Saturday, May 16, 2009

Chocolate-Cherry Cake with Chocolate Ganache Icing .....

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I wanted to give a surprise to my hubby on his birthday yesterday and spent an entire week thinking about what to do. I finally came up with the idea of baking a CAKE and decorating it myself at home . My mission started two days before his birthday and first I made a list of things I should be buying for him :) of course with his money !!. I spent an entire day shopping clothes and gifts for him and the next day baking the cake and decorating it.

I have baked several types of cakes before but have never done the icing part myself and so I was a bit skeptical on whether I would be able to do it or not. I was though quite keen to do it this time around given the occasion. I browsed several websites and this decoration done by Deeba caught my attention,OMG I just love her creations. I thought I would give this a try as it sounded simple and looked very nice and a perfect decoration for a beginner like me i.e. the room for error was very less :). I baked the cake following the recipe from Nita Mehta's Cakes book and decorated the cake by following our Passionate baker Deeba.

I followed the same method and measurement for the cake as mentioned in Nita Mehta's recipe and the cake came out perfect and moist. As I was doing the icing for the first time I was very careful during the process of making it and the end result was better than what I expected. I should thank Deeba to explain such a simple process of decorating a cake which can be attempted even by a beginner like me.Even though it is not that perfect I was quite happy at my first attempt...hmmm....isn't that cute for a first try ??

When hubby saw the cake he couldnt' believe that I made it at home. It tasted like Black Forest cake but with a different icing on top...


Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Sponge:
4 Large Eggs
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
3/4 Cup Oil
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Vanilla Essence

For the Cream Filling:
200 gms /cream -chilled
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar(approx)
1 tsp vanilla Essence

For the Sugar syrup:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
4 to 5 drops of lemon(optional)

For Chocolate Ganache:
100 gms Cream(I used Amul)
150 gms Dark cooking chocolate chopped(approx 1 1/2 cups)

For decoration:
100 gms Chocolate
1 Pack of cherries
12-15 Almonds

Method:

Sponge:
  1. Grease an 8" round tin.Dust lightly with flour or line a tin with baking parchment and grease paper and sides as well.
  2. Sift flour,cocoa and baking powder together.
  3. Separate the Egg whites from the yolks.
  4. Beat Egg white in a clean dry bowl till fluffy.Add sugar gradually,beating till thick,fluffy and retains shape.
  5. Beat in the yolks and essence till thick and fluffy again.Add oil gradually and beat till well.
  6. Fold in flour gently with wooden or metal spoon by sprinkling evenly in 2-3 batches.
  7. pour mixture into tin and level the top.Tap the tin lightly to get rid of any large air bubbles.Bake in preheated Oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
  8. Insert Knife or skewer in centre of cake,if it comes out clean,remove tin from oven.After 5 minutes,remove cake from tin on a wire rack and leave to cool.

Cream Filling:

Beat Cream till thick.Add powdered sugar and essence and beat carefully till the cream is very thick and can stand in soft peaks.put some in a cone(made up of butter paper) and keep it in the fridge.Keep the rest of the cream also in the fridge.


Sugar syrup:

Boil water along with sugar until it forms a nice syrupy liquid,strain the water and let it cool.Add lemon juice to it and mix and keep it in fridge.


Chocolate Ganache:

Heat the cream in a heavy bottom pan on low heat till it becomes hot.Do not let it boil.Add chocolate pieces to it and cook until the chocolate melts.Mix nicely to remove any lumps.Remove from fire when almost melted and mix well.Let it cool.


For decoration:
  • Grate the chocolate at room temperature by applying some pressure either into curls or big choc shavings and keep them in freezer to harden up.
  • Chop the cherries finely for the filling and reserve some for the decoration
  • Blanch the Almonds in hot water and remove the skin.Cut it into very thin pieces.




Assembling the cake:
  • Cut the Cake into two or three pieces depending on the height of your cake.
  • Place a cake on the serving platter.Place the butter paper along the sides from the platter so that it can be removed once the process is completely done.
  • Soak with 1/4 cup sugar syrup.Spread some cream filling on cake.Arrange some chopped cherries on the cream and cover those with the other piece of cake.Soak cake again with 1/4 cup syrup and repeat the process and place the last slice of the cake.
  • Apply the chocolate ganache from the sides of the cake and then pour it on the top,as it has the pouring consistency it will flow smoothly and spread all over the cake.Give a touch up if anything is needed until the cake is completely covered with the ganache.
  • Attach the thin Almond slices onto the sides of the cake very carefully.
  • Take out the bag of whipped cream from the fridge, snip off the corner and make a spiral from the centre outwards.Take a tooth pick and drag it once from the center and once to the center to create a marble effect.You can see the detailed procedure of this process from deeba's blog.
  • Arrange the halved cherries on the edges and decorate with chocolate shavings.
  • Chill it for 3 to 4 hrs before serving.The cake tastes better on the next day.


69 comments:

Parita said...

OMG the cake looks deliciously inviting..m sure ur hubby must have been very happy :) wishing him a very happy bday...

Vishali said...

thats a wonderful cake ....and wishing ur husband a very happy birthday Pratibha....

Gita Jaishankar said...

Wow, the cake looks so moist and delicious, looks like a professional work Prathibha :)

Pooja said...

Oh my..it looks fabulous!! I'm spellbound! No one would ever say that this was your first attempt with frosting! Looks absolutely delicious and perfect for the occasion! No wonder your hubby was awestruck!

Pavithra Elangovan said...

OMG thats looking fabulous...Hey u did not tell me its his b'day yest.. Thats wonderful dear.. No words to say its looking so professional.Any happy b'day to him.

Cham said...

U ve done a great job, the icing and decoration is perfect!

Padma said...

Lovely cake dear... looks so wonderful... cannot say that u r fresher in decorating ... it has come so good... and belated wishes to ur hubby... he sure would have been surprised looking at this amazing cake ... u did a nice work :D

Sakshi said...

You went all the way to do this for him...so sweet of you. I can only do the first part you did - go shopping for a week and get gifts for him and me on his bday..But what to do that somehow doesn't bring joy on his face :)

Must say your cake doesn't look like you tried icing for the first time...gorgeous!

Thanks for coming by my blog

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Awesome cake. Beautiful decoration. Love it.

Vrinda said...

Cake looks so rich and chocolatey..lovely decoration Pratibha

Finla said...

Wow beautiful. I am so bookmarking this cake, as i love chocoolate cakes and my daughter too.
Beautiful and delicous.

saffronapron.blogspot.com said...

WOnderful cake. How did u get those white rings on the ganache???

Lavanya Siva said...

Hi, thanks for visiting my blog. You too have a wonderful blog. Nice collection of recipe. Really nice clicks too. The cake looks perfect and nice decoration too.

Dhanya Ganesh said...

Looks so yummy and moist.You did an awesome job with the decorations.

Bombay Foodie said...

This is really your first time icing a cake! It looks so nice.

Pooja said...

Looking gorgeous Prathibha..Great job..

Priya Suresh said...

Woww Prathibha, u made a gorgeous cake and its very professional, can take my eyes!, Belated birthday wishes to ur better half!

Nandinis food said...

Wow! Cake looks exceptional! I got struck with awe! :DDDDDD

Unknown said...

wow.. really excellant.. great effort dear.. yummy cake.. great clicks

A_and_N said...

The cake looks so pretty!

Anonymous said...

Beautifully decorated cake - I love the combination of chocolate and cherries!

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

Lovely cake... Your hubby must have been thrilled!
Everything is just perfect

Vibaas said...

Belated wishes to your husband! The cake looks perfect! Great job!

chef and her kitchen said...

Thank you all for your lovely words and wishes...

Suparna said...

Hi pratibha,
whoa...what gorgeous looking cake, am sure it's worth all the effort and love u've put in to bake and decorate it :) :)
Belated wishes to ur hubby. He musta been floored by ur wonderful preparation :) Enjoy!!
Happy weekend
tc

anudivya said...

Prathiba, are you sure that is edible??
It looks like a piece of art!!! My my, you sure did give your husband a great cake on his birthday. Love the decorations.

Renus Kitchen said...

Wonderful recipe and a very professional look...Kudos to you

phanitha said...

tempting....very well decorated...

CurryLeaf said...

Amazing and PERFECT CAKE.I too had seen Deebas Cake and had loved the frosting as well.Yours is truly a great work of art.I always shy away from frosting.

Unknown said...

cake looks awesome..you have decorated it so beautifully...simply love it!!!

Unknown said...

wow what a cake simply superb so professionaly decorated. good job

Yasmeen said...

You sure know how to pamper a loved one,congrats... the cake looks fantastic:)

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Cake looks delicious, soft and yummy

chef and her kitchen said...

Thank you all for those lovely encouraging comments...:)

Shreya said...

Hi Prathibha, amazing cake! grt decoration..love the piece of cake pic:-)

Sujatha said...

thats an artistic presentation prathibha! great birthday gift for your husband! looks lovely..

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

this cake looks like, it is baked by a professional and an expert... great job.

Ashwini said...

wow that is one drooling cake. So tempting and delicious. Nice hand made gift. Belated wishes to your hubby.

Lena Jayadev said...

wow......awesome cake...nice presentation and excellent snap...

thank you for visiting my blog prathiba...now you should come often...

Unknown said...

Very pretty! Am planning to make a similar cake for my hubby's bday next week too!

chef and her kitchen said...

Thank you all..:)

Deeba PAB said...

Thank you for the kind words my dear, but it's all your effort & it looks WONDERFUL!! Well done indeed. Love how neatly it's sliced too. Happy belated birthday to your hub!! Much love Deeba

Ammu said...

Lovely cake. Perfectly baked.

chef and her kitchen said...

@Deeba Thanks a lot for visiting my blog and passing those lovely comments...

@Ammu Thanks for visiting my blog lol..

Padma said...

Prathibha visit my blog dear... I have something for u :)
http://padmasrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/05/bread-upma.html

Savi-Ruchi said...

OMG.., perfect cake Prathibha..
I am yet to bake a cake :p
Belated birthday wishes to your hubby.

Raks said...

WOw! pretty looking cake prathiba!! Lovely it is! And step wise picture will be very helpful ! Thanks for sharing!

Dharani Jagadeesh said...

Wow wat a lovely cake with excellent decoration..very nice prathibha... i feel like takin a bite :)

Anonymous said...

Lovely cake.nice presentation.

Saritha said...

Lovely cake,too tempting and mouth watering :)
btw belated wishes to ur hubby :)))

Laavanya said...

Cake looks awesome.. am sure your husband was thrilled with your thoughtful gifts :)

Indian Khana said...

Wow...what a lovely cake..looks so yummy..nice pics

Unknown said...

Very lovely cake, looks like a store bought one. Belated birthday wishes to your hubby.

Parita said...

hey pratibha..have something special for you on blog..pls do visit :)

KavyaNaimish said...

cake luks juicy n delicious....wana have it now...

Uma said...

Wow, wonderful cake Prathibha! You've great talent in decorating the cake, look so professional. Belated happy birthday wishes to your hubby :)

ARUNA said...

that cake looks awesome Prathibha......and the presentation is just excellent!!

chef and her kitchen said...

Thank you sushma,varunavi,Lavanya,uma,Aruna,priti,A2z for your words and wishes.

@Raks, Thanks for visiting my blog..

@Kavya Thanks for visiting my blog n passing those lovely words.

@Dharani Thanks a lot hal for viisting my blog..would like to see u often here,...

@Padma and @Parita Thank you gals for thinking of me and passing that award to me..

Anonymous said...

Wow...this looks gorgeous! I am sure your hubby must have been very happy!

Subhie Arun said...

awesome cakes yar...

AnuSriram said...

Looks wonderful.. Beautiful decoration!

SJ said...

Oh wow!! Layered cake with icing and decorations!! Your hubby must have been very happy!

jayasree said...

Cake looks gorgeous. And the decor on th cake is so professional. Can't believe its ur first time though. Good job.

Purva Desai said...

This looks marvelous and gorgeous dear......can I grab a bite :)

chef and her kitchen said...

Thank you homcooked,subhie,jayasri,purva

@SJ Thanks for visiting my blog lol..WOuld like to c u here often ...

Soma said...

Absolutely gorgeous! It did look like a blackforest & its my favorite cake.. my hubby buys blackforest for me every bday:-D.. from The Indian Hot Breads here.. Awesome work of art!
Soma(www.ecurry.com)

chef and her kitchen said...

Thank you soma for visiting my blog n passing those lovely comments..

Srikitchen said...

the cake looks looks so gorgeous and delightful!
u have mentioned measurement in cups
may i know how much will the cup hold
approximately can u plz tell me how many gms of flour will that cup hold

Unknown said...

Hi Prathibha,your cake looks fantastic.One thing I have to ask you is,where did you buy the cooking chocolate?And what brand was it?

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