Let’s make a mess, get it everywhere, cover the kitchen in ganache. Let’s get into a chocolate fight.
Chocolate and Vanilla Red Velvet Cake ~
~ adapted from Better Homes and Gardens ~
Stir together 3 cups flour,
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder,
and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
Beat 3/4 cups unsalted (at room temperature) butter.
Gradually add 2 1/4 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Beating well after each addition, add 3 eggs. Blend in 2 tablespoons red food coloring and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and 1 1/3 cups buttermilk. Combine together 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar with 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda; fold into cake batter. Evenly spread batter in 3 buttered, floured cake pans– square or round. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks, in the pans, for 10 minutes. Remove from cake pans and cool completely on racks.
Mascarpone-Vanilla Bean Filling: In a small saucepan, combine 2 ounces chopped white baking chocolate (with cocoa butter– But if you cannot get white chocolate that contains cocoa butter, you can skim off 2 teaspoons of the solid matter in a can of 100% unsweetened coconut milk to stir into the regular white chocolate pieces– OR you can process real coconut shavings that will produce somewhat of a liquid.) and 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream.
Scrape 1 vanilla bean, stir in…
Cook and stir over low heat until white chocolate mixture is nearly melted; remove from heat– stir until smooth. Cool for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, beat 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese with 3 tablespoons softened butter. Gradually add white chocolate mixture. Slowly beat in 2 cups powdered sugar until spreading consistency. Frost between cake layers.
Chocolate Ganache: In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil– 1 cup whipping cream and 1 tablespoon light-color corn syrup on medium-high heat. Remove from heat and add 2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips/pieces. Do not stir. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Let stand for 15 minutes before spreading over cake.
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