What exactly does the Ultimate Chocolate Lovers Cake entail?
A moist (sorry!), fluffy, rich chocolate cake with a very special chocolate buttercream in the center and covering the outside of the cake topped with a dark and velvety chocolate ganache.
Chocolate Overload. Chocolate heaven.
You would think with all that chocolate this cake would be far too rich to eat. Trust me. It isn't. I managed to have two three pieces in a space of a couple an hour and I wasn't even left feeling sick. (Then, I may have built up a tolerance....)
These are one of those showstopping, over-the-top, fit for Hollywood recipes that pop up on my blog every once and a while. The ultimate chocolate lovers cake is sure to impress at any occasion and doesn't require any special decorating skills or no-how.
Let's start with the cake. I used a trusty recipe i have adapted over the years. This is a one bowl recipe and uses Greek yoghurt as the secret ingredient to ensure a moist and rich cake. We bake this cake in two 20cm cake tins so you will end up with slightly flatter cakes.
As I said above, the chocolate buttercream is very special. This buttercream really sets this cake apart from all the others! What's so special you ask? Well we use REAL melted chocolate in this buttercream. Oh yes. We melt milk (semi-sweet) chocolate and put that straight in. First we make a regular buttercream with butter and icing sugar and then we pour the melted milk chocolate right in there. Oh yes friends. Oh yes.
The result is a sweet, buttery buttercream with a strong flavour of chocolate. Not a strong flavour of cocoa. Of chocolate. REAL chocolate. Basically, imagine your favourite milk chocolate bar spread over and through a cake. That is the flavour.
*Note: It is important to use a good quality chocolate for this. Not just a standard cooking chocolate. I used Whitakkers Creamy Milk Chocolate but you could use Cadbury, Lindt, Hersheys, etc. Any milk chocolate bar that you love.*
If that wasn't enough, we then take a simple yet classic, glossy, dark chocolate ganache and drip it over the cake.
The moistness of the cake mixed with the melt-in-the-mouth milk chocolate buttercream and the rich, dark chocolate ganache creates such an amazing balance of flavours that really has to be tried to believe.
Ultimate Chocolate Lovers Cake
Ingredients
For The Cake;
- ½ Cup Butter, Softened (110g)
- 1 Cup Caster Sugar (200g)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Cup Greek Yoghurt (250g)
- ½ Cup Cocoa (50g)
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour (125g)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
Melted Chocolate Buttercream;
- ½ Cup Butter, at room temperature (110g)
- 1 Cup Milk Chocolate, Melted (I use Whittakers or Cadbury) (200g)
- ¼ Cup Milk
- 3 Cups Icing Sugar (360g)
Chocolate Ganache;
- ¾ Cup Cream
- 2 Cups Dark Chocolate (360g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line and grease two 20cm round cake tins.
- Beat the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and Greek yoghurt and beat until smooth.
- Add in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder and mix until just combined.
- Pour half of the chocolate cake mix into each of the cake tins and spread in an even layer.
- Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Insert a skewer at 20 minutes and if the skewer comes out clean the cakes are cooked.
- Allow them to cool completely before icing them.
- While the cakes cool, make the melted chocolate buttercream.
- Place the softended butter in a bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add in half the icing sugar and the melted chocolate and beat until smooth.
- Add in the remaining icing sugar and beat.
- Add in the milk one tablespoon at a time until you have a stiff but spreadable consistency.
- Spread one third of the buttercream on top of one of the cakes. Place the second cake on top and then lightly cover the top and sides of the cake with the buttercream. I like to crumb coat by putting a thin layer of buttercream on the cake and placing it in the fridge to set before icing the cake properly.
- Ice the cake but leave a little buttercream (around ¼ cup) to decorate with.
- Make the ganache.
- Heat the cream until it reaches boiling point then pour that over the dark chocolate in a bowl.
- Allow it to set for a few minutes before stirring until it becomes thick and glossy.
- Place the ganache in a piping bag with a very small thin nozzle. Go around the edge of the cake so the ganache can drip down the sides.
- Place the remaining buttercream in a piping bag and pipe any sort of decoration you wish on top.
- Pour the rest of the chocolate ganache in the centre of the cake.
- Allow the ganache to set for slicing and serving.
Video
Nutrition
Meagan | This is Meagan Kerr
OMG that looks flipping amazing!
Emma Burton
Haha thanks Meagan!