Chocolate Cake Recipe
While celebrating a special occasion, we always want something tasty and delicious as treat to eat. There is nothing better than digging into a slice of classic chocolate cake. The ultimate indulgence, a rich, velvety flavour of ganache takes the pleasure of having a dessert to the next level.
Chocolate cake or chocolate gâteau, from French: gâteau au chocolat, is a cake flavored with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, or both. Chocolate cake is made with chocolate. It can include other ingredients too. These include fudge, vanilla creme, and other sweeteners. The history of chocolate cake goes back to 1764. It was then Dr. James Baker discovered how to make chocolate by grinding cocoa beans between two massive circular millstones,which gave us the revolutionary idea of a chocolate cake.
A process for making smoother and silkier chocolate called conching was developed in 1879 by Rodolphe Lindt. This made it easier to bake with chocolate, because it amalgamates smoothly and completely with cake batters.
In the U.S., during 1990s, single-serving molten chocolate cakes with liquid chocolate centers and infused chocolates with exotic flavors such as tea, curry, red pepper, passion fruit, and champagne were popular. Chocolate lounges and artisanal chocolate makers became favourites in 2000s. Rich, flourless, all-but-flourless chocolate cakes are “now standard in the modern pâtisserie,”
- Prep Time20 min
- Cook Time25 min
- Total Time45 min
- Yield8 Plates
- Serving Size200g
- Energy565 cal
Ingredients
For main dish
- For the sponge
- 220g unsalted butter, softened
- 220g (7 3/4oz) caster sugar
- 200g self-raising flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp milk
- small pinch salt
- 300ml (10oz) double cream
- 300g (10oz) dark chocolate
Method
- Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C.
- Grease and line 2 x 20cm (8in) cake tins and set aside.
- Beat together the butter and sugar until pale in a large bowl.
- Add all the remaining sponge ingredients and beat together until well combined.
- Divide the mixture between the cake tins and smooth the tops.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Once baked, cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then remove from the tins.
- Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Start making the ganache.
- Heat the double cream gently in a saucepan and break up the dark chocolate into cubes and place in a bowl.
- When the cream is just under the boil, pour it over the dark chocolate, ensuring it’s all covered
- Allow to stand for 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk the ganache gently until it starts to combine and goes glossy.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then place in the fridge for around 30 minutes, until it is a spreadable consistency.
- Once the sponges are cool, lay one with the topside down on a cake stand and spread with 1/3 of the ganache mixture.
- Top with the other sponge, topside up and push down slightly to secure it onto the filling.
- Ice the top of the cake with the remaining mixture by piling it in the centre and spreading it to the sides of the top sponge.
- Bring it down the sides gradually and smooth with a palette knife.
- Serve in large slices.
- Always measure the ingredients properly.
- The best way to measure that is to use weight measure no volume.
- Ensure the butter is room temperature, and yet not melted unless the recipe specifies.
- Always alternate the dry and wet, starting with the dry and ending with the dry.
- It is important to stir until everything gets incorporated completely.
- A good practice is to have the ingredients ready.
- Switch on the oven and start mixing.
- This gives you approximately 15 minutes of preheating time
Overcrowding the oven can cause too many problems with uneven baking and sinking.
It is best to place the cake on the middle rack and away from the side of the oven.
Pans should not touch each other while baking.
- 8 servings per container
- Serving Size200g
- Amount per serving
- Calories565
- % Daily Value*
- Total Fat39 g50%
- Saturated Fat18 g90%
- Trans Fat0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat0 g
- Cholesterol0 mg0%
- Sodium0.5 mg0.02%
- Total Carbohydrate49.7 g18.07%
- Dietary Fiber1.7 g6.07%
- Total Sugars36 g
- Protein6.7 g13.4%