Chocolate Strawberry Orange Wedding Cake

Serves: 50. Chocolate-Strawberry-Ganache 2 C. heavy whipping cream 3/4 C. strawberry jam 1 lb. chopped bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate White Chocolate Frosting 36 oz. chopped white chocolate 40 oz. room temperature cream cheese 3 C. room temperature butter 1 C. Cointreau or other orange liqueur Filling and Frosting Cake Layers 1 1/4 C. (about) strawberry jam unsweetened cocoa powder 1 11" diameter revolving cake stand* (optional) 9 12" long, 1/4" diameter wooden dowels 3 oranges Decorative ivy or fresh mint sprigs, rinsed, patted dry 5 pints strawberries Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and heat to 350F. Butter one 5" diameter cake pan with 2" high sides, one 8" diameter cake pan with 2" high sides and one 12" diameter cake pan with 2" high sides.* Dust pans with flour; line bottoms with parchment. Melt together 1/3 C. orange juice and 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate. Gradually mix in 1 2/3 C. orange juice. Sift 3 C. flour, 2/3 C. cocoa, 2 t. baking soda, 1 t. salt and 1/2 t.baking powder into medium bowl. Beat 1 C. butter and 3 C. sugar in large bowl until blended (mixture will look grainy). Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating to blend after each. Beat in 1 T. orange peel and 1 T. vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients alternately with orange juice mixture in 3 additions each, beating well after each addition. Mix in 1 C. chocolate chips. Transfer 1 C. plus 2 T. batter to prepared 5" pan, 3 C. batter to prepared 8" pan and remaining batter (about 6 C.) to 12" pan. Place 5" and 8" pans on center rack of oven. Place 12" pan on lower rack of oven. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 min. Transfer cakes in pans to racks and cool completely. Mark 4" diameter circle on one 6" diameter cardboard cake round and cut out. Mark 7" diameter circle on one 8" diameter cardboard cake round and cut out. Mark 11" diameter circle on one 12" diameter cardboard cake round and cut out. Cut around sides of 5" cake to loosen. Place 4" cardboard over pan. Hold cardboard and pan together; turn cake out onto cardboard. Peel off parchment. Wrap cake on its cardboard in foil. Repeat turning out, peeling off parchment and wrapping cakes in foil, using 7" cardboard for 8" cake and 11" cardboard for 12"cake. Using remaining ingredients, make 1 more batch of cake batter and bake 3 more cake layers as described above. Cool cakes in pans. Cover cakes in pans tightly with foil. Chocolate-Strawberry Ganache Combine cream and jam in heavy large saucepan. Whisk over medium-high heat until jam melts and mixture comes to boil. Add chocolate, remove from heat and whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Refrigerate ganache just until thick enough to spread, whisking occasionally, about 1 hr. 15 min. White Chocolate Frosting Melt 18 oz. white chocolate until smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm. Beat 20 oz. cream cheese and 1 C. butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add melted white chocolate, beating to blend well. Add 1/2 C. liqueur in 4 additions, beating to blend after each. Reserve remaining ingredients for second batch of frosting. Filling and Frosting Cake Layers Place first 12" cake on its cardboard on work surface. Spread 2 3/4 C. ganache over top of cake and all the way to edge. Spread 2/3 C. jam over ganache, leaving 1/2" chocolate border at edge. Drop 1 3/4 C. white chocolate frosting by spoonfuls over jam. Gently spread frosting over jam, leaving 1/2" chocolate border at edge. Rub some cocoa powder over second 12" cardboard. Cut around sides of second 12" cake to loosen. Place cardboard, cocoa side down, over pan. Turn cake out onto cardboard. Peel off parchment. Carefully slide cake off cardboard and onto filling on first 12" cake. Refrigerate. Place first 8" cake on its cardboard on work surface. Spread 1 C. ganache over top all the way to edge. Spread 1/4 C.jam over, leaving 1/2" chocolate border at edge. Drop 1 C. white chocolate frosting by spoonfuls over jam. Gently spread frosting over jam, leaving 1/2" chocolate border at edge. Rub some cocoa over second 8" cardboard. Cut around sides of second 8" cake to loosen. Place cardboard, cocoa side down, over pan. Turn cake out onto cardboard. Peel off parchment. Slide cake off cardboard and onto filling on first 8" cake. Refrigerate. Place first 5" cake on its cardboard on work surface. Spread 1/2 cup ganache over top of cake and all the way to edge. Spread 2 T. jam over, leaving 1/2" chocolate border at edge. Drop 1/3 C. white chocolate frosting by spoonfuls over jam. Gently spread frosting over jam, leaving 1/2" chocolate border at edge. Rub cocoa over second 6" cardboard. Cut around sides of second 5" cake to loosen. Place cardboard, cocoa side down, over pan. Turn cake out onto cardboard. Peel off parchment. Slide cake off cardboard and onto filling on first 5" cake. Chill all cakes 1 hr. to set filling. Place 12" tiered cake on its cardboard on revolving cake stand. Spread 2 2/3 C. frosting over top and sides of cake as a first coat. Refrigerate cake. Place 8" tiered cake on its cardboard on cake stand. Spread 1 1/4 C. frosting over top and sides of cake as a first coat. Refrigerate cake. Place 5" tiered cake on its cardboard on cake stand. Spread 3/4 C. frosting over top and sides of cake as a first coat. Refrigerate all cakes until first coats of frosting set, about 1 hr. Prepare second batch of frosting, using remaining frosting ingredients and following directions for first batch. Spoon 2 C. frosting into pastry bag fitted with small star tip. Place 12" cake on its cardboard on large flat platter. Place platter on cake stand. Using icing spatula, spread 2 1/2 C. frosting over top and sides of cake; smooth top. Using filled pastry bag, pipe decorative border around top edge of cake. Refrigerate cake on platter. Place 8" cake on its cardboard on cake stand. Using icing spatula, spread 1 1/2 C. frosting over top and sides of cake; smooth top. Using pastry bag, pipe decorative border around top edge of cake. Refrigerate cake on its cardboard. Place 5" cake on its cardboard on cake stand. Using icing spatula, spread 3/4 C. frosting over top and sides of cake; smooth top. Using pastry bag, pipe decorative border around top edge of cake, spooning more frosting into bag if necessary. Refrigerate cake on its cardboard. Keep all cakes refrigerated until frosting sets, about 2 hr. Assembly Place 12" cake on platter on work surface. Press 1 wooden dowel straight down into and completely through center of cake. Mark dowel 1/4" above top of frosting. Remove dowel and cut with serrated knife at marked point. Cut 4 more dowels to same length. Press 1 cut dowel back into center of cake. Press remaining 4 cut dowels into cake, positioning 3 1/3" inward from cake edges and spacing evenly. Place 8" cake on its cardboard on work surface. Press 1 dowel straight down into and completely through center of cake. Mark dowel 1/4" above top of frosting. Remove dowel and cut with serrated knife at marked point. Cut 3 more dowels to same length. Press 1 cut dowel back into center of cake. Press remaining 3 cut dowels into cake, positioning 2 1/2" inward from edges and spacing evenly. Using large metal spatula as aid, place 8" cake on its cardboard atop dowels in 12" cake, centering carefully. Gently place 5" cake on its cardboard atop dowels in 8" cake, centering carefully. Using citrus stripper, cut long strips of orange peel from oranges. Cut strips into long segments. To make orange peel coils, wrap peel segment around handle of wooden spoon; gently slide peel off handle so that peel keeps coiled shape. Garnish cake with orange peel coils, ivy or mint sprigs, and some berries. Serving Remove top and middle cake tiers. Remove dowels from cakes. Cut top and middle cakes into slices. To cut 12" cake: Starting 3" inward from edge and inserting knife straight down, cut through from top to bottom to make 6" diameter circle in center of cake. Cut outer portion of cake into slices; cut inner portion into slices and serve with strawberries