Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Sweet, chocolatey goodness: chocolate cake with custard filling and chocolate ganache




Confession: I do not usually like cake. There have been few exceptions, but it is not my dessert of choice. It was kind of embarrassing for me, at one point. I mean, having birthday parties with kids who can't wait to stuff their face with cake...and then there's me, the birthday girl, I would blow out my candles and ask for ice cream. Totally leaving the cake untouched. The closest I got to my birthday cakes were licking the frosting off of the candles. I tried to force myself to be a cake person, but ice cream is more my thing.

Except this cake. THIS cake is delicious.
I made this cake almost two years ago, and it has not been forgotten. It was his 16th birthday, he wanted a fancy cake. I came across the cake that looked sinful, fancy and like something my chocolate loving family would devour. He hated chocolate, but knew everyone else liked it. My brother tried this cake, and since then has taken quite a liking to chocolate. This is something I am both happy and sad about. Sad because I would get all of the Halloween candy as a kid, since my brother hated candy. So, at family functions I have yet another person to share dessert with. Happy because he has finally discovered the joy and perfection that is chocolate.
Now about the cake. You need to make this. Cake is not something I usually make, trust me. I am always baking according to whatever impulse idea my mind gives me, and it is pretty much never cake. But I will be making this again, and that is saying a lot.

Here's what you need & what you need to do! Enjoy (=



Chocolate Cake with Custard Filling and Chocolate Ganache:
recipe slightly adapted from drool factor

CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup hot brewed coffee
2 eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 175 degrees Centigrade and grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan. In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. Create a well in the center and add all the rest of the ingredients except coffee. Mix well until combined and then add coffee. Mix once again. Pour into greased pan and bake in the middle rack in the oven for approximately an hour or until a skewer comes out just clean. Cool on a wire rack.
CUSTARD FILLING
Ingredients:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup 2% milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Mix the sugar, flour and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir in 3/4 cup of the milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk together the egg and remaining milk, then whisk that mixture into the saucepan. Return to heat and cook just until it starts to boil, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a bowl; cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard. Chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Ingredients:
6 oz semisweet chocolate
2 oz dark chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Break up the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan just until it starts to boil. Pour into the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts and becomes smooth and shiny. Let cool about 30 minutes. Stir through again before frosting the cake.


**Something my cousin and I did with our cake was put raspberries and strawberries on top or stuffed them in the custard filling--so yummy.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Ain't nothin like the first time...

Hey y'all. If you haven't read my about me, I'm Jennifer.

I am so new at this whole thing (obviously) I haven't a clue what to write. Kind of surprising, considering I am following like 20 baking blogs and should know a bit about what to write on a blog post.

Maybe it's because it is 2 am. Yeah, that's it.

Anyway, thank y'all for stopping by. I'll get some more exciting stuff up this week!

Happy holidays!

XoXo