re: Submission Thread for F&DB Chocolate Challenge May 4, 2021

Chocolate & Cherry Cake with Semisweet Chocolate Ganache Icing

Chocolate Cherry Cake



Need:

- A devil's food cake mix - You may make your own from scratch. I used a mix.
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 can of cherry pie filling. I show 2, but only used 1 can.
- Butter and sugar (for cake pan)
- A tube cake pan, or 2 - layer cake pans
- 325 F Preheated oven.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Ganache Icing

Need:

1/2 cup of heavy cream
12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate




Instructions:

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Coat the inside surfaces of the tube pan with butter and dust the pan with sugar.





The cake takes 3 eggs and 1/3 cup vegetable oil.



Mix eggs and oil well.





Add the cake mix and 2/3 of the can of cherry pie filling.



Mix the batter for 3 minutes. The mixer may break apart the cherries, but that is fine. The batter will be very thick.



Add the batter to the prepped tube cake pan. The batter will be very thick and will need to be thumped against the counter in order to level it up before placing it into the oven





Check for doneness at 35 minutes with a wooden pick by inserting it into the cake. If not clean, return to oven.
Check again in 5 more minutes. If the pick comes out clean, the cake is done.



Oven to oven cooking times vary. Check every 5 minutes after 35 minutes and continue the baking until the pick comes out clean.



Allow the cake to cool on a rack for 10 minutes when it comes out of the oven before removing it from the pan.



Dark Chocolate Ganache Icing

While the cake is baking, begin making the dark chocolate ganache by adding a half cup of heavy cream to a microwave bowl.



The heavy cream goes into the bowl and the bowl into the microwave at high power until the cream comes to a boil (about 2 1/2 minutes in our microwave) You must watch the cream in the microwave carefully because within seconds after coming to a boil, the cream will boil over and create a huge mess in your microwave.



As soon as the cream boils, remove it from the microwave and add the dark chocolate chips



DO NOT STIR THE CREAM!

Cover the bowl with a plate and set it aside for 15 minutes. Do not remove the cover during the 15 minute holding time.



When the full 15 minutes is up, remove the top and stir the chocolate by hand until it is uniform and smooth. This will take a couple of minutes. At this point the ganache will be very thin and runny.





Set it aside to cool. When it cools to room temperature, it will become very thick.



Icing the cake.

By this time, the cake should have cooled.

This cake works best with a layer of cherries between the cake layers. It is necessary to save 1/3 of the cherry filling for this layer of cherry filling.

Cut the tube cake in half, across the cake to make two layers.



The remaining 13 can of cherry pie filling is spread evenly on the bottom layer.







The top layer is then placed on top of the bottom layer. It can be flipped over if desired to provide a flat top on the finished cake.



After the cake has cooled it is crumb coated with a thin layer of ganache.



After allowing the crumb coat to cool for 30 minutes, the cake is iced with the remaining ganache.





The cherry and chocolate of this cake go very well with a cup of coffee.



The cake makes an attractive presentation and a delicious dessert.







Chocolate cake with cherries and chocolate ganache icing. How could this not be good?

Thanks for looking.