Chocolate Pound Cake

I live with a bunch of chocoholics. If there's even an ounce of chocolate in something it won't last more than a day to two. So, just imagine the bug-eye's I got when they came home to find a chocolate pound cake, with chocolate ganache and fudge buttercream. Yeah, it was like Christmas!

Chocolate Pound Cake

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup Cake & Pastry Flour

1 tsp Salt

3/4 cup Cocoa Powder

2 oz Semi-Sweet Bakers Chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup Boiling Water

1 cup Butter, softened

1 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

5 large Eggs

6 Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325*F.  Grease and flour a 9 x 5 cake pan.

2. Sift together flour & salt in a separate bowl (not your mixing bowl) and set aside.

3. In another bowl add the chopped chocolate and pour the boiling water over it. Stir until the chocolate is melted, then add the cocoa powder.  Mix well.

4. In your mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar until light & fluffy.  Slowly pour in the chocolate and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between.

5. Slowly add the flour, remembering to periodically scrap down sides of the bowl. Once all the flour is mixed in pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.  While the cake is cooling prepare the ganache.

Ganache Ingredients:

3 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  Once melted whisk in the heavy cream until silky smooth.

2. Pour over the top of the cake and use a cake spatula to push it over the edges for a nice dripping effect.

3. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set the ganache. Prepare the fudge buttercream.

Chocolate Fudge Buttercream

1 3/4 cups Icing Sugar

1/4 cup Cocoa Powder

1/4 cup Butter, softened

3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed

1/2 cup Half & Half Cream

2 oz Semi-sweet Baker's Chocolate

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/4 tsp Salt

Directions:

1. Sift together the icing sugar and cocoa powder and set aside.

2. In a small sauce pan heat, over medium-low, 2 tbsp of the butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of the half & half, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles form around the edges. 

3. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer, continue stirring frequently until the mixture thickens slightly and turns a deep gold colour.  

4. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the remaining butter and half & half, mixing well.  Slowly whisk in the icing sugar mixture.  Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.  Cool in the fridge until the desire consistency is reached.

5. Pipe a nice design around the cake and add the chocolate covered coffee beans.

Stay Sweet!

Tammy

The Best Buttercream

Have you ever had to suffer through a grocery store birthday cake?  While the cake itself isn't that bad, what the heck do they make the icing out of? Pure vegetable shorting? Whatever it is,it doesn't taste good at all!  Here's a recipe that I hope you'll use for all your frosting needs.  It's creamy, not too sweet, easy to work with and holds up well in high humidity.

The Best Buttercream

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Vegetable Shortening

1/2 cup Butter, softened

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

4 cups Icing (Confectioners) Sugar, sifted

2 tbsp Milk

1 tsp Cornstarch

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine the shortening and butter with an electric mixer until light & fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well.

2. Slowly add the sugar.  I sift it in about 1/2 cup at a time.  Mixing well in between.  Remember to scrap the sides & bottom of the bowl often. Once all the sugar has been combined the mixture will appear dry

3. In a small bowl stir the milk and cornstarch together until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add to the icing and mix on medium speed until light & fluffy.  Add any colouring at this point and decorate your heart out.

NOTES:  

             1.To change up the flavour a bit and to match your cake flavour feel free to substitute the vanilla for almond, orange, or mint extracts.

             2. This recipe will nicely cover a two layer cake.  If you're having more than two layers or have extensive piping/decorating plans I suggest doubling the recipe.  The cake pictured is 3 layers with thick icing in between the layers and light piping. I used a double recipe and had very little left over.

            3. This pink icing pictured is strawberry flavoured and not tinted at all.  I added a 1/4 cup of strawberry puree to about a 1 1/2 cups of the finished icing.  If you add a puree to your icing you may need to add more icing sugar to it just to keep the firmness.

Stay Sweet!

Tammy