Best Chocolate Cherry Mini Cakes

1 1/2 c All-purpose flour
1 c Sugar
1/4 c Hershey's Cocoa -OR- European Style Cocoa
1 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
1 c Water
2/3 c Vegetable oil
1 tb White vinegar
1 ts Vanilla extract

Cherry Cream Frosting

1/4 c Milk
2 tb All-purpose flour
1/4 c Shortening
1 ts Almond extract
2 1/4 c Powdered sugar
1/4 c Chopped maraschino cherries, drained (optional)
Few drops red food color (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla; beat thoroughly. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

Prepare Cherry Cream Frosting: pipe or spread onto top of each cupcake. Top with maraschino cherry. Cover; refrigerate leftovers. About 1-1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Cherry Cream Frosting: In small saucepan, stir together milk and flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with whisk, until mixture thickens and just begins to boil. Remove from heat; refrigerate until chilled. In medium bowl, beat flour mixture, shortening, almond extract and powdered sugar until smooth. If cherries are used, dry thoroughly on paper towels; stir into mixture with food color, if desired.

Best Ever Devil's Food Cake

2 c All-purpose flour
2/3 c Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 ts Baking soda
1/4 ts Baking powder
2/3 c Butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 2/3 c Sugar
3 lg Eggs
1 ts Vanilla extract
1 1/2 c Milk
Chocolate Frosting

Garnish:

Chocolate curls

Adjust oven racks to divide oven into thirds. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch layer-cake pans. Line bottoms with waxed and grease paper. Sprinkle in flour and rotate pans to coat bottoms and sides. Shake out excess. Mix the first 5 ingredients until well blended. Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually stir in flour mixture alternately with milk until just blendedPour into prepared pans, about 2 cups in each. Stagger pans on oven racks and bake, switching position of pans once to ensure even layers, 20 to 25 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Invert cakes on racks, remove pans an peel off paper. Turn cakes right side up and cool completely. fill and frost with Chocolate Frosting. garnish with chocolate curls and a dusting of confectioners'sugar.

Best Ever Fudge Cake

1 1/2 c Flour
1 1/2 c Buttermilk
1 1/4 c Sugar
1/2 c Cocoa
1/4 c Diet margarine
2 tb Diet margarine
2 tb Margarine
1 ts Margarine
2 Large eggs
2 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
1 ts Vanilla extract
8 ts Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350¡. Spray Bundt pan with Pam. Cream margarines and sugar. Add eggs. Combine dry ingredients and add to mixture. Add buttermilk. Mix well and pour into sprayed Bundt pan. Bake 40 minutes at 350. Cool 15 minutes and then remove from pan. Sprinkle with the powdered sugar before serving

Better Than Sex Cake

1 Box of yellow cake mix
1 pk Semi sweet chocolate chips
4 Squares semi sweet chocolate
5 Squares unsweetend chocolate
3 c Confectioners sugar
1/4 c Hot water
2 Egg yolks
1 Stick of butter

Prepare cake mix as directed. Grate 4 squares of chocolate and fold in batter. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Place 4 cups of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top of the batter. Pour remaining batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. let cool. Spread with frosting.

Frosting: Melt 5 squares unsweetened chocolate over low heat until smooth. Transfer to bowl and add 3 cups of confectioners sugar and hot water all at once. Mix thoroughly. Add yolks, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly. Add softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth.

Better Than Sex Cake/ Chocolate

6 oz Chocolate chips -- Semi-sweet
3/4 c Pecans -- chopped
1 pk Chocolate butter cake mix Or 1 pk German sweet chocolate mix
4 Eggs
1/2 c Oil
1/4 c Water
1 ts Vanilla
3 1/2 oz Instant pudding mix -- chocolate
8 oz Sour cream

Toss chocolate chips and pecans in 1 T cake mix, set aside. Beat remaining ingredients together for 3 minutes; fold in the chips and nuts. Pour into greased & floured bundt pan. Bake at 359 for 50 minutes. Topping: Mix 1/2 cup butterscotch topping with 1/4 c cream. Make holes in top of cooled cake, and pour the topping over the cake. When ready to serve, top the piece of cake with whip cream, butterscotch, and Heath bar bits.

Bittersweet Chocolate Pound Cake

6 oz Chocolate, unsweetened
2 c Flour
1 ts Baking soda
3/4 ts Baking powder
2 tb Instant coffee
2 tb Water, hot
Water, cold
2 c Sugar
1 c Butter; softened
1 ts Vanilla extract
3 Eggs

Rich Chocolate Glaze:

1 oz Chocolate, unsweetened
1 c Sugar, confectioners
3 tb Butter; softened
1/2 ts Vanilla extract
1 tb ;Water, hot tap, to 2 T

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Over hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate bars, stirring until smooth. In small bowl combine flour, baking soda and baking powder; set aside. In 2-cup glass measure, dissolve instant coffee in hot water; add cold water to measure 1-1/2 cups.

In a large mixer bowl, beat sugar, butter and vanilla until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat at high speed 5 minutes. Stir in melted chocolate. Add flour mixture alternately with coffee mixture. Pour batter into greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan or angel food cake pan.

Bake 65-70 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 30 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely. Drizzle with Rich Chocolate Glaze.

Glaze: Over hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. In the small mixer bowl, combine melted chocolate, confec- tioners' sugar, butter and vanilla. At low speed, gradually beat in water until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Black Chocolate Zinger

Cake:

3/4 c Water
1 tb Instant coffee granules
6 oz Unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tb Honey
2 c Sifted unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 ts Baking soda
1/4 ts Salt
2 ts Freshly ground black pepper
8 tb (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened & cut into 1"pieces
1/4 c Solid vegetable shortening
2 c Superfine granulated sugar
4 lg Eggs, at room temperature
2 ts Vanilla extract
1/2 c Ice water

Ganache Glaze:

2 3-oz bars Swiss Dark Chocolate, such as Lindt
6 oz Heavy cream
1 tb Light corn syrup
1 tb Grand Marnier, Cointreau Or dark rum
3/4 ts Vanilla extract
1 ts Hot water, if needed

Make the Cake: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 12 cup fluted tube pan. Dust with flour and tap out the excess. In a small saucepan, bring the 3/4 cup water to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the coffee until disolved. Add the chocolate and honey and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture thickens. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, until tepid. In a medium bowl, using a wire whisk, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and pepper, until throughly blended. In a 4 1/2 quart bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed for 30 to 45 seconds, until creamy and smooth. Add the vegetable shortening. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 30 seconds longer. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, taking 8 to 10 minutes to blend well. If using a hand mixer, take at least 15 minutes to blend well. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs, one at a time at 1 minute intervals. Reduce the speed to medium. Stir the chocolate/honey mixture once or twice, then add to the batter along with the vanilla, scraping the side of the bowl as necessary. Beat 30 seconds longer. At low speed, one-third at a time, beat in the flour mixture alternately with the ice water. Mix briefly just until each addition is barely incorporated into the batter. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix the batter 10 more seconds. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Center the pan on the rack and bake for 65 to 75 minutes, until the cake begins to come away from the side of the pan and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the cake onto a wire rack to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack and remove the pan. Cool completely.

Make the Ganache Glaze:

Break the chocolate bars into 1-inch pieces and place them in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Process for 15 to 25 seconds, until finely chopped. Empty the chocolate into a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and corn syrup on low heat until it comes to a gentle boil. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Gently whisk until smooth. Stir in the liqueur or rum and vanilla. If the surface is oily, stir in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of hot water. Put the wire rack with the cake over a baking sheet. Pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake. Let the glaze drip down the sides of the cake without coating it completely. Lift up the rack with the cake and transfer it to another baking sheet. Put the baking sheet with the cake in the refrigerator to chill for 5 to 10 minutes to set the glaze. Store the cake at room temperature under a glass cover or in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Black Forest Pudding Cake

1 1/4 c Sugar
1 c Flour
3 tb Cocoa, unsweetened
2 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
1/3 c Butter, melted
1 1/2 ts Vanilla
1/2 c Packed brown sugar
1/4 c Cocoa, unsweetened
1 1/4 c Hot water
1/4 c Kirsch or 2 tb. water plus
1/2 ts almond or rum extract
1 Can cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium-size bowl, combine 3/4 cup of the sugar, flour, three tablespoons of the cocoa, baking powder and salt. Blend in milk, melted butter and vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread into an 8 inch square pan. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa; sprinkle mixture evenly over batter. Combine hot water and kirsch; pour over batter. Do not stir. Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Let stand 15 minutes. Transfer to dessert dishes and spoon pudding from bottom of pan over cake. Serve with cherry pie filling as sauce.

Black Magic Cake

1 3/4 c Flour; Unbleached, Sifted
2 c Sugar
3/4 c Cocoa; Baking
2 ts Baking Soda
1 ts Baking Powder
1 ts Salt
2 Eggs; Large
1/2 c Vegetable Oil
1 c Coffee; Black, Strong
1 c Buttermilk
1 ts Vanilla Extract

Frosting:

1/4 c Butter Or Regular Margarine
3 oz Semisweet Chocolate;3 blocks
1 Egg; Large
2 c Confectioners' Sugar
1 tb Vanilla
1 tb Lemon Juice
1 c Walnuts; Chopped

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add eggs, oil, coffee, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer set at medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour batter into greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the cake tests done. Cool in pan on rack. Frost. Cut into squares.

Frosting::

Combine butter and semisweet choclolate in a double boiler top. Place over hot water, stirring until melted. Remove and cool well. Add egg and stir vigorously. Stir in confectioners' sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Beat until smooth. Stir in walnuts and frost cake with icing.