Birthday Cake with Chocolate ganache
Hey peeps,
As promised, I am back.
This time I will be sharing story of a dear friend-cum colleague Ragini's birthday, which was celebrated on May 10, at office. And as is the norm, I had to bake a cake to celebrate the occassion ( You need to meet the girl, to know how picky & choosy she can be)!! The only guideline that I had in mind: Ragini doesn't like something that's overtly sweet, so you better act correctly"
Not sure, who was luckier, the homemade cake or the birthday girl, for some reason, this turned out to be a pretty piece and was loved by most, or so I am told. Though the cake I was sure will hold good on it's own, but since birthday's call for all sorts of decadence I dressed it up with some dark chocolate ganache as well. Foodies and home-cooks will agree with me. making ganache is one of the most easiest thing to do, yet the rewards of making it, takes you a long way!!
It is almost a no-brainer to guess how lazy I am, for all those lazy people Out there, follow this recipe (of course if you wish to bake at home , buying a pound cake from stores is also not a bad idea!!) and win accolades. Here it goes:
1. Preheat oven at 180 C (my oven functions at 175 C, so I followed that). Grease an 8" cake mould and keep it ready.
2.In a big mixing bowl add 3/4th cup olive oil & 1 cup caster sugar & whisk till well combined. Do remember to whisk well at this stage, since you are going to incorporate maximum air at this stage.
3. Add in 2 eggs, one at a time and whisk well.
4. In another bowl sift together the following dry ingrediants: 2 cups Flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp ginger powder and 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder. Add this to the wet mix and fold in well. The batter will be quite dense at this stage, so don't worry!!
5. Mix in 1 tsp vanilla essence with 1/2 cup milk & add to this cake batter, to loosen it up well. Be careful to avoid lumps of any kind. I would advice you to use a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon for mixing at this stage.
6. Next it's time to add it 1 cup chocolate chops and a handful of chopped cherries. mix well again to combine everything. Pour this batter into the prepared cake tin.
7. If baking at 180 C, bake it for 35-40 mins, and for 175 C, which I did, I baked it for about 50 mins. Check with a cake tester once it's out of the oven. It's very important to cool it at this stage. I cooled it for 45 mins and then de-moulded it, and then cooled again on a tray for close to an hour more.
8. Ganache: Bring 250 ml Amul cream to a slight boil (it should not come to a roaring boil, or it might just split. Once bubble starts appearing on the surface, remove it from heat. It's advisable to be around the stove while doing this, and we all know that this needs to be done at lowest heat possible).
9. Break into chunks or chop 250 gm dark chocolate and pit it in a bowl along with 1/2 tsp coffee powder & 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder, a pinch of sea salt flakes. Once the cream is warm enough, pour it directly over this mix and keep aside undisturbed for 7-8 mins.
10. Whisk it well post that, and the Ganache will come together in no time. i like to keep it in the fridge for a few hours for it to set well.
11. Once both cake & Ganache it ready, place heaped tablespoons of the Ganache on top of the cake and slather it well, with the back of a butter knife or a cranked spatula.
12. To complete the call of decadence, I topped it with some chopped walnuts and almond flakes.
And now some important revelations: I had baked the cake two days before her birthday. I wrapped it in a double layer of cling film followed by a single layer of foil. The Ganache was also made and stored in fridge a day ahead.
And so is the story, and the box, and all of hat what you get to see here. Something tells me, this isn't anything new, we do this for those who matter to us, this is kinda "kahaani ghar ghar ki"!!!
Chow!!
As promised, I am back.
This time I will be sharing story of a dear friend-cum colleague Ragini's birthday, which was celebrated on May 10, at office. And as is the norm, I had to bake a cake to celebrate the occassion ( You need to meet the girl, to know how picky & choosy she can be)!! The only guideline that I had in mind: Ragini doesn't like something that's overtly sweet, so you better act correctly"
Not sure, who was luckier, the homemade cake or the birthday girl, for some reason, this turned out to be a pretty piece and was loved by most, or so I am told. Though the cake I was sure will hold good on it's own, but since birthday's call for all sorts of decadence I dressed it up with some dark chocolate ganache as well. Foodies and home-cooks will agree with me. making ganache is one of the most easiest thing to do, yet the rewards of making it, takes you a long way!!
It is almost a no-brainer to guess how lazy I am, for all those lazy people Out there, follow this recipe (of course if you wish to bake at home , buying a pound cake from stores is also not a bad idea!!) and win accolades. Here it goes:
1. Preheat oven at 180 C (my oven functions at 175 C, so I followed that). Grease an 8" cake mould and keep it ready.
2.In a big mixing bowl add 3/4th cup olive oil & 1 cup caster sugar & whisk till well combined. Do remember to whisk well at this stage, since you are going to incorporate maximum air at this stage.
3. Add in 2 eggs, one at a time and whisk well.
4. In another bowl sift together the following dry ingrediants: 2 cups Flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp ginger powder and 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder. Add this to the wet mix and fold in well. The batter will be quite dense at this stage, so don't worry!!
5. Mix in 1 tsp vanilla essence with 1/2 cup milk & add to this cake batter, to loosen it up well. Be careful to avoid lumps of any kind. I would advice you to use a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon for mixing at this stage.
6. Next it's time to add it 1 cup chocolate chops and a handful of chopped cherries. mix well again to combine everything. Pour this batter into the prepared cake tin.
7. If baking at 180 C, bake it for 35-40 mins, and for 175 C, which I did, I baked it for about 50 mins. Check with a cake tester once it's out of the oven. It's very important to cool it at this stage. I cooled it for 45 mins and then de-moulded it, and then cooled again on a tray for close to an hour more.
8. Ganache: Bring 250 ml Amul cream to a slight boil (it should not come to a roaring boil, or it might just split. Once bubble starts appearing on the surface, remove it from heat. It's advisable to be around the stove while doing this, and we all know that this needs to be done at lowest heat possible).
9. Break into chunks or chop 250 gm dark chocolate and pit it in a bowl along with 1/2 tsp coffee powder & 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder, a pinch of sea salt flakes. Once the cream is warm enough, pour it directly over this mix and keep aside undisturbed for 7-8 mins.
10. Whisk it well post that, and the Ganache will come together in no time. i like to keep it in the fridge for a few hours for it to set well.
11. Once both cake & Ganache it ready, place heaped tablespoons of the Ganache on top of the cake and slather it well, with the back of a butter knife or a cranked spatula.
12. To complete the call of decadence, I topped it with some chopped walnuts and almond flakes.
And now some important revelations: I had baked the cake two days before her birthday. I wrapped it in a double layer of cling film followed by a single layer of foil. The Ganache was also made and stored in fridge a day ahead.
And so is the story, and the box, and all of hat what you get to see here. Something tells me, this isn't anything new, we do this for those who matter to us, this is kinda "kahaani ghar ghar ki"!!!
Chow!!
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