Killer Chocolate Cake

Deliciously rich Killer Chocolate Cake with chocolate ganache and mascarpone cream layers. Perforce for any celebration.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 40 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 250  g dark chocolate (70%)
• 250  g butter
• 550  g sugar
• 60  ml  strong coffee
• 180  ml hot water
• 125  ml milk
• 4  medium eggs
• 300  g plain flour
• 60  g  cocoa
• 1  teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 10  g baking powder
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 30  ml  vegetable oil
• 1  teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. First of all, we need to make the base. Preheat the oven to 150C or 300F degrees.
2. Melt the chocolate in the hot water bath. Brake the chocolate into smaller pieces, place into heatproof ball, add butter and place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the ball does not touch the water.
3. To the melted chocolate and butter mixture add sugar, coffee and hot water. Mix well and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from hot water bath and let it cool down for about 15 minute.
4. Next add milk to the chocolate mixture. Milk must be cold as it should also lower the temperature of the mixture.
5. Using a hand mixer whisk in eggs one at a time.
6. Add sieved flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and mix well either with a wooden spoon or hand mixer until combined.
7. In the end add vegetable oil and vanilla.
8. With a small piece of butter grease 20cm loose bottom cake tin. It should be a deep one as well – approximately 10cm deep as the cake will rise twice in size.
9. Line the tin with parchment paper. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 2 HOURS.
10. When base is ready remove it from the oven, let it cool down so you can handle. Carefully remove from the tin and let it cool down completely.
11. Now you can start preparing the ganache by melting the chocolate in hot water bath same way as described above just without the butter.
12. When chocolate is fully melted remove from hot water bath to cool down (approx. 10min) and add double cream. Mix well until fully combined and glossy.
13. Next step is to make mascarpone cream. Whip the double cream with icing sugar and lemon juice. Add mascarpone and mix well.
14. Cut the base into 3 equal layers and spread mascarpone cream on two of the layers. (reserve a little bit of cream for later) Stuck them on top of each other finishing up with a layer with no mascarpone cream. “plaster” the gaps with remaining mascarpone cream so it looks neat and tidy.
15. Pour the ganache on top of the cake and spread it evenly.
16. When I am covering the cakes with ganache (or any other liquid-ish glazing) I put it onto oven rack so when the glazing is dripping off the sides it goes straight through without flooding the sides and leaving cake looking untidy. Just make sure you put foil or baking tray under the oven rack to catch all the excess ganache without making too much of a mess.
17. Decorate the cake with fruits berries and/or chocolate garnishes.