baby shower cake I have theis weekend!