This is the Thanksgiving Cake I made last year. Thanksgiving is traditionally associated with pumpkin or pecan pies, spice cakes, carrot cakes, or apple cakes. So, if you’re looking for these seasonal flavours, then my Thanksgiving cake is not for you as it has none of these flavours. This cake however, is a delicious and delicate cake that’s not overly sweet and was loved by all at our Thanksgiving gathering. It was a vanilla cake filled with chocolate ganache and mascarpone mousse. I added a touch of orange frosting and fall decorations to give it a Thanksgiving/fall look. 

Ingredients

Moist Vanilla Cake

Follow the directions in this Moist Vanilla Cake recipe to bake a 23 cm (9 inch) cake. Once the cake is baked and cooled, cut the dome of the cake using a serrated knife. Cut the cake horizontally in three. 

• 6 eggs
• 415 g (2 cups) sugar
• 140 ml milk
• 400 ml vegetable oil 
• 3 Tbsp vanilla extract or 2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste 
• 520 g (3 3/4 cups) all purpose flour
• a pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder

Sugar Syrup to Moisten the Cake (optional, if you want your cake extra moist)

• 200 ml water
• 5 Tbsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache 

• 125 g semi-sweet chocolate + 150 g milk chocolate (baking or couverture chocolate)
• 250 ml whipping cream

Mascarpone Mousse

Follow the directions in this Mascarpone Mousse recipe to make the filling. 

• 250 ml (1 cup) whipping cream
• 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
• 250 g (1 cup / 8.8 oz) mascarpone cheese 
• 2 Tbsp vanilla extract or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste 
• 10 g unflavoured gelatine powder softened in 120 ml (1/2 cup) water

1-Minute Mascarpone Frosting

Make the 1-minute mascarpone frosting by following the instructions in this recipe.

• 375 g mascarpone cheese, cold from the fridge  
• 185 g sweetened condensed milk, cold from the fridge 

If you’re looking for a firmer frosting, you can make this 5-minute mascarpone & whipped cream frosting instead. 

You will also need orange gel food colouring if you want to add a pop of colour on the side of the cake as seen in the pictures in this post. 

Decorations

• colourful maple leaves 
• plastic straws
• happy thanksgiving and scarecrow images printed on regular paper; use a glue gun to attach an ice cream stick to the back of the paper and leave half of the stick out at the bottom so it can be inserted in the cake

Directions

You can read the instructions or watch the video below to see how to make this cake.

Making the Cake & Sugar Syrup

Bake and cut your vanilla cake as per the instructions above. 

Prepare a simple sugar syrup by boiling the water with sugar. Add the vanilla extract when it starts boiling and remove from the heat. Let it cool off. 

Making the Chocolate Ganache & the Mascarpone Mousse Filling

Make the chocolate ganache as follows:

1. Heat the whipping cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan (or in a bowl over a pot of boiling water) until it almost comes to a boil. Pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes before stirring it slowly with a spoon or spatula. 
2. Stir slowly until all the chocolate is melted. If the chocolate is not fully melted, microwave this for 15-20 seconds at a time and stir after each time, until the chocolate melts. 
3. Place some plastic foil directly on the ganache so that there is no air trapped inside which will cause a skin to form on top. 
4. Let it cool until it has a thick pouring consistency. 

Make the Mascarpone Mousse as per the instructions above. 

You need to have the cake layers and sugar syrup ready before making the mousse. That’s because you need to work quite fast with the mousse, otherwise, the gelatine will start setting and your mousse won’t be smooth and creamy anymore. 

Also, line the pan in which you baked the cake with plastic foil on the bottom and sides. Then, use acetate sheets to create a collar and raise the sides of your pan to a height of 18 cm (7 inches).  If you don’t have acetate sheets, you can use any soft plastic that bends and allows you to create a collar (e.g. plastic folders). 

Assembling the Cake

Place the first cake layer on the bottom of the pan and moisten it with sugar syrup. Spread half of the chocolate ganache and then pour half of the mascarpone mousse on top. Place the 2nd cake layer on top. Moisten it with sugar syrup, spread the remaining chocolate ganache and remaining mascarpone mousse on top. Place the last vanilla cake layer and moist it with sugar syrup. 

Cover the cake with plastic foil and refrigerate it for at least 6 hours or overnight so that the gelatine sets properly. 

Making the Frosting 

Make the 1-minute mascarpone frosting by following the instructions in this recipe. 

If you’re looking for a firmer frosting, you can make this 5-minute mascarpone & whipped cream frosting instead. 

Frosting and Decorating the Cake

Apply a thin layer of frosting to crumb coat the cake. Smooth it out using a spatula. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before applying the next coat of frosting. 

Set aside two tablespoons of frosting and mix it with two drops of orange gel food colouring. 

Apply the remaining white frosting and smooth it out using a spatula and a cake scraper/smoother or a bench scraper. When the sides are fully covered with frosting, hold the cake scraper at a 90 degree angle, parallel with the cake, as you rotate the turntable. Use the spatula to swipe the outer edges of the frosting on the top of the cake toward the centre of the cake.

I applied dots of orange frosting with a spatula on the sides of the cake. Then, I used a cake scraper to smooth the frosting on the sides and give it this effect. 

Use regular straws to make it easier to position the maple leaves on the cake and to create a barrier between the cake and the leaves. If you don’t have straws you can also wrap the stems in plastic foil. Insert the straws into the cake and place all the other decorations – scarecrow, happy thanksgiving sign.

Video – Thanksgiving Cake