Holiday Celebration Cake
This over the top cake is the perfect choice for your next special occasion. Moist chocolate cake with a butter custard filling and a Italian buttercream and chocolate ganache topping.
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 1 box chocolate, fudge or devils food cake mix
- 1 box (3.6-3.8) chocolate (dark or milk) pudding mix
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup water
- 8 oz sour cream
- ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Butter Custard:
- 10 large egg yolks reserved 2 of the egg white for the Italian buttercream
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup very warm milk
- 1 teaspoon 1 vanilla
- 20 tbsp (2.5 sticks) salted butter
Chocolate Ganache:
- ½ cup dark chocolate chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- ½ tablespoon salted butter
Italian Buttercream:
- 2 large egg whites
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tarter
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 sticks salted butter very soft and cut into tablespoons
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine the cake mix, pudding mix, sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, water, sour cream, and vanilla.
- Beat on medium speed with hand held mixer for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Divide the batter between 2 greased 9-inch round nonstick pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (mine took 22 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into middle of the cake.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 20-30 minutes then carefully remove the cakes from the pan by inverting onto a plate.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely.
Make the Vanilla Butter Custard:
- While the cake is baking, Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a medium heavy sauce pan. Stir well.
- Slowly add the warm milk, stirring constantly until combined. Heat over medium-low to medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat proof spoon.
- Cook until the egg mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon, about 20 minutes. Careful not to heat the mixture too quick as it can curdle.
- Once the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon, turn off the heat and add vanilla and butter (4 tablespoon at a time), stirring until well incorporated.
- Pass the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap (touching the top of the custard to prevent a skin from forming) and place in the refrigerator to chill.
Make the ganache:
- After the cakes have cooled, make the ganache.
- Place the chocolate chips, cream, and butter in a small microwaveable bowl.
- Microwave on high until mixture is warm and the chocolate begins to melt.
- Stir until chocolate is completely melted and the ganache is smooth.
Make the Italian Meringue Buttercream:
- Add 2 egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to a stand mixer with whisk attachment.
- Turn the mixer on low for about 20 seconds to combine the ingredients and then increase the speed to high.
- After 1 minute, slowly add in 2 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon sugar.
- Continue to beat on high speed until soft peak stage (the meringue with be slightly firm but the peak will flop when the whisk is inverted).
- Turn the mixer off and set aside. Add ½ cup sugar and 2 tablespoon +2 teaspoon water to a small sauce pan and mix well to dissolve the sugar.
- Add a candy thermometer to the side.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, swirling the liquid in the pan occasionally to prevent burning.
- Boil until the liquid reaches 240 degrees.
- This can happen quickly so don’t walk away!
- Turn the mixer on low and gently add the sugar syrup SLOWLY in a stream to the egg whites.
- Be VERY careful as the sugar is VERY hot.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and continue whipping until the meringue is cool to the touch (if it’s too warm, your butter will melt in the next step).
- With the mixer on medium speed, add 1 tablespoon butter at a time until all of the butter is added.
- Make sure each tablespoon of butter is incorporated before adding the next.
- Do not be concerned when your meringue deflates some at this point.
- It will gain its structure back after all the butter is added.
- Turn the speed up to medium-high and whip until the buttercream is silky and fluffy.
- If it remains on the soupy side, then place it in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes, then whip once again.
Assemble the Cake:
- Level the top of each cake and then cut each in half, horizontally.
- Fill each layer with ½ cup (a little over) of the Vanilla Butter custard.
- Top with chocolate ganache.
- Pipe the Italian Buttercream onto the top of the cake using a #21 star tip and piping bag.
- Refrigerate unused buttercream.
- Eat the cake immediately or keep chilled in the refrigerator.
- Remove from the refrigerator 2 hours before serving.