Look What I Made (You Can Make it Too!)

Old fashioned Chocolate Cake with

Orange Ganache and Orange Blossom Buttercream

My Brother got married three weeks ago. I couldn't make him a proper, big wedding cake because there were about a million people staying at our house. But, I did make this little one for him and his lovely bride, Habiba. Making a wedding cake is pretty messy business and you have to completely take over the kitchen and the dining room table to get it done. So, due to the high volume of people moving through our house, I had to bake and build the cake at my sister's place.

I used recipes from three different sources to build the cake. If you want to make a simple 9 inch party cake, follow the instructions below.

Bake one recipe of Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

(from Cook's Illustrated March 2006 issue)

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), very soft, plus extra for greasing pans
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces), plus extra for dusting pans
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate , coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa (3/4 ounce)
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 3/4 cups sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch-round by 2-inch-high cake pans with softened butter; dust pans with flour and knock out excess. Combine chocolate, cocoa powder, and hot water in medium heatproof bowl; set bowl over saucepan containing 1 inch of simmering water and stir with rubber spatula until chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup sugar to chocolate mixture and stir until thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in small bowl. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk eggs and yolks on medium-low speed until combined, about 10 seconds. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, increase speed to high, and whisk until fluffy and lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Replace whisk with paddle attachment. Add cooled chocolate mixture to egg/sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated, 30 to 45 seconds, pausing to scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add softened butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing about 10 seconds after each addition. Add about one-third of flour mixture followed by half of buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated after each addition (about 15 seconds). Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture (batter may appear separated). Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; smooth batter to edges of pan with spatula.

3. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Cool cakes to room temperature before frosting, 45 to 60 minutes.

Make the Chocolate Ganache

(from Gourmet September 1996 issue. I found it on the internet)

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur

Finally, make the Frosting

NeoClassic Buttercream - Orange Blossom Flavour

(From The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Bernbaum)

• 6 large egg yolks
• 150 grams sugar
• 164 grams corn syrup
• 454 grams unsalted butter (room temperature)

Flavouring

• 1 teaspoon Tang dissolved in
• 1/3 cup orange flower water
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

INSTRUCTIONS

Have ready a greased 1-cup heatproof glass measure near the range

In a bowl beat the yolks with an electric mixer until light in colour. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan (preferably with a non-stick lining) and heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a rolling boil. (The entire surface will be covered with large bubbles.) Immediately transfer the syrup to the glass measure to stop the cooking.

If using an electric hand-held mixer, beat the syrup into the yolks in a steady stream. don't allow syrup to fall on the beaters or they will spin it onto the sides fo the bowl. if using a stand mixer, pour a small amount of syrup over the yolks with the mixer turned off. Immediately beat at high speed for 5 seconds. Stop the mixer and adda larger amount of syrup. Beat at high speed for 5 second. Continue with the remaining syrup. For the last addition, use a rubber scraper to remove the syrup clinging to the glass measure. Continue beating until completely cool.

Gradually beat in the butter and, if desired, any optional flavouring.

Now assemble the cake

• Split the cake layers and fill them with ganache. Stack the layers.
• You will have 3 layers of ganache and 4 layers of cake.
• Coat the outside of the cake with ganache.
• Put the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes to make the ganache firm and to glue down any crumbs.
• Now frost the cake with the room temperature buttercream
• Decorate with dragees, rose petals, or anything else you want. Do NOT use poisonous flowers like lillies, daffodils, and clematis.

If you want to make a 4 inch tier stacked on top of a 6 inch tier. INCREASE the cake recipe by half and make cupcakes with the leftover batter. There is enough frosting and ganache for a small two tier cake. Don't forget to put supports and cardboard cake circles between the tiers. Cake cannot support the weight of cake. A little physics is required to make it all work.