Chocolate and Autumn Spice Cake
Four Layer Chocolate Spice and Autumn Spice Cake
With Chocolate Rum Frosting and Maple Spice Buttercream
This title of this cake is a delicious mouthful and so is eating it! This cake boldly goes where no cake has gone before, soaring in to the sky with FOUR scrumptious and moist layers of cake. What a dessert triumph it would be for an Autumn Harvest or Thanksgiving dinner. (Definitely keep this one in mind for Thanksgiving, it will keep all the relatives happy.) Anticipation is half the fun, so put this one on display for your guests to see to make sure they save room for dessert!
While divine in design and striking in stature, this cake is not difficult to make. Both the chocolate spice layer and autumn spice layer begin with cake mixes. We are talking sensible baking - simply put all the ingredients for each cake in a bowl and mix. The layers can be made a couple weeks ahead, wrapped securely and frozen. Thaw the layers at room temperature the day before you wish to assemble and frost the cake.
And the icing on the cake! A chocolate rum frosting and layers of maple spice frosting are the finishing touch for this fall treat. This cake is a feast for your eyes as well as your palette - the wonderful flavors meld together into autumnal ecstasy.
Happy Baking!
And Remember
Always Stay in Touch with Your Inner Goddess!
Ingredients
Chocolate Spice Cake
1 box Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
1 box Chocolate Fudge Jell-O Instant Pudding (chocolate will do, too)
1/2 cup Nestle Semisweet Chocolate Morsels, melted
4 Large Eggs
8 ounces of Sour Cream (not low fat)
½ cup Oil (corn or canola)
½ cup water
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1½ teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
Autumn Spice Cake
1 box Duncan Hines Spice Cake
1 box Vanilla Jell-O Instant Pudding
1/2 cup Nestle Butterscotch Morsels, melted
4 Large Eggs
8 ounces Sour Cream (not low Fat)
½ cup Oil (corn or canola)
½ cup Water
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Chocolate Rum Buttercream
1½ cups (3 sticks) Butter softened
6 cups Powdered Sugar
1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa (sifted)
½ cup Nestle Semisweet Chocolate Morsels, melted
½ cup Half and Half
1 tablespoon Dark Rum
1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
2 teaspoons Rum Extract
Maple Spice Buttercream
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) of Butter
6 cups of Powdered Sugar
½ cup Pure Maple Syrup
½ cup Hershey Cinnamon Morsels, melted
3/4 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 – 2 tablespoons Half and Half
Serves 12
Instructions
It is best to bake the two cakes separately. Allowing the chocolate layer to sit unbaked will keep it from rising.
Chocolate Spice Layers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour pans
Melt chocolate morsels on very low setting in microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth and set aside to cool.
Place cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, water, vanilla and spice in mixing bowl. Add the cooled, melted chocolate morsels and combine on low.
Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
Spoon evenly into two pans.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, just until fork comes out clean and remove from oven. Other ways to check if cake is done, like if the cake springs back when touched, are not reliable, since it is a dense cake.
Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.
Remove from pans and allow to fully cool.
While the chocolate layers are baking, start the autumn spice layers
Autumn Spice Layers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and Flour Pans.
Melt butterscotch morsels on very low setting in microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth and set aside to cool.
Place cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, water, vanilla and spice in mixing bowl. Add the cooled, melted butterscotch morsels and combine on low.
Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
Spoon evenly into two pans.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes just until fork comes out clean and remove from oven. Other ways to check if cake is done, like if the cake springs back when touched, are not reliable, since it is a dense cake.
Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.
Remove from pans and allow to fully cool.
Buttercream Instructions
Chocolate Rum Buttercream
Beat butter until creamy.
Add powdered sugar and sifted cocoa powder slowly, on low speed, until well incorporated.
Add rum, rum extract and vanilla extract and combine well.
Add half and half slowly, until desired consistency is achieved.
Maple Spice Buttercream
Beat butter until creamy.
Melt cinnamon morsels on very low setting in microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth and set aside to cool.
Add powdered sugar slowly, on low speed, until well incorporated.
Add maple syrup, vanilla extract and melted cinnamon morsels and combine well.
Add half and half slowly, until desired consistency is achieved.
Assembling the Cake
Divide maple spice buttercream into four portions.
Place chocolate layer on plate first and spread ¼ of maple spice buttercream.
Next add autumn spice cake layer and spread ¼ of maple spice buttercream.
Then, add 2nd chocolate layer and spread ¼ of maple spice buttercream.
Finally, add 2nd autumn spice layer and top with last portion of maple spice buttercream.
Frost sides with chocolate rum buttercream.
