Rich Chocolate Cake...for a special Occasion

It had been a month or more since I baked some cakes and Cookies.I was held up with few work..Few days back HH had his birthday and I wanted to bake something special for his birthday.I had bookmarked this recipe few months back to bake but felt this was the apt time for us to celebrate the special occasion with this rich chocolate cake..

 

I was taken aback by the taste and the finish of this cake.It tasted so so yummy and happy that HH and kids loved eating it..And for the first time I tried chocolate ganache and it turned out so so well..

 

Anyone who is new to baking can try this cake.Just just follow the instructions clearly..U will bake a yummy chocolate cake...

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Makes:10 pieces

 

1 and 3/4 Cups of Maida/All purpose flour

3/4 Cup of Cocoa Powder (I used Cadburys)

2 Tsp of Baking soda/Cooking Soda

1 Tsp of Baking Powder

1 Tsp of Salt

1 and 3/4 Cups of granulated sugar

1 Cup of Buttermilk (Refer the steps for how to make it)

1/2 Cup of Vegetable oil (I used Saffola)

2 Nos. of large eggs

1 Tsp of Vanilla essence

2  and 1/2 Tbsp of Instant Coffee Powder (I used Nescafe)

1 Cup of Hot Boiling water

 

For the Chocolate Ganache

 

200 ml of fresh Cream(I used Amul)

400 gms of grated Dark Chocolate

 

 

 

THIS IS HOW I MADE IT...

 

 

First prepare the buttermilk.

Take milk in a small bowl.Let the milk be luke warm.

Add 1 Tbsp  of lemon juice/Vinegar to the milk.Mix well and allow it to settle for 10-15 minutes.

After 15 minutes the milk would have curdled.Now mix well.This is the buttermilk which we are going to use for  making the cake.

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 176 degrees C/350 F 

In a sieve add Maida.

To it add Baking powder,Baking Soda.

 



 

Then add salt followed by Cocoa Powder.

 



 

Sieft it atleast 2-3 times so that all the dry ingredients mix together evenly.

Keep it aside.

 

 

 

In the meanwhile boil water.When it is boiling nicely add the coffee powder to it mix and keep boiling in low flame ..

 

 

 

 

Powder the granulated sugar into nice powder.

Add the powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl.

To it add the dry ingredients which we had sift earlier(Maida n Baking powder).

Mix both sugar and the dry ingredients well.Keep it aside

This is referred as Dry ingredients

 

 

 

Take another bowl.First add Buttermilk.

Add vegetable oil.

Add eggs

 

 

 

Add vanilla essence/extract.

Whisk everything well.This is referred as Wet ingredients.

 

 

 

Add these wet ingredients(oil n egg mixture) to dry ingredients(Maida n sugar mixture) and mix them well using a spatula.If u are using a hand mixer then use it in low speed.

Combine both the ingredients well.

Then to the mixture add hot boiling water(with coffee powder mixed in)

Mix them well using a spatula.
The batter will be little runny and thats alright.

 

 

 

Grease the pan with butter.Sprinkle cocoa powder on it.U can also use maida but I dont want to have any white particles at the base..I used parchment paper at the bottom to line the pan.

Then pour the batter to the pan.

 

 The oven would have now got preheated.
Place the pan in the oven(in the middle rack) and bake it for 35-40 minutes at 176 degrees C/350 F or till a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes.Dont cool it below the fan.

 

 Overturn the cake onto a cooking rack and let it cool completely.

In the meanwhile prepare the chocolate ganache.
Grate the dark chocolate and keep it aside.
Heat cream in a bowl in the low flame.

When bubbles appear along the edges switch off the flame.
Add the cream to the chocolate grated.
Leave it aside for 2-3 minutes.

Then mix them well so that the chocolate blends completely with the cream

 

 If the cake has dome then level the cake by cutting off the dome and doing some trimming  to get a flat cake.

 Spread the ganache on the cake using a spatula.

Then grate few chocolate on the top of the ganache.
I used left out fewsh cream as a topping to the ganache and decorated it with cherries.

If u want u can pour a thin ganache over this too..

 

 

 

 

 

 HANDY TIPS:

• Use all the ingredients at room temperature.
• The water should be boiling hot.
• Preheat the oven to ensure proper baking temperature.
• Cake batter will be little runny.Not a problem
• Avoid opening the door for the first 30 minutes.
• The time of baking may vary according to the microwave capacity n model.
• Fill the cake pan about half full.
• Don't overbeat the cake mix.
• U can make 2 cakes and pile them one on another with a ganache inbetween..
• All measurements in Tsp referred are levelled one.