Love love love this cake.
It's one of the most requested cakes in my household.
My son likes it so much he wants to learn how to make it.
He loves to cook and I love that he does. He's pretty good at it too.
There are a few steps to this recipe (none of them hard) and it takes a little time,
but man....is it ever worth it.
I've had this recipe for some time now and have no idea exactly where it came from, but I do know there are several of them out there by various names.
So so good. I think everyone needs to try it.
Linked with Foodie Friday and Weekend Potluck.
Ding Dong Cake
For the Cake
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup hot coffee, or 1 cup boiling water and 2 tablespoons
instant espresso powder
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Salted Caramel Ganache
9 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I
used a 72% venezuela orgine)
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 big pinches sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Vanilla Bean Filling
2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Sea salt for finishing
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to
350 degrees F.
Butter and line 2, 9-inch baking pans with parchment paper. Set
aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment, add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder,
and salt. Mix until well combined. Add in the buttermilk, hot coffee, oil, eggs, and
vanilla. Mix on medium speed until well combined. About 1 to 2 minutes.
Divide batter among cake pans and bake until a toothpick
inserted comes out almost clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. I start checking at 23 minutes. Let cake cool in pans
about 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool on a cooling rack until
completely cooled.
For the Salted Caramel Ganache
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.
In a medium heavy bottomed pot, combine the sugar and
water, and stir to combine. Heat the mixture over medium high heat, without
stirring, but swirling occasionally if the sugar is coloring unevenly. Heat
until the sugar turns amber in color. Remove from heat immediately and slowly
add the heavy cream while whisking. If there are any clumps of sugar, return
the pot to low heat and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the
vanilla and sea salt. Pour the caramel over the chocolate.
Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes, then gently stir until the
ganache is well combined. Set aside to thicken, about 1 to 2 hours. *If the
ganache becomes to thick, warm it over a double boiler until more workable or
in the microwave for 10 second intervals.
For the Vanilla Bean Filling
Add the cold water to a small bowl, then sprinkle the
gelatin over it. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes, until it has set.
In a small skillet, add about 1/2-inch of water, and heat
over medium-high heat. Place the small bowl with the gelatin directly inside
the skillet. Stir the gelatin until it is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove the
bowl from the skillet.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk
attachment, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean seeds, and
beat on high speed until soft peaks have formed. Slowly add in the melted
gelatin mixture and continue to beat until stiff peaks have formed.
Assembly
Take the first cake layer and place it on a cake board or
cardboard round slightly smaller than the cake layers. Spread a layer of
ganache (a spreadable consistency) over the cake, about 1 cup. Top with the
vanilla bean whipped cream. Top with the second cake layer. Refrigerate the
cake for about 2 hours until the filling has set.
Heat the remaining ganache over a double boiler until it
is a pourable consistency.
Set a cooling rack over a clean baking sheet. Remove the
cake from the fridge and set it on top of the cooling rack. Pour the ganache
over the cake so that it covers the tops and sides of the cake. Pour any
ganache that has gone onto the baking sheet back into the bowl. If you have
enough ganache, give the cake a second coating. Sprinkle the top of the cake
with additional coarse sea salt. Refrigerate cake.
Remove cake 1 hour prior to serving. Because the vanilla
bean filling is a stabilized whipped cream, it will be stable at room
temperature. This cake will keep for up to 3 days well covered.
This cake is so mouthwatering! The cake layers are chocolaty and moist, the filling so light and fluffy, and the ganache so smooth and decadent. Pinning.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a winner. Hope you get a chance to try it soon.
DeleteLooks good. I just went out and bought what I needed and will be making it tonight. Wish that there was a way to print the recipe...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Todd. Hope you enjoyed it. I thought I had a print button on here. Thanks for the heads up. Print button is now at the end of the recipes.
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