Weekly Recipe: THE Cake (Chocolate Cake With Mocha Cream and Chocolate Ganache)

This is not just any cake.  This is THE cake.  This is the so-good-I-skipped-a-weekly-recipe-post cake.  I dare you to try this cake and think it's anything but great.  It's moist, rich, and sinfully delicious.  Did I mention I don't even like chocolate?  I know I'm crazy but that's a post for another day.

This recipe is a bit of a hodge-podge if you will, as the sources are many and my following of directions are hit or miss.  What you need to know is that all the components, as I have them laid out, are delicious.  I hesitate to brag but this cake is amazing.  I can brag because I didn't invent the recipes, I just put them all together.

If you have a chocolate lover, you should make them this cake.  The end.

Chocolate Cake with Mocha Cream and Chocolate Ganache 

Cake:

adapted from Hershey's Kitchen

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water1 tsp instant coffee

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Cut parchment paper to measure three 9-inch round baking pans.  Lightly grease paper and pans.  (The cake is so moist, you'll appreciate the ease of getting them out of the pan by using parchment.)

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp instant coffee into boiling water and stir into batter (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 25 to 28 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.



Mocha Cream Filing
source - Southern Living

• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup DOMINO 10X Confectioners Sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened. Spoon mixture into a small bowl; cover surface of mixture with plastic wrap, pressing wrap onto surface, and let stand 30 minutes or until cool.

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add cooled cocoa mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla, beating until mixture is consistency of whipped cream.

Chocolate Ganache
adapted from Southern Living

• 7 ounces semi-sweet Valrhona chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon butter

Place chocolate in a bowl.

Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat just until cream begins to boil.  Pour over chocolate in bowl, stirring until smooth.  Stir in butter.  Let stand 45 minutes or until spreading consistency.  Note:  Mine was more of a pouring consistency.  I also reduced the original recipe portions because I had quite a bit leftover. 

To assemble:

Frost each cake layer with the mocha cream, including the top.  Carefully and gently pour the ganache over the top, so as to completely cover the top and most of the sides.