Inspiration from Madeira
After unexpected year full of unprecedented events I have unprecedentedly disappear for a month to Madeira. I needed to get
The moistest chocolate cake you have ever eaten
My wish was to create a simple chocolate cake, that would look just ordinary but when you get a bite, it would blown you away.
The goal was to find a perfect interplay between sponge cake and the cream, so when you stick a fork into it, it would be soft and gentle.
The cake is made of 4 essential steps that will be shown further down:
Baking the sponge cake
Preparation of ganache 1
Preparation of ganache 2
Decoration
After several attempts I have found out how to bake the perfect chocolate sponge cake that you will want to have just plain as a snack, or little bite during the day. The key for creation such a sponge cake is not the amount of fat, as would most of us think, but the amount of liquid. I use the cup of coffee that gives the cake its smoothness and delicacy which we will combine with the chocolate ganaches.
During the development I had a little struggle with finding the right chocolate ganache. I have made tens of tests, but still wasn’t satisfied with only one result. So at the end we have used two types of ganaches, each of them gives the cake what it needs. The first one is based on egg yolk basis like creme anglaise, where the amount of fat and egg yolk strengthens the taste of 55% chocolate. The second is based on cream, chocolate and gelatin the gives the right consistency, the elasticity that we will use for the final decoration.
After combining all the parts together it should get the desired result as not as strong chocolate taste as you would finish while eating only half of the cake. So it has to be light, but filled with decent amount of chocolate taste… and then the delicate consistency will lead for the perfect final feeling from the thing. Imagine a hard, dry sponge cake with fatty cream…. Uuu disaster. That’s why the delicacy and fluffiness of the sponge cake is just priority.
Ingredients for a sponge cake:
Wheat flour | 375 | g |
Cocoa powder | 84 | g |
Baking powder | 15 | g |
Baking soda | 12 | g |
Confectionary sugar | 270 | g |
Cane sugar | 165 | g |
Salt | 12 | g |
Eggs | 3 | pieces |
Butter/Sunflower oil | 180 | g |
Sour cream | 270 | g |
Sugar with vanilla | 30 | g |
Coffee | 20 | g |
Water | 340 | g |
Steps for preparation of the sponge cake
Mix all the dry ingredients together
Melt the butter so it is completely fluid
Then mix all the wet ingredients apart from water with coffee
Mixing these two mixtures – dry and wet – you will accomplish to have hard dough
Boil water, prepare a coffee out of it, ant then pour out slowly over the hard dough and mix and the kneader/beater
Finally after well mixed you will reach a soft fluid dough which you pour into the baking pan – BE CAREFULL, it has to be closed baking pan, where the mixture can not flow out. Bake for 185 degrees 30-33 minutes. Try with a toothpick if it is well baked and let it cool
Ingredients for ganache 1:
Cream | 230 | g |
Egg yolks | 110 | g |
Confectionary sugar | 10 | g |
Honey | 40 | g |
Chocolate 55% | 150 | g |
Chocolate 34% | 100 | g |
Sour cream | 110 | g |
Mascarpone | 110 | g |
Gelatin | 5 | g |
Buttermilk | 190 | g |
Cocoa powder | 10 | g |
The steps for preparation of the ganache 1:
Measure the cream and cocoa power into the pot
Into the bowl put egg yolks and confectionary sugar and whisk to the foam
Take another bowl and measure chocolates and honey and melt it well, either in microwave oven or over the bain marie
Boil the cream with cocoa powder and pour one third of it into the egg yolk foam
Then mix both mixtures together and heat for 80 degrees, if you don’t have a thermometer – the mixture is done when the consistency turns to thicker state reminding a pudding or milky potato puree, just be careful to not burn it, so stir it well all the time
Then combine it with melted chocolates, add sour cream, mascarpone, buttermilk, heated gelatin and use a hand blender to mix it well
Let it cool in the fridge with a foil over it, 2 to 4 hours
Ingredients for ganache 2:
Cream | 461 | g |
Chocolate 55% | 300 | g |
Gelatine | 10 | g |
Mascarpone | 205 | g |
Glucose syrup | 50 | g |
Steps for preparation of the ganache 2
All the ingredients measure into the bowl, apart from mascarpone and cream.
Boil the cream in the pot and pour it over the ingredients.
Then use a hand blender, mix it well.
Add mascarpone, mix again, and let it cool over a foil. 2 to 4 hours
Assembling the cake :
Cut the sponge cake into the half.
Use a sugar syrup to moist the cake. (boil sugar and water 1:1, we add extra orange and rum – let it cool and then pour over the cake)
Mix the ganache 1 560g and ganache 2 350g in hand blender to thicker consistency. As you would beat a cream. The consistency has to be shiny, elastic but thick enough to assemble the cake.
Put two thirds of the cream over the first layer, then add the second layer, use a sugar syrup again and the rest of the cream over it.
TIP : a little tip from us is to leave a little of the cream, finish the first layer of alignment – freeze the cake for 10 minutes and then finish it to a smoothest version possible.
At the end use a chocolate decoration and cocoa powder to finish the cake by your inspiration. We melt a chocolate, pour it over a clean stainless table and wait it to solidify- then use a knife or card to create decoration as you can see on the picture.
Well done, enjoy or come to us to try in Ollies!
Share the Post:
Related Posts
Why we do traditional Czech desserts in Ollies?
Well, a stranger would said, why not, you are a Czech pastry shop 😀 But our story with Czech desserts
How to make THE BEST MOIST CHEESECAKE ever!
Do you recognize that some cheesecake is mere MOIST, CREAMY and JUICY and some is NOT? I love the first