Berries-and-chocolate Wedding Cake 02 – Country Living

9. Prepare Chocolate Truffle Filling: Melt 1 package or eight 1-ounce
chocolate squares in top of large double boiler or 2-quart
stainless-steel bowl, over hot (not boiling) water. Remove top of
dou- ble boiler or bowl from heat and stir in 2/3 C sour cream and 2
T li- queur until smooth and of spreadable consistency.

10. With large serrated knife, carefully cut cooled 9-inch cake to
make 2 layers. Slide top of cake onto baking sheet; set aside. Spread
Chocolate Truffle Filling on cake bottom to within 1/4 inch of edge.
Let stand 10 minutes to set, then place top half of cake on filling.

11. Prepare a double recipe of filling, as directed in step 9; use to
fill cooled, split, 12-inch cake. Prepare a triple recipe of
filling-, use to fill cooled, split, 15-inch cake.

12. Prepare Decorator Frosting: In large bowl, with electric mixer,
beat 2 packages confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup shortening, 1/4 cup
liqueur, 4 T milk, and I/s teaspoon salt until smooth. If frosting is
too stiff to spread, beat in 1 to 2 T more milk.

13. Measure 1 1/2 cups frosting into a plastic bag or container; seal
bag and reserve for decorating cake (refrigerate to use within 1 or 2
days or freeze for longer storage). With remaining frosting, tightly
cover the side but not the top of filled 9-inch cake. Lightly frost
sides of filled 12-inch and 15-inch cakes; frost tops of both just to
the pattern you scored on top (do not frost centers). Set cakes aside
1 hour for surface of frosting to dry. (At this point cakes may be
covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight or
frozen for up to 2 weeks. However, if cake layers were previously
frozen, do not refreeze.)

14. Four to 6 hours ahead, or day before serving (if cake layers have
been frozen, allow at least 6 hours at room temperature for thawing),
decorate cakes; using remaining ingredients except corn syrup,
prepare more Decorator Frosting as in step 12. Spoon 1 cup frosting
into a pastry bag fitted with a shell tip; wrap tightly and
refrigerate. Spoon another 1/2 cup frosting into pastry bag fitted
with an adapter and a 1/4 -inch-round decorating tip. Stir 2 T corn
syrup into remaining frosting; use to smoothly refrost sides of cakes
and top edges of 12-and 15-inch cakes.

15. Using pastry bag with round tip, pipe a line of frosting along
the top edge of each cake and on the scored lines of the 12- and
15-inch cakes. Remove round tip; change to small round writing tip
and pipe dots over all frosted surfaces to produce dotted-Swiss
effect. Any leftover frosting with added corn syrup may be used to
pipe dots, if necessary.

16. Several hours before serving, prepare Glazed Berry Topping: Rinse
berries; drain very well. Hull strawberries. For the berry glaze, in 1
quart saucepan, combine water and cornstarch. Heat to boiling-cook,
stirring constantly, until thickened and clear. Remove from heat and
stir in preserves and liqueur; cool.

17. At this point, the cake must be assembled on the spot where it is
to be served (once assembled, the cake can not be moved). Move cakes,
frosting in pastry bag and reserved 1 1/2 cups frosting (from step
13), the berries, glaze, pilars, 16-to 18-inch serving plate (or
silver or gold cardboard or lucite round), and the roses to location
where cake is to be served. Bring frosting to room temperature.

18. Place 15-inch cake (still on cardboard round) on serving plate.
With the pastry bag and shell tip, pipe a shell border (see Note)
right over the frosting line which separates the frosted from the
unfrosted portions of the cake. Pipe a shell border at the top and
bottom edges of the cake. Refill pastry bag with reserved frosting,
when necessary. Insert 7-inch pillars into the cake at the points
marked in step 8, pressing until tip of pillar touches bottom
cardboard round. With cake tester or skewer, pierce cake 20 to 30
times to allow berry juices to moisten cake rather than run over
frosted area.

19. Place 9-inch cake (still on card board) on 8-inch separator plate.
Place 12-inch cake on 10-inch separator plate. Pipe borders onto
12-inch cake (bottom border should cover edges of cardboard and
separator plate); insert 5-inch (or second set of 7-inch) pillars and
pierce cake as in step 18. Pipe top and bottom borders on 9-inch
cake; pierce with cake tester. Divide berries onto unfrosted portions
of cake layers. Cut any large strawberries in half. Brush berries
with glaze.

20. Trim stems of roses to within 1 inch of flowers; reserve some
leaves. Arrange 2 roses and some leaves in center of cake on top.
Arrange remaining roses around cake on serving plate. Carefully place
feet of 10-inch separator plate into tops of pillars which were
inserted in 15-inch cake; repeat to set top cake over 12-inch cake.

21. To serve, cut cake according to diagrams below. (If de- sired, top
layer may be reserved to freeze for bride and groom. If this is going
to be done, the cake will be better if prepared a day or two before
the wedding and refrigerated, not frozen.)

Note: To make shell border, place decorating tip with serrated side
up, 1/2 inch from end of area to be covered. Apply pressure to bag.
Move tip forward 1/2 inch and back over same area. Release pressure
and pull frosting to a point. Start second shell on top of first
point.