Chocolate Ganache Cake

5 from 7 votes

Whether for a special occasion or an after-dinner dessert to satisfy the sweet tooth, this chocolate ganache cake is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser that everyone will love. Made with silky chocolate ganache frosting and a single layer of moist chocolate sponge cake, this drool-worthy dessert is delectable to the taste buds and a breeze to make.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 480kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake (Makes 1 x 8 inch /20cm sponge cake)

170 g All purpose flour Any low protein content flour eg. pastry flour can work too.
45 g Cocoa powder Unsweetened, dutch processed
120 g Granulated sugar
120 g Brown sugar
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Salt
70 g Vegetable oil
2 Eggs Room temperature
165 g Milk Room temperature
120 g Coffee Freshly brewed strong coffee, room temperature

Chocolate ganache frosting

100 g Dark chocolate Good quality semi sweet chocolate eg. Callebaut 811 Dark chocolate callets
100 g Heavy cream 36% fat
10 g Unsalted butter Room temperature

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make the chocolate sponge

Heat the oven to 200°C or 392°F (no fan) and prepare your 20cm / 8 inch baking tin with parchment paper.
With an Electric hand mixer whip together the wet ingredients for 1-2 minutes: Room temperature egg, oil, sugar, coffee and milk.
Sift dry ingredients: Flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients then fold just until combined then pour cake batter into the prepared baking pan.
Reduce oven temperature to 180°C / 356°F (no fan). Bake for 50 min or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Cool the chocolate sponge on cooling rack. Chill it in the fridge before glazing.

Chocolate ganache

Heat cream until simmering, pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let the two sit for a minute then stir, then stir in butter until smooth. Let it come to about room temperature.
Test the chocolate ganache texture on a plate or glass. It should not be too runny (too warm) and it should not be too thick neither (too cold), but just at the right consistency that is related to being just at the right temperature.

Assembling the cake

Once the cake is well chilled apply the chocolate ganache drip on top of the cake by either pouring ganache on top or using a piping bag.
Serve the cake fresh or store for 2-3 days at room temperature or refrigerated.

Video

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
All ingredients for the chocolate cake must be at room temperature to properly emulsify: eggs, milk, coffee etc.
Do not skip salt that will balance the sweetness of this cake.
Use high fat content heavy cream (36%) and good quality chocolate (eg. Callebaut) for the chocolate ganache.

TECHNIQUE NOTES:

Make sure you read my Expert tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone is not able to cover all the necessary details, and science behind baking. Consider this recipe more like an in-depth tutorial, literally the only recipe you will ever need to make delicious chocolate sponge cake.
Do not overbake your sponge layers as that will result in a dry texture. Use the toothpick test to check if your cake is ready.
When pouring the ganache on the top of the cake, make sure that the ganache is at the right temperature (consistency) that is neither too thin (warm), nor too thick (cold).

Nutrition