I made a chocolate cake this past weekend after being reminded by my students in India how much they love making this chocolate chocolate cake.
Going back to reading the recipe, the amount of sugar seemed a little crazy. It’s important to make responsible food choices and while eating dessert is an indulgence, I never want to compromise on taste, texture and mouthfeel. I have reduced the sugar, not because it’s healthier, but because my personal tolerance for it is on the decline. I remade the cake and here’s an updated version so you can enjoy it too!
Chocolate Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
125g flour
30g cornflour (I used potato starch because I was out of cornflour)
35g cocoa powder
5g baking powder
2g baking soda
1 tsp salt
125g yoghurt
30g water
135g butter
190g sugar
125g eggs (2.5 eggs)
- Preheat oven to 170ºC. Line a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk and then sieve together all the following: flour, cornflour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk together the yoghurt and water in another small bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until the butter has lightened in colour. Next, beat in one egg at a time, making sure it’s fully incorporated before add the next one. Also, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula between additions.
- Next, switch to a spatula and alternately mix the dry ingredients and the thinned yoghurt until fully incorporated into the batter. Start and end with the dry ingredients.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Let it cool completely on a cooling rack before cutting.
Chocolate Ganache
190g dark chocolate
240g full fat cream
10g butter, cut into small cubes
- Place the chocolate in a bowl.
- Bring the cream to a full boil in a thick bottomed pan.
- Pour it over the chocolate and let it rest for a few seconds before you being to whisk it gently to bring the emulsion together.
- Finally, stir in the pieces of butter until fully incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature until you want to use it.
Assemble the Cake
- With a serrated knife, slice off the domed portion of the cake.
- Next, cut the cake into half horizontally. Place the bottom half on a plate or a cake board. Spread a thick layer of ganache on it making sure to leave a little gap around the circumference – otherwise when you place the top half of the cake, the ganache might ooze out.
- Place the top half of the cake. Spread a thin layer of ganache on the cake – you could pour it while it’s runny or spread it with an offset spatula when it has firmed up slightly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then finish icing the cake with the rest of the ganache.
- You might need to refrigerate the cake between coats of ganache for ease of icing.
- Always serve this at room temperature or slightly warm with a drizzle of salted caramel and a little ice cream on the side.
