Best Dark Chocolate Walnut Layer Cake Recipes

CHOCOLATE WALNUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease the bottom and sides of the cake pans liberally with nonstick spray.
• Prepare the cake batter: Combine the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until light and lemon-colored, 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise and water together in a medium bowl; set aside. Finely chop 1/2 cup walnuts and combine with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, coffee and salt in a medium bowl. Stir 1/2 of the flour mixture and 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture into the eggs with the mixer on low until well blended. Do not over mix. The less you mix flour, the more tender the cake! Scrape down the bowl and repeat with the remaining flour and mayonnaise mixtures.
• Bake the cake: Fill each cake pan with 1/3 of the batter. Place the pans in the center of the oven. Rotate the pans halfway through cooking. Bake until the center is firm or when the tip of a small knife emerges clean when it pierces the center of each cake, about 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1/2 hour before unmolding. Cool completely before frosting.
• Candy the oranges: Cut the orange in half lengthwise (from the stem to navel ends). Continue cutting the orange pieces in half lengthwise until you have 16 wedges. Place the orange wedges in a skillet and fill with enough cold water to cover. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain the water and repeat this step to make the peels tender and remove bitterness. Gently remove the wedges from the pan and set aside. Place the sugar, 2 cups water, the cloves and the orange peels into the skillet. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and return the orange wedges to the skillet. Continue cooking over low heat until the syrup thickens and the wedges become translucent, about 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer the wedges to a baking sheet to cool.
• Make the frosting: Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and the cream in a small pot to warm over medium heat. When the cream simmers, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk gently until the chocolate blends with the cream. Cool completely. Blend the confectioner's sugar, butter and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor until smooth, 5-8 minutes. Stir the cooled chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture until smooth.
• Frost the cake: Chop 1 cup of walnuts; set aside. Place one cake round, top side down, onto a serving platter. Top with 1/4 of the frosting letting some of it spill over the top to coat the sides. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the walnuts on top of the frosting. Repeat with the next cake layer. Place the final layer on top of the other two, bottom side up, then coat the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts and the candied orange wedges.
• Note: Prepare the cake using a cake mix with 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts added to the batter before baking in place of the scratch cake, if desired.

WALNUT OVERLOAD, DARK CHOCOLATE & COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• Cake Directions:.
• Cream butter and oil. Add sugar, beat until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolks and beat.
• Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda: add to creamed mixture, alternately with buttermilk. Stir in vanilla, coconut, and walnuts.
• Add 1 cup boiling water ( stir).
• Then Stiffly beat egg whites in separate bowl and immediately fold into cake batter.
• Pour batter into four(4) well-greased 9 inch round baking pans and pat chunky mixture to where it is thicker toward the edges of the pans.
• Bake at 300°F (149°C) until toothpick comes out clean (for around 50-55 minutes).
• Cream Cheese Icing Directions:.
• Beat cream cheese until smooth.
• In separate bowl, combine sugar, very soft butter and vanilla,cocoa, whole milk ; mix well. Add whipping topping mix well.
• Add to cream cheese and beat until smooth. ( If icing is too soft, add a bit more cocoa and sugar powder. If icing is too hard, add more whipped topping. Be careful when adding whipped topping. ).
• Cool each layer on cake racks. Put a dollop of icing on a large (12") plate before the first layer. Top each layer first with an ample amount of icing and then sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Frost sides with ample icing and then make a 1 inch icing skirt with remainder. (If icing is too thin to stay on the sided of the layers, cool both cake and icing in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and try again.) Pat small amounts of the coconut into the sides and a little will naturally fall onto the skirt. Sprinkle the skirt with 1/4 cup chopped walnuts.
• Store in refrigerator. With all the walnuts, it cuts easiest with a bread knife. Enjoy.

DARK CHOCOLATE WALNUT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• FOR CAKE:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line with waxed paper. Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Cool.
• Sift flour and baking soda into small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla, then melted chocolate. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions each, beating just until blended after each addition. Mix in walnuts.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 20 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks.
• FOR ICING:
• Stir chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Remove from over water. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in 2 tablespoons milk. Beat in chocolate. Thin with milk to spreading consistency.
• Cut around pan sides. Turn out cakes; peel off paper. Place 1 cake layer flat side down on platter. Spread 1 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer, flat side up. Spread remaining icing over cake. Press nuts onto sides of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.)