Moist Chocolate Cake Xmas Trees
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/8 cups cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups very hot water
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
- 6 ounces white chocolate, melted
- Red and green mini candy covered chocolates (recommended: M & M's)
- Silver dragee
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 1-inch holes out of the bottom of a large inverted foil roasting pan in neat rows, leaving 1 to 2 inches in between the holes.
- Invert the pan and place paper cooler cups in the holes to hold them upright during baking.
- Sift together the 3 cups sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Transfer to a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer) and blend briefly.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl.
- Add to the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for 5 minutes.
- Gradually add the hot water, mixing at low speed just until combined.
- The batter will be quite thin.
- Pour the batter into the cups.
- Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay) and the center feels firm to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan.
- Chill for 2 hours then peel off the paper being careful not to tear off the tip of the peak.
- Place cakes on a rack over a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and with a fork drizzle both colors of chocolate then stick on M & M's and silver dragee to look like ornaments on a little Xmas tree.
sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, very hot water, semisweet chocolate, white chocolate, red, dragee
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/moist-chocolate-cake-xmas-trees-recipe.html (may not work)