It has been a year now since my niece baby Myla was born. She is almost celebrating her first birthday in the coming week. Get this, baby Myla is the first baby in my nuclear family – which makes her the first grand child to my parents. This got thinking that there will be so many more birthdays to be celebrated not only with her but with other family members and friends too. I needed to step out of my bubble and try new recipes like more of pastry and cake baking, hence people get to make pre- orders of cake/s which I really look forward to, since I may never know who might be my first client. “Having an open mind”. I’m trying to stop buying some of these confectionery goodies, and actually taking charge and make most of them at my own back yard. With that said, yesterday I finally got to make my first ever baked cake that was perfected. Like I have mentioned on my live video on Facebook, this was indeed the first time to bake a cake EVER!!, but thanks to my passion, determination, focus, keen-ness, resources and prayer, it was the ultimate perfection. Now that Myla has already got a cake for her upcoming birthday courtesy of her’s truly – Me. Here is the step by step recipe to making a dark chocolate mud cake.

Making a Dark Chocolate Mud Cake.

Prep time: 1 hour    Bake time: 2 hours   = 3 hours

Serves: 6 to 8 pax.

MAIN INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups -all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 2 Tsp of instant coffee granules
• 1 tsp of salt
• 3/4 cup of hot water
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 125 ml of whipping cream
• 1- 1/2 cups of un salted butter
• 1/4 cup of salted butter
• 2 Tsp of vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup of semi- sweet dark chocolate chips
• 2 packets 80 g each of dark chocolate bars

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pre heat the oven to 15o degrees Celsius.  Take water in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Place a large heat proof bowl on top of the saucepan and – add butter {1- 1/2 cups}, chocolate chips, sugar, hot water and coffee granules. Let it sit for 5 mins for it to melt and mix them all together to get a light chocolate batter.

2. Once you get the right consistency of a runny chocolaty batter, immediately add in the milk, and electrically hand mix it. Adding the milk will reduce the temperature,and it will be easy to blend in the eggs with out getting them hardened or scrambled. Separately crack the eggs into different bowls, to avoid any egg shells, hence combine the four eggs into one bowl and lightly beat them. Pour the eggs into the chocolate batter, and E.H.M it {Electric Hand Mix it} till all combined. Add in the vegetable oil and mix.

3. Sift all the dry ingredients together: ie: the flour + salt + baking powder + cocoa powder hence add it into the wet ingredients. and E.H.M them together, till a smooth and thickened batter is formed.

4. Using a spring form 7 inch baking tin, apply vegetable oil on the bottom and sides of the tin. Align wax {parchment}paper from the bottom to the side of the tin. Pour in the chocolate batter into the tin, at least three quarter full. Tap the tin on the surface, to make sure no air bubble is found at the bottom. Place it in the oven over 150 degrees C, to bake for 2 hours straight. “Don’t open the Oven door till then”.

Final outcome. Allow the cake to cool for 20 mins.

MAKING THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE. 

A ganache is basically a glaze of icing sauce basically used in decorating cakes and pastries.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Dark chocolate bars {80 g}
• 2 tsp of cocoa powder
• 125 ml of whipping cream
• 1/4 cup of salted butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place a small heat proof bowl on top of the saucepan with simmering water and – cut out chocolate bars, whipping cream and salted butter. Wait for it to melt, till you get a smooth chocolate ganache. Let it chill in the fridge for 15 -30 mins. The ganache will decrease in quantity by a half and it will eventually darken in color.

FOR THE GARNISH. {Optional}

1. Roughly chop up walnuts and toast them for 2 mins, then set aside.

5. using the chilled ganache, generously coat it all over the cake, and you can opt this part out, but I think it bring the best view of the cake as well as the healthy side to it. I garnished all round with the toasted walnuts and place it in the fridge to chill over night.

Next morning: After the cake is chilled out.

I am yet to perfect on decorating /applying the ganache.

This is what I call, “The Ultimate Perfection!!”

So much love,

TD

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Until next time.

Adios.