Chocolate Wreath Cake

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Chocolate Wreath Cake
Categories: Cakes, Chocolate
Yield: 12 servings

3 c All-purpose flour
1 tb Baking powder
1 tb Baking soda
1 1/2 ts Salt
3 c Sugar
3 c Water
6 oz Semisweet chocolate
Finely chopped
1 lb Unsalted butter; softened
3 lg Eggs; lightly beaten
2 1/4 c Confectioners' sugar
1/2 ts Vanilla extract
1 dr Green food coloring
Fresh raspberries; dried
Cranberries; or cherries
For garnish

Preheat the oven to 350~F. Butter and flour a 10" tube pan
with a nonremovable bottom. In a large bowl, sift together
the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a
medium pot, combine the sugar and water and bring them to a
boil. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the
chocolate and 1 stick of butter. When the chocolate and
butter have completely melted, whisk the mixture to combine
completely. Whisk in the beaten eggs. Pour about half the
chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk
vigorously to thoroughly combine the ingredients and remove
any lumps. Working quickly, add the remaining chocolate
mixture and whisk to combine. Pour the batter into the
prepared pan and bake for about 60 minutes, until a cake
tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then
turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, cream together the remaining 3 sticks of
butter and the confectioners' sugar, until light and fluffy.
Remove 1/3 cup of the icing, place in a small bowl, and
color it with a few drops of the green food coloring. Put
the remaining icing in a pot, add the vanilla. Over low
heat, stir the icing until it becomes a pourable
consistency. (If it overheats, causing the butter to
spearate, put the icing in the refrigerator to chill and
stir to bring it back together.) Pour the icing over the
cooled cake so that it drips down the center and outside.
Cluster the red berries in groups of 3 on top of the cake.
Fill the green icing into a pastry bag fitted with a leaf
tip and pipe a few leaves around each cluster of berries.
Serves 12 to 16.

-----