Orange Kissed Chocolate Cake with Gold Dusted Chocolate Curls
Easy to do icing dots, zigzags and lines turn a simple chocolate cake into an extraordinary treat. Add some gold-dusted chocolate curls and this dessert is just over the top!
Serves about 15.
Step 1: Bake the Cake and Make the Icing
Prepare Chocolate Orange Cake batter; divide between three 8 in. round baking pans. Bake following recipe instructions. Cool completely. Prepare French Chocolate Buttercream Icing, reserving 1 cup white icing before adding chocolate to recipe.
Step 2: Make Chocolate Curls
Sprinkle Gold Pearl Dust onto cookie sheet. Smooth with spatula or pastry brush. Melt 1 package Candy Melts with 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening; spread over Pearl Dust and smooth with spatula. Allow to set at room temperature until dull, about 10-15 minutes.
With cookie spatula or bench scraper held at a 45° angle, scrape chocolate away from you, forming curls. Note: If candy is not firm enough it won’t curl; if it’s too firm it will break into tiny pieces. Move curls using a spatula to a parchment-lined plate or cookie sheet; refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 3: Ice the Cake
Stack cooled cake layers on foil-wrapped cake circle; spatula ice cake smooth with chocolate icing. Divide remaining chocolate icing in thirds; stir in different amounts of white icing to chocolate to create 3 shades of chocolate.
Step 4: Decorate the Cake
Using varying shades of chocolate icing, alternate vertical lines of tip 18 zigzags, tip 6 dots and tip 47 lines, about 1 in. apart, around cake sides. Add tip 18 dark chocolate shell top and bottom borders. Just before serving, place chocolate curls on top of cake.
