Super Moist (and easy!) Chocolate Cake

We celebrated E's 8 birthday recently, he invited his best buddies from school and requested to have a 2 tier cakes fearing his friends will get enough share of the cake.. lol, how thoughtful of him.

So after some considerations, I decided to combine his request with the letter 8, since it's his 8th birthday day, and here's the final design... A huge "8" moist chocolate cake consists of two 8" round cakes, filled with smooth chocolate ganache.

Added some printed flags.

Centerpiece for the birthday party..

It is rather easy to make, to my surprise. I have been using a different recipe all these while and I thought to try out a different recipe from BBC Food this time, and it was amazingly good! The cake taste even better after keeping overnight in the refrigerator.

See? Moist, fudgy and a consistent density.

Here's the making.

Preparation Time: 30 min

Baking time: 30-40 min

Waiting time: 60min

Assembly time: ~30min

Ingredients:

A) For the Cake

225g plain flour, sifted

300g caster sugar (reduced by 50g)

85g cocoa powder (I used Hersey cocoa)

1½ teaspoon baking powder

1½ teaspoon baking soda

2 medium eggs

250ml fresh milk

125ml vegetable oil

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

250ml boiling water

B) For the Chocolate Ganache 

200g chocolate solid / chocolate chips

200ml double cream / whipped cream

Original chocolate cake recipe adopted & modified from BBC good food.

** the above recipe is for a single 8" cake, if you need 2 cakes like me, just double the ingredients.

The Making:

Baking the cakes

1. Preheat oven to 180°c / 350°f. 

2. Line two 20cm / 8" round baking tins with baking parchment. Spray/spread a thin layer of cooking oil to avoid sticking.

* do note that the batter is very very diluted, so use a proper sandwich tin, or make sure you line carefully with the parchment paper to avoid leakage.

3. In a large mixer bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder evenly, then add the remaining of ingredient A (except the boiling water) into a large mixing bowl. Whisk till the mixture is smooth and well combined.

* I used electronic mixer and turned it on high speed for about 3-5 minutes for the batter to mix thoroughly.

4. Now slowly pour the boiling water into the mixture, a little at a time to ensure the ingredients are well combined and all smooth. 

* The batter is very, very diluted, almost like liquid. So don't panic.;-)

5. Divide the cake batter equally between the baking tins, then bake in the oven's middle tray for 30-40 minutes. If it is still liquid or sticky when tested, bake for another 5 min.

* to test, insert a cake tester into the middle of the cake (as that usually take the longest to bake thru). If the cake is ready, the tester should comes out clean, otherwise just bake for another 5 min and check again.

6. Remove cakes from the oven and allow to cool down completely on a rack while still in the tin.

 

Prepare the Chocolate 

7. While the cake is baking, you may prepare the chocolate ganache. Heat up fresh milk in the microwave oven for about 2 minutes. 

8. Toss the chocolate solid (chopped) or chocolate chips into the bowl of fresh milk. Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted completely and form a smooth texture.

9. Let cool then keep in refrigerator for about 1 hour. The chocolate ganache shall be thickened like peanut butter sauce.

Assemble the cakes

10. Carefully remove the cakes from the tins. Using a cake knife, carefully slice off the uneven top to achieve a flat top, then cut into half of equal height.

11. Spread a generous layer of chocolate ganache over the bottom layer cake, then top with the upper half of the other cake like a sandwich. 

Repeat step 10&11 if you have 2 cakes like me.

To assemble an "8" shape cake like shown above, you have to cut off about 1" from one side of each cakes, and connect them together to form the "8" figure.

• Tips: to ensure the cake stay still on the board, spread a little buttercream / chocolate ganache to the board before placing the cake on top.

12. Move the cake to a cake turner (or a serving plate), spread a generous layer of chocolate ganache then spread out evenly with a palette knife, then continue with the side.

• Tip:  I find it is much easier to spread the chocolate evenly by using a cake turner as I can rotate the cake slowly while I run the palate knife over the cake.

13. That's it, your moist, rich chocolate cake is done! Remember to refrigerate your cake until it's ready to be served..

Enjoy!

Cheers,

PH

Moist Chocolate Orange Marble Cake 香橙巧克力蛋糕

This is a really moist and aromatic butter cake, fresh orange is the key that differentiates it from most store made butter cakes. When the cake is fresh out of the oven, the entire kitchen is filled with tangy fruity scent that even my little boy couldn't resist to ask for a slice of cake!

I have reduced the sugar used in this recipe to make it healthier yet without losing the sweetness. Brown sugar is also used as substitute for the castor sugar as it has added nutrient, molasses, and adds flavors too.

Preparation Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 55 min (or 30-35 minutes if making cupcakes)
Serving for: 10 slices (or 12 cupcakes)

Ingredients:
225g unsalted butter, soften
225g self rising flour
4 eggs
3 Table spoons milk
175g castor / brown sugar
2 table spoon orange juice (about 1/2 medium size orange)
1 teaspoon orange rind, finely chopped
2 Table spoons cocoa powder

Equipment Required:
1 Plastic spatula
1 20 x 4cm round pan or 20 x 10 x 6cm loaf tin
1 piece baking sheet

Step-by-Step Guides:
1. Preheat oven to 160C/180C (gas/fan). Grease the baking pan with butter, follow by a piece of grease proof baking paper (ensure it covers the sides too).
2. Beat butter and sugar in a bowl until creamy, add in egg, one at a time.
3. Then gradually sift in the flour, milk, orange juice and rinds. Mix well.
4. Scoop half of the batter into a clean bowl, add in the cocoa powder, mix well.
5. Pour the plain mixture in step 3 and cocoa mixture in step 4 into the baking pan, one after another. Example, a layer of plain mixture followed by a layer of cocoa mixture. Lightly tap the baking pan on the kitchen top to ensure the bottom layer settled well and is not filled with bubbles.
6. Using a cake skewer (alternatively, a chopstick), poke it straight into the cake mixture and run circles to form marble pattern on the cake.
7. Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes. To test that your cake is done, insert a skewer into the middle of cake and it should come out dry.

Leave the cake to cool in a rack. It is good to keep for 3 days (provided it's not all grabbed! :)


Useful Tips!
1. Use premium grade cocoa to ensure you have a rich & aromatic chocolate marble cake.
2. Valencia orange is recommended as it's juicy and sweet.
3. You may sprinkle nuts on top on the cake before baking, such as walnut, which goes well with this cake.
4. If you are baking this using cupcake tray instead, reduce the baking time to 30-35 minutes.
5. Leave extra 2 inches of baking sheet from the edge of the tray, this will allow you to lift the entire cake easily by just pulling the baking sheet from both ends.


Fresh from oven..

Just ideal for breakfast or tea time

Tea break time... Again :)

Baked some orange chocolate cupcakes for little one to bring to bring to school, he simply loved them..

You can just mix the cocoa powder evenly for a rich chocolaty flavor. I added a few drops of chocolate chips into these little cupcakes, extra yummy :)