Chocolate Cake With Salted Basil Ganache Food

SALTED DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH GANACHE FROSTING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 8-inch round cake tins with parchment paper. Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, dark chocolate and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. (You may need to use a spatula to start, but use a whisk once the ingredients begin to combine.) Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• Make the ganache: Place the sour cream and melted chocolate in a large bowl. Whisk to combine and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes or until firm. Place 1 of the cakes on a cake stand or plate. Spread with half the ganache. Top with the remaining cake and ganache. Sprinkle with the salt to serve.

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH SALTED BASIL GANACHE

Steps:

• CAKE: Melt chocolate and butter with basil over water bath. Meanwhile, whisk whites until soft peaks and add in sugar and whisk until stiff peaks. When chocolate has melted, let cool for one minute.
• Set a bowl strainer over the yolks and push chocolate through with spatula. Whisk chocolate and yolks together to combine and fold in whites. Spray 1/4 sheet with oil cooking spray and add in butter. Bake at 350 degrees approximately 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool.
• FILLING: Whisk all ingredients together.
• GANACHE: Heat cream with basil. Strain and whisk into chocolate. Season with salt.
• LEMON REDUCTION: Reduce ingredients together until syrupy.
• POMEGRANATE REDUCTION: Reduce ingredients to syrupy consistency and strain.

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE WITH SWISS BUTTERCREAM AND GANACHE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Put the cocoa powder and chocolate in a medium bowl. Add the boiling water and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the sour cream until smooth; let cool to room temperature.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla, beating well after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the cocoa mixture in 2 additions. Finish mixing gently with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.
• Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Tap the pans against the counter to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake until the cakes spring back in the center when gently pressed, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the edges and turn out the cakes onto a rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment.
• Make the frosting: Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the egg whites, granulated sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over the saucepan (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water); cook, whisking, until the sugar dissolves, the egg whites are frothy and the mixture is warm, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form and the mixture cools to room temperature, about 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add the butter a few pieces at a time, waiting for them to incorporate before adding more. (The mixture will become liquidy, then it will get thick and shiny once the butter emulsifies. It may also look curdled as you add the butter. It's OK: Keep adding butter and beating.) Add the vanilla and beat until combined and fluffy, 3 to 5 more minutes.
• Cut each cake in half horizontally to create 4 layers. Place 1 layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread about 2/3 cup frosting on top, then repeat with the remaining cake layers, spreading more frosting in between them. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake (this is the crumb coat - it doesn't have to be perfect), then refrigerate until the frosting sets, about 30 minutes. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides of the cake, smoothing it with a bench scraper.
• Make the ganache: Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming, then pour over the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Set aside until cool but still pourable, 20 to 40 minutes (the time will vary depending on the temperature and bowl). Pour the ganache on top of the cake and spread with a small offset spatula, letting it drip down the sides. Let the ganache set 20 to 30 minutes before slicing.

DECADENT CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH GANACHE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine cocoa and water; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in vanilla.
• Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with cocoa mixture, beating well after each addition.
• Pour into three greased and floured 9" round baking pans.
• Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• For Ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl.
• In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, bring cream and sugar to a boil.
• Pour over chocolate; whisk gently until smooth.
• Refrigerate for 35-45 minutes or until ganache begins to thicken, stirring occasionally.
• For frosting, in a large mixing bowl beat butter until fluffy.
• Add confectioners sugar, cocoa, milk, and vanilla; beat until smooth.
• Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup of frosting.
• Top with second layer and one cup ganache and sprinkle with 1/2 cup almonds.
• Top with third layer, frost top and sides of cake.
• Warm ganache until pourable; pour over cake, allowing some to drape down the sides.
• Sprinkle with remaining almonds.
• Refrigerate until serving.

ALMOND CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH GANACHE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350, grease and flour a 9x13 pan.
• sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl, add the almonds, combine with a whisk and set aside.
• With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter for about 1 minute, or until the butter is lighter in color.
• Slowly add the sugar, about 2 Tbls at a time.
• When all of the sugar is added, continue to beat for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed; the mixture will look fluffy like something between mayonnaise and whipped cream.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 10 seconds between each addition.
• Add the melted chocolate and honey and beat for a few seconds until smooth.
• With a rubber spatula, fold the sifted ingredients into the batter in 3 segments, alternating with the buttermilk which is added 1/2 cup at a time.
• Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture looks smooth.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Cool the cake on a wire rack.
• Ganache:.
• Heat the cream on the stove until just under a boil.
• Pour the heated cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.
• Stir until the chocolate is all melted and thouroughly combined into the cream.
• Frost the top of the cake only with the ganache while the cake is still warm.
• Serve at room temperature.

REAL CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH GANACHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170 degrees/gas 3.
• Melt the chocolate in the microwave on low (or in a bain-marie).
• In a bowl, cream together the butter and 100g of the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one by one, mixing well.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add remaining sugar to them; whisk until thick and glossy.
• Pour the chocolate into the creamed butter mixture and mix well.
• Using a metal spoon, fold in the whisked whites and cornflour in two batches.
• Pour into a lined 20cm cake tin, and bake for approx 40 minutes until set and cooked through.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.
• For the ganache:.
• In a pan, bring the cream to a boil. Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and pour in the cream, mixing well. Mix in the butter and spread ganache over the cake.
• Allow to cool before serving.