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Chocolate Cake Recipe
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For a double dose
of chocolate, there is nothing better than a chocolate frosted chocolate cake.
This single layer cake has a moist and tender crumb with a rich and creamy
frosting made with just chocolate and cream (Ganache). The kids will love it
with a tall glass of cold milk while the adults might prefer it with a hot cup of coffee.
What makes this chocolate cake unique is that it is a "mix-in-the-pan"
type of cake. That means all the dry and wet ingredients are mixed
together right in the pan it is to be baked in. There are a couple of
things about this recipe that are worth mentioning. First, it does not
contain eggs. Second, this cake uses unsweetened (natural) cocoa powder (not Dutch
processed) which is made from chocolate liquor that has been
pressed to remove three quarters of its cocoa butter. The remaining cocoa solids
are processed to make fine unsweetened cocoa powder. It has an intense bitter
flavor that makes it well suited for use in chocolate cakes. Popular brands are
Hershey's, Ghirardelli, Pernigotti, and Scharffen Berger. Third, we also add a
little lemon juice (or vinegar) to the batter, which causes a reaction
between the cocoa powder and the lemon juice giving the baked cake a
red tinge (reminiscent of a Red Velvet Cake).
Once the cake has baked and cooled, I like to frost it with a Ganache
frosting which is simply a mixture of heavy cream and semi sweet
chocolate. Normally, to make a Ganache, you pour boiling cream over
chopped chocolate and stir until smooth. Then, once the Ganache has cooled
to room temperature, you simply pour it over the cake. Now, while this
makes a lovely frosting, what you can also do is to let the Ganache cool
until slightly firm, and then beat it until it becomes light and creamy.
Same great taste but it has a slightly different texture which I find is
perfect on this cake.
This cake recipe comes from Canadian Jane Rodmell's excellent cookbook
Best Summer Weekends Cookbook. This is a cookbook that I turned to
often, both for savory and sweet recipes. Her recipes are easy to put
together and have excellent flavor.
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Chocolate Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
In an ungreased 8
inch (20 cm) square cake pan, stir together the flour, sugar, sifted cocoa
powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the melted
butter, water, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. With a fork, mix all the
ingredients together until well blended.
Bake in preheated
oven for about 35 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed
and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from
oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Frosting:
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Heat the
cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil.
Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5
minutes. Stir until smooth. Let the ganache sit at room temperature until
slightly firm (about one hour) and then beat the ganache until creamy smooth and
light. With an offset spatula or knife spread the ganache over the cooled cake.
Serves 8 - 10
people.
Sources:
Rodmell, Jane.
Best Summer Weekends Cookbook. Cottage Life Books. Toronto: 2004. |
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Chocolate Cake:
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose
flour
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white
sugar
1/4 cup (25 grams) unsweetened
cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed), sifted
1 teaspoon
baking powder
1 teaspoon
baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (75 grams) unsalted
butter, melted
1 cup (240 ml) warm water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
(or vinegar)
1 teaspoon pure
vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting:
6 ounces (170 grams)
semi-sweet chocolate,
chopped
3/4 cup
(180 ml) heavy cream (35% butterfat)
1
tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature |
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