I did take pictures of the cake without any other accessories as we were going to have friends over that evening. But for the two loves of my life I had to make it more special with cute little fondant toppers.
See the end of the recipe to find out what they were and why :)
I have always loved the recipes that Stephany from Joy Of Baking makes, they are awesomely simple and quick too. And since I am always with an eye on the clock, it couldn't have gotten better than this.
PREP TIME BAKING TIME BAKING TEMPERATURE SERVES | 10 - 15 Minutes 30 Minutes 180 deg Centigrade 8 - 10 people |
INGREDIENTS Refined Flour Sugar Coco Powder Baking Powder Baking Soda Salt Butter Water Lemon Juice Vanilla Essence | QUANTITY 1.5 Cup / 195 gms 1 Cup / 200 gms , granulated 1/4th cup / 25 gms (I have used the Cadbury Brand) 1 tsp 3/4 tsp 1/4 tsp 75 gms , unsalted 250 ml 1 tbsp 1 tsp |
Pre heat the oven to 180 Degrees Centigrade.
Prepare the cake mould. If you are using a tin mould, then line it with butter paper, this would prevent the cake from sticking to the pan and burning, or smelling
And wet ones - Warm water , lemon juice, melted butter and vanilla essence.
You can melt the butter in the microwave, or keep the container with the butter in hot water, or melt the butter on the gas flame.
Pass it through the strainer into the bowl, this ensures that all the lumps have been broken down.
Once the coco powder has been strained through, mix the dry ingredients well with a balloon whisk.
Add the melted butter, lemon juice and the warm water with vanilla essence to the bowl.
Do not over mix the batter as that would form gluten in the batter.
Pour the batter into the cake mould and pat the container lightly on the counter to release any trapped bubbles in the batter.
Bake the cake for 30 minutes in the pre-heated oven.
Once the cake is ready, if you touch the center of the cake it should spring back instantly. Or if you prick it with a toothpick, the toothpick should come clean out of the cake.
Allow the cake to cool and in the mean while make the Ganache for the icing.
Once the Ganache has cool to room temperature, it thickens to an almost toothpaste like consistency. I like handling it at this consistency as spreading it on the cake gives it a beautiful and slightly uneven look.
Once the cake has been frosted, refrigerating it would make the frosting harden even more. Before serving it you can microwave it for 10-20 seconds and that should bring back the Ganache to a nice shiny soft texture.
But if you are going to serve the cake right away, then just pour the Ganache over the cake while its still in the pan and it can be served as it is.
And the tiny little cameras are for my husband. He is a photographer :)