Cake
2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 2/3 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup of water
1 1/4 cups good hot chocolate mix (I used Guittard Drinking Chocolate)
2 tbsp of Cinnabon flavored liquor
Buttercream
1 ½ cups of sugar
⅓ cup of water
5 large eggs whites
pinch of cream of tartar
1 pound (4 sticks unsalted butter)
1 tbsp of Cinnabon flavor Vodka
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean
Ganache
1 ½ cups of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of heavy cream
2 tbsp of Cinnabon flavored vodka
Directions
To make cake, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil 3 cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. Alternately, oil the pans and then flour them.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the brown sugar and oil. Turn on the mixer to a low speed and mix in the eggs. Let the sugar, oil, and eggs mix while sifting together the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. Set this mixture aside.
In another small bowl, mix the vanilla, Cinnabon liqueur into the milk and set this aside as well. Bring the water to a boil and pour over the hot cocoa and whisk it until it is smooth. To the egg mixture, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture beginning and ending with flour. With the mixer off, scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. With the mixture at a low speed add the cocoa. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour this mixture into the prepared cake pans. Bake the cake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until tester comes out clean. When cake layers have cooled, remove from pans and refrigerate until cold.
For the buttercream, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and 1/3 cup water to a boil. Boil until syrup reaches soft-ball stage (238 degrees.on a candy thermometer).
In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on low until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat on medium high until stiff but not dry.
With mixer running, pour syrup down side of bowl into egg whites in a steady stream, and beat on high speed until steam is no longer visible, about 3 minutes. Beat in butter a few pieces at a time. Add vanilla extract and vanilla beans, beat until smooth. If it looks curdled at any point, keep beating to smooth out.
For the Ganache, using a double boiler, melt chocolate chips. Once chocolate begins to melt slowly stir in heavy cream. continue to stir chocolate and cream together until shiny and smooth. Remove ganache from heat and stir into vodka. Allow ganache to cool slightly
Take cake out cake pans. Cut each cake in half using a serrated knife. Place one half of cake onto stand or cake plate. Spread ganache onto cake layer. Place top half of cake layer onto the other cake half. Add layer of buttercream in between each cake. Repeat process with cake and ganache. Frost the remainder of cake with buttercream. Sprinkle top of cake with cocoa powder or hot chocolate (optional)
Devour and Enjoy!!
Confections, Crafts, Couture 