The second week of lockdown.
And I wake up craving for sugar.
I bring it up to S as we sip our morning coffee.
He smiles.
So what are you thinking of ?
Let me bake a chocolate cake, I respond spontaneously.
The next half hour flashes past in a jiffy.
I ransack the fridge for the last remnants of chocolate bark. Bought from a quaint artisanal boutique during our travels last year.
Rummage the fridge again to check if there’s any cream that’s still there.
Raid the pantry for flour and eggs and heave a sigh of relief when I discover that packet of flour.
Relief again to find that the red bottle of baking powder isn’t despairingly empty.
Out come the pots and pans.
The industrious mixer goes into overdrive.
The lazy oven starts heating up.
And before long that intoxicating aroma wafts through the house.
I brew myself a tea.
Wait for that sponge to rise.
Finally the gorgeous cake emerges from the warmth of the oven.
I am now torn apart by that eternal dilemma.
Eat the chocolate cake as is.
Or whip up a quick no-fuss ganache ?
Resist the temptation girl, I tell myself, what’s a chocolate cake without that sinful ganache ?
Another half an hour and I am done.
There she patiently rests – my splendid lockdown chocolate cake !!
My no-fuss chocolate cake. The bliss of dark chocolate. That delicate balance of sugar and bitter. A generous slather of ganache.
Classics never disappoint, do they ?
Enjoy.
My Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 13/4 cup plain flour
- 200 g 70% dark chocolate
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1.5 cups strong hot coffee or hot water
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Ganache
- 200 g 70% dark chocolate
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt .
- Take the butter and chocolate in a large mixing bowl and pour the coffee (or water) over. Allow to rest for a minute or so. Whisk till smooth.
- Add the coconut sugar now, whisk till sugar dissolves. Allow to cool.
- Add the eggs one by one and the vanilla extract, whisk till incorporated.
- Now add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, gently mix to form a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter into a 8inch greased pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or till skewers inserted come out clean . Allow to cool to room temperature.
For the Ganache
- Take the chocolate, heavy cream and butter in a bowl and heat over a double boiler, stirring occasionally till you have a smooth ganache. Add a little confectioners sugar if you want it sweet. Refrigerate for 15 odd minutes.
Assembling the cake
- Gently cut the cake into two thick halves. Coat the upper surface of the top half with the chocolate ganache. Repeat for the upper surface of the second half. Spread the remaining ganache over the sides.
- Refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing.
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do