Symphony Cake Recipes

CHOCOLATE CANDY BAR CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 (8 inch) pans.
• In a large bowl, combine cake mix, milk, eggs, oil and instant vanilla pudding mix. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
• To make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the white sugar and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping, pecans and chopped chocolate. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.

SYMPHONY CAKE

Steps:

• In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
• Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• Add flour and salt. Mix well.
• Spread half of the batter into a greased 13 x 9 pan.
• Add chocolate to the remaining batter; mix well.
• Carefully spread over batter in pan.
• Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until cake tests done.
• Cool completely.
• For Frosting:.
• Mix flour and milk in a saucepan.
• Cook and stir over medium heat until a thick paste forms, about 10 minutes.
• Cool completely.
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar.
• Add vanilla and mix well.
• Gradually add the milk mixture and beat 5 minutes.
• Frost the cake. Store in fridge.

ALMOND-CRUSTED HALIBUT CRYSTAL SYMPHONY

Steps:

• Make beurre blanc: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine wine, vinegar, shallots, thyme and bay leaf. Boil until liquid has evaporated. Stir in cream, and boil until liquid is reduced by half; decrease heat to low. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, adding each new piece before previous one has melted completely. Do not allow sauce to simmer, or it may separate.
• Strain sauce through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl. Stir in chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Keep warm by setting bowl in a larger container of hot water.
• Preheat oven on broiler setting. Pat fillets dry, and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute halibut fillets for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned, and just cooked through. Transfer to a baking sheet, and cool 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together bread crumbs, almonds and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Brush tops of fillets with egg, and spread with almond mixture.
• Broil fillets 1 to 2 minutes, or until browned (watch closely - every broiler has its own personality!). Place fillets on individual plates, and spoon beurre blanc around it.

MOZART CAKE

Steps:

• Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry, gradually adding granulated sugar.
• Next, mix in the egg yolks one at a time, just enough to combine.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and cornstarch; gradually & gently fold into the egg mixture to combine - be careful not to deflate the egg whites by overmixing.
• Line a large nonstick springform pan with parchment paper and fill with the batter.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F (175 C or gas mark 2) for 30 minutes - it will only rise up partway.
• Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup of the cream in a small pan over medium-low heat, then stir in the milk chocolate until it melts and is smooth(takes about 5 minutes.)
• Remove pan from heat and let cool for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Finely grate the bittersweet chocolate using a microplane grater and divide into two portions.
• Beat 1 1/2 cups of the cream until stiff peaks form.
• Stir chopped nuts and half (one portion) of the grated chocolate gently into the cooled melted chocolate mixture.
• Gently fold together the whipped cream and the cooled melted chocolate mixture until just combined.
• Remove ring from springform pan and carefully slice the cake into three even (very thin)layers using a large serrated knife.
• Place one cake layer on a large plate, spread with 1/3 of the chocolate ganache, then top with another cake layer, another layer of 1/3 of the ganache, followed by another cake layer.
• Spread the remaining chocolate ganache mixture all over the top and sides of the cake.
• Chill for 2 hours.
• Knead the marzipan(with enough powdered sugar to make it sweet if unsweetened) until well blended and soft like playdough, this takes about 5-10 minutes by hand (optional: you may use food coloring paste to dye the marzipan green if desired.)
• Place marzipan between two sheets of wax papper and roll out into very flat circle, about the size of your springform pan.
• Set a plate on top of the marzipan and use the plate as a guide to cut out a perfect circle; then cut circle into 16 triangles.
• Set the marzipan triangles in a spiral around the top of the chilled cake, pressing down slightly so they stick - there should be very narrow gaps between each triangle - if desired, curl up the pointy tips decoratively first.
• Coat the sides of the cake with some the remaining grated chocolate (save just a bit to sprinkle on top later).
• Beat the remaining 3/4 cups of cream with the vanilla sugar to taste until stiff peaks form.
• Shortly before serving, garnish cake with swirls of the whipped vanilla cream, the remaining chopped nuts, and sprinkle any remaining grated chocolate on top.