Chocolate Ganache Cake Recipe
Moist and tender cake topped with ganache frosting
Servings 8 or 9-inch pan
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup Chopped semi-sweet dark chocolate (60g/2oz)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 2/3 Cup Hot coffee (160ml)
- 1/3 Cup Sour cream, at room temperature (80ml)
- 1 1/4 Cup Unbleached all-purpose flour (150g/3oz)
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder (50g/2oz)
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 7 Tablespoons Unsalted butter, at room temperature (100g/3.5oz)
- 1/4 Cup Vegetable oil (60ml)
- 1 Cup Light brown sugar (200g/7oz)
- 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 1/3 Cup Dark chocolate chopped (225 g / 8 oz)
- 1 Cup Heavy cream (240ml)
- 1/4 Cup Dark brown sugar (56 g / 2 oz)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340F (165C) and line an 8-inch or 9-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Pour the hot coffee over the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder, in a medium bowl. Give it a minutes or two to sit, then gently stir until smooth.
- Mix in the sour cream and set aside.
- mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the butter, oil, and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, waiting for the first egg to be fully incorporated before adding the next.
- Lower the speed to low, then add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the cocoa mixture.
- Once you added the last portion of the flour, turn the mixer off and use a rubber spatula to incorporate any chocolate residue.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, use an offset spatula to smooth the top, and bake for 38-45 minutes if using an 8-inch, or 35-40 minutes if using a 9-inch.
Making The Ganache
- Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.
- Over the stove, heat the cream and sugar to a simmer while stirring.
- Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and set aside for about 5 minutes.
- Slowly stir the chocolate and cream until smooth and shiny.
- Let cool. As it cools it will get a paste-like texture.
Notes
- Make sure the ingredients are all at room temperature.
- Use hot water or warm milk instead of coffee.
- For straight edges, only grease the bottom of the pan, then run a knife through the sides of the pan to remove from pan.
- You can bake in two 8-inches pans for a layer cake or three 6-inches pans.
- To make a tall layer cake, double the recipe.
- For a thick ganache, follow the recipe.
- For a thin ganache, double the amount of cream by 50-100%.
- For a gluten-free option, use 1:1 gluten-free flour.
- To bake a dairy-free recipe, use vegan chocolate, vegan butter, and unsweetened apple sauce instead of sour cream.