Making Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Topping

Making macarons was in my baking to-do-list before I give birth this September. I tried making a batch of macarons this morning but the results were all flop! I felt disappointed indeed but I realized that my failure was likely because I did not strictly follow the ingredients called in the macaron recipe I used. Since macarons are delicate sweet snacks, they don't really have rooms for mistakes both in the ingredients mixture and baking processes.

Anyhow, I continued today's baking frenzy by making a chocolate cake topped with chocolate ganache. I found the chocolate cake recipe from a random magazine clipping but I modified the original recipe here and there to produce moist chocolate cake. Also, I didn't make the Chantilly cream as I should have for the chocolate cake because I failed to make it twice. I over beat the heavy cream (twice) and that said, I had to finally say good bye to making any Chantilly cream as after those two trials, I ran out of heavy cream to whip.

The following is the recipe of the chocolate cake I made today.

My first trial of making Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Topping.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Topping

Ingredients:

For the cake:

Tutorials:

To make the cake: Grease and line 7-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Sift flour and cocoa powder into a bowl. Set aside.

Combine liquid milk and vegetable oil in a bowl. Set aside.

Beat egg whites by using high-speed electric mixer until stiff. While beating, gradually add cream of tar-tar. Once the egg whites form soft peaks, set aside.

In separate bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick by using high-speed electric mixer.

Turn the electric mixer to its slowest speed, alternately pour flour mixture and milk/oil mixture into the (egg yolk and sugar) batter. Do not over beat.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate cake batter by using rubber spatula.

Pour the cake batter into the cake pan and bake the cake in a preheated oven (150 degree Celcius) for 30-45 minutes until done.

Cool the cake pan for 5-10 minutes, release the cake from the pan, remove the parchment paper from the cake and let the cake cool completely.

To make the chocolate ganache: Heat the heavy cream until it comes to boil. Remove the heat and immediately pour the cream onto the chopped cooking chocolate. Stir the mixture until completely mixed, smooth and glossy. Add the instant coffee powder into the chocolate mixture. Mix well. Allow the chocolate ganache to cool before glazing it onto the cake. See further tutorials on making this chocolate ganache here.

Decorate the chocolate cake with chocolate ganache as desired.

A slice of the chocolate cake I made today.

Best serve cold, after keeping the cake in a fridge.

Overall, I think I still need to practice more in decorating cake with chocolate ganache to produce a beautiful cake with a really smooth surface topping. Nevertheless, I was quite happy with my first chocolate ganache I made today as it was not too sweet but tasted quite chocolaty - especially with the addition of coffee powder on the mixture which aims to bring stronger chocolate aroma out from the ganache.