Kristine's Wedding Cake

My sister's wedding cake was the first wedding cake I made. Kristine is a chocoholic, so we knew it would have to be chocolate with raspberry and chocolate mousse fillings. I used Ina Garten's chocolate cake recipe exactly, a raspberry filling I made (following the basic fruit filling recipe) and the mousse is a traditional recipe. I covered it in white chocolate fondant.

Ina's Chocolate Birthday Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder (I use penzeys dutch process cocoa)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (Starbucks sumatra)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Chocolate Mousse

4 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar

12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups cold whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Whisk egs and sugar in a metal bowl set over a double boiler, whisk constantly for about 5 mins or until a candy thermometer reaches 160 degrees. Remove bowl from water, use an electric mixer and beat mixture for 10 minutes until cool and thick.

Place chocolate over double boiler and melt until smooth.

Beat whipping cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

Pour melted chocolate over eggs and fold together, fold in cream a bit at a time.

Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.

White Chocolate Fondant

1 lb. white chocolate cand coating

3/4 cup corn syrup

4 lbs. powdered sugar

8 tbsp. hot water

1 cup glucose

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. white crisco

Melt coating in a pot, add corn syrup. Stir to combine and spread on plastic wrap to cool.

Put powdered sugar in a bowl and make a well in the center. Set aside.

Mix glucose, vanilla, salt and vegetable shortening in a saucepan. Heat until shortening is almost melted. Pour into powdered sugar, stir until thick with a spoon. Pour onto counter and knead smooth. Knead the two mixes together and add more powdered sugar until it reaches a dough like consistency.

To store, wrap in plastic wrap and put in a plastic bag.

Fondant will be somewhat hard when it sets, knead it out slowly to bring it back to original consistency.

from www.cincicakeandcandy.com