The little-black-dress of desserts
The coming of July means another birthday for me. That calls for chocolate cake!
This time I thought I would go simple, yet elegant, with moist chocolate layers, whipped cream and a finish of dark chocolate ganache. My inspiration was a classic whoopie pie only sans marshmallow cream. This decadent beauty uses stabilized whipped cream to firmly hold up to the chocolate layers. Black and white, classic, always a perfect choice.
I used my favorite go-to recipe for the cake layers. This One-Pan Double Chocolate Cake is just the perfect dark cocoa and moist cake goodness that I need. Who doesn’t love a cake that you can mix in just one pan? Less pans to wash means a happier birthday girl…
I want the layers to be held up by a thick layer of cream without collapsing and squirting out the sides. In order to do that, I switched from the original 8″ cake pans to 9″. This makes the layers thinner and spreads the weight out a bit. Remember to reduce the cooking time to 24-29 minutes or the layers will be over-cooked.
This technique for stabilizing whipped cream is simple but can be a bit tricky. You have to make sure you add the gelatin when it is not hot, but still liquid. If you allow it to set up, even a little, it will go into the cream as big clumps… yuck!
Totally worth it. This cake is my kind of heaven. Go ahead, take a bite… happy birthday to me!
- One-Pan Double Chocolate Cake - https://eatineatout.ca/one-pan-double-chocolate-cake/
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 tsp unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups whipping cream
- ⅓ cup confectioner's sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Prepare 2-layer cake as per recipe EXCEPT use a 9-inch cake layer pans and reduce cooking time to 24-29 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
- For filling: place cold water in microwaveable dish. Sprinkle gelatin over top and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- When ready to assemble, microwave gelatin for 10-15 seconds to dissolve. Allow to cool a bit, but DO NOT ALLOW TO SET AGAIN. It must still be liquid.
- Place cream, sugar and vanilla in large bowl.Whip on high until soft peaks form. Turn speed down to low and gradually pour in gelatin. Turn up to high and whip until very firm peaks form.
- For ganache: In a small microwaveable dish add cream and chocolate chips. Microwave for 30 seconds on high then stir. Repeat until smooth.
- Assemble cake: Place one layer on serving platter and remove any crown so it is totally flat. Spoon filling over top and top with second flat cake layer. Smooth out the cream all around the sides of cake. Drizzle ganache over cake top allowing it to flow down sides. Place in refrigerator and allow to firm up a bit before slicing to serve.
Lori loves to create simple and delicious meals that are ready in 30 minutes or less!
It sure is the little black dress of cakes. So easy and yet so good! Well done, lovely pictures!
I made this cake for our families Valentines Day celebration. Not only was it easy to make, delicious and beautiful, it was voted as one of the best cakes EVER by my husband. Encorporating the gelatin into the whipped cream while it is warmed from the microwave is brilliant as it didn’t clump up like I have had happen in the past. Definitely a keeper!
So glad you liked it Louise, it’s one of my favs as well!
I just made this cake tonight for my husband’s birthday, and it is delicious! I will definitely add it to my cake repertoire.
I’ve tried this method for stabilizing cream and liked it but prefer another method of just using 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar per cup of cream. It’s always worked well for me as a topping. However, I’ve not used it in a thick layer cake. This looks delicious. I’ll have to try it.
Cake was good, but my ganache was a massive mess.
After doing some research I read the ganache should cool before putting on cake.
Would have appreciated you adding that to the instructions as it is a definite necessity.
The cake was good but the look of it ….urgh!
Sorry to hear that Grace, however cooling is not necessary. Slight cooling may be o.k. but too much cooling will make the ganache too thick and unable to pour over cake. The balance needs to be just right, you may have made the mixture too thin.