Happy Birthday, 2017!
Moist.
I hate that word. But I’m sorry, I have to use it because it is the only word that accurately describes the texture of this cake.
A couple years ago, I shared my favorite Chocolate Layer Cake recipe, but this year (should I say 2016 or 2017?), we’re taking the chocolate cake to a whole new level: we’re adding ganache. That’s right – CHOCOLATE ganache = more chocolate = happy Anessa.
In fact, this cake is so rich that I made it in only six-inch layer cake pans. But we need to start the New Year off with sweets, and then starting January 2nd, we can go back to eating healthy…maybe.
One of the best parts about chocolate cake is that there are so many variations of it. Substitute regular flour with hazelnut flour, or spice it up by making a German chocolate cake and adding coconut. The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to chocolate cake.
If you’re not a huge fan of chocolate ganache, which I do understand because it can be very dark, you can substitute with a vanilla frosting, which also presents nice contrast to the dark cake, or more chocolate frosting, which is usually a little lighter on the chocolate than your typical ganache.
If you want a little crunch, you could also add nuts, such as chopped almonds, walnuts, or even pistachios to the chocolate cake. Just keep in mind that the cake may become slightly drier if you add too many chopped nuts.
Pastry chefs in my favorite bakery, Pastiche, make the best chocolate cake I have ever had, but I think this one rivals theirs. I’m not a big proponent of heavy frosting, like buttercream as they use in theirs, which is why I used a simple ganache. Lighter cakes are always my favorite!
Happy New Year, and I hope you have a healthy – but chocolate-y – 2017!
Anessa 🙂
Double Chocolate Ganache Layer Cake to Celebrate the New Year.
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 cups of white, granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp of baking powder
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of canola or coconut oil, melted
- 3 tsp of instant espresso powder
- 1 cup of boiling water
Ganache
- 16 oz of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup of heavy cream or whole milk
- 2 tsp of instant espresso powder
- Preheat oven to 350? F. Grease five six-inch layer cake pans with butter or nonstick cooking spray or line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a bowl attached to an electric mixer, whisk together eggs, vanilla, milk, canola or melted coconut oil, and instant espresso powder. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, and beat until just combined. Add boiling water to mixture, and beat, initially on low speed, until combined. Batter will be thin and glossy. Divide batter into each cake pan or in cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake cake for 15-20 minutes (or cupcakes for about 10-15 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool while you prepare the ganache.
- To make the ganache, in a double boiler, add all ganache ingredients. Mix until glossy and well combined. To make the ganache for the very top of the cake, I added slightly more milk or heavy cream (about 2 additional tbsp) to the ganache to thin it out so it would drip over the cake sides.
- To assemble the layer cake, place one cake layer on cake plate, and smother about 1/2 cup of ganache on top. Place another cake layer on top. Repeat to all cake layers. Decorate with festive sprinkles, and enjoy!
