Two-Layer Chocolate Cake

Okay, by now it is no secret that I love chocolate!  I love chocolate cookies, chocolate candy, chocolate icecream, and definitely chocolate cake!  The chocolate issue of the Food Network Magazine came out in February.  I saw this cake and showed it to Will.  It quickly was put in the queue to make on one of our cooking date nights.  It took us several hours but we did it!  And it looks just like the magazine's picture!  We were so proud of oursevles!  We conquered a Ron Ben Israel (Sweet Genius) cake!  (Keeping it real, we did totally screw up the ganache the first time and Will was sent to the grocery store to re-buy the ganache ingredients.  Luckily,the second time was the charm!)

We were hosting some friends, and I knew she loved chocolate as much as me!  Perfect opportunity to make this again; I have wanted another piece of the above cake since I took the last bite of the last piece!  I decided to cut the recipe in half, only two layers and no chocolate bark garnish.  Just a chocolate cake with icing. 

Something I don't do normally, I am going to show you in pictures what I did.  The exact recipe will follow.  I want a stand mixer.  Every time Pioneer Woman does a give-away, I just know that I will win it!  So far, no luck.  Instead, I am the standing mix-er.  I don't have a fancy icing spatula.  I don't have a cake turntable.  Just the standard things that we were given as wedding gifts!  If I can make the Sweet Genius's cake, so can you!

First, mix the batter.  Taste the batter.  And, amazed at how good cake batter tastes, taste the batter one more time.  Pour in cake pans.  I dare you to not taste the batter again.  Bake.  Lick anything that touched the cake batter.

Make the ganache (I forgot a picture of the ganache.  Imagine a pot on the stove with heavy cream heating, then added chocolate.  A silky, dark, chocolate-y pot of loveliness.)  Reserve half of the ganache and whip the other half. 

Now, assemble the cake.  (Ben-Israel suggests magi-cake strips to help the cake bake evenly.  Because I don't have those, I tried to cut off the dome of the cake that I used as the bottom layer.)

Bottom layer - Whipped Ganache - Top layer - Silky, dark ganache

Did you just try to put your finger in that drip of ganache?  I did too.  Writing this post makes me need this again.

Yes, my cake is lop-sided and dome-topped.  But, my cake was quite delicious! 

I hope this inspires you to try something that you think is outside your expertise.  Baking is not in my comfort zone, but with this success, I just may try a few more baking adventures!

The recipe follows.  Thank you Ron Ben-Israel for giving us chef-wanna-be's an attainable recipe!  (I am giving you the already cut in half version.)

For the cake

- cooking spray

- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used cake flour both times.) plus more for dusting

- 1 cup hot strong coffee

- 3/4 cups natural unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tbsp baking soda

- 1/2 tbsp baking powder

- 2 cups sugar

- 2 large eggs

- 1/2 cup vegetable oil

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the ganache

- 3/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate (I just used 12 ounces, one bag, of semisweet chocolate chips.)

- 1 2/3 cups heavy cream

Preate the oven to 350 degrees.  Fold a large sheet of parchment paper in half; put a 10-in round cake pan on top.  Trace the cake pan, then cut out the circle to make two rounds of parchment.  Spray two 10-inch cakepans with cooking spray; fit a parchment round into each.  Spray the pans again, then dust with flour and tap out the excess.  (I used two pans so that I wouldn't have to cut one in half, but you could use just one cake pan.)

Pour the coffee into a liquid measuring cup or bowl; whisk in the cocoa powder.  Put the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer; mix with the paddle attachment on low speed, 1 minute.  Add the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla, and 1 cup water; beat on medium speed, 2 minutes.  Reduce the speed to low; beat in the coffee-cocoa mixture in a slow stream until combined.  The batter will be thin.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans.  Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour.  Let cool.

Heat the cream to just boiling.  Remove from heat.  Add the chocolate and stir.  Transfer to a bowl and set in a bowl of ice water.  Chill, stirring often, until the ganache is cool but not stiff, about 20 minutes.

Transfer half of the ganache to a bowl and whisk until light brown and fluffy.  Place one layer on the turntable (or cake plate); spoon the whipped ganache on top.  Rotate the turntable to smooth the ganache with a long spatula (or just assemble and frost on a cake plate).   Place other cake half on top of the whipped ganache.  Spread the unwhipped ganache over the top and sides of the cake.