Iso Suggestions To Make Cake Recipe Denser
Decorating By eatdessert1st Updated 25 Jul 2007 , 3:24pm by eatdessert1st
Hi, all:
I'm having trouble w/ my basic choc. cake. I need it to be firmer for sculpting and stacking. I've tried decreasing liquids 1/4 C each and adding an extra egg or two but not much difference. It's an awesome recipe and my customers love it. I was hoping some of you cake chemists could look at it and make a few suggestions. Someone on the buzz kindly suggested adding a pack of chocolate pudding but I'm not sure if it'd make it firmer or moister? The recipe is from epicurious.
Thanks,
Melanie
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE
Approx. 8.5 C batter
Preheat oven to 325°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.
Finely chop 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate (Callebaut) and in a bowl combine with 1 ½ C hot coffee.
Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Into a large bowl sift together:
3 C sugar
2 ½ C flour
1 ½ C cocoa powder (not Dutch Process)
2 t baking soda
¾ t baking powder
1 ¼ t salt
In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat:
4 eggs
until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add:
¾ C oil (Crisco= 155 ml/grams)
1 ½ C buttermilk
1 T vanilla
and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well.
Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature
im no cake chemist, so all i can suggest is trying toba garrett's choc fudge cake. the recipe is also on epicurious. i love her recipe, very tasty and easy to make. i stack with it all the time and i've even carved it once. i just stuck it in the freezer for 2-3 hours first.
is your current choc cake crumbling? falling apart? have you tried the freezing trick?
Hey,
thanks for the suggestion. It does ok when I firm it up in the freezer for crumbcoating or light carving... it just doesn't seem to hold its shape very well. For instance, I made a 10" hex a 6" hex for a Hogwarts castle cake. The edges sort of crumble off (I was able to spackle the larger layer decently, though.) THe 6" sort of caved in under the fondant so that instead of a nice crisp hex (2nd layer of the castle) it ended up looking like Hagrid's hut. 
(would've been perfect w/ a thatched roof and chimney 
... just not the effect I was aiming for.)
I'd like to experiment w/ the recipe because it's such an incredible tasting one. I keep going back to it.
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