Bonus - Chocolate Tunnel of Love Cake
The original recipe called for Dove Mini Chocolate bars, but I used godiva dark. I have a thing for Godiva, so I've written the recipe rather generically, so that you can use what your preferred brand of chocolate is. Only caveat is make sure that it is a dark chocolate, and not a milk chocolate.
I've also added the raspberries (I think raspberries and chocolate are the best) you could use strawberries too, I suppose. But it's original chocolatey goodness is without the fruit.
Ok, here we go..
2 bags dove premium dark chocolate mini bars , or 24 oz of your favorite dark chocolate mini bars.
3 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter flavored crisco
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup berries (optional)
ivy and edible orchids for decorating (optional)
and you need 1 12-cup bundt pan or 6 mini bundts, which is cool for a dinner party, or freezing unglazed for those of us that just want a chocolate fix now and again and a big cake is too much
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the bundt pan, and set aside.
Combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a mixing bowl, and set aside.
Unwrap (need to say it, cause invariably someone wont and will wonder why their tunnel has foil in it)and melt 12 oz of your dark chocolate in a double boiler. Some people microwave it, which personally, I do not do. The microwave is not chocolate's friend.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the crisco, sugar and orange zest until fluffy; then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In another mixing bowl, combine the milk and sour cream. With the electric mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture into the crisco mixture, beating until smooth. This makes your cake batter.
Stir 1 cup of the resulting cake batter into the cooled melted chocolate, and set aside.
Spoon half of the plain batter into the bottom of the bundt pan. If you are anal retentive about this, go ahead, measure it out. I do. Then cover it with the chocolate batter, add the berries if you want, and top with the remaining plain batter.
Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven (again, need to mention this because someone won't), transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Ok, I guess I should mention at this point that you do not want to remove the cake from the pan yet.
Now it's time to make the glaze.
Set aside some chocolate for decorating, make chocolate curls, cut chocolate hearts, just have some, a small amount, for decorating.
Unwrap (just in case you didn't read it the first time) the remaining chocolate and in your double boiler, melt it.
Blend in the corn syrup and heavy cream, stirring frequently over med heat (dont scorch the chocolate, that would suck) until smooth for about 2 minutes
Cool three minutes.
While that is cooling and getting gooey, remove the cake (by inverting) onto a platter
Drizzle the glaze over the cake letting it drip down the sides. I use a spoon, as if I were to try and pour it , it would glob rather than glaze and drip.
place your decorating pieces around the edge of the platter
Use some additional fresh berries too if you want, perhaps some ivy... or edible orchids.
I've also added the raspberries (I think raspberries and chocolate are the best) you could use strawberries too, I suppose. But it's original chocolatey goodness is without the fruit.
Ok, here we go..
2 bags dove premium dark chocolate mini bars , or 24 oz of your favorite dark chocolate mini bars.
3 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter flavored crisco
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup berries (optional)
ivy and edible orchids for decorating (optional)
and you need 1 12-cup bundt pan or 6 mini bundts, which is cool for a dinner party, or freezing unglazed for those of us that just want a chocolate fix now and again and a big cake is too much
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the bundt pan, and set aside.
Combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a mixing bowl, and set aside.
Unwrap (need to say it, cause invariably someone wont and will wonder why their tunnel has foil in it)and melt 12 oz of your dark chocolate in a double boiler. Some people microwave it, which personally, I do not do. The microwave is not chocolate's friend.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the crisco, sugar and orange zest until fluffy; then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In another mixing bowl, combine the milk and sour cream. With the electric mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture into the crisco mixture, beating until smooth. This makes your cake batter.
Stir 1 cup of the resulting cake batter into the cooled melted chocolate, and set aside.
Spoon half of the plain batter into the bottom of the bundt pan. If you are anal retentive about this, go ahead, measure it out. I do. Then cover it with the chocolate batter, add the berries if you want, and top with the remaining plain batter.
Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven (again, need to mention this because someone won't), transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Ok, I guess I should mention at this point that you do not want to remove the cake from the pan yet.
Now it's time to make the glaze.
Set aside some chocolate for decorating, make chocolate curls, cut chocolate hearts, just have some, a small amount, for decorating.
Unwrap (just in case you didn't read it the first time) the remaining chocolate and in your double boiler, melt it.
Blend in the corn syrup and heavy cream, stirring frequently over med heat (dont scorch the chocolate, that would suck) until smooth for about 2 minutes
Cool three minutes.
While that is cooling and getting gooey, remove the cake (by inverting) onto a platter
Drizzle the glaze over the cake letting it drip down the sides. I use a spoon, as if I were to try and pour it , it would glob rather than glaze and drip.
place your decorating pieces around the edge of the platter
Use some additional fresh berries too if you want, perhaps some ivy... or edible orchids.