Chocolate Delight cake

This is an attempt to note down my chocolate delight cake - this is a dark moist egg less chocolate cake with a silky chocolate mousse filling; frosted with chocolate buttercream and topped with dark chocolate ganache and milk chocolate chips.

Recipe:

For the cake:
From: http://www.barbarabakes.com/2011/01/old-fashioned-chocolate-cake-with-maraschino-cherry-filling/

• Ingredients
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar*
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I usedKA Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda*
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups hot water*
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules (I substituted 1 teaspoon chocolate extract)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350º with rack in the center. Spray two 9x2 inch round cake pans with non-stick spray.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.(Don't use a mixer.)
3. Combine water, oil, vinegar, instant coffee, and vanilla in a large measuring cup. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined, a few lumps are OK. Divide batter between pans, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool cakes on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert them onto the rack.. Leave cakes upside down (this flattens domed cakes) to cool completely.
4. *I made the following high altitude adjustments: Decreased the sugar by 2 tablespoons, used 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda and 2 1/4 cup hot water.

For the chocolate mousse filling:

First make a cup of chocolate ganache:

Makes 1 cup

128 g  Baking chocolate *I used Godiva bittersweet baking chocolate. You can also use semi sweet, dark or milk chocolate.

1/2 cup or 125 ml Heavy whipping cream *For vegan version, use coconut cream concentrate

1/2  tablespoon Unsalted butter *For vegan version use a neutral tasting oil

1/2  tablespoon Liqueur or 1/4  teaspoon of flavoring like vanilla  or 1 tablespoon of espresso *This is optional. For a child friendly version, do not use liqueur

Method

Make one cup ganache with ingredients above

To make chocolate mousse

• Soften 1 cup ganache by whisking with an electric mixer. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and mix well.
• Whip 1 cup whipping cream. Fold in whipped cream into the softened ganache. The bowl and the beater should be kept cold while whipping. Chocolate mousse is ready.
• Spoon it into serving glasses. Chill before serving and garnish with whatever you like, a cherry or raspberry.
• This mousse can be used as a filling for layered cakes.

To make chocolate buttercream:

200 g butter

400 g sugar

50 g dark chocolate, melted and cooled

Vanilla essence

Beat butter first until light in color and smooth.  Beat for 5 minutes.

Add sugar slowly and combine until soft peaks.

Add the melted dark chocolate as well as vanilla essence

Make 1/2 cup ganache for topping the cake and add 1/4 cup chocolate chips as well

My first Bake Along!

Edited to add my pic of the final cake for bake along 1:

I've just joined a FB group called the FondBites, Bake Along group.  Our aim is to bake and learn with each bake and share our experiences together to learn even more.

This week's bake is a Vanilla Fantasy - below are the recipes that I will be using - 
1. Filling inspired from Anushruti's custard cream: 
http://www.divinetaste.com/archives/cherry-stuffed-caramelized-peaches-with-custard-cream/
2. Frosting as suggested by Subhashini Ramsingh 
http://www.fondbites.com/
3. Cake from Sailu's food blog:
http://www.sailusfood.com/2010/06/15/basic-eggless-cake-using-curd/
4. Cake decoration from:
http://iambaker.net/candle-birthday-cake-surprise-inside-cake/

For the filling:

•       1 tbsp custard powder 
•          60 ml (1/4 cup water)
•          200 ml (3/4 cup) low fat cream (I used 25% fat)
•          60 ml (1/4 cup) milk
•          3 tbsp sugar
•          125 ml extra cream for lightening the custard cream once cooled

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix in the custard powder and the water into a smooth paste.
2. In a saucepan mix the cream, milk and sugar and bring to a boil on low heat.
3. Stir in the custard paste and mix well until thick and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Take off the heat.
4. For lighter pastry cream fold in 1/4 cup (60 ml) softly whipped cream to cooled pastry cream.

For the Frosting: (May need to double to crumb coat and frost)

Whipped White Ganache –

Ingredients:

• White chocolate – 200 gms
• Fresh cream – 400 gms

Method:

1.       Chop the chocolate and place in a bowl. Add 200 gms of cream into the bowl of chocolate and heat in a double boiler or microwave until completely melted. Let it rest in room temperature for 8 hours covered with cling film, or if you are in a hurry refrigerate for 30 mins to 1 hour.

2.       Transfer the white ganache to your bowl of your electric beater and start beating. Once it has broken down and whips up well, add chilled remaining 200 gms of cream and whip until stiff peaks form.

For the cake:

Ingredients:

•            1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted from a height at least 3 times
• ·         1 cup thick curd/yogurt
• ·         3/4 cup sugar (you can use upto 1 cup)
• ·         1/2 tsp baking soda
• ·         1 1/4 tsps baking pwd
• ·         1/2 cup refined oil
• ·         1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven to 200 C for 10 mts. Grease and flour 2 8″ inch baking pan
2. Cream the sugar and yogurt until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Add baking pwd and baking soda and combine. Leave aside for 3 mts. You will find that bubbles appear.
4. Add vegetable oil and vanilla essence and mix well.
5. Now, slowly add little sifted flour/maida (about a tbsp) at a time and fold into the wet ingredients.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 200 degree C for 10 mts, reduce temperature to 175 and bake for 15-20 mts or till a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean
7. Cool the cake for 20-30 mts and then overturn onto a plate.
8. 1½ cups APF can be replaced by 1½ APF + 3 tablespoons corn flour.
9. Sift several times and then use.

Cake Decoration:

For this cake I used a #32 tip from Wilton.  Simply hold the tip at the base of the cake, apply light pressure, and move up to the top.  Make sure to take the frosting all the way over the top edge of the cake.

For the top I used a #1M tip and just made little swirled dollops of frosting.