Mexican chocolate ganache – 1.35 ounce disc Taza Cinnamon Chocolate chopped – 1.35 ounce disc Taza Guajillo Chili Chocolate chopped – 7 ounces 2 bars Lindt Chili dark chocolate, chopped – 1 cup 240 ml heavy cream

Chocolate cake – 1 cup 120g all-purpose flour – 1 cup 200g granulated sugar – 1/4 cup 21g unsweetened dark cocoa powder – 1 teaspoon baking powder – 1/4 teaspoon baking soda – 1/4 teaspoon salt – 3/4 cup 180 ml milk – 1/4 cup 60 mlvegetable oil – 1/2 teaspoon vanilla – 1 egg – Flour-based baking spray for pan

White chocolate taco shell – 1/3 cup 105g dark corn syrup – Yellow and orange gel food color – 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chocolate cookie crumbs I used a crushed Oreo cookie – no cream – 10 ounces white chocolate I used Cacao Barry Blanc Satin Pistoles – Candy taco fixins! – 6 ounces red candy melts – 3 ounces yellow candy melts – 3 ounces orange candy melts

– 1/2 cup 45 g sweetened flake coconut – Leaf green gel food color – 1/3 cup prepared vanilla buttercream homemade or shortcut with a purchased tub

Chocolate cake – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with flour-based baking spray (or grease and flour pan). – Combine first six ingredients in bowl; add milk, oil and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed until combined, then beat on medium for 2 minutes. Add egg and beat two more minutes. – Pour into the prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes (or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean). Remove from 

pan and cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Cut the cake in half and fold up so that the two halves form a half circle (or a taco shape!). Trim the top and sides of the cake so that it’s about 3 inches wide by 6 inches in length (see video). Crumble the cake scraps onto a plate and cover with plastic wrap; reserve for later use.

White chocolate taco shell – Spread a large piece of parchment paper over a large work surface. – Pour the corn syrup in a medium bowl and add yellow food color a little at a time until a bright hue is achieved. Add a small dab of orange food color (less than 1/8 teaspoon). Add a pinch of chocolate cookie crumbs to the syrup – it doesn’t take much here so be conservative! – Melt white chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave at 30 second intervals. 

Pour the melted chocolate into the syrup and stir quickly. When the mixture thickens pour it out onto the parchment paper and knead a few times until the syrup and white chocolate are thoroughly combined. Top the candy with a second piece of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to flatten it into an even 1/4-inch 13-inch circle. There will probably be some excess cocoa butter that makes the candy look greasy, but this is normal. You can pat some of it away with paper towels if you 

wish. Transfer the candy – still on the paper – to a large flat baking sheet and refrigerate until solid. When the candy is firm, use a 12-inch round dinner plate or cake pan as a template to trim the candy to a 12-inch circle.

Candy taco fixins! – Melt red candy in the microwave and spread in a 4×4-inch square on parchment paper. Let stand until solid at room temperature, about 15 minutes. Use a large chef’s knife to cut candy into small squares for ‘chopped tomatoes’ or red pepper – whatever your imagination prefers. – Melt yellow and orange candy melts in the microwave and transfer to a zip top bag with a tiny hole in the corner snipped. 

Pipe thin lines of candy on parchment paper and allow them to stand until set, about 15 minutes. Chop into shred with a knife or bench scraper for ‘shredded cheese’. – Combine coconut and a dot of green food color in a small bowl. Mix with a spoon or with gloved hands until the color is dispersed throughout the coconut. This will be ‘lettuce’. – Place the buttercream in a zip top bag with the corner snipped, or in a disposable piping bag.

Assembly! – Cover one piece of chocolate cake with the ganache; sandwich the two cakes together. Place a little of the ganache in the center of the white chocolate taco shell and place the sandwiched cake on top.  Cover the outside of the cake with chocolate ganache. Using both hands, gently lift the edges of the white chocolate taco shell toward the center until the sides adhere to the chocolate ganache and stand upright (at this point 

the cake should look like a stand’n stuff taco!). Spread more chocolate ganache on the inside bottom edges of the taco shell. Use the reserved crumbled cake scraps as ‘taco meat’. Spread them all along the bottom edges of the taco and on top of the cake piece. – Add candy lettuce, tomato pieces and shredded cheese (which is the order I used). Squeeze a big ol’ pile of buttercream in the top center of the taco for ‘sour cream’.

– Serve cake immediately, or refrigerate until the buttercream is firm then cover with plastic wrap. You must cover the cake if you make it ahead of time or the cake crumb ‘taco meat’ will dry out. – Slice cake into pieces and serve to delighted taco-lovers!