DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COCA COLA CHRISTMAS CAKE

Happy Holidays! I love this recipe for Double Chocolate Coca Cola Christmas Cake. It's really good and easy. So Retro to use Coca Cola, but obviously Santa likes it! Honestly, it tastes great! Santa and I love it.

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CHRISTMAS CAKE

Who says Guinness is just for St Patrick's Day? Guinness has a long history as a Christmas baking ingredient -- from truffles to cupcakes to brownies to cakes! I've posted several Guinness Cake recipes, but here's special Christmas Cake. As always use the very best ingredients. Decorate this fabulous chocolate cake with holiday designs or mistletoe (don't eat the mistletoe). This cake could easily become your holiday tradition! Be sure and save this recipe for St. Patrick's Day, too!

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CHRISTMAS CAKE

Ingredients 

Cake 
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups Guinness
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream

Ganache 
16 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup Guinness
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Cake 
With rack in middle position, preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 8-inch springform pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour sides.
In  bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Set aside.
In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with beer and cocoa powder, stirring with whisk. Let cool. In large bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar and salt. With whisk, add lukewarm butter mixture alternately with dry ingredients and eggs. Add sour cream and stir until mixture is smooth.
Divide batter between pans and bake for about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of each cake comes out clean. Turn out cakes and let cool.

Ganache 
Place chocolate in bowl. Set aside. In saucepan, bring beer, cream and syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute. With whisk, gently stir mixture until chocolate has completely melted. Add butter and stir until smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until ganache is spreadable but not too thick. If needed, microwave a few seconds at a time and stir until spreadable.
Cut and discard rounded tops of each cake.
Spread one-quarter of ganache onto one layer. Top with second cake layer and frost with remaining ganache.
Decorate with holiday designs or mistletoe (don't eat the mistletoe-it's poisonous--so maybe don't use it!).

CRISCO CHRISTMAS CAKE: Retro Advertisement with recipe

Crisco was standard in our pantry when I was growing up, and I've posted about Crisco several times on this blog. Here's a Retro Crisco Christmas Cake Ad --but since this is a chocolate blog, I'm also posting the 'same' ad for a Crisco Chocolate Cake. Everything in the Ad is pretty much the same, except the color and frosting. Very Retro Advertising.

RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE CRISCO CAKE

STEP 1 — Measure (all measurements level): 2 cups sifted cake flour, 1-2/3 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons soda, 1 teaspoon salt. Add 1/2 cup Crisco, 3 squares melted chocolate, 2/3 cup milk. Mix thoroughly by hand (300 strokes) or by mixer (medium speed) for 2 minutes.

STEP 2 — Add 2/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 eggs (2/3 cup). Mix thoroughly another 2 minutes. Pour batter into two 9″ layer pans (1-1/2″ deep) which have been “Criscoed” or lined with paper. (For smaller pans, fill half full, bake remaining batter in cup cakes.)

Bake in moderate oven 350°F. about 35-40 minutes.

CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS CAKE: Retro Ad & Recipe

Here's a great Retro Devil's Food Chocolate Christmas Cake Ad. Note that you can save money because this recipe doesn't call for those "expensive" eggs. Happy Holidays! 

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CHRISTMAS CAKE

Who says Guinness is just for St Patrick's Day? Guinness has a long history as a Christmas baking ingredient -- from truffles to cupcakes to brownies to cake! I've posted several Guinness Cake recipes, but here's a new one for this year's holiday. As always use the very best ingredients. Decorate this fabulous chocolate cake with holiday designs or mistletoe (don't eat the mistletoe). Save the recipe for St. Paddy's Day!

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CHRISTMAS CAKE

Ingredients 

Cake 
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups Guinness
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream

Ganache 
16 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup Guinness
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced

Cake 
With rack in middle position, preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 8-inch springform pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour sides.
In  bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Set aside.
In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with beer and cocoa powder, stirring with whisk. Let cool. In large bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar and salt. With whisk, add lukewarm butter mixture alternately with dry ingredients and eggs. Add sour cream and stir until mixture is smooth.
Divide batter between pans and bake for about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of each cake comes out clean. Turn out cakes and let cool.

Ganache 
Place chocolate in bowl. Set aside. In saucepan, bring beer, cream and syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute. With whisk, gently stir mixture until chocolate has completely melted. Add butter and stir until smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until ganache is spreadable but not too thick. If needed, microwave a few seconds at a time and stir until spreadable.
Cut and discard rounded tops of each cake.
Spread one-quarter of ganache onto one layer. Top with second cake layer and frost with remaining ganache.
Decorate with holiday designs or mistletoe (don't eat the mistletoe-it's poisonous).

MISTLETOE CHOCOLATE CAKE: Retro Ad & Recipe

Here's a great Retro Ad and Recipe from Swans Down Cake Flour for Mistletoe Chocolate Cake. Decorate with the green mistletoe design as given in the recipe or put some 'real' mistletoe on top, but don't eat it! Mistletoe is poisonous. Mistletoe kisses for a Happy Holiday!

Crisco Christmas Cake: Retro Ads & Recipe

Crisco was standard in our pantry when I was growing up, and I've posted about Crisco several times on this blog. Here's a Retro Crisco Christmas Cake Ad --but since this is a chocolate blog, I'm also posting the 'same' ad for a Crisco Chocolate Cake. Everything in the Ad is pretty much the same, except the color and frosting. Very retro advertising.

RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE CRISCO CAKE

STEP 1 — Measure (all measurements level): 2 cups sifted cake flour, 1-2/3 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons soda, 1 teaspoon salt. Add 1/2 cup Crisco, 3 squares melted chocolate, 2/3 cup milk. Mix thoroughly by hand (300 strokes) or by mixer (medium speed) for 2 minutes.

STEP 2 — Add 2/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 eggs (2/3 cup). Mix thoroughly another 2 minutes. Pour batter into two 9″ layer pans (1-1/2″ deep) which have been “Criscoed” or lined with paper. (For smaller pans, fill half full, bake remaining batter in cup cakes.)

Bake in moderate oven 350°F. about 35-40 minutes.