Right this moment’s Rocky Highway Ice Cream-Impressed Cake is fantastically flavorful, with moist chocolate cake layers full of chocolate buttercream, ganache, chocolate chips, almonds, and marshmallows!
This memorable dessert is certain to grow to be an prompt favourite of household and friends- and it’s simple to make!
Whereas we’re that includes a wealthy chocolate doctored cake combine recipe (as utilized in our Sweet Bar Cake), you’ll be able to substitute one in every of our scratch chocolate desserts in case you’d like! Our Chocolate Bitter Cream Cake, Milk Chocolate Cake, or Chocolate Velvet Cake would all be nice selections.
Origin of Rocky Highway Ice Cream
There are just a few totally different tales concerning the origins of Rocky Highway Ice Cream, one being that it was created within the Nineteen Twenties by ice cream maker William Dreyer who took inspiration from Joseph Edy’s sweet creation, and integrated chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts into chocolate ice cream.
Not lengthy after, the inventory market crashed in 1929, and the ice cream was known as Rocky Highway, “to offer shoppers one thing to smile about”.
Easy methods to Make Rocky Highway Cake
You will discover our full, printable cake recipe additional down on this put up, however here’s a fast rundown of our steps.
This cake consists of three 8 inch chocolate cake layers, a chocolate buttercream filling scattered with chocolate chips, sliced almonds, marshmallows, a drizzle of ganache. It’s then frosted in chocolate buttercream with a ganache drip and extra almonds and marshmallows.
For the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 levels, Grease and flour three (8×2 inch) spherical cake pans.
- Mix Dry Components: In a mixing bowl, mix the Satan’s Meals cake combine, all function flour, and chocolate prompt pudding combine. Whisk to mix.
- Eggs & Moist Components: Add the eggs, bitter cream, water, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
- Time to Combine! Combine on low pace to mix, growing to medium pace for 1 minute. Scrape the edges and backside of the bowl and blend one other minute.
- Fill the Pans! Divide the batter between the three ready pans. **Be aware that this recipe doesn’t make a lot batter- possibly about 5 cups- The batter is just not as fluffy as our different cake batters, and I used to be afraid that it wouldn’t be sufficient to make three layers– nevertheless, the three layers baked up good and fluffy!
Time to Bake! Bake at 325 levels for about 22-25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clear or with just some crumbs hooked up. It must also spring again when the middle of the cake layer is evenly touched.
For the Chocolate Frosting
We’re going with our tried and true Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for this recipe. We’ve used it on a lot of our chocolate cakes- it pipes completely, works nice as a filling or a frosting (We are going to use it for each at present)!
This “American Buttercream” recipe is an easy mixture of butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and a little bit of milk. It’s creamy, dreamy, and scrumptious! *Some powdered sugars don’t work in addition to others in frosting recipes.
We like Dominos and have good outcomes with US Sugar Model (Costco) as properly. I’m certain there are others!
For the Chocolate Ganache
Ganache is an non-obligatory step for this cake however I really like the extra wealthy chocolate taste that it provides us. Chocolate ganache is an easy combination of chocolate and cream that may be melted within the microwave in small increments.
We’re utilizing our chocolate ganache not solely to drizzle between the cake layers but in addition for a topping and ganache drip.
Soften the mixed chocolate and heavy cream, stirring in between, till the chocolate chips are nearly fully melted. Then stir to complete melting the remaining bits of chocolate. Doing it this manner will stop the chocolate from burning. That’s it!
After that, enable the ganache to chill to the specified consistency and thickness. (You may pace up the cooling course of by transferring the ganache to a bigger bowl or baking dish- it’s advantageous to refrigerate it also- however don’t go away it for long- it corporations up rapidly when chilled.)
**For extra particulars on making ganache or making use of a ganache drip, take a look at this put up: Ganache Drip
Rocky Highway Cake Filling
Our filling consists of a slathering of chocolate frosting, sliced almonds, mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, and a ganache drizzle. There’s a number of deliciousness taking place right here!
Some variations of Rocky Highway Ice Cream have peanuts or walnuts and so in case you are not a fan of almonds, you might have choices!
You may modify the quantity of almonds, marshmallows, and chocolate chips to you liking- and you can even snip the marshmallows even smaller with kitchen scissors in case you’d like!
Assembling the Cake
- Place the primary cooled chocolate cake layer on the cake plate or pedestal.
- Subsequent, unfold with chocolate buttercream, and scatter with the nuts, marshmallows, chocolate chips, after which a drizzle of chocolate ganache. I additionally piped extra chocolate frosting on prime simply because ;0)
- Subsequent, add the second layer and repeat the above steps for filling. Prime with the third chocolate cake layer and provides it a mild press down a time or two. Fill in any gaps between the cake layers with chocolate frosting.
- Subsequent, frost the cake with chocolate buttercream. I like to begin with a crumb coat (skinny coat) of chocolate frosting after which I chill the cake within the freezer for about quarter-hour to agency up the buttercream earlier than including the second layer of frosting. This helps to maintain the cake from shifting round as you apply the second coat of frosting.
Adorning the Rocky Highway Cake
Easy across the sides of the cake with a steel bench scraper (I warmth my bench scraper below sizzling water, and easy over the frosting). I like to do that step whereas rotating the cake on a turntable.
I added the chocolate ganache to a piping bag with a small little bit of the tip snipped away and utilized a ganache drip across the prime fringe of the cake. (The drip is optional- it’s fairly simply on prime as properly.
The ganache is prepared when it simply flows from the piping bag however is just not so heat that it travels all the best way down the aspect of the cake (except that’s the look you’re going for!) ;0)
Then I added extra ganache to the highest of the cake, easing it with an offset spatula simply to the sting of the cake the place the drip begins.
I briefly chilled the cake at this level within the freezer for five minutes in order that I may extra simply pipe a buttercream border of shells (star tip 21) across the prime fringe of the cake.
Prime with marshmallows, almonds, and extra chocolate drizzles.
Extra Ice Cream Impressed Truffles
We’ve made a number of ice cream-inspired desserts over time! Ensure to check out some extra of our favorites!
Benefit from the Recipe!
Thanks a lot for stopping by! We hope that you simply take pleasure in our Rocky Highway Cake! It will be good for birthday events, get togethers, or for the chocolate lovers in your life!
When you give this recipe a strive, we’d love so that you can go away a remark and picture under!
This scrumptious, moist Rocky Highway Cake consists of chocolate cake layers (we used cake combine) full of chocolate frosting, ganache, almonds, chocolate chips, and marshmallows!
Components
For the Chocolate Cake (See Notes under)
- 1 (15.25oz) (432g) Satan’s Meals or Chocolate Cake Combine ( I used Duncan Hines Completely Moist Satan’s Meals Cake Combine)
- ⅓ cup (40g) all function flour (gently spoon into measuring cup and stage off with a desk knife)
- 1 small field (3.9oz) (110g) Jell-O model On the spot Chocolate Pudding Combine (not the cooked model) Use the dry pudding, don’t comply with the instructions on the moment pudding field.
- 4 massive eggs
- 1 cup (242g) bitter cream
- ½ cup (121g) water
- ½ cup (108g) vegetable oil ( I take advantage of Canola oil)
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Buttercream
- 3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter, softened (don’t soften butter within the microwave)
- 8 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar in UK) (920g) extra if wanted. ** For cupcakes, I like to make use of 7c. (805g) for a softer frosting
- 1 cup (82g) unsweeteded cocoa (not Dutch processed, measure then sift
- ¾ (180g) milk plus 2 Tablespoons or extra if wanted to succeed in the spreading consistency you want
- 2 teaspoons vanilla (12 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt (6g) we just like the finer grain of plain popcorn salt, to chop the sweetness
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 5 ozDark Chocolate Chips (we used Ghirardelli) or Semi-Candy. If utilizing semi-sweet, I like to make use of nearer to 6oz.
- 5 oz. Heavy Cream (or Whipping Cream)
Filling
- Approximate whole quantities used for 2 layers of filling- Alter to your liking
- ½ cup Sliced Almonds (48 g)
- 1 cup Mini Marshmallows (56g)
- ¼ cup Mini Chocolate Chips (60g) (Common Measurement is ok too!)
- *You’ll use extra for the highest of the cake
Directions
For the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 levels, Grease and flour three (8×2 inch) spherical cake pans. (It’s also possible to bake two 8 or 9 inch cake layers and bake a bit longer as wanted).
- Within the mixing bowl, mix the dry components: cake combine, flour, and pudding combine. Whisk to mix. Add the eggs, bitter cream, water, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Combine on low pace to mix growing to medium pace for 1 minute. Scrape the edges and backside of the bowl and blend one other minute.
- Divide the batter among the many three ready pans.
- Bake at 325 levels for 22-25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clear or with just some crumbs hooked up. It must also spring again when evenly pressed with your finger.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Add butter and blend on low to medium pace till easy. Add vanilla and mix into the butter. Add powdered sugar, salt, and cocoa powder.
- Add many of the milk. Start mixing at low pace so you will not have a cloud of powdered sugar in your kitchen.
- Proceed to combine including remaining milk as wanted. It might take 5 to six minutes to succeed in the smoothness and consistency you want. It can take longer if utilizing a hand mixer. As you combine the frosting will grow to be very easy. You may add extra milk (1 Tablespoon at a time) if the frosting is just too thick or extra powdered sugar if too comfortable.
For the Chocolate Ganache
- Place the 5 oz. darkish chocolate or 6 ozsemi candy chocolate right into a microwave protected bowl.
- Pour 5 oz. heavy cream over the chocolate and place within the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Take away and stir. Microwave for 15 seconds extra and stir. Repeat if mandatory. When the chocolate has melted nearly fully with just some small comfortable items remaining, enable it to sit down for a couple of minutes. The remaining items ought to soften away.
- The ganache will thicken because it cools. Cool for about quarter-hour or till you’ll be able to pipe drips alongside the within of your bowl and get the look that you’re going for. (If the ganache is just too heat, the drips will run all the best way down. In the event that they solely drip a part of the best way down the bowl, it’s prepared. A few of this comes down to non-public desire.)
- You can be utilizing this in between cake layers as a drizzle in addition to a ganache drip across the sides of the cake and a glaze for the highest of the cake.
Cake Meeting
- Place first layer on cake plate or pedestal. Unfold with chocolate buttercream and prime with sprinkling of almonds, chocolate chips, ganache drizzle, and mini marshmallows. We used about ¼ cup almonds per layer, just a few tablespoons chips, and about ½ cup marshmallows per layer. Alter to your liking!
- Prime with the subsequent cake layer, unfold with frosting, and add on the toppings. Prime with third cake layer, fill in any gaps in between layers with frosting. Frost as typical. I wish to crumb coat (skinny layer of frosting) and place in freezer for quarter-hour to agency issues up earlier than shifting on to the second coat of frosting. It makes issues simpler because the layers are much less more likely to shift whilst you work.
- I smoothed across the sides of the cake with my bench scraper, piped a ganache drip across the prime edge, utilized extra ganache on prime of the cake, sprinkled with nuts and marshmallows, and drizzled extra ganache.
- As an non-obligatory step, you’ll be able to pipe a prime border as we did. I chilled the cake briefly to agency up the ganache a bit earlier than making use of the border so it should pipe on extra simply. I used a star tip 21 to use a border of piped shells.
Embellish the cake nevertheless you want! When you aren’t comfy with making use of a ganache drip, merely glaze the highest with ganache and sprinkle with toppings- you’ll be able to’t go improper ;0)
Notes
When you want to make scratch chocolate cake layers, merely substitute these cake layers for the cake combine ones within the recipe. Our scratch Chocolate Bitter Cream Cake, Milk Chocolate Cake, Traditional Chocolate Cake, and Chocolate Velvet Cake are all good choices for scratch!
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