Paula Deen's Chocolate Ganache Cake

LuuvBunny's Note:

This is from Paula Deen's magazine called Holiday Baking from 2007.It is amazing!I love the store bought cakes that have the buttercream icing and this is just like it,plus an added bonus of ganache over the top.This will be my new birthday cake to make every year! I didn't use buttermilk I used milk with lemon juice.For the 1/3 cup buttermilk called for I added 1 tsp of lemon juice to the milk. Prep time does not include freezer time

• Total Time: 52 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 22 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 16

Yield: 1.0 cake

Cake

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, plus
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons vanilla

Vanilla Buttercream

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 8 cups icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Chocolate Ganache

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 5 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

Directions:

1. Cake:.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Grease and flour 3 (9 inch) cake pans.
4. In a large bowl,beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
5. Add sugar,beating until fluffy.
6. Add egg yolks,one at a time,beating well after each addition.
7. In a medium bowl,combine flour and baking powder.
8. In a small bowl,combine milk,buttermilk,cream and vanilla.
9. Add flour mixture to butter mixture,alternately with milk mixture,beginning amd ending with flour mixture,beating until just combined.
10. In a medium bowl,beat egg whites at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff.
11. Gently fold egg whites into batter.
12. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans.
13. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes clean.
14. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes.
15. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.
16. Spread Vanilla Buttercream in between layers and on top and sides of cake.
17. Place cake in freezer for 30 minutes.
18. Pour warm ganacheover top of cake letting it run down sides.
19. Garnish with chocolate covered strawberries if desired.
20. Vanilla Buttercream:.
21. In a large bowl,beat butter and shortening at medium speed with a electric mixer until creamy.
22. Gradually beat in icing sugar until smooth.
23. Beat in vanilla.
24. Chocolate Ganache:.
25. In a medium bowl combine cream and chocolate.
26. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals,stirring between each,until chocolate is melted and smooth(about 2 minutes).
27. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Reviews

[Chef Princess Diana]

I loved it but I did make some changes. First I thought there was way too much icing sugar. By cup six it was already sickeningly sweet. I stopped at 6 cups of icing sugar and I also added 2 blocks of creme cheese into the icing to cut some of the crazy sweetness. Changes I made: Buttercreme Icing: * 1 1/2 cups butter, softened * 1 cup unsalted butter (not Crisco!) * 6 cups icing sugar * 2 teaspoons vanilla * 1 teaspoons Wilton's Butter Flavor * 2 x 8oz Cream Cheese blocks I also let the Ganache cool quite a bit so that when it dripped off the sides it was so beautiful. Here is a picture and the altered recipe. http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/diana-coucopoulos-ard/buttercreme-with-chocolate-ganache-birthday-cake/435866167989 Once I made the changes it was AWESOME!!!

[yschoice]

I made the cake but pooped out when it came to the icing. Its easier and cheaper to just buy buttercreme icing and make the chocolate. I'm not sure that the portions for the cake were correct 1/2 cup and 1/2 lb are different... I used the 1/2 cup but felt 1/2 lb of butter and shortening should probably have been correct. I will try it again. Its a little dry for me using the listed portions, but its not the worse cake I've ever made. Will post pics as soon as I find the transfer cord from my camera.

[Madray7]

I made this cake 3 years ago and have made it several times since. Everyone loves it and asks for it for birthdays and holidays. It is a beautiful cake and turns out beautiful. I decorate the center with strawberries dipped in chocolate.