Double Nut Drenched Chocolate Cake
Book: Julie
Source: Southern Living
Meal Type: Cakes
Serves: 16
Ingredients
3/4 cup butter softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped hazelnuts toasted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup hersheys cocoa
1/2 cup frangelico
CHOCOLATE TOPPING
3 4 ounce bars sweet baking chocolate chopped
1 cup butter
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnishes: pecan halves, hazelnuts
Directions
Grease and flour 3 round cakepans.
Beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add brown sugar, beating at high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
Stir together water and vinegar. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with water mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in chopped nuts and vanilla. Pour one-third of batter into each of 2 prepared pans. Fold cocoa into remaining batter; pour chocolate batter into third pan.
Bake at 350 for 18-20 mins. or until cake layers spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 mins. remove from pans. Cool on wire racks. Drizzle Frangelico evenly over cake layers.
Spread one-third of Chocolate Topping over 1 white cake layer. Do not frost sides. Top with chocolate cake layer; spread one third of Chocolate Topping over chocolate cake layer. Top with remaining white cake layer and chocolate topping. Garnish if desired. Allow cake to set several hours before slicing.
Chocolate Topping: Melt chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat; cool 10 mins. Stir in pecans and vanilla; cool until spreading consistency.