Chocolate Ganache

Let's play a game of "hypothetical situations." Let's pretend we buy into the "2012 is the end of the world" idea and we believe we only have 10 months left to live. Ok? Now, what do you want to do? In this situation, and just off the top of my head, I would apply for the highest credit limit for which I could possibly qualify and go on a shopping bender. I'd sample from the collections of Louis Vuitton and Manolo Blahnik before flying first class to Europe for an extravagant vacation. And while I was there, I would eat EVERYTHING! I would eat everything and feel no remorse. My usual reserve for decadent dishes would be tossed out the window. What's an extra 20 pounds compared to the end of the world? The treats I have designated solely "special occasion" treats, for both their out of this world flavor and nutritional content, would become my everyday, go-to foods. And chocolate ganache would be one of them.

Why do I hold ganache (gun-aush) in such high regard? This dark, smooth, semi-sweet sauce has two basic ingredients; chocolate and heavy cream. I know. How could that be anything but delicious? The technique to making this thick, creamy piece of heaven is heating heavy cream, pouring it over chocolate, and using the residual heat from the hot cream to gently melt the chocolate into a smooth, decadent sauce. The ratio of chocolate to heavy cream will determine the thickness of the ganache. For example, thicker ganache becomes the smooth center of a chocolate truffle while thinner, sauce-like ganache becomes a rich glaze on cakes or a fondue-like dipping sauce for fruit. This recipe is for a saucy ganache. It is very simple to prepare, but not so simple to resist eating in one sitting!

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I use decaffeinated, instant coffee granules in my ganache. It is very common to use instant coffee in recipes for chocolate cakes, cupcakes, and sauces because the bitter coffee enhances the dark undertones of the chocolate. The combination of semi-sweet chocolate and coffee results in a more pronounced chocolate flavor. You will not taste the coffee in the final product, but if you are not a coffee fan, simply leave that ingredient out.

 

Place the chocolate chips in a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a boil. Boil for only a few seconds, then remove from heat.

Pour the hot heavy cream into the bowl with the chocolate chips. Whisk the cream and chocolate chips mixture until all the chocolate chips have melted. Whisk in instant coffee.

The ganache will be smooth and thick. It will become even thicker as it cools so if you are using it to glaze a cake or cupcakes, let the ganache cool briefly first.

My two favorite things to do with ganache are pouring it onto the top of a cake and letting it drip down the sides and...

treating it like chocolate fondue. Oh, and my third favorite thing to do is eating it plain on a spoon, but in order to preserve my dignity, I won't provide a picture of that!

Chocolate Ganache

recipe by Sweet & Savory

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp instant coffee

Directions:

Place chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a boil and allow to boil for a few seconds. Remove from heat.

Pour heated cream over the chocolate chips. Whisk until the chocolate chips are melted and the ganache is smooth. Whisk in instant coffee.

Cocoa Frosting

In my house growing up, each member of the family had a unique birthday cake. It was their cake baked for them on their special day. Call it birthday induced egocentrism manifested in pastry form. It is one of my favorite family traditions. My dad was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, my mom was angel food covered with soft, white peaks of 7-minute frosting and drizzled with bittersweet chocolate. My two sisters were yellow cake with cocoa frosting and pound cake with sweet cream and berries, respectively. But my cake was and is chocolate through and through. Chocolate layer cake with cocoa frosting. I've had this cake every year on my birthday as long as I can remember. Last year, I decided to deviate from my chocolate, chocolate cake with a toasted coconut layer cake with coconut cream, and I'm not kidding, my cake collapsed. It was like the cake gods were telling me to not mess with a good thing. (I like to blame this cake mishap on a higher power, rather than my shortcomings as a baker) Well cake gods, I got the message. It's chocolate cake with cocoa frosting for me from here on out!

This recipe is very simple. 10 minutes, five ingredients, one bowl, and pure chocolate heaven! Just make sure your butter is at room temperature before you get started.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa and powdered sugar. With the mixer on low speed, add cocoa and powdered sugar mixture to the butter. The frosting will look very dry and clumpy at this point. Add the milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, until frosting reaches spreadable, smooth consistency. Scrape the sides of the bowl and whip with the mixer speed on high for 1-2 minutes more. 

There you have it! Frost a cake, cupcakes, or spread on graham crackers.

Cocoa Frosting 

recipe by Sweet & Savory

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter, room temperature

3 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup cocoa

4 cups powdered sugar 

8 Tbsp milk 

Directions:

    

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together cocoa and powdered sugar. 

With the mixer on low speed, add cocoa and powdered sugar mixture to the butter. The frosting will be clumpy and dry at this point. Add milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, until frosting becomes smooth and spreadable. You may not use all 8 Tbsp.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and beat for 1-2 minutes more. This recipe yields enough frosting for a 2 layer cake with extra for spreading between a few graham crackers.

Peanut Butter Layer Cake

I survive on a steady stream or Diet Dr. Pepper and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. There are always Reese's miniatures in my freezer and cans of DP in my fridge. Everyone has those snacks they never tire of, those that fall into the daily "pick me up" category, and these are mine. I'm experimenting with candy bar themed cake flavors for a friend's wedding cake, so naturally, the first candy I was inspired to make into cake form was a Reese's. (I'm feeling Snickers and Skor next) I have a feeling the perfect marriage of chocolate and peanut butter flavors in this cake will be a good luck charm for my friend on her big day!

For this cake, I flavored my go to yellow cake recipe with peanut butter, then frosted the cake with Cocoa Frosting. The actual Reese's candy had to make an appearance, so there are peanut butter cup pieces on top of and in between the layers of the cake. Finally, I whipped up a peanut butter cream to pull the cake together. Since there are multiple components to this recipe, I'll be splitting the cake into 2 posts. It will be worth the wait because this cake is delicious and an interesting take on the standard yellow cake with chocolate frosting. 

**Note on baking at high altitudes: The recipe as written will cause the centers of the cakes to fall at high altitudes. The leavening in the cake batter (baking powder in this case) causes the cake to rise higher at high altitude than at sea level due to the difference in air pressure. During baking, the cake centers rise too high and do not have enough support from the gluten support network (flour) to stay risen. So, they sink in the center leaving the middle of the cake gummy and flat. This problem is easily fixed by decreasing the leavening and increasing the flour. To avoid this, decrease the baking powder to 1 1/2 tsp and increase the flour by 3 Tbsp.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat two 8-inch cake pans with butter and flour.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes on high speed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.

Add vanilla and peanut butter and beat until smooth. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

 
With the stand mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the milk followed by 1/3 of the flour mixture. Repeat alternating additions, incorporating the remainder of the milk and flour mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times, stopping when all the ingredients of the cake batter just come together.

Evenly divide the cake batter between the two buttered and floured cake pans. Tap the pans against the top of the counter 2-3 times to release any air bubbles formed while mixing.

Bake for 25 minutes, until the cakes turn golden brown on top, and the edges of the cake pull away slightly from the cake pan. Let cool 10 minutes in the cake pans, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Frost with Cocoa Frosting and peanut butter cream.

Peanut Butter Layer Cake

cake recipe adapted from How to Boil Water 

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pans, room temperature
1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups flour, plus extra for cake pans
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk, room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla and peanut butter and beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the milk followed by 1/3 of the flour mixture. Repeat alternating additions, incorporating the remainder of the milk and flour mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times, stopping when all the ingredients of the cake batter just come together.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Tap pans a few times on the the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

When cool, frost with Cocoa Frosting and peanut butter cream.