Chocolate Walnut Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Three cute little tots running around the house, another one scheduled to arrive the next day and my mind craving for some chocolate.....

I read once somewhere that "There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate" and I still had some dark and white chocolates (Ghiradelli too !!) left in the fridge that "kid" had brought when she visited m.

Surely, I didn't require more reason than these to bake some goodies !! Didn't look further than Mallika's blog for the recipe and she didn't disappoint !! I added some walnuts to the chocolate batter to make it crunchy. 

With the below quantity I made 6 muffins and a small cake on Sunday. The muffins were over before I could get a few pictures!! I let the cake set in the fridge for a day and made the chocolate ganache on Monday just before assembling the sinful cake.

Here's what the recipe called for:

For the cake

1/2 cup butter, room temp (50 gm)
1/4 cup sugar (25 gm)
1 egg, room temp
1 cup sweetened condensed milk (100 gms)
3/4 cup flour (75 gms)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (50 gms)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the ganache

200 ml fresh cream (I used Amul, 25% fat)

4 blocks Chocolate

Method :

For the cake

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat an egg lightly with vanilla extract and add to batter. Pour in the condensed milk and milk. Beat well. 

In a second bowl, sieve together twice the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.

Add the wet to dry ingredients. Scoop batter into cupcake cups / cake tin. 

Bake until the fork comes out clean. It took me approximately 20 mins to make the cupcakes and around 35 mins to make the cake.

Let it cool on a wire rack.

For the ganache

Pour the cream into a thick saucepan and simmer till it bubbles. Cut chocolate bars into small chunks and add to the cream. Stir continuously for a few seconds. Take it off heat and continue to stir until all the chocolate has melted. Cool. Let it set in the fridge for around 15 mins before topping it on the cake.

To assemble

Cut the cake into two horizontally. A little tip - Use a thread to cut the cake to minimise the crumbs.

Spread (generously) some chocolate ganache on the bottom piece of cake and put the other piece on top of it. 

Crumb coat the entire cake with the ganache and let it set for half hour in the fridge.

Remove from fridge, add a second layer of ganache on the cake and top it with grated white chocolate.

Cut into desired pieces and INDULGE or better still, try to wait for 5-6 hours while it sets/matures in the fridge and then INDULGE .. The wait will be worth it .. I promise you..