From 1 Chocolate Cake…To 10!

Quickly turn 1 chocolate cake into 10 chocolate cakes. The easiest way to create 10 new desserts using all the same base!

From 1 chocolate cake…to 10! Sounds great, right?

Believe me, using the same base to make new desserts will save you so much time, and it will also make you feel like a fabulous pastry chef! 😊

Nothing makes me feel prouder than seeing smiles on my guests’ faces when I bring a cake to the table! Such a great feeling!

This fourth post of my post series will be all about chocolate cakes! Yay! I love chocolate so much; that’s why I kept this one for the end.

Just in case you missed them, the first post of this series was about pies. 10 ways to transform a simple pie into 10 fabulous ones! Our second post was about vanilla cake; again, I shared 10 great ideas to transform a plain vanilla cake into 10 pieces of art in no time… And I’m sure you don’t want to miss how I change my cheesecake into 10 awesome ones!

There are so many desserts that I love, it was kind of hard to choose only 10 of each, so I chose my friend’s and family’s favorites. The ones I do most often, but stay tuned; I might share all the other ones I love someday…

But for now, let’s get back to our topic, and I mean chocolate cake!

Because today is finally chocolate day!!

You’ll see, it’s pretty simple to create masterpieces from your favorite cake recipe. 😉

 

 

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From 1 chocolate cake…to 10 chocolate cakes!… The base

Time to share my chocolate cake recipe. That’s definitely my favorite easy chocolate cake… well, one of my favorites! ha! ha! But because it’s so easy to make, it’s undoubtedly the one I make the more often!

Even though my good old chimney mold is my favorite one, I use many other different shapes too. I also like to use different sizes of springform pans, especially when I have to put the cake back in the cake pan before adding the garnishing. It always gives excellent results. 😉

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sugar
• 1-3/4 cup of white flour
• 3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1 cup of boiling water

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Grease and flour two round cake pans or one large rectangular one.
3. In a big bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
4. Add the eggs, vanilla, milk, and oil, and mix for two minutes at medium speed.
5. Add the boiling water and mix well. The batter will be thin.
6. Pour evenly into the prepared cake pans.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
9. Unmold and let cool completely before icing.

So, to that cake, I add absolutely everything! But the ten toppings I will share are my favorites, and I’m sure you will like them too! 😊

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From 1 chocolate cake…to 10 chocolate cakes!… The recipes

**Whipped White Chocolate Ganache & cherries**

I just love that white ganache! It’s a recipe I stole from my sister ( please, don’t tell her! ha! ha! ). And I have made it since then. You can freeze it, which is extremely useful! I always try to have some in my freezer so I can create a fabulous dessert in no time. And believe me, it goes with absolutely everything! You should see that white chocolate ganache on an Oreo cake! Wow, one of the best things on Earth!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of whipping cream, divided
• 1 cup of good quality white chocolate chunks*
• 2/3 cup of maraschinos cherries
• 2 tbsp of almond slices

*White chocolate chips won’t work here; you must use good quality white chocolate, so your ganache blends well. Here is excellent info written by Jaron from foodsguy, a guide to choosing the right white chocolate; believe me, after reading this, you will be nothing but a white chocolate expert! 😉

Instructions:

1. Heat half the cream and white chocolate over medium heat in a small saucepan. Whisk constantly until the chocolate is completely melted.
2. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
3. Once the ganache is chilled, whip with an electric mixer on low speed and gradually work up to high speed until the ganache is light and fluffy. 
4. Pour the remaining cream and then whip on low speed working up to medium-high speed, until soft peaks form and the whipped cream holds its shape on the whisk.
5. Evenly spread the white ganache over the cake.
6. Garnish with cherries and almond
7. Refrigerate until serving time.

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How I love desserts! I love them so much that I made a book about my favorite ones! 😊ok… maybe not ALL of my favorite ones, but my favorite make-ahead ones!!

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**The Best Orange Icing & Dark Chocolate**

I have never been a fan of chocolate and orange; I always thought it wasn’t a good match… until I discovered that perfect icing! So yummy 😉 and even better when I add some dark chocolate chips on top!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of icing sugar
• 3 oz of softened cream cheese
• 1 tbsp of orange juice
• 1 tbsp of orange zest

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients well.
2. Beat for 2 minutes, until smooth.
3. Evenly spread over the warm chocolate cake.

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**Marshmallows & Chocolate Chips**

What an easy recipe here! I recommend using a large rectangular cake pan. That cake is also perfect for potlucks or buffets.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of mini-marshmallows
• 1 bag of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of sweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped pecans

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. As soon as the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and evenly spread all ingredients on top.
3. Put back in the oven for about 10 minutes, until marshmallows and chocolate chips are almost melted.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Refrigerate for a few hours before cutting into squares.

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**The Best Coffee Icing!**

You all know how much I love desserts, chocolate, and coffee! So, to me, that cake is like a dream come true! 😊

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup of softened butter
• 4 cups of icing sugar
• 4 tbsp of half & half cream or milk
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1-1/2 tsp of instant coffee
• 1/2 cup of chopped Coffee Crips chocolate bar or chocolate chunks for garnishing.

Instructions:

1. Dissolve coffee in cream.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream butter.
3. Gradually add the icing sugar, beating well between each addition.
4. Stir in vanilla and cream, beating until smooth.
5. Evenly spread over the cake.
6. Garnish with chocolate or Coffee Crisp chunks

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From 1 chocolate cake…to 10 chocolate cakes!… More recipes 

**Mint & Chocolate Pinky Icing**

Wait until you taste this! It’s so delicate and tasteful and such a lovely color! I highly recommend that you use a springform cake pan here. *You must put the cake back in the pan before adding the mint topping.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 24 marshmallows
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/4 tsp of mint extract
• 6 drops of red food coloring
• 1 cup of whipping cream
• 1/3 cup of crushed mint candies
• Some more crushed mint candies for garnishing

Instructions:

1. Put the cooled cake back in the cake pan.
2. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate over low heat.
3. Let cool to room temperature. Pour and evenly spread over the cake, and refrigerate until the chocolate hardens.
4. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat milk and marshmallows, stirring occasionally, until marshmallows are melted.
5. Remove from heat. Add the salt, vanilla, mint extract, and red food coloring.
6. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for one hour.
7. Meanwhile, whip the cream until firm picks form.
8. Gently fold the whipped cream and the crushed candies into the marshmallow mixture.
9. Evenly spread over the cake. Garnish with the remaining crushed candies and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

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**Pistachio Ice Cream & Chocolate Sauce**

A fabulous frozen version here. I used pistachio ice cream in this recipe because I like the color, but you can use any other ice cream you like. Strawberry, cherry, butterscotch… it’s totally up to you! I suggest you use 2 round or square cake pans to create a lovely 2-layer cake.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of pistachio ice cream, slightly softened
• Chopped pistachios for garnishing

For the chocolate sauce:

• 2 cups of icing sugar
• 1 cup of evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 tbsp of corn syrup
• 1 cup of milk chocolate chips
• 1 tsp of vanilla

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except the vanilla.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
3. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 8 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
5. Let cool to room temperature
6. Evenly spread half of the ice cream over one cake. Cover with the second cake and spread the remaining ice cream on top. Freeze until serving time.
7. At serving time, slice the cake into single parts and pour warm chocolate sauce over it.
8. Garnish with chopped pistachios.

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**Peanut Butter & Chocolate**

Peanut butter and chocolate, do I really need to add something? That is THE perfect match! 😉 Get inspired by this picture and add some Reeses to make your cake even more impressive!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of peanut butter
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1-1/2 cup of icing sugar
• 4 tbsp of milk or half & half cream
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and peanut butter.
2. Gradually add the icing sugar, vanilla, and milk. Beat until smooth.
3. Evenly spread over the cake.
4. Garnish with peanuts and chocolate chips.

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From 1 chocolate cake…to 10 chocolate cakes!… And some more recipes 

**Vanilla, Raspberries & Chocolate Sauce**

Such a great-looking cake! I like to make this one in a large rectangular cake pan so that I can add more raspberries to it 😉

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 cups of fresh raspberries

For the vanilla icing:

• 3 egg whites
• 1-1/2 cup of icing sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 2 tbsp of milk

For the chocolate sauce:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 tbsp of cocoa powder
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1/4 cup of whipping cream

Instructions:

For the vanilla icing:

• Using an electric mixer, mix well all ingredients until smooth.
• Add a bit more icing sugar if needed to bring it to the right consistency.
• Evenly spread over the cake.

For the chocolate sauce:

• In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and water.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat; let boil for 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in the butter and cream, and whisk until the sauce is warm.
• Let cool.

Evenly spread raspberries over the vanilla icing and refrigerate until serving time.

At serving time, slice the cake into single parts, pour chocolate sauce over and garnish with some fresh raspberries and mint leaves.

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**Toasted Coconut Icing**

That is such a great way to serve a chocolate cake! Top it with vanilla ice cream… and chocolate sauce to make it even more decadent! 😉

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of melted butter
• 1 cup of sweetened coconut
• 2/3 cup of brown sugar
• 3 tbsp of whipping cream
• 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients.
2. As soon as you take the cake out of the oven, spread the filling evenly over the cake.
3. Set the oven to broil.
4. Put the cake back in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely to prevent the coconut from burning.
5. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

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**Strawberry & Cream**

A good classic here. Pretty much like the chocolate version of a strawberry shortcake. I like to use two round cake pan to make a fabulous 2-layer cake; believe me, your guests will be more than impressed!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of whipping cream
• 1-1/2 tsp of vanilla
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 4 cups of sliced strawberries
• Some whole or halved strawberries for garnishing
• A few fresh mint leaves for garnishing

Instructions:

1. Whip cream until soft peaks form.
2. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until firm peaks form.
3. Evenly spread half of the whipped cream and half of the strawberries on one cake.
4. Cover with the second cake and spread the remaining whipped cream and strawberry slices.
5. Garnish with whole strawberries and some fresh mint leaves.

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From 1 chocolate cake…to 10 chocolate cakes!… To conclude

But just before we conclude, let me share one more idea! ( ha! ha! It’s always so hard to stop! )

I like to garnish a plain chocolate cake with chocolate bars or cookies. Take any chocolate bar you want, such as; Crunchie, Rolos, Coffee Crisp, or even mint Aero ( or the plain chocolate one ), and coarsely chop them. Sprinkle between each layer and on top of your cake, and voila! You just create another perfect chocolate cake! 😉 You have to try Rolos and some caramel sauce… absolutely amazing!!

  See how easy it is to create a fabulous cake?

Let your inspiration guide you! You can add absolutely anything you like to a cake. Don’t be afraid to test different combinations. I often use the cake from one recipe and the icing and toppings from another… it’s always so fun to discover new desserts!

…And speaking of new desserts, guess what? I created a recipe book… A dessert recipe book, of course! ha ha!  My TOP 50 favorite make-ahead desserts. I just can’t tell you how fun it was to make that book! All these desserts to bake and test!… I gained ten pounds, but who cares!

I would love to hear from you! 🖤 Use the box for any questions or comments, or even better, use that comment box to tell me what your favorite chocolate cake recipe is? You know, the one that you make all the time? I’m such a curious girl, ha! ha! I need the recipe! I just can’t wait to try it!!

And if you liked this post, let your friends know! 😉 Please share it!

Talk to you soon!