Dark Chocolate Cake

This cake has everything you want in a good dark chocolate cake; moist, fudgy, and extra chocolatey. A layered chocolate cake with a velvety ganache on top, this is the perfect crowd pleaser for gatherings and parties.

To bring a rich chocolate flavour to the cake, we have used Trima 70% cocoa dark chocolate, provided to us by one of our partners, Sunny Enterprises. This chocolate has no added sugar, which is great for making other desserts and snacks too. It has a smooth, luscious taste and is not too bitter, despite the high cocoa content. It can also be used to prepare chocolate drinks, such as milkshakes and hot chocolate.

Serving size: 8-10

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Wet ingredients

• 85g unsalted butter
• 90g Trima 70% cocoa dark chocolate
• ¼ cup chilled milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 eggs (at room temperature)
• 1/3 cup hot water

For the ganache

• 150g Trima 70% cocoa dark chocolate
• ¾ cup whipping cream
• ¼ cup sugar

Instructions:

1. To start making the batter, sift together ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp salt to a large mixing bowl. Using a spatula, mix everything well together and set aside.
2. Then, add 85g unsalted butter and 90g Trima 70% cocoa dark chocolate to a small pot. Stir and cook on medium low heat for 2 minutes or until both the butter and chocolate fully melt. Then, turn off the heat and mix well for another minute.
3. To another large bowl, pour in the melted chocolate and butter, along with ¼ cup chilled milk. Mix well using a whisk.
4. Then, add in ½ cup sugar, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla essence, and 2 eggs. Continue mixing with the whisk until everything is just combined.
5. Next, pour in the mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk together to mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the cake batter as it might result in a dense cake.
6. Finally, add 1/3 cup hot water and mix again until just combined.
7. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
8. Brush some butter on two 7-inch trays, making sure all the sides and the bottom are coated well. Cut two round baking paper pieces to fit the exact size of the trays’ bottom and place it on the bottom of each tray.
9. Then, pour the cake batter evenly into each tray and place them inside the preheated oven. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes or when a toothpick inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean.   
10. While the cakes are baking, prepare the chocolate ganache. For this, first roughly chop 150g of the Trima 70% cocoa dark chocolate into small thin pieces and set aside in a bowl.
11. Then, heat ¾ cup whipping cream in a small pot at low heat for 2 minutes (the cream should not be boiled, just lightly heated until it starts to steam).
12. Increase the heat to medium-low and add in ¼ cup sugar. Stir and cook for 1 minute or until the sugar is completely dissolved in the cream. Then, increase the heat again to medium-high and stir for another 30 seconds.
13. Then, take the cream mixture off the heat and immediately pour it on top of the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, using a whisk or spatula, mix well until it becomes a thick and smooth sauce (the chocolate should be fully melted at this point). Once mixed, set aside. The chocolate ganache is now done.
14. When the cakes are baked, take them out of the oven and leave on the countertop for 10 minutes to cool down, while still in the cake trays. Then, take them out of the trays and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.
15. Then, spread some chocolate ganache on top of one of the chilled cakes. Place the other cake on top and spread the rest of the ganache on it, covering both the layers completely. You can garnish the cake with some more chopped chocolate on top, if desired.