Video tutorial: Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache recipe

Chocolate cake with Chocolate ganache recipe


Happy birthday Umakka. She would have been 47 this year.  My sister who lived each day to the fullest. She was a daydreamer. She was the most helpful daughter, amazing mother and loving wife. She loved her plants and her pets. She loved music and loved to dance and twirl about. She was a caring sister and always had our back. People often mistook us for twins. She made sure we dressed alike. She listened, and gave the best advice. She was so full of energy. Her laughter was infectious. She loved cake, and fried food. She made the best jamoon and chakli. She was a perfectionist. Her rangolis were so intricate. Her home was a vacation resort. Her kitchen was like the cover of a magazine. She hosted the best parties. She was classy, she wore sarees so beautifully. She was a travel bug, she loved to shop.

Chocolate cake with Chocolate ganache recipe

She never took shit from anybody. She made sure she gave them a piece of her mind. She had her ups and downs, especially with her health. In her last days, the hospital had become her second home. She endured pain, and fought her way through so much. Those dreaded days were filled with sadness and suffering. Through it all, she fought, like a warrior.

She always motivated me, she was so proud of me, she believed in me, and above all, she never gave up. She never did. She lives on, in us. Not a day goes by without missing you Umakka. Here we are, left to pick up the pieces and live each day. We miss her presence, but we know she is here... she comes through, in subtle ways. We shall meet again.



I made this cake in her memory. She loved cakes, we both loved cakes. Growing up, weekend baking was on on mom's schedule and my sisters and I were her full-time helpers. Our incentive? Licking the bowl and spatula, sitting by the oven watching the cakes bake. Chocolate remains my all-time favorite!

This is a decadent, moist three layer cake.  The cake batter is divided between three 6 inch pans. It is filled with dark chocolate ganache between layers, then frosted with a very thin layer of buttercream, and ganache drip. The extra buttercream swirls and sprinkles are completely optional.

Chocolate Ganache Cake

Serves 6 | Makes 3 × 6-inch cakes | 350°F / 180°C

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

  • 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour

  • 2 tsp (6 g) cornstarch

  • ¾ cup (65 g) cocoa powder

  • 1½ cups (300 g) sugar

  • 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder

  • 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda

  • ½ tsp (3 g) salt

  • 1 tsp (2 g) instant coffee

  • ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk

  • ¾ cup (180 ml) warm water

  • 1 tsp (5 ml) vinegar

  • 2 eggs

  • ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable or canola oil

  • 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla

Chocolate Ganache

  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream

  • 1 cup (170 g) dark chocolate chips

Vanilla Buttercream

  • 1 cup (227 g) butter, softened

  • 4 cups (480 g) icing sugar

  • 3–4 tsp (15–20 ml) milk

  • 2 tsp (10 ml) clear vanilla

  • Pinch of salt

  • 2 tsp (6 g) meringue powder, optional

  • Red food coloring, optional

Method

  1. Bake: Heat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease and line three 6-inch pans.

  2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coffee.

  3. Beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy. Whisk in buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vinegar.

  4. Gently combine wet and dry ingredients. Divide between pans and bake 24–26 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

  5. Ganache: Heat cream until just boiling. Pour over chocolate, let sit 2–3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

  6. Buttercream: Beat butter, vanilla, milk, and salt until fluffy. Gradually add sifted icing sugar and meringue powder. Beat 6–8 minutes until light and creamy. Tint half red, if desired.

  7. Assemble: Place one cake layer on a platter. Pipe a buttercream border and fill with ganache. Repeat with the second layer and top with the third.

  8. Chill 10 minutes. Cover with a thin crumb coat and chill another 15 minutes. Add the final layer of buttercream and smooth.

  9. Add ganache drips, pipe red swirls, and decorate with sprinkles. Chill for a few hours to set. Serve at room temperature.

Chocolate cake with Chocolate ganache recipe