I have been so nervous to try baking a cake from scratch. I am a wiz at cookies and know my way around a few cupcakes, but the idea of baking a whole cake from scratch made me break out into a cold sweat!
Oh don’t even get me started on my record with making bread from scratch *sigh*
But we were invited over to my son’s girlfriend’s parent’s house for Easter, and I wanted to bring something special along. They always say not to bother bringing something, but this time I was determined to take something different than anything I have ever done before. So of course I thought cake!
I have been digging through cooking magazines and looking online at cakes since January really. I had a resolution to bake 1 cake every month. Well, it is April and I just made my first cake so you see how well that resolution worked out. Oh well, I broke through my fear and did it though. YAY me!!!
I have to say, I am quite proud of myself for the flavor of the cake, and moist? Oh my goodness it was moist. It kind of reminded me of a big cake brownie actually,
and helloooo I love brownies!!
The frosting was awesome but with it being a ganache it showed every little flaw, bump or uneven layer of the cake. Therefor we took to referring to this as the ugly cake, but that didn’t stop anyone from eating it!!
I will be trying new cakes soon, but until then I am actually pretty happy with how this one came out!!
Dark Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting
adapted slightly from recipe seen in Taste of Home Magazine
For the cake
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups hot strong coffee
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups light buttermilk
For the ganache frosting
16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups fat free condensed milk
5 teaspoons cane syrup
Preheat over to 325 degrees F.
Grease and flower three 8 inch cake pans.
Place chopped choclate in a bowl and pour the hot coffee over it. Stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl beat the eggs on high speed until they are a lemon yellow. Gradually add the sugar, oil, vanilla, and the chocolate/coffee mixture. Beat until well blended.
In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, salt. Add to the chocolate mixture slowly, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat well after each addition.
Pour even into prepared pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted int he middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans and placing on wire cooling racks. Remove paper, cool completely.
For ganache, place chocolate in a bowl. In a saucepan, bring condensed milk and cane syrup just to boil. Pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let stand at room temperature to cool and thicken, about an hour, stirring occasionally. Mixture will be soft but will thicken on the cake.
Spread one cake layer with 1/2 cup ganache. Top with the second layer and another 1/2 cup of the ganache. Add the third layer and spread the remaining ganache over the top and sides of the cake.
ENJOY!!
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