Category: classic recipes

  • Chocolate pound cake filled and covered in milk chocolate ganache

    Chocolate pound cake filled and covered in milk chocolate ganache

    This chocolate cake is a pound chocolate sponge with an intense flavor, a dense texture but very pleasant on the palate and a filling and cover of milk chocolate ganache. I often accompany my sponge cakes with semisweet chocolate ganache, but this time, due to the intensity of the chocolate in the sponge, I wanted the slightly sweeter and creamier contrast of milk chocolate.

    It is a simple recipe, the pound cake is a pastry classic that I have already shared with you in its vanilla version, I leave you the link of that recipe here, and then I will tell you many details so that it is perfect.

    What should be taken into account?

    A pound cake or four-quarter cake is a type of cake made using the same proportion by weight of the main ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, and fat. In this case, to make it chocolate, a little of the wheat flour is replaced by unsweetened cocoa powder, but to maintain the proportion, the sum of both ingredients in grams must be equal to the amount of the other three.

    As I have made it in two 15cm (6 inches) baking pans, I have used 150g of each ingredient (110g of flour plus 40g of cocoa in the case of flour). The amounts by volume (in cups) are in the written recipe below. The flour used is an all-purpose flour, without added baking powder. I add the baking powder separately since I like to control the amount. The cocoa powder must be pure, without sugar. The one that is sold especially for making cakes without any additional ingredients. I do not recommend using powders for chocolate drinks, as these contain other ingredients and will not provide as intense a chocolate flavor.

    As for the sugar, I have made this cake with a mixture of white and brown sugar, which in total is the required 150g. I used 100g of white sugar and 50g of muscovado sugar, which is nothing more than ground unrefined sugar also known as panela. I like this mixture because this type of brown sugar contains molasses and provides a rich flavor to the cake. However, you can use another type of brown sugar, which also contains some amount of molasses (albeit less) or you can simply use the 150g of white sugar. You can adapt it to your own taste.

    Then as the fat element for this recipe I used butter. On my Spanish YouTube channel I have had a recipe for a chocolate cake made with sunflower oil for a long time (since 2018), and I leave the link to that recipe here if you are curious, but this time I wanted to make it with butter for the flavor that this ingredient provides and because it is mixed with a different method than I used with the oil. In both cases, the type of fat to be used can vary and, if so, use the corresponding beating method. If you want to use margarine you can also do it, the amount will always be the same: 150g. In case you want to use butter or margarine with salt, you should omit the salt from the recipe.

    Eggs are the fourth ingredient that completes the formula of a four-quarter cake. To obtain 150g of egg I have used medium sized eggs. Where I live they sell them as size M eggs and I have used them at room temperature, since that way they are easier to incorporate into the rest of the batter and there is no risk of sudden changes in temperature when baking. If you are not sure about the size of your eggs, I recommend weighing them and if there is any difference you can use the eggs as a base to measure the amount of the rest of the ingredients.

    Now, there are a couple of additional ingredients that most cakes need in addition to those already mentioned. Among them the baking powder, salt and any essence or extract that you want to use. In the case of this sponge cake or chocolate cake I have used a teaspoon of baking powder, half a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. In general, they are common and easy to get ingredients, which in any case will result in a spectacular cake. As I mentioned above, you can omit the salt if you use salted butter. And if you don’t want to incorporate the vanilla flavor, you can also omit it or substitute it with some other essence of your choice, such as almond or rum essence or even some spice such as cinnamon.

    With these ingredients a batter is made that I then baked in two 15cm diameter baking pans at a relatively low temperature. In other articles I have told you how my perception has changed after using 160°C (320°F) as the temperature to bake my biscuits. Until recently the constant was 180°C (350°F) but in my experience and with my oven I have realized that at 160°C baking is more even and the biscuits usually come out flatter or with just a very tiny “tummy”. That’s why I did the same in this case, and I baked the biscuits at this temperature for 24 minutes. The baking time is always indicative, since it depends on how each oven heats and also sometimes on the material of the pan where they are being baked.

    Once baked, let the cakes rest for about 10 minutes in the molds and then unmold them on a greased wire rack to prevent them from sticking to it while they cool. At this point, the milk chocolate ganache is made (completely optional) that will be used later to fill and coat the biscuits.

    Milk chocolate ganache is made by melting together milk chocolate and heavy cream at a 2:1 ratio. In my case I have used 200g of milk chocolate and 100g of heavy cream. There are several methods to prepare the ganache, in this case I chose to melt it together with the cream in 30 second intervals in the microwave. I did this right away when I took the cakes out of the oven, so the ganache could take on a thicker consistency while I waited for the cakes to cool. If it is very hot where you live, it may help to cover the ganache with a cloth and let it rest in the refrigerator to firm up.

    And now, the recipe step by step

    https://youtu.be/IxnB-qDbrKc

    Chocolate pound cake with milk chocolate ganache

    Delicious chocolate pound cakefilled and covered with a spectacular milk chocolate ganache. An easy andamazing recipe.
    Prep Time20 minutes
    Cook Time25 minutes
    Assembly20 minutes
    Course: dessert, snack
    Cuisine: international
    Keyword: chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, milk chocolate, pound cake
    Servings: 10 servings
    Author: Rebeca

    Ingredients

    Cakes

    • 110 g All-purpose flour (¾ Cup + 1Tsp.)
    • 40 g Unsweetened cocoa powder (5 ½ tsp.)
    • ½ Tsp. Salt
    • 1 Tsp. Baking powder
    • 150 g Soft unsalted butter (⅔ Cup)
    • 100 g White granulated sugar (½ Cup)
    • 50 g Muscovado sugar or brown sugar (¼ Cup)
    • 1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
    • 3 Medium eggs (Room temp.)

    Milk chocolate ganache

    • 200 g Chopped milk chocolate ganache (7 oz)
    • 100 g Heavy cream (6 ½ Tbsp.)

    Instructions

    For the cakes

    • Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F.
    • Grease two 15cm baking pans and place baking paper on the base.
    • In a bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Mix briefly and set aside.
    • In the mixer bowl add the butter, sugars and vanilla.
    • Beat on high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture looks creamy, pale and fluffy. (see notes 1)
    • Go through the bowl with a spatula to check that everything has been well incorporated.
    • Beat at medium speed and add the eggs one by one.
    • After incorporating the 3 eggs, go back through the bowl with the spatula.
    • Beat at minimum speed and gradually add the dry ingredients that we had reserved. (see notes 2)
    • Divide the mixture equally into the two prepared pans and bake in the preheated oven for approx. 25 minutes. (see notes 3)
    • Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes in the moulds.
    • Unmold onto a wire rack and let cool completely to room temperature.

    Milk Chocolate Ganache

    • In a heat-resistant container, add the milk chocolate in pieces and the heavy cream.
    • Microwave in 30 second intervals. After each interval stir to integrate the chocolate with the cream.
    • Once the chocolate has melted and the ganache is homogeneous, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and let it rest until the cakes are completely cold. (see notes 4)

    Assembly

    • Once the cakes are cold and when the ganache has a thicker consistency, place a little ganache on the base of a flat plate and stick the first cake with the flattest side down. (see notes 5)
    • Add a layer of ganache on top of the first cake and stick the second with the flattest side up.
    • Add enough ganache to the top of the cake and distribute so that it drips down the sides of the cakes.
    • Optionally you can add chocolate sprinkles on top.
    • Let stand until the chocolate sets on the cake and it is ready to enjoy.

    Notes

    1. It can be done with an electric hand mixer or you can even beat it by hand, only it will take longer to reach the desired consistency.
    2. If it is necessary, finish incorporating with a spatula, avoid increasing the speed of the machine.
    3. The baking time is indicative, it depends on each oven, you will have to be attentive the first time it is made.
    4. If the ganache is still very runny when the biscuits are cool, let it rest for a longer time before assembling. If it is very hot in your area, let the ganache sit in the refrigerator.
    5. If the biscuits grew with a “belly” during baking, cut it before assembling, the video shows how.

    And we’ll have a delicious chocolate pound cake to share. I kept it at room temperature, inside an airtight cake cover so it doesn’t dry out. If you prefer to store it in the refrigerator, it should also be in an airtight container so that it does not absorb flavors from other foods and it will be better to take it out about 20 minutes before serving, so that it is not too hard due to the hardened refrigerated butter.

    If you want to freeze the cake, it is better to freeze it without the chocolate ganache, covering the biscuits in plastic wrap and storing them in airtight Ziploc-style bags. They can be frozen for approximately three months and the ganache can be made fresh whenever you want to present the cake.

    I hope you liked the recipe.

    If you prepare this delicious recipe for pound cake or chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, I will love to know and see your photos. You can send them to me via Instagram or Facebook to @lovefortheoven.

    Legal notice: This page may contain affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. There are no additional costs for you. Where, when and how you buy a product, of course, is up to you alone.

    Thank you very much for reading this far and see you in the next recipe.

    You might be interested in:

    https://youtu.be/UMBhVz5bf70

    https://youtu.be/I_C4-dPQBIY

  • Marble butter cake – recipe step by step

    Marble butter cake – recipe step by step

    Delicious marble cake, fluffy and full of flavor. It is a classic recipe and here on my blog I had already shared both a cake and some marble muffins made with oil, and on my YouTube channel I already had a version from years ago of a marble cake made with a combination of butter and oil. This time I wanted to make the cake with only butter, to have another option and because the flavour that butter provides is delicious. To make it spectacular, some aspects must be considered.

    Important details

    As it is a cake made with butter, it is important that there are other ingredients that allow the cake to have a moist and tender texture once baked. That’s one of the reasons I chose to use buttermilk (or in this case its substitute, sour milk) as the liquid in this marbled cake recipe, since the acidity of this ingredient reacts with the baking soda not only to help in leavening the cake but also to have a moist crumb.

    Sugar also plays an important role in the texture of the cake, which is why this is a “high ratio” recipe. The sugar in the sponges or in general as an ingredient absorbs moisture and maintains it, so when used in a high proportion, that sugar provides the delicate texture that is being sought. Considering this, the recipe is not healthy at all, but it is one of those sporadic pleasures that we can give ourselves from time to time or on a special occasion.

    I have used unsalted butter in the recipe as I like to control the amount of salt added to the cake. But you can use salted butter and omit the salt from the recipe. In the same way, you can use  salted margarine if you prefer, the important thing is that it is a brand that you like its flavour, because the fat combined with the cocoa powder is what predominantly gives flavour to this marble cake.

    All ingredients in the recipe should be at room temperature. The butter must have a spreadable consistency, but it must not be melted, it must maintain texture so that it can cream well with the sugar. The process of beating the butter with the sugar and vanilla incorporates air into the batter and, together with the baking powder and bicarbonate, gives the cake its height. Creaming should be done at high speed and these ingredients are beaten until they have a fluffy texture, and the butter is paler. Usually, 5 minutes of beating is enough, but more may be needed, depending on the temperature at which the butter started.

    I have baked this cake in a 26cm diameter bundt pan, which I greased using non-stick cooking spray. You can butter and flour the pan if you prefer. When transferring the mixture to the pan I first added half of the vanilla batter, then added the cocoa powder to the rest of the batter in the bowl and incorporated it to make it into a chocolate mixture and then transferred that batter on top of the vanilla mixture in the pan. If you prefer, you can separate both mixtures in two different bowls and transfer them to the pan alternating the flavors. The idea is that both batters are distributed throughout the pan so that it has the desired marbled effect. Do not overmix once the batters are both in the pan, to prevent everything from turning into a full chocolate cake.

    The oven temperature I have used has been 160°C / 320°F, top and bottom heat with no fan. For a long time, my favourite temperature had been 180°C or 350°F but ever since I baked the vanilla pound cake cake at 160°C I have loved how level it rose in the pan and how much it puffed up. At 180°C it sometimes happened to me that if it was a large cake, it would take on colour too early in baking and I had to open the oven door to cover it with aluminum foil. In the end, this didn’t affect the texture of the cake too much, but I did notice a difference when baking at 160°C. It bakes longer, and I don’t open the oven during baking, and I really think that has contributed to the flatter cakes. Each oven is different, so you will also have to experiment a bit to discover the ideal time for baking the cake and, if necessary, adjust the indicated temperature.

    It can also be baked in regular round pans, and even layered. It must be considered in those cases that it will definitely be necessary to adapt the baking times.

    And now, the recipe step by step:

     

    Marble butter cake

    Delicious cake combining vanilla and chocolate flavors.
    Prep Time20 minutes
    Cook Time40 minutes
    Course: breakfast, dessert, snack
    Cuisine: international
    Keyword: butter cake, marble cake, vanilla and chocolate
    Servings: 16 portions
    Author: Rebeca

    Ingredients

    • 280 g All-purpose wheat flour (2 cups)
    • 2 tsp. Baking powder
    • ½ tsp. Baking soda
    • ½ tsp. Salt
    • 40 g Cocoa powder (5 ½ Tbsp.)
    • 4 medium Eggs (room temp.)
    • 200 g Soft unsalted butter (¾ Cup + 1 Tbsp)
    • 330 g Sugar (1 ⅔ Cup)
    • 1 Tsp. Vanilla paste
    • 125 ml Buttermilk (or the substitute) (½ Cup) Room temp.

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F.
    • Prepare a 26cm diameter bundt pan with non stick cooking spray.
    • In a bowl sift the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix and set aside.
    • In the mixer bowl add the butter, sugar and vanilla.
    • Beat on high speed for 5 minutes until fluffy and pale.
    • Stop the mixer and with a spatula go around the sides and bottom of the bowl.
    • Beat at medium low speed and add the eggs one by one. Let the egg incorporate well before adding the next.
    • Stop the mixer again and go through the bowl with the spatula.
    • Beat again now at minimum speed and gradually add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk.
    • Once everything is incorporated, transfer half of the mixture to the prepared bundt pan.
    • On the other half of the batter sift the cocoa powder. Mix until you get a chocolate batter.
    • Add the chocolate mixture to the bundt pan and mix a little with a spatula or teaspoon, to make the marbled effect. Do not over mix.
    • Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until puffed and golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the deepest part of the cake comes out completely clean.
    • Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes on a wire rack.
    • Unmold onto rack and let cool completely to room temperature.
    • Once cold, you can sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

    Notes

    notes
    1. Buttermilk Substitute: To a half cup of whole milk add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir and let stand 10 minutes before using in recipe.

    And this incredibly rich marble cake will be ready. The result is worth it, the flavour and texture are the best.

    The cake will keep at room temperature for a couple of days if the weather is not too hot and/or moist. If that is the case, it is better to keep it refrigerated, considering that when it is cold it becomes hard because it contains butter, and dries out a bit. It is important to take it out about 15 minutes before eating or serving it so that it has a better texture when eaten.

    To keep it moist at room temperature, it is important to store it in a cake carrier or cake keeper with a lid, so that it does not lose too much moisture. It can also be frozen by wrapping it very well in plastic wrap. Frozen can last up to 3 months.

    I hope you liked the recipe.

    If you prepare this delicious marble sponge cake with butter, I would love to know about it and see your photos. You can send them to me via Instagram or Facebook to @poramoralhorno.

    Legal notice: This page may contain affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. There are no additional costs for you. Where, when and how you buy a product, of course, is up to you alone.

    Thank you very much for reading this far and see you in the next recipe.

    You might be interested in:

    https://youtu.be/p0N3cmHYHoo

    https://youtu.be/zUyg2FzCDYM

     

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