Chocmint Cake

Another order from the cafe today, another carrot cake, a chocolate cake, and two cheese cakes.


The cheese cakes I'll get to shortly. I want to start with the chocolate cake.


I went with my favorite chocolate cake recipe frosted with both a whipped chocolate ganach and a white chocolate mint whipped ganache.


The result is quite attractive and very yummy.



White Chocolate Mint Ganache Filling
dapted from Cafe JohnSonia
340g good quality white chocolate
125ml heavy cream
18g butter
10ml pure peppermint extract
2-3 drops of green food colouring
Chop the white chocolate into small chunks and place in a medium sized bowl.
Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water--making sure the bowl is big enough that it doesn't touch the water
Add the cream and butter. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter melt. Remove bowl from heat.
Add the extracts and food colouring directly to the bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the ganache thickens. Make sure it doesn't get too thick, or you won't be able to whip it, or spread it very well. If you want to, you can whip the ganache on medium speed with an electric mixer. It may get quite a bit thicker--too thick to spread. Just place it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it to spreading consistency. Spread between the two cake layers and return the cake to the fridge to set up. Then frost with the chocolate icing.

Chocolate Fudge Icing
165g sticks salted butter (use unsalted if you like it better)
50g bittersweet chocolate
86g cocoa powder
560g powdered sugar
100ml milk
Place the butter and bittersweet chocolate in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes, stir well to remove any lumps of butter or chocolate.
Add the cocoa powder and mix well. Using an electric mixer, beat in the powdered sugar a little at a time, alternating with a little milk until the icing has reached a spreadable consistency. (Sometimes it needs a few minutes in the fridge to firm up.)
Use as needed. This recipe made just enough icing to fill two layers and frost the whole cake. The third layer is filled with the choc mint.


CAKE
from here
220g unsalted butter
500ml water
250ml canola oil
900g sugar
115 high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
540g all purpose flour
4 large eggs
250g buttermilk
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°c. Line the bottom of two 25cm cake pans with parchment paper rounds, grease with butter, and dust with flour.
Combine the butter, water, and canola oil in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, cocoa, and flour. Pour the butter mixture into the sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then whisk in the buttermilk. Whisk in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla all at once. Transfer the batter to the prepared pans.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of each layer comes out clean. Monitor the layers carefully for doneness; each one maybe done at a different time.
Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on racks for about 15 minutes before inverting onto baking racks. Cool the cakes completely, at least 2 hours, before frosting.
Cut each cake into two layers, frost the bottom layer with the chocolate fudge frosting, top with the second layer, spread on the mint frosting, add the third layer and frost with fudge frosting, top with the final layer and cover the cake with the fudge frosting decorate with the left over mint frosting.