Chocolate Lasagna - Olive Garden Copycats - 2 Versions

By mariannefeldman

NOTE: Tried the non Todd Wilbur version-much too sweet & artificial butter taste is unpleasant

NOTE: for 10: pans use centered flower nail & moistened strip gor even baking

This is a copycat recipe posted by request -- I have not made this recipe, and so the times are just a guess. You have to practice making the frosting in order to get the consistency right. The filling is softer than the top frosting but the flavor is exactly the same (which is why you should use the same recipe for both). You should have no trouble finding clear almond and clear vanilla extract. The colorless butter flavor is a little more difficult. If you can't find it anywhere else, Wilton sells it online.)

Todd Wilbur version:
Trick to chocolate lasagna is slicing cake into 3 thin layers
By Karin Welzel, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, February 28, 2007

The recipe is from "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2" by Todd Wilbur (Plume, $15).

Writes Wilbur: "To simplify this clone recipe, we'll start with a box of cake mix, and tweak it a bit to add a little cherry flavor. The buttercream frosting spread between the three layers of the 'lasagna' is a breeze to make from scratch. ...You've got to make two slices through the edge of the baked cake to create the three thin layers, so grab a long serrated knife. Lay down some wax paper under the cake to help you turn the cake while you slice. Slide the whole thing over near the edge of the counter so that you can keep the knife parallel to the counter top, and you should have no trouble at all.

"Another technique is to drag a long piece of dental floss through the cake twice. The floss will glide right through the cake with ease, giving you two clean slices.

"You can use your favorite chocolate cake mix for the recipe, but be sure not to use one with pudding in it or one that is 'extra moist.' (Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe is one such brand.) These mixes make slicing and layering difficult because the baked cake falls apart so easily."

Olive Garden Chocolate Lasagna

For the cake:

* Vegetable shortening
* 1 box (2-layer size) dark chocolate or chocolate fudge cake mix (not too moist)
* 1 1/4 cups water
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 3 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons cherry extract

Buttercream Frosting:

* 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
* 4 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
* 1/4 cup whole milk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

* 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chilled

To make the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with vegetable shortening

In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, water, oil, eggs and cherry extract. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake according to the instructions on the cake mix package for the 13- by 9-inch pan. Remove from the oven when done and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

When the cake is cool, prepare the Buttercream Frosting. Whip the soft butter in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed. Add 2 cups confectioners' sugar; mix well, then add the remaining confectioners' sugar. Add the milk and vanilla, then mix on high speed for 2 minutes, or until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

Turn the cake out of the pan onto wax paper. Using both hands, carefully flip the cake over, so that it's right side up, onto another strip of wax paper.

Now you are going to cut through the cake twice, creating 3 layers. We'll start at the bottom slice. First, slide the cake over to the edge of the kitchen counter. This way you can drop your hand with the knife down below the counter at the edge to get a nice, straight cut through the cake.

Using a long bread knife or other long serrated knife, cut through the bottom third of the cake. Spin the cake and wax paper so that you can cut through all sides -- your knife probably won't get all the way through to the other side. When the cake is sliced, carefully flip the top section over onto the other sheet of wax paper.

Frost the bottom layer of cake with about 1/3 of the buttercream frosting. Break the chilled semisweet chocolate into little bits that are a tad smaller than chocolate chips. A good way to do this is to put the chilled chocolate into a large zipper-top bag, then use the handle of a butter knife to smash the chocolate into pieces. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the chocolate bits over the frosting on the bottom layer.

Turn the top section back over onto the bottom layer. Again, slice through the top section, creating the final 2 layers. Carefully flip the top over onto the wax paper, and frost the new layer as you did with the first layer, adding chocolate bits as well. You might, at this point, wish to slice the top into thirds across the width of the cake. This makes flipping over the top layer much easier. It's also how you are going to slice the cake later, so you'll never see the cuts. Any cracks or breaks are no big deal because you'll just cover up the goofs with frosting.

Carefully reassemble the top section on the rest of the cake. If you have a large bulge in the center of the cake, you might want to slice that off so that the cake is flatter on top. Throw that slice away. Frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting, then sprinkle on the remaining chocolate bits.

The cake is served in triangular slices. Slice by first cutting through the middle of the cake lengthwise. Next, cut across the cake through the middle twice (widthwise). Now you have 6 slices that just need to be cut from corner to corner one time each, creating 12 triangular slices. Chill leftovers.

Makes 12 servings.

Read more: Trick to chocolate lasagna is slicing cake into 3 thin layers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/fooddrink/s_495250.html#ixzz1EudovFht

Ingredients

• Frosting:
• 6 cups cake flour - NOTE for each cup cake flour sub 1 cup minus 2 tbs AP flour, add 2 TBS cornstarch
• 5 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 1/4 cups hershey cocoa
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 12 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 tablespoons meringue powder
• 12 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/4 cups shortening
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon clear almond extract
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon colorless butter flavoring
• semi sweet choc chips
• Hersheys syrup

Preparation

Step 1

Prep Time: 3 hrs

Total Time: 4 hrs


Heat oven to 350°F.

Grease three 10-inch springform pans.
NOTE: Procedure needs adjusting-

In mixing bowl, stir together sifted cake flour, sugar, Hershey'sCocoa and baking soda.

Add butter and mix well.

Add milk, eggs and vanilla.

Mix thoroughly.

Pour about 5 cups of the cake batter into each prepared pan.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before you remove the cake from the pan.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

TO MAKE THE BUTTER CREAM:

Combine water and meringue powder; whip at high speed until peaks form.

Add 4 cups of sugar, one cup at a time, beating after each addition at low speed.

Alternately add shortening and remainder of sugar.

Add salt and flavorings; beat at low speed until smooth.

Thin out ½ of the frosting with a little extra water.

The thinned frosting is used as the filling between layers.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Place one 10 inch cake on a large round plate or a large round cake platter.

Spread ½ of the thinned frosting on top.

(Frost only the top of the cake).

Sprinkle very lightly with semi-sweet chocolate chips.

(There are very few chips on this layer, usually only 1 or 2 per wedge, so sprinkle very, very lightly).

Place the second cake on top of the first.

Frost the top with the remaining thinned frosting.

Sprinkle with semi-sweet chocolate chips.

(You can be a bit more generous with this layer).

Place the third layer on top of the second.

Frost the top with all of the butter cream that was NOT thinned.

This is a thick layer of frosting so pile it on.

Try to get the top as smooth as you can.

35 Sprinkle with semi-sweet chocolate chips.

The frosting seems more authentic if you let it set up (sit out) for an hour at room temperature.

Wrap the sides lightly with foil to keep the cake from drying out as well.

Cut the cake into wedges, as you would cut a pizza.

Using Hershey's chocolate syrup, create a design on your dessert plate.

Place the wedge of chocolate lasagna at the 11 o'clock position on your dessert plate with the point facing down, so that you can see some of the syrup design.

Serve.