Chocolate Birthday Cake


Preheat oven to 180°C

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups flour
  • 3 tbsp good Dutch cocoa
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ¾ cup sunflower oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 jar Morello cherries

Directions

  1. In a large bowl mix well flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and sugar.
  2. Add vanilla, milk, oil and eggs and beat well.
  3. Butter and flour 25cm cake tin – this recipe will make 1 cake – double if wanting a layer cake.
  4. Pour mixture into cake tin and bake for 35-45 minutes.
  5. Take out and allow to cool a bit then after running a knife around the edge turn out onto a rack.
    6. While cooking prepare Ganache (below).


Ganache


Ingredients

  • 280 g dark chocolate
  • 2/3 cup cream

Directions

  1. Heat cream slowly – don’t let boil.
  2. Add broken up pieces of chocolate and stir constantly while chocolate melts.
  3. Keep stirring until consistently dark brown and smooth.
  4. Put in fridge for about an hour.
  5. Put cake on a nice plate.
  6. When ganache has a smooth and spreadable consistency use a knife to spread on the cake covering top and sides.
    7. Decorate how you would like. Our favourite has always been pitted Morello cherries – but there have been variations!