Don't Forget to Include the Dessert!!

I promised everyone last week that I would put together a couple of desserts to truly WOW your mate. Well, after many agonizing hours of deliberation, I have come up with only one. One amazing and sultry chocolate cake. If your mate is anything like mine (who would marry some chocolate if it asked), this will earn you a nice feather in your cap!




Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
This is a great and rich chocolate cake that is nicely layered with raspberry jam and chocolate ganache (don't worry, I will walk you through the process.

Cake
2 cups AP flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 cup water
3/4 buttermilk (don't have? add 1T vinegar to 1 cup milk to make own buttermilk)
3/4 veg oil (can use canola)
3 eggs

Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Topping
18 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 T raspberry jam
12 oz. fresh raspberries
Powdered sugar

Cake Prep

• Preheat oven to 350
• Coat 2 9" pans with Pam spray
• Line bottoms with parchment rounds - spray rounds
• Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt in large bowl
• Form well in center
• Whisk 1 cup water, buttermilk, oil and eggs in medium bowl to combine
• Pour wet ingredients INTO dry and whisk to blend
• Divide into cake pans (~3 cups each)
• Bake until toothpick is clean (~30 minutes)
• Cool completely

Ganache and Raspberry Prep

• Place chopped in medium bowl
• Bring cream to boil in saucepan
• Pour over chocolate and let stand 1 minute
• Stir until melted and smooth
• Transfer 1 1/4 cup ganache to small bowl, cover and refrigerate until thick to spread
• Leave rest to stand at room temp to cool

Combination Prep

• Remove cakes from pans upside down
• Spread 3T jam on top of one cake
• Spoon chilled ganache over and spread evenly
• Slide second cake on top of first
• Spread remaining jam on top
• Pour half of lukewarm ganache over cake - spreading to sides
• Freeze until ganache sets (~30 minutes)
• Pour remaining ganache and freeze again
• Remove and place raspberries on top and dust with powdered sugar

There you have it. Easy enough?!

Hope you have an amazing Valentine's Day. Make it count. Post comments about your experience.

OC