ganache – Scandelights

The most impressive of the three cakes I made for work last week was this very cherry chocolate cake. It is easy to make (even though it might not look it) and it tastes divine.

Just make sure you choose a decent preserve for the filling and to make the ganache thicker than the original recipe suggests.

Very cherry chocolate cake, sreves 12

Translated and adapted from this recipe.

Sponges:

2 eggs

250 ml water

250 ml butter milk or natural yoghurt

125 ml sunflower oil

200 g plain flour

450 g caster sugar

85 g cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Filling:

500 g (2 tubs) mascarpone cheese

300 ml whipping (or double) cream

250 ml cherry preserve

120 g caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Ganache:

100 g dark chocolate

200 ml whipping (or double) cream – halve this

1 tbsp butter

cherries to decorate

Preheat the oven to 175C. Butter three round cake tins, approx 20 cm diameter and line with baking parchment.

Add eggs, water, oil and butter milk/yoghurt in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until incorporated. Add all the dry ingredients in another mixing bowl and mix. Add the dry mixture to the liquid and beat unitil fully incorporated.

Divide the batter between the three cake tins. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about 35 minutes. Leave to cool completely.

Beat mascarpone, cream, sugar and vanilla until a stiff and fluffy cream in a mixing bowl. Add the preserve and stir to combine.

Place one sponge cake on a cake stand and add a layer of filling. Repeat with the other two sponges. Then cover the top and sides of the cake with the filling and spread it even with a spatula.

Melt the chocolate and cream in a saucepan until fully melted and incorporated. Add the butter and leave to cool and thicken. Pour it over the cake and decorate with cherries before serving.

The third cake for work last month was very popular; my colleagues are crazy about almonds.

The recipe for this cake is from a wonderful Swedish food blog called Anne’s food, and yes, it is in English. I made some slight changes to the recipe though, as I couldn’t find any good substitute for the chocolate with nuts in (Marabou’s Schweizernöt). Instead I used regular milk chocolate for the ganache and added some chopped almonds to it as well as some seasalt at the end. Toasted chopped almonds would have been even better, will do that next time.

The salt I used was a vanilla salt from Halen Môn, but using regular Maldon salt is just fine. I was just intrigued to try the vanilla salt. It is black from all the vanilla seeds and taste wonderful.

Almond cake with milk chocolate ganache, chopped almonds and seasalt, serves 8-10

2 eggs

270 g caster sugar

100 g ground almonds

75 g plain flour

100 g butter

Ganache:

200 g milk chocolate

5 tbsp cream

1 tbsp butter

Garnish:

chopped almonds

seasalt

Preheat the oven to 175C. Melt the butter and grease a round cake tin. Beat eggs and suga pale and fluffy with an electric mixer. Add the almonds, flour and butter. Stir to combine properly. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool completely before spreading on the ganache.

Melt the chocolate for the ganache in a saucepan on low heat or in a bain marie. Add the cream and stir, then add the butter and combine. Spread the ganache onto the cake and sprinkle with the almonds. Let it set and sprinkle with salt before serving.