# Mini chocolate cake tips?



## Mourning Dove (Feb 9, 2007)

EDIT: I meant to post this in the cakes section, but accidently missed. Could a moderater please move it, if possible?

I want to make my boyfriend a chocolate cake for valentine's day, but I don't have all that much experience with cake-baking. 

He already knows that I'm going to make him a small chocolate cake, so I wanted the surprise to be how nice it looks. I was thinking of making a basic chocolate cake, putting fondant frosting on it, and then decorating it very delicately. 

Since I'm only making one cake, I don't want to have to go out and buy a bunch of new stuff to decorate it with. Can I buy just a tiny tube of white icing? Where? How about little chocolate garnishes?

I want it to turn out really well, so I'd appreciate all the advice on cake baking and decorating that I can get. 

Thank you.


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## corazon (Feb 10, 2007)

Here's an article about chocolate decorations
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/MA96_ISchocolate.pdf
I hope that link works okay, let me know if it doesn't.

Are you making chocolate frosting for the cake?  This recipe is easy and tasty.  It comes from the back of hershey's cocoa.

_Buttercream Frosting

__6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Cocoa (I use 3/4 cup cocoa for a more chocolatey frosting)
__1/3 cup milk (you will need a little more milk if you add more cocoa)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
_
_Beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting._

I hope this is helpful.  I always like to use berries as a garnish.  It's a nice compliment to the chocolate cake.


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