Chocolate Mountain Peaks Cake Recipes

ALMOST-FAMOUS MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the cakes: Brush four 1 1/4-cup brioche molds (or use 10-ounce ramekins or jumbo muffin cups) with the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Dust the molds with cocoa powder and tap out the excess.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Bring the milk and 3/4 cup water to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat; set aside.
• Combine the vegetable oil, 4 tablespoons room-temperature butter and the sugar in a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl and beater as needed. Add 1/2 cup cocoa powder and the vanilla; beat 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl. Add 1 egg and beat 1 minute on medium-low speed, then add the remaining egg and beat 1 more minute.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture, then the hot milk mixture. Finish mixing the batter with a rubber spatula until combined. Divide the batter evenly among the molds, filling each slightly more than three-quarters of the way.
• Transfer the molds to a baking sheet and bake until the tops of the cakes are domed and the centers are just barely set, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack; let the cakes cool until they pull away from the molds, about 30 minutes.

MICHAEL'S FABULOUS CHOCOLATE MOUNTAIN ICE CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• * In addition to the ingredients above, you will need 1 12 x 9-inch aluminum lasagna pan and plastic seran wrap.
• ** Although crushed walnuts, chocolate chunks, and assorted candies are listed as ingredients, this part is up to your discretion and your artistic expertise.
• Shape the aluminum lasagna pan into a cone that will fit the amount of ice cream necessary for this mountain cake. You will probably need to do some cutting and I admit to using duct tape on the outside to seal it. Be careful you don't cut yourself!
• Cover the inside of the pan with plastic seran wrap for easy cake removal.
• Spoon about 1/2 of the ice cream into a bowl, using a pastry cutter mash it up with about 2 Tablespoons milk to a thick milkshake-like consistency. Repeat. Pour the "batter" into your cone shaped cake pan, lodge safely in freezer.
• Mash up the Oreos, and pat onto the open end of your cake (this is the base of the mountain).
• Allow for the cake to freeze at least 1 hour, and I wouldn't recommend more than 6-8.
• When the cake is ready to be served, whip the cream.
• Put the cake on a platter, pour the cream on the "peak." Sprinkle mountain peak with chocolate chunks and crushed walnuts.
• Place gummy candies artistically around mountain- serve!
• **Optional: for some extra pizazz, use a warm egg shell half, fill it with about 1 tablespoon of brandy, and place on the peak of the cake. Light it for a FLAMING mountain ice cream cake.
• ***I posted this recipe as gluten-free, which is incorrect because of the oreos, and I apologize. For a gluten free version, you could substitute with crunched up sweetened rice cakes, or you could just leave out that part completely. Sorry for the inconvenience -- I'm not sure how to change that mistake.

DEVIL'S PEAKS WITH MILK AND WHITE CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour the paper cone cups. Loosely ball 1 square foot of foil and place into 1 section of a muffin tin. Repeat until the tin is full. Press down the center of each ball, creating an indentation that will allow the cone cups to stand upright in the oven as they bake. Place cone cups into foil.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix. Add half of the flour, then half of the sour cream, and mix. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Drizzle in the hot coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin.
• Pour into the prepared cones, filling 3/4 of the way up and bake until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes. With a serrated knife, trim off any cake that has overflowed so the top (which will become the bottom) is flat. Carefully peel off the paper cone to unveil the cake and invert them onto a wire rack. Drizzle melted milk chocolate and white chocolate over the "peaks" in thin spattery lines and let set up in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE GRAND MARNIER CAKE

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan; line bottom with parchment paper round. Stir chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl 2 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, Grand Marnier, orange peel, and vanilla. Stir in lukewarm chocolate. Add flour and salt; stir to blend. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Transfer batter to prepared springform pan.
• Bake cake until top is dry and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack (top will fall slightly). DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely; cover and let stand at room temperature.
• For icing:
• Place chocolate and butter in medium metal bowl. Bring cream to boil in small saucepan. Pour hot cream over chocolate mixture; stir until mixture is melted and smooth.
• Run thin knife around inside of cake pan; remove pan sides. Invert cake onto 10-inch removable tart pan bottom or cardboard round. Place on rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Remove cake pan bottom and parchment. Pour icing over cake and spread to cover top and sides (any icing that drips onto baking sheet can be reused). Chill until glaze sets, about 30 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.
• Cut into wedges and serve.

MONTANA MOUNTAIN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Grease three 8" layer cake pans; dust lightly with bread crumbs.
• Sift dry ingredients together.
• Cream butter and sugar; add vanilla.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended.
• Beat in chocolate.
• Add water alternatively with dry ingredients.
• Divide batter into cake pans, spread to level, then push batter up the sides a little bit leaving a slight concavity in the center.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
• Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then invert and cool completely on cooling racks.
• If necessary for even frosting, cut the tops level.
• Frost layers, staking them, and sides with your favorite frosting (I like coffee flavored Seafoam Frosting).
• With your spatula, quickly pull frosting up in peaks all over the cake.