Introduction

Chocolate cake is a delicious dessert that is liked by not only adults but also it is a favorite dessert of children. It is made up with the use of chocolate powder and melted chocolate that gives a luscious flavor. It can be enjoyed in different forms ranging from dense and fudgy to light and airy.

The texture of chocolate cake can vary depending upon the recipes and it can be paired with different frostings and fillings such as chocolate ganache, butter cream, cheese cream and some even use the filling of fruits.

What makes it special?

The specialty of this cake is that it can be customized according to the taste and preference in filling and frosting. One can bring a number of variations like using different flavor frosting cream and filling of fruits and nuts. Which makes the cake special and perfect for each and every occasion. A perfect chocolate cake has a delicate and airy crumb which is wonderfully moist and each bite melts in mouth. It feels light but satisfy the craving for sweet.

So let’s bake the cake together.

Ingredients for sponge

Wet ingredients

• Oil  –  1/2 cup
• Sugar  – 3/2
• Vanilla Essence –  1tsp
• Curd    –  1 cup

Dry ingredients

• Cocoa Powder – 1/4 cup
• All Purpose Flour  -1+1/4 cup
• Baking Powder  –  1tsp
• Baking Soda  – 1/2 tsp

Sugar Syrup

•  Sugar   –  1tbsp
• Water   – 2tbsp

Mix the until they dissolve completely. The measurements should be accurate to get the desired sweetness.

Chocolate Ganache

• Dark chocolate –  200g
• whipping cream –  100g

Mix both the ingredients and heat on low flame, stir them regularly so that they dissolve completely. The temperature should not be too high otherwise it will spoil the  texture of chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Frosting

1. Take 3 cups of heavy whipping cream in a mixing bowl.
2. Add sugar according to your taste (usually 6 tbsp).
3. Add cocoa powder 3-4 tbsp and 5 tbsp of chocolate ganache
4. Beat them using an electric whisker. keep whisking until the cream gives stiff peaks

Instructions

Cake Sponge

1. Take a mixing bowl, add oil and sugar mix them using a hand whisker for around 2-3 minutes until they give the creamy texture.
2. Add vanilla essence and curd to the oil and sugar mixture, give it a gentle mix until they dissolve properly.
3. Add baking powder and baking soda after sifting, mix the batter and leave it on rest for around 2 minutes which will allow baking powder and baking soda to react with curd and the mixture will form bubbles.
4. Now its turn to add cocoa powder and all purpose flour. Do not forget to sift these two main ingredients before adding to the mixture. Add all purpose flour in 3 portions so that it would not create any lumps, mix properly after adding each portion.
5. Grease the pan with butter paper, if you do not have butter paper use oil and dust the pan with all purpose flour.
6. Transfer the cake batter into pan and bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes and 325 degree F or 180 degree C.
7. When the Sponge is cooked perfectly let it cool on a cooling rack for around 15 minutes. Then cut the cake into layers by using the knife or cake leveler.
8. Apply  sugar syrup using a silicon brush and let the syrup completely soaked by the cake.

9.Add one layer of chocolate whipped cream on the cake. Repeat the same step for other two  layers as well and cover the cake with the heavy whipped chocolate cream.

10.Add the chocolate ganache as top layer of the cake and decorate the cake in your style. You can use chocolates, Oreo biscuits and strawberries which go quite well with chocolate cakes.

Time required

• Preparation time – 20 minutes
• Baking time – 40 minutes
• Cooling time – 30 minutes
• Decoration time – 30 minutes
• Total time –  2 hours

Tools required

• Mixing bowl: Different size of mixing bowls are required for mixing of ingredients and whipping the cream.
• Cake pan: To bake the cake sponge.
• Silicon brush: To apply sugar syrup on the sponge evenly.
• Icing spatula: For the icing of cake.
• Oven: To bake the cake
• Electric whisker: To whip the whipping  cream.
• Measuring cups and spoons : It is required to measure the ingredients accurately.
• Hand whisker: To mix the batter gently.
• Parchment paper or butter paper: to line up the baking pan.
• Silicon spatula: To fold the batter from the sides into the mixing bowl.
• Cooling rack: To cool the cake sponge.
• Cake leveler: To cut the layers of cake evenly and smoothly.
• Scraper: To evenly do the icing and frosting of cake.
• Piping bag and tips(optional): To decorate the cake with different designs.
• Weighing machine: To weigh the chocolate and cream for chocolate ganache which is highly essential for the perfect ganache.

Notes

1. All the ingredients should be at room temperature.
2. Always sift all the dry ingredients especially all purpose flour and cocoa powder before adding to the mixture.
3. The prepared batter should be lumps free.
4. Do not forget the grease the pan to prevent it from sticking and for the easy release of the cake sponge from the pan 
5. The cake should be cut into layers only if it is cooled completely.
6. To make the whip cream more stable add 2 sachets of whip it into cream while mixing. It is completely optional.
7. Chocolate ganache should be prepared before the whipping cream.
8. All the measurement should be accurate to get the desired taste, flavor and texture of the cake.
9. Do not overmix the batter otherwise it will make the cake tough.
10. Avoid opening the door of oven while baking. The changes in heat may make the cake sink from the middle.
11. The best whipping cream is Rich’s ON TOP which is already sweet in taste you do not need to add more sugar. However if you are using any other unsweetened heavy whipping cream, just balance the sweetness using the measurements mentioned above.
12. You can bring variations in decoration by using different tips or cookies on the top.

Frosting Ideas:

There are different kinds of frostings you can use for your cake to elevate its appearance and taste as well. which are:

• Chocolate Ganache
• Whipped Cream
• Butter Cream
• Cream Cheese
• Fondant
• Chocolate Sour Cream
• Salted Caramel Buttercream