Creating A Decadent 3-Tier Chocolate Mud Wedding Cake

A 3-tier chocolate mud wedding cake is a show-stopper and a delicious treat for all the guests. The cake is made up of three layers of chocolate mud cake, stacked on top of each other, and covered in a chocolate ganache or buttercream. The cake is then decorated with flowers, berries, or a personalised wedding cake topper.

The process of making a 3-tier chocolate mud wedding cake involves baking three cakes of different sizes, with the largest cake on the bottom and the smallest cake on top. The cakes are then filled and stacked, with the help of dowels for support, and finally decorated.

Ingredients:

- For the cake:

- Unsalted butter

- Dark chocolate

- Caster sugar/ superfine sugar

- Brown sugar

- Instant coffee granules

- Milk

- Vanilla essence/extract

- Plain/all-purpose flour

- Unsweetened cocoa powder

- Baking powder

- Salt

- For the chocolate ganache:

- Thickened/pouring cream

- Dark chocolate, finely chopped

Method:

1. Chop the chocolate and butter and place them in a large heat-proof bowl. Melt them together in the microwave or over a bain-marie, stirring well in between.

2. Stir in the sugars and instant coffee granules.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.

4. Stir in the milk and vanilla essence.

5. Sift over the dry ingredients (plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt) and stir until well combined.

6. Pour the batter into three greased and lined cake tins of different sizes (6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch).

7. Bake the cakes in a preheated oven at 180°C for different durations, depending on their size: the 6-inch cake for 30-35 minutes, the 8-inch cake for 45-50 minutes, and the 10-inch cake for 70-75 minutes.

8. Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

9. Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache by pouring hot cream over the chopped chocolate and letting it stand for 5 minutes. Stir until well combined.

10. To assemble the cake, place the 8-inch cake on top of the 10-inch cake and the 6-inch cake on top of the 8-inch cake, using dowels for support.

11. Spread the chocolate ganache over the cake and decorate with fresh flowers, berries, or a personalised wedding cake topper.

Prepare the ingredients

To make a 3-tier chocolate mud wedding cake, you will need the following ingredients:

For the cake:

• Unsalted butter
• Dark chocolate
• Caster sugar/superfine sugar
• Brown sugar
• Instant coffee granules
• Milk
• Vanilla essence/vanilla extract
• Plain flour/all-purpose flour
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Baking powder
• Salt

For the chocolate ganache:

• Thickened/pouring cream
• Dark chocolate

Optional:

• Fresh berries or fruit
• Flowers
• Cake topper

Mix the batter

To make the batter for a 3-tier chocolate mud wedding cake, you'll need to follow a few simple steps. Here's a detailed guide:

Ingredients:

First, gather all the necessary ingredients. The exact quantities may vary depending on the size and number of tiers you're making, but the basic ingredients typically include:

• Unsalted butter
• Dark chocolate
• Caster sugar or superfine sugar
• Brown sugar
• Instant coffee granules (optional)
• Milk
• Vanilla essence or extract
• Plain flour or all-purpose flour
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Eggs

Mixing the Batter:

Now, let's get into mixing the batter!

• Chop the chocolate and butter into small pieces and place them in a large heat-proof bowl. You can use a microwave or a bain-marie to melt them together slowly, stirring well in between intervals.
• Stir in the sugars and instant coffee granules (if using). Don't worry if the batter looks grainy at this point.
• Stir in the eggs until they are well combined. Using room-temperature eggs can help prevent the batter from splitting or curdling.
• Add the milk and vanilla, stirring continuously. The batter might split at this stage due to the cold milk; to prevent this, keep stirring as you add the milk and/or use room-temperature milk. Even if the batter splits, it will still bake just fine!
• Sift over the dry ingredients, including the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Sifting ensures a smooth and well-formed batter. You can sift the ingredients into a separate bowl first and then add them to the wet mixture.
• Stir the batter until it is well combined. Don't worry about the occasional lump or slightly grainy texture.

Baking the Cake:

Once your batter is ready, it's time to bake your chocolate mud cake!

• Preheat your oven to the recommended temperature, usually around 150°C/300°F.
• Grease and line your chosen cake tin(s) with baking paper. For a 3-tier cake, you'll need three different sizes: 6-inch, 9-inch, and 12-inch. The baking paper should rise at least 2 inches above the top of the tin to accommodate the cake's rise.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin(s). If you're making a single-tier cake, bake it for around 1 hour and 30 minutes. For multiple tiers, adjust the baking time accordingly, usually around 30-35 minutes for the 6-inch cake, 45-50 minutes for the 9-inch cake, and 70-75 minutes for the 12-inch cake.
• Insert a skewer or toothpick into the centre of the cake to check if it's done. The cake is ready when the skewer comes out mostly clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
• Allow the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Now that you've mixed the batter and baked your cake, you can move on to the next steps, such as assembling the tiers and decorating your beautiful 3-tier chocolate mud wedding cake!

Bake the cakes

To make a 3-tier chocolate mud wedding cake, you will need to bake 3 cakes of different sizes. Here is a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to bake the cakes:

Step 1: Preheat the Oven and Prepare the Cake Pans

Start by preheating your oven to the required temperature, which is typically around 150°C/300°F. Grease and line your cake pans with parchment paper. For a 3-tier cake, you will need three cake pans of different sizes, such as 6-inch, 9-inch, and 12-inch round pans.

Step 2: Prepare the Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including flour, cocoa powder, baking soda or baking powder, and salt. Sifting the dry ingredients is optional but can help ensure a smooth batter.

Step 3: Cream the Butter and Sugar

Using a handheld or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. This step is crucial for incorporating air into the batter and creating a light and fluffy cake.

Step 4: Add the Eggs

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. This helps ensure the eggs are thoroughly incorporated into the batter.

Step 5: Mix the Dry and Wet Ingredients

Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Be careful not to overmix the batter, as this can affect the texture of the cake.

Step 6: Pour the Batter into the Prepared Pans

Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans. If you are using multiple pans of different sizes, adjust the batter quantity accordingly.

Step 7: Bake the Cakes

Place the cake pans in the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The baking time will vary depending on the size of the cake, with the larger cakes taking longer to bake. For example, the 6-inch cake may take around 30-35 minutes, the 9-inch cake around 45-50 minutes, and the 12-inch cake around 70-75 minutes. Keep in mind that bake times may vary between ovens, so it's important to keep an eye on your cakes to avoid over-baking.

Step 8: Cool the Cakes

Once the cakes are baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. It is important to let the cakes cool completely before attempting to decorate or assemble them.

Make the buttercream

To make the buttercream, you will need butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. The quantities will depend on the size of your cake, but for a 6-inch cake, you will need 100g of butter, 300g of icing sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and you can gradually add milk to loosen the mixture.

To make the buttercream, beat together the butter, icing sugar, and vanilla extract. Gradually add the milk to loosen the mixture. You can use a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to beat the butter on medium speed until it is creamy, which should take about 2 minutes. You can then add the icing sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until it is completely combined. Very slowly beat through the cooled (room temperature) chocolate until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and spreadable.

Assemble the cake

To assemble the cake, you will need to carefully cut the dowels so that they become the depth of the cake. Reinsert the dowels in the holes that you made in the cake.

When you are ready to assemble, place the 8” cake in the centre on top of the 12” cake, ensuring that the dowels are holding the weight.

When the cake is secured, stack the 6” cake on top of the 8” cake.

Dust the sponges with icing sugar for the finishing touch and decorate as you wish with fresh flowers, berries and fruit or your own wedding cake topper.

Step-by-step guide to assembling the cake:

• Carefully cut the dowels so that they are level with the top of the cake.
• Reinsert the dowels into the holes in the cake.
• Place the 8" cake on top of the 12" cake, ensuring the dowels are supporting the weight.
• Stack the 6" cake on top of the 8" cake.
• Dust the sponges with icing sugar.
• Decorate with fresh flowers, berries, fruit or a wedding cake topper.

Frequently asked questions