Chocolate cake with brandy ganache

 

This is my go to chocolate cake recipe. Once mastered this cake is a breeze to make. Choose the best couverture chocolate you can afford. Belcolade, Callebaut and Valrhona are my favourite. Just make sure you have everything ready to go before you start, and watch the temperature of the chocolate once melted (body temperature is perfect).

For the cake

  • 360gm dark chocolate

  • 60gm butter

  • 12 eggs separated (careful to get any yolk in the whites)

  • 100g caster sugar in 50gm measures

  • 30 g corn flour (sifted)

  • 30g plain flour (sifted)

Method

  1. Line a 26cm spring form tin with baking paper making sure that there is no overhang

  2. Melt the chocolate over a pot of simmering water, add the butter. Stir till smooth.

  3. In a mixer, or with a whisk, mix the egg yolk and sugar until thick and pale.

  4. Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until soft peaks and then add the sugar.  Whisk until glossy.

  5. Sift the flours together 3 times.

  6. Fold in the slightly cooled chocolate into the yolks.

  7. Add the flours and fold in, careful not to over work.

  8. Now add the whites and gently fold in until all incorporated.

  9. Pour gently into tin and transfer straight to oven.

  10. Bake until well risen and a skewer comes out clean.

  11. Allow the cake to stand in the tin for 10 minutes and then carefully release the edges of the cake and turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

  12. When cool, cut in half.  Top and ice with ganache. 

 
 
 

For the Ganache

  • 300g dark chocolate chopped

  • 250g pure cream

  • 30g butter

  • 30ml brandy

  •  Fresh berries and whipped cream to serve.

 

Method 

  1. Place to chocolate in a metal bowl with butter and brandy.

  2. Heat cream to just under a boil.

  3. Pour on chocolate and allow to stand for 1 minute.

  4. After 1 minute place whisk in the centre of the mixture and stir drawing the mix toward the middle.  When smooth stop and allow to cool until thick. 

  5. To finish. 

  6. Trim edges of cake to make a clean circle and a flat top and bottom.  Cut in half.  The flat bottom will become the top of the cake.

  7. Fill the middle with an even centimetre of ganache. Put the other layer on top and gently push down.  Ganache will come out the sides don’t worry this will be used later.

  8. Place in the fridge and cool. 

  9. With a palate knife push any ganache into the sides of the cake and smooth.. 

  10. Warm ganache if need and pour over cake and carefully smooth sides, chill and top with berries.

 
privatechef, cake recipes, dessert, recipes, sydneyfood, sydney, sydneyprivatechef, foodiesdavid leerecipe, sydneyfoodies, personalchef, foodblogger, foodphotography, cooking, recipeoftheday, foodies, choclatecake, sydneyfood, privatechef, food, cake, cookinglesson, cookery, chocolate