Chocolate Cake

I thought I would kick start my blog with a classic- Chocolate cake. I have made a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream and a dark chocolate ganache. For this cake I would bake the sponge first and let cool while making the buttercream and the ganache.

Chocolate cake

Cake

Ingredients

• 525g plain flour
• 100g cocoa powder
• 555g caster sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 360ml cooled coffee
• 360ml buttermilk
• 315ml vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C fan and then line & grease 3x20cm(8inch) cake tins.
2. Sift the plain flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add the caster sugar, bicarbonate of soda and salt, whisk until combined.
3. In a separate bowl or a large jug mix together the coffee, buttermilk, oil and eggs.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in stages until you have combined everything and are left with a smooth mixture.
5. Divide the mixture into the 3tins as evenly as you can. Bake for 25mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

 

Buttercream

Ingredients

• 180g dark chocolate
• 300g soft unsalted butter
• 540g icing sugar
• 4 tablespoons whole milk

Method

1. Melt the chocolate in a glass or heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and then leave to cool for 5-10mins.
2. Meanwhile beat the butter for 5mins, until very pale and smooth.
3. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and then add in stages to the butter.
4. Gradually add the milk and beat until well combined.
5. Add the chocolate bit-by-bit and beat well in-between.

 

Chocolate ganache

Ingredients

• 400g dark chocolate (70%)
• 450ml double cream

Method

1. Roughly chop the chocolate and place into a bowl.
2. Gently heat the cream in a pan over a low heat until small bubbles start to appear.
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and leave for 1min without stirring. After leaving for a minute stir together until smooth. Leave the ganache for about an hour or put in fridge to set so that it is a spreadable consistency.

 

Cake assembly

These are the steps that I did to create this chocolate cake. Not all steps are necessary, however this is how I enjoy doing it to achieve the smooth, straight sides.

 

1. Put cakes on a sheet of baking paper so they are easier to move once they are cooled. Then I like to use a cake leveller so I can get level layers and level the cakes to the same height.
2. As I used an 8inch cake tin I usually trim my cakes to either 7 or 7 ½ inches, I use a smaller plate to trace round the cake and get a sharper edge without all of the brown bits.
3. I now put a little buttercream on the cake board and ice the cakes. Cake, buttercream, cake, buttercream and then finish cake.
4. Give the cake a crumb coat with the chocolate ganache and them put into fridge/ freezer to completely set.
5. Bring set cake out and put final layer of ganache onto the cake, and use the cake scrapper to get sharp edges.
6. Decorate the cake with some leftover buttercream and chocolate shavings.
   

   

   Happy Baking,

   Lynsay

 

If your a person that uses cup measurements this Interactive Convertor will help.

Follow my Socials: Twitter, Instagram

 

Disclaimer- all images are my own