Great Chocolate Cake

This is a super yummy recipe for a chocolate cake. The “ganache icing” is amazing, I always have extra icing and have to save it for Chris because he would kill me if I threw it away! You will need some spring-form pans (2), to make your life easier when making this cake. It is a lot of fun to make, but does take some time and artistic skill (but you are an artist!). Have fun with it. Jazz up the decorations on the top. I make this cake pretty much every year for Chris’ birthday!

ingredients

Cake

5 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups flour
2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup of milk, at room temperature

Ganache Icing

18 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped *Ghirardelli is the best!
1 and 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup of raspberry jam
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
pinch of salt
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

directions

Cake

1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2
Lightly butter 2 - 9" round cake pans (spring-form pans are best). Line the bottoms of the pans with circles of baking parchment or wax paper. Dust the sides of the pans with flour and tap out the excess.
3
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate on High for 1 to 2 minutes until melted, stirring halfway through. Set the chocolate aside to cool to room temperature for 10 minutes.
4
In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder and salt together with a whisk.
5
In another large bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until combined.
6
Beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract. One at a time, add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and milk in thirds, beating until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and spread evenly.
7
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean.
8
Transfer the pans to a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake layers onto the rack and cool completely.

Icing

1
Place chocolate into a large bowl. In a saucepan, bring the cream, raspberry jam, butter and salt just to a boil. Pour contents of saucepan over the chocolate and let it stand for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth, then mix in the vanilla extract.
2
Cover with plastic wrap and let the frosting thicken overnight at room temperature or refrigerate it for no longer then 1 1/2 hours. **I put it in the freezer for about 45 minutes and it is fine, you just want it to thicken

Assembling the Cake

1
Place a layer of cake on cake dish and frost the first layer.
2
Carefully place the second layer on top of the first layer, frost and use the frosting to combine the layer to look like one cake.
3
You are pretty much done here, but usually I add chocolate chips all along the side of the cake. Decorate as you feel fit!