South Africa's Supreme Chocolate Cake Recipe for a Taste Sensation

• When was the last time you enjoyed a chocolate cake recipe? Well, this cake is quite delicious, and it is the king of chocolate cakes.
• Owing to its reputation and nutritious value, the mere mention of variants like the easy moist chocolate cake recipe quickly sends people’s salivary juices flowing.
• Nikki Symons, owner and creative director of Sweet LionHeart, shared the secrets to a perfectly smooth chocolate ganache.

Image: pexels.com, pixabay.com (modified by author) Source: UGC

After buying cakes all your life, perhaps it is time that you tried making them by yourself. Making a chocolate cake is easy, but the question you may have to answer first is what’s the secret to a moist cake? Below are some simple cake recipes that you can make right from the comfort of your kitchen.

Tip from a professional baker

Nikki Symons – owner and creative director of Sweet LionHeart, an online bakery in Cape Town – shared with Briefly.co.za the secrets to a perfectly smooth chocolate ganache.

Chocolate ganache is a versatile and luxurious topping or filling for desserts, and achieving a perfectly smooth texture is essential.

Here are some tips to successful chocolate ganache making:

• Quality ingredients: start with good-quality chocolate and fresh cream for the best results. Use chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 60% for a rich flavour.
• Proper ratios: the ratio of chocolate to cream is crucial for achieving the right consistency. For a thick ganache suitable for filling or piping, use equal parts chocolate and cream. For a pourable ‘glaze’, use more cream than chocolate.
• Proper emulsification: heat the cream until it’s just below boiling, then pour it over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes before stirring to allow the chocolate to melt gradually. Stir gently and consistently to emulsify the mixture – I like to submerge a stick blender into the mixture for about 45 seconds to ensure it’s extra silky smooth!
• Straining: for an extra smooth ganache, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps or air bubbles.
• Proper storage: pour your ganache into a container with a lid making sure to contact wrap it, allowing the mixture to cool at room temperature before putting on the lid and storing it in the fridge. Keep in the fridge for up to one week and allow to sit at room temperature until it warms up to the desired consistency.

The moist chocolate cake recipe

• Preparation Time: 15 minutes
• Cooking Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• Two eggs
• A three-quarter teaspoon of salt
• One and a half teaspoons of baking soda
• One and three-quarter cups of all-purpose flour
• Two cups of granulated white sugar
• A half a cup of melted butter
• One tablespoon of vanilla extract
• A three-quarter cup of cocoa powder (Unsweetened)
• One cup of buttermilk
• One cup of hot coffee. You can also use two tablespoons of instant coffee in a cup of boiling water.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour baking pans (Nine inches each) and set them aside.
2. Stir together the baking soda, salt, cocoa, sugar, and flour in a sizable standing mixer bowl. You can then add melted butter, vanilla extract, buttermilk, and eggs. Beat it for 3 minutes or until smooth and then remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in your hot coffee using a rubber spatula. The mixture will be runny.

Image: youtube.com, gifs.com (modified by author) Source: UGC

3. Pour the runny batter equally into the two pans, and then for approximately thirty-five minutes, bake on the middle rack of the oven. You have to bake until the toothpick sticking in at the center comes out with little or no moist crumbs attached to it.

4. Let it cool for fifteen minutes in the pans and then run a butter knife on the edges of your cakes.

5. Take a wire cooling rack and place it over the top of each pan. Wear oven mitts, and then, using both hands, hold the racks well in place as you flip the cakes over onto the racks.

6. Settle the racks down and thump on the bottom of your pans until the cakes release.

7. Allow them to cool thoroughly before frosting or handling.

The easy chocolate cake recipe

There are numerous easy cake recipes for anyone ambitious to make chocolate cakes. Somehow, this easy chocolate cake looks even much easier to make.

Ingredients

You need ingredients for a cake and icing.

Cake ingredients

• 250 ml of boiling water
• 225 grams of plain flour
• Two eggs
• 125 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• One and a half teaspoons of royal baking powder
• 350 grams of castor sugar
• 85 grams of cocoa powder
• 125ml of vegetable oil
• One and a half teaspoons of baking powder
• One and a half teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda.
• 250ml of milk

The chocolate icing ingredients

• 200ml double cream
• 200 grams plain chocolate

Method

1. Preheat your oven to about 180 °C. Grease and line two sandwich tins measuring 20 cm/8 inches.
2. Place all the cake ingredients into a sizable mixing bowl. Do not include the boiling water in this original mix.
3. Use an electric whisk or a wooden spoon to beat the mixture until it is smooth and thoroughly combined.
4. Take the boiling water and add it to the mixture, small measures at a time.
5. Pour the cake batter into the sandwich tin in equal measures and then bake them for about 30 minutes. Just ensure that the top is firm to the touch.
6. Pull the cakes out of the oven and then set aside to cool while still in their tins. This is before you do the icing.
7. You can now make the chocolate icing. Heat the cream and chocolate in a saucepan over minimal heat until you melt the chocolate. Take the pan off the heat and beat the mixture until it is smooth and looks thick. Put it aside and allow it to cool for one or two hours.
8. For you to assemble the cake, take a round-bladed knife and run it inside the tins to loosen the cupcakes and then remove them carefully from the tins.
9. Spread some bit of chocolate icing over one cake and then take the other cake and place it on the icing.

Image: youtube.com, gifs.com (modified by author) Source: UGC

10. Move the cake to the serving plate and then use a palette knife to ice it with the chocolate icing.

The best chocolate cake recipe

This is one of the simplest chocolate cake recipes ever.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time 45 mins

Ingredients

• Two cups of all-purpose flour
• One teaspoon of espresso powder
• One cup of boiling water
• A half a cup of melted coconut oil or vegetable canola oil
• One and a half teaspoons of baking soda
• Two teaspoons of baking powder
• A three-quarter cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• Two cups of sugar
• One teaspoon of salt
• One cup of milk, coconut milk (or almond) and buttermilk
• Two sizable eggs
• Two teaspoons of vanilla extract
• Chocolate butter-cream frosting recipe

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare two cake pans that are nine-inch each by spraying them with a baking spray. You can also butter and flour them lightly.
2. Add espresso powder, cocoa, baking soda, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt to a large stand mixer bowl.
3. Whisk to ensure it is thoroughly combined.
4. Add the milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix them until they are well combined. Lower the mixing speed and then add boiling water until the batter is well combined.
5. Empty equal portions of the batter in the cake pans and then cook for approximately 30 minutes.
6. Pull it out of the oven and allow it cool for about 15 minutes.
7. Remove them from the pan and be patient for them to cool completely.
8. Frost it with a chocolate butter-cream frosting.

Image: youtube.com, gifs.com (modified by author) Source: UGC

With the above three recipes, you are fully equipped with chocolate cake ideas to fulfil one of your kitchen dreams.

What is the basic formula for ganache?

The basic formula for ganache is a simple combination of chocolate and cream. The ratio of chocolate to cream can vary depending on the desired consistency and purpose of the ganache.

• Chocolate: typically, high-quality chocolate is used, either in the form of bars, chips, or couverture chocolate.
• Cream: heavy cream, also known as whipping cream, is the most commonly used type of cream in ganache recipes. The fat content in heavy cream contributes to the smooth and creamy texture of ganache.

The consistency of ganache can be adjusted by altering the ratio of chocolate to cream. A higher proportion of chocolate will result in a firmer ganache, while a higher proportion of cream will yield a softer, more pourable ganache. Ganache can be used in various ways, from a pourable glaze to a thicker frosting or filling.

Does chocolate ganache go hard?

Yes, chocolate ganache can become firm or hard when it cools and solidifies. The hardness of ganache depends on the ratio of chocolate to cream and the temperature at which it is allowed to set. If you want a softer ganache, you can use a higher proportion of cream.

How to substitute heavy cream for ganache?

If you need to substitute heavy cream in a ganache recipe, you can use alternatives such as:

• Milk: while not as rich as heavy cream, whole milk can be used as a substitute. Keep in mind that the ganache might be less creamy and slightly thinner.
• Coconut milk: can be used for a dairy-free option, imparting a subtle coconut flavor to the ganache.

When substituting, it’s important to consider that the flavor and texture of the ganache may vary based on the choice of alternative.