Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe

         
  2 1/4 c  c&h brown sugar,packed
      1 c  dairy sour cream
    1/2 c  crisco shortening
  1 1/2 t  vanilla
      3 ea eggs
  2 1/4 c  softasilk cake flour
      3 pk premelted chocolate (or
           -chocolate sq.
           melted)
      2 t  baking soda
      1 t  salt
      1 c  water,Boiling
           **chocolate frosting**
    1/2 c  butter
      4 pk premelted chocolate (or
           -chocolat sq.
           melted)
      4 c  c&h powdered sugar
    1/2 c  milk
      1 t  vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat C&H brown sugar, sour cream shortening, vanilla, premelted chocolate, and eggs in a large mixer bowl on low speed until blended. Beat on high speed for 5 minutes.  Beat in flour, baking soda and salt on low speed; beat in boiling water slowly.  Pour into 3 greased and floured (or wax paper lined) round pans, 8" x 1 1/2".  Bake at 350 until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes on rack.  Remove from pans.  Cool cakes completely.  Fill and frost layers.

Chocolate Frosting:  Heat butter and chocolate in saucepan, over low heat, until melted.  Remove from heat.  Stir in sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth.  Place pan of frosting in bowl of ice water.  Beat until mixture mounds slightly.  Do not overbeat.  Remove pan from ice water.  Beat until of spreading consistency.

Wisconsin State Fair

Chocolate Hazelnut Baklava
        
      2 c  hazelnuts,lightly toasted
  1 3/4 c  sugar
      1 T  cinnamon,Ground
      1 c  clarified butter
    1/2 c  cocoa powder
     12    phyllo dough
    3/4 c  honey
    3/4 c  water
      1 T  lemon juice
      1 T  light corn syrup
           lavender chantilly
      1 c  heavy cream
      1 T  lavender blossoms
      1 T  sugar
           hazelnut bark
      2 c  hazelnuts,skins removed &  lightly toasted and roughly chopped
      8 oz bittersweet chocolate
      2 T  fresh lavender blossoms
           -garnish

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In a food processor, grind hazelnuts, 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon until very fine, then set aside. In small saucepan over low heat, combine clarified butter and cocoa, keeping warm throughout assembly process. Brush a 9"x13" pan with the butter mixture. Lay a sheet of phyllo in the pan. Half of the sheet will be hanging out of the pan. Brush the phyllo with the butter mixture and fold the phyllo in half so that the pan now has two layers of dough. Brush second layer of phyllo with the butter mixture and repeat with three more sheets of phyllo. You will now have eight layers of phyllo. Spread half of the ground hazelnut mixture over the layered phyllo. Layer two more sheets of phyllo over this, brushing each with the butter mixture. Spread the remaining hazelnut mixture and repeat the layering process with six more sheets of phyllo. Lightly score the top of the phyllo in a diamond pattern. You should end up with twenty-four diamonds and a few triangles around the edges. Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes. Let cool and cut through all the layers following the scored lines.

3.In a heavy saucepan combine the honey, water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, lemon juice and corn syrup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat immediately and gently simmer 3-4 minutes. Pour the hot sugar syrup over the cooled baklava. Allow the syrup to soak in for at least one hour before serving.

LAVENDER CHANTILLY In a small heavy saucepan, scald cream and lavender blossoms. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain cream and chill thoroughly. Whip cream, and add sugar after soft peaks form. Whip till soft peaks form again.

HAZELNUT BARK  Temper chocolate and stir in hazelnuts. Spread mixture onto a marble slab or parchment lined sheet pan. Allow to set. Break the bark into 12 irregular pieces.

PRESENTATION  Place 2 baklava diamonds on each plate. Pipe a rosette of Lavender Chantilly next to the baklava. Stand a piece of Hazelnut Bark in the Chantilly. Sprinkle a few fresh  lavender blossoms on the plate.