I am wondering if someone has any ideas. A friend who hates cake is having a surprise party thrown for her. She loves a deep dark chocolate-does any one have any ideas? We want to make a fondant/gumpaste topper of "40". Not really sure how to decorate something other than cake. Please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps she like the decadently rich, "World's Easiest (American) Chocolate Mud Cake" recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/102751

Chocolate 101:

http://tinyurl.com/ytby97

HTH

Why not make the topper out of pure dark chocolate. She can eat that. Her guests can eat the cake.

Or why not make the cake for party guests and make her a simple, decadent chocolate mousse dessert all to herself? Or a little pie? Or a cookie?

[quote="GI"]Why not make the topper out of pure dark chocolate. She can eat that. Her guests can eat the cake.
quote]

Great idea.

Your friend sounds a bit like me â I donât hate cake, but I hate the store-bought, triple-frozen, chemically-tasting, greasy feeling stuff that is often called cake⦠And I love dark chocolate!

If youâre up for it, you can make her a (flourless) (dark) chocolate torte! It is a little more involved and a little more expensive, but boy is it good! PM me if youâre interested, I have a couple of such recipes I use all the timeâ¦

Does she like cheesecake? You could make a rich chocolate cheesecake and dress it up?

i like the idea of making the topper out of chocolate!

Thank-you for the great ideas. I do like the chocolate topper idea.
JanH that link to chocolate 101, is great-thank-you! Would you frost the mud cake the same as a regular cake? I've never made a mud cake, is the texture the same as a "regular" cake?

Shisharka would you frost the torte like a regular cake or would you cover it in ganache?

We are wanting to make a small cake 4/6 inch for birthday girl and then mini cakes for each guest. So I am wanting to try to coordinate the decorations if possible. I am all open for ideas! Thank-you!

I just met with a groom that wasn't a cake fan, so I am making the top tier out of brownies and ganache..

My son hates cake but Loves chocolate chip cookies...........I make him a huge chocolate cookie cake each year............. Here's an example of one for a guy I know. You can decorate them the same as a cake. Even adding the chocolate 40.

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=857803

I love the idea of a rich decadant brownie cake as well. yum, I'm going for a glass of milk right now.

dee aka aztomcat

What about making a fondant picture on a board depicting relevant things and then a cake for everyone else but that she can cut... see pic in my pics :
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=245703 and then this one too for same lady :

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=245693 and this was the cake they wanted to surprise her with also:

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=245623

and if you are wanting something for her to keep why not make a dummy cake ...

good luck keep us informed on how you go .. good luck

A mud cake is dense and rich like a brownie.

Mudcake is a different texture to normal cakes indeed...more dense but yummmmmyyy hehehe... i ice mine the same as any cake with fondant etc... but put in a suitable filling that they may like...

On the cakes/tortes calling for liqueour, is there anything non -alcoholic that you can replace it with? None of the people atttending the party drink (as far as I know). We're all church friends. I'm going to discuss some of these options with the party coordinaters today! The party isn't until the end of May. I am a planner and like to know what I am doing!
You all have been so helpful! Thank-you!

Unless alcohol in any form is forbidden by your religion, adding a tbsp or two of liqueur in a recipe would not make it taste like alcohol, in fact it may not even be noticed as such, just as a hint of nice flavor⦠Just like adding espresso to chocolate cake would not make it taste like espresso but enhance the chocolate ⦠Well, I have spiked some cakes, and yes, then one can taste it, especially in Tiramisu with half a cup of Kahlua, but in the torte recipes the amounts are minimal⦠With that said, Iâm sure there are artificial flavorings to imitate anything and you can replace it with a flavor you like in general⦠But hey, even the ubiquitous vanilla and almond extracts are in some 35% alcohol!

Someone already ready hit on this but a brownie cake decorated how ever anybody wants.

or a brownie cheese cake covered in poured chocolate ganache like socher torte.

OP asked:

Answer from Tiptop57: I don't make a cake I bake a pie then. My husband does not ever want a birthday cake and he always wants home made pies.

You could form rice krispie treats into a cake and even add layers with a dark chocolate fudge buttercream as if it were a real cake. Decorate it like a real cake.

I would be so unhappy if I go to a birthday party and no cake ..
How about an icecream cake..
orrrrrrrrr
Cheesecake covered in ganache
orrrrrrr
chocolate cake with a cheesecake center covered in ganache
the possibilities are endless!

dabear what did you decide on? Just curious. All these posts were great suggestions!

You can even make individual fruit parfaits with pieces of cake in between the layers. That way the ones that like cake can eat it and the ones that don't still have other options in their cups.

My husband doesn't like cake much either... I think it's the icing that he hates the most. Anyway, he always wants a giant cookie with lots of chocolate chips.

Great ideas. Thank-you so much. I have been so busy baking lately! I don't know how you all do it! I will have made 6 cakes in 2 weeks by Saturday! I am already exhausted! I don't have time to be on CC!
Much less clean my house! Kuddos to all of you bakers who can handle more than 1 cake a week.
I think I will go back to my 1 cake a month! LOL!

Well my friends husband has decided, she doesn't have to eat the cake-everyone else can. He just wants it to look and taste exceptional! The party coordinators (friends) want pale cream,white and a little sage for the colors.(they didn't think chocolate accents would work with the room decor. , I think it would of went together perfectly. but it's not for me!)

So I have decided to bake this decadent chocolate butter cake-melts in your mouth and is so chocolatey! I am making her her own cake and each guest their own mini cake. I am going to use a very pale cream colored buttercream. (I suggested some ganache drizzled over the sides, but they did not like that Idea. I also suggested chocolate toppers (they said no.) So I will make a gumpaste topper for her cake with the number 40, and each of the minicakes with the letter A (all standing up off the cake, 3-d if you will!) The numbers and letters will be dusted with the palest sagey green luster dust. I will probalby put some tiny white flowers around the base of each cake.
Thank-you so much for taking the time to help me with this dilema! I still have a week and a half before I have to have these completed!

any one have ideas on the best way to make mini cakes?