Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and raspberries

I haven’t publicized this much but in the last several weeks I have been immersed in cakes. Why, I’ll never know. It’s not even that I like to eat cakes so much, but I love making them. Cakes are so beautiful and require a certain level of skill in making them and then making them look beautiful. I don’t always decorate the cakes, often all you need with a slice of cake is a good dollop of whipped cream (or ice cream) and fresh fruits or a fruit sauce. However, I have developed an urgent desire to learn how to pipe a few things, such as roses and rosettes, and for that I have attended a cake decorating class. Don’t get me wrong, I am not into heavy buttercream and flower covered cakes, but used judicially, some of these techniques help a cake look quite beautiful.

The cake in this recipe is not from my newly acquired cake decorating beginners skills. It’s just my “usual” cake with fruits as garnish, but it’s an easy cake to execute and does look rather attractive so I thought you may want to have the recipe. I bake it in two 8″ cake pans, then fill with the ganache between the layers and on top of the cake and arrange the raspberries in a concentric design over the entire top layer. I served it with a raspberry sauce made by cooking raspberries with a little sugar until they disintegrate into a sweet and tangy sauce.

Enjoy.

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Chocolate cake ingredients:

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2 cups flour (use all purpose for more dense or cake flour for lighter version)
1/3 cup cocoa powder (non alkaline cocoa (dutch process) will produce a darker cake, regular cocoa, less dark)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup canola oil
3 oz dark chocolate, melted (in microwave is fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

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Directions:

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Preheat oven to 350F.
Spray 2 8″ round cake pans with non stick spray and line with a round of parchment. spray the parchment as well.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder in a bowl and mix well.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment mix the eggs until frothy, then add the sugar and beat until lightened mixture reached, about 5 minutes.

Lower the speed and add the oil, then the chocolate, scraping the sides of the bowl.

Lower speed to mix setting and slowly add the flour in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk.

Divide batter evenly between the two pans, place them on a baking sheet and bake in the 350F oven for about 30 minutes or until done. You can check if they are done by inserting a skewer into the center and if it comes clean, then the cake is done.

Remove from oven and let cool on racks, then remove from pan and let cook completely.

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Chocolate ganache:

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7 oz dark chocolate (bittersweet), chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup cream

Combine the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl.
Bring the cream to a boil, then pour over the chocolate and butter and stir gently until chocolate melts.
Cool to a spreadable consistency and then proceed with filling the cake.

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Raspberry sauce:

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2 baskets raspberries
1/2 cup sugar

Bring raspberries and sugar to a boil, cook until the raspberries break down and reach the consistency of a sauce.

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Assembling:

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Turn one cake layer upside down and spread with some of the ganache.
Lay second layer on top of the cake bottom side up (so the top is flat).
Spread remaining ganache on top of the cake.
Arrange fresh raspberries over the ganache.
Serve with raspberry sauce.

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