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
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
- 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.
- If it is necessary, finish incorporating with a spatula, avoid increasing the speed of the machine.
- The baking time is indicative, it depends on each oven, you will have to be attentive the first time it is made.
- 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.
- 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.
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Thank you very much for reading this far and see you in the next recipe.
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