Saturday, February 9, 2013

Chocolate chocolate cake cake

I'm always a little floored when I get compliments from strangers on my baking. It takes a second and I get all flustered and don't know how to appropriately convey my utter gratitude so it comes out like a rushed 'oh thanks...' Which is too casual and completely inadequate with how amazing their compliment makes me feel.

The ultimate compliment, of course, is being asked to make something special for someone. My best friend asked me to make her first son's birthday cake (which I bombed by making a blue monstrosity - I'm sorry, Tres! ILU!) and I've happily donated cakes for office parties. This petite cake was made for an individual in the office who just asked for a small chocolate cake. It's two layers of a 6-inch round which might be my favorite mini cake size ever.

I'm a sucker for berries and chocolate so I liked how it turned out. And the ganache finally dripped so prettily!

I used the same chocolate cake recipe I always use, Beatty's Chocolate and a basic chocolate buttercream BUT I have to share the ganache ratio since it took me forever to find one that works:

Chocolate Ganache
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup


Good luck not putting that stuff on everything - berries, cookies, toast. It's allll good.