---------- 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.
  
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