Monster of a Cake

This Monster of a Cake is something I make every Halloween.  Pistachio cream, chocolate ganache with a little Kahlua swirled in and five layers of cake is what makes this dessert over the top.

 I adjusted the following recipe to make just three layers of cake and omitted the pistachio nuts on the outside.  It was still very delicious but when you make the recipe as stated -- it's a real showstopper.  Take a look below...

An interesting take on this recipe uses Nutella to piece together chunks of cake to make a Frankencake!

Horror Gourmet

Happy holiday baking! 

Monster of a Cake:

Cake

• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) boxes devil's food cake mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 (18 1/4 ounce) boxes white cake mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon green food coloring 

Pistachio Filling

• 2 (3.4 ounces) boxes pistachio flavored instant pudding mix
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar 

Chocolate Ganache Icing

• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or 12 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate, good quality Ghiradelli
• 6 ounces milk chocolate chips, good quality Ghiradelli
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1/4 cup Kahlua, mocha flavored, coffee-flavored liquer
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon mexican vanilla
• 1 1/2-2 cups chopped pistachios 

Directions:

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray 4, 8-9" round cake pans with nonstick spray and flour.
3. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper, spray parchment; set aside.
4. Prepare devil's food cake mix according to package directions.  Divide between 2 pans and bake according to package directions.
5. Cool completely.
6. Prepare white cake mix according to package directions, add green food coloring.
7. Divide batter between 2 remaining pans and bake according to package directions.
8. Cool completely.

Pistachio Filling:

1. Combine pudding mix, cream, sour cream, milk and powdered sugar in a large bowl.
2. Beat at med speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, refrigerate at least one hour or until ready to use.

Chocolate Ganache: 

1. Place chocolate in a large bowl. 
2. Combine cream, butter, liquer and vanilla in large sauce pan.
3. Bring to a boil over med-high heat; pour over chocolate whisking until chocolate is melted and smooth.
4. Refrigerate for 45 min to an hour until spreading consistency is reached.

Assembling the cake:

1. Spread Pistachio filling evenly between layers (about 1 1/8-1/4c each).
2. Spread chocolate ganache evenly over top and sides of cake.
3. Garnish with chopped pistachios.

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Source: Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate Magazine 2009