help with chocolate cake recipe please

I want to bake this chocolate cake next week, but my baking experience is limited to cookies, brownies, and bundt cakes. This is going to push my baking boundaries lol

Looking at the pictures, is there a specific name for the circular piece of cardboard underneath the cake? And where can I find that? I don't think I've seen those in my normal grocery store.

Also, if I want to bake the two layers of cake a day before assembling it, would I wrap the cake in plastic wrap, plastic wrap + foil, or what? I'm guessing I should leave it out overnight on the counter and not the fridge?

The cake will be eaten over a couple days. Do I store it at room temp or the fridge? I'm guessing fridge since it uses heavy cream?

Sorry for so many questions! Thanks for any advice you might have!

I'm not an expert, but they do say you can make it ahead of time, wrap it well in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. I would bet you could make one of those circles from a pizza box... (wrap it in plastic if the pizza box has pizza on it).

I wonder if you could bake the cake, leave it in the pans, then wrap and refrigerate them when cool? The less handling the better, in my mind.

Cake boards are used to support cake layers and are available at craft stores. You can cut these out of any cardboard (using your cake pan as a guide). I would not suggest using pizza boxes as the smell from the pizzas tends to permeate the cardboard.

I prefer to wrap my cake layers in plastic wrap.

Good luck.

Jyoti

In my experience, I would refrigerate the layers. You can either leave them in the pan and wrap the pan or wrap the layers. The key is to make sure they are totally cool before wrapping and putting in the fridge so you don't get any condensation inside the wrap.

I agree with not using pizza boxes, due to odor migration plus they are often not sturdy enough. If you can't find the cake boards (try Michael's) or don't want to spend the money, it's better to use corrugated cardboard cut to size and you can wrap it in foil.

you should take the cakes out of the pans after cooling and baking. do not leave them in the pans and refrigerate as they are more likely to stick. Grease pans well and flour and better yet also use baking parchment on the bottom. I also recommend bakers joy spray. Once cakes have cooled in the pans I'm guessing about a half an hour or so you can take out of the pans. Do not attempt to take out if too hot they will fall apart. Leaving cakes uncovered for a prolonged period will cause them to stale and pick up odors from the house if there are any. Seal them in saran wrap and then if you want to refrig do so.

Thanks everyone for all your advice and suggestions! I'm going to try and find those cake boards. After the cake is completely finished, how would you recommend storing it for the next two or three days?

I'd actually recommend freezing the layers and then frosting them, still-frozen, a few hours before serving. Much easier to frost and it keeps perfectly.

spiffytriphy wrote:Thanks everyone for all your advice and suggestions! I'm going to try and find those cake boards. After the cake is completely finished, how would you recommend storing it for the next two or three days?

I didn't read the recipe, so I am not positive this will work given the type of cake....that said, I always cut mine into serving size chunks, freeze until a the frosting is firm enough not to stick much to plastic wrap, then wrap in plastic wrap, then warp in foil and store in the freezer. Frozen cake stores exceedingly well for at least a couple of months (with few exceptions). Even if you're going to finish it more quickly, it beats cake that's getting stale or has been stored in the fridge (which hastens the process of making it stale) and I don't feel like I HAVE to finish it.

Take a piece out 30 minutes or so before you want it and it's just about as good as when you cut it fresh.

Hi,

Several thoughts:

- After greaseing your pans, Line the bottom with either parchment or wax paper. It will make it easier to release your cake without something sticking to the bottom.

- I prefer to remove the cake from the pan after 5-10 minutes and let it rest on a rack. If I am frosting the cake later, two options: wrap completely cooled cake and let it sit on the counter OR I take the rack it is sitting and put it in a cold oven. The oven does a great job of keeping the cake moist because it is a sealed zone.

If you let the cake cool or store inthe cake pan you run the risk of the cake cooling and adhering to the pan. If this happens, gently heat the bottom for any fat to melt and help release the cake. A tip courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.

- Your filling has a mousse, I suggest storing it in the refrigerator. I would take it out at least 30 minutes before planning to serve to get it warmer and allow for a fuller flavor.

- I have some cardboard circles bought ages ago in a baking supply store, though I am sure they could be found at a craft store, too. Almost never use them, because I have the cake on a platter or cake stand. Another thought: I smear some frosting on the plate, then place a cake layer on it. This frosting keeps your cake from sliding off.

If you can do a Bundt cake, you can do a layer cake.

Regards,

These tips are great! Thank you, everyone! I'm feeling less intimidated now lol

How long does ganache typically take to set to a texture firm enough to spread over a cake? I looked up a couple recipes on blogs and on food network, but none of the instructions say lol I placed the melted chocolate, heavy cream, espresso powder mixture in the fridge over 1.5 hours ago and it's still too liquidy. Am I being too impatient? haha

spiffytriphy wrote:How long does ganache typically take to set to a texture firm enough to spread over a cake? I looked up a couple recipes on blogs and on food network, but none of the instructions say lol I placed the melted chocolate, heavy cream, espresso powder mixture in the fridge over 1.5 hours ago and it's still too liquidy. Am I being too impatient? haha

90 minutes in the fridge should give you some results. Something must have gone wrong. Did you heat the cream and then add the chocolate to it and stir it until melted?

Sounds like the proportions of chocolate and cream might be off. It should set up pretty quickly.

Yeah, I heated the heavy cream until about to a boil, poured it over the chocolate, let the mixture sit covered for about 5 mins, and stirred to combine/melt it all. Then I placed it in the fridge. I ended up using the ganache even though it was more liquidy than I wanted. The cake doesn't look as pretty as the picture in the recipe. Going to cut it later today... Thanks for everything!