Cake-apolooza! Three layers of the Ultimate Chocolate Butter Cake or UCBC, filled with Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream or SMBC, iced with Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Ganache, chopped salted peanuts on the side, Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream rosettes with triangles Snickers bar on top. The cake is 7 1/2-inches tall and is a mouthful of incredible flavors!
CAKE RECIPE HELP
You will need:
1 recipe Ultimate Chocolate Butter Cake or UCBC; makes three layers. They need no or little trimming.
1 recipe Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream or SMBC
1 recipe Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Ganache
2 cups Salted Peanuts, chopped
5 Snickers “Minis” for garnish
NOTES:
Chop peanuts until they are fairly fine, with no large pieces of peanuts left. You don't want them pulverized, you just don't want any huge pieces.
INSTRUCTIONS
Assemble the cake
1. Prepare the cake plate: Place the cake plate on a turntable, if you have one. A turntable makes it much easier to get a smooth even finish on your cakes.
NOTE: I always use strips of waxed paper on the cake plate to keep it clean while I ice the cake.
2. Fit a piping bag with a large round tip, and fill with 2 cups CHOCOLATE FUDGE BUTTERCREAM GANACHE. (Refill when needed).
3. Place one layer of the ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE BUTTER CAKE (UCBC) bottom side up, on the prepared cake plate.
4. Pipe a dam of CHOCOLATE FUDGE BUTTERCREAM GANACHE around the edge of the layer.
5. Put about 1/2 cup of the CARAMEL SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM (SMBC) in the center of the layer and spread to the dam with a small off-set spatula.
6. Place another ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE BUTTER CAKE (UCBC) LAYER(bottom side up) on top of the bottom cake layer and press gently to settle.
Pipe a CHOCOLATE FUDGE BUTTERCREAM GANACHE dam around the edge and fill with about 1/2 cup CARAMEL SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM (SMBC) in the same manner as you did the bottom layer.
7. Place the third and final ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE BUTTER CAKE (UCBC) LAYER(bottom side up) on top of the filled layers, pressing down gently, to level and set.
Pipe CHOCOLATE FUDGE BUTTERCREAM GANACHE in between the layers to fill any gaps between the layers.
8. Place a large amount of [CHOCOLATE FUDGE BUTTERCREAM GANACHE on top of the cake.
Using a Large Offset Icing Spatula, spread it evenly over the top and down the sides of the cake.
9. Turn the cake while smoothing the frosting with the Large Offset Icing Spatula, until it is even and smooth.
NOTE: It is not imperative that the sides of the cake are perfectly smooth because they will be coated with the CHOPPED PEANUTS.
When done, remove waxed paper strips from the cake plate.
10. Place the cake, while still on turntable, on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch any falling CHOPPED PEANUT pieces.
Press the CHOPPED PEANUTS into the CHOCOLATE FUDGE BUTTERCREAM GANACHE on the sides of the cake until it is evenly coated.
11. When you are done, use a pastry brush to remove the nuts from the edge of your cake plate. Clean up any frosting that may be on the edge of the plate as well.
12. Place the remaining CARAMEL SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM (SMBC) the piping bag and fit it with a large open star tip.
Pipe 8 evenly spaced generous CARAMEL SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM (SMBC) ROSETTES around the perimeter of the cake, and one in the center of the cake.
13. Cut The SNICKER'S “MINI'S” in half, on the diagonal, and place one triangle on top of each CARAMEL SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM (SMBC) ROSETTES, pressing gently to set in place.
18. Refrigerate the cake for about an hour or two before serving. Let warm to room temperature before serving.
SERVE
Cut cake into slices with a long sharp knife.
STORAGE
The icing and filling that covers your cake determines how you store your cake. Because the CARAMEL SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM (SMBC) needs refrigeration, the cake MUST be refrigerated, where the cake will keep for a few days. The frosted cake can be frozen for a month or more. Allow it to thaw in its wrappers in the refrigerator.
Unfrosted butter cake layers should not be refrigerated because it dries the cake and can be stored at room temperature for about 2 days. Unfrosted cake layers freeze well for about 2 months. Make sure you wrap them with plastic wrap and then foil. Thaw in their wrappers at room temperature.
