Chocolate Party Cake

• 分量: 1 x 8 inch

材料

Cake Ingredients:

120g Butter, melted

120g Neutral oil like vegetable oil

150g Light brown sugar

190g Caster sugar

130g Eggs

300g Plain flour

75g Cocoa powder - something rich like Valrhona or Cacao Barry works great!

4g Bicarb

8g Baking powder

100g Strong coffee or stout

300g Sour cream, creme fraiche, yoghurt or a mix depending what you have at home. (I used 75/25 sour cream and buttermilk)

Plus 75ml coffee for soaking

Frosting

135g Double cream

40g Light brown sugar

135g Dark chocolate

3g Maldon salt

160g Butter

30g Cocoa powder

手順

Pre-heat oven to 170c fan and line 2 x 8inch tins.

Whisk together melted butter and oil. Whisk in the sugars, followed by the eggs, coffee and salt. Sift in the flour/cocoa powder/raising agents, and finally, whisk in the sour cream (or whatever you are using).

Divide between the tins and smooth out slightly. Bake for 30 minutes. Check to see if its baked - it should be risen and firm with no wobble, but still tender. You can prod with a toothpick - it shouldn't be liquid, but a few crumbs are fine - good, even! If not, bake for another 5 minutes and check. Overbaked chocolate cake is a tragedy, so be careful to check this and err on the side of ‘just’ baked! Leave to cool completely on a rack.

Whilst the cake is baking/cooling, make the frosting. Whisk the sugar into the cream then heat til simmering. Chop up the chocolate into small pieces and put into a bowl. Pour the cream over and leave to stand for 1 minute before whisking to a smooth ganache. Leave to cool in the fridge or at room temperature until the ganache reaches room temperature or around 18-20c.

Beat butter until smooth, then stir in the cocoa powder. Beat together until smooth and shiny, then add in the ganache ⅓ at a time. Whip and beat until smooth. It should be very shiny and lush. Taste and check if you need to add more salt!

Trim sponges if needed (if there are any domes or peaks, just trim and snack!), then soak with half the coffee using a pastry brush. Spread 150-175g buttercream on the sponge, then place the other sponge on top, also soaking with coffee. Cover the layered cake in the rest of the buttercream. Pipe squiggly decor if desired, though an artful swirl of the palette knife is often plenty!