Chocolate Ganache Cake

I love a good, rich, melt in your mouth, dark chocolate cake, especially on my birthday. This post is the transition between my birthday, September 30, and the start of Halloween Season, October 1. And, a sudden surprise $50 Amazon gift certificate from the Fairy Hobmother. Read to the end to get to the giveaway and your chance to be visited by the Fairy Hobmother too.

September is birthday month, and there are so many birthday cakes and parties at our house that the crepe paper, banners and party hats stay out in view as one birthday melts into the next. I bake all the cakes from scratch, which is always fun and nerve wracking at the same time.

One birthday involves twins that want completely different cakes in different colors. It got so complicated this year, that I ended up making four birthday cakes for one party, with no blog worthy pictures.

By the time my birthday rolls around on the last day of birthday month, I just want a burger, fries and chocolate cake, my yearly splurge into the dark side.  I won’t allow a single Halloween decoration to show up until the day after my birthday because no witch, ghost or goblin is stealing the show.  But, on October 1, the boxes come down and the Autumn colors, pumpkins, spiders and fun begins.

I did not make this cake, but it was made in my kitchen by Mr. Spinach Tiger.  He was so determined for me to have a cake from scratch that I didn’t have to make.

One year he ordered a specialty cake for me and while it was beautiful, it wasn’t chocolate and didn’t have the comfort a simple homemade cake has.

He did a great job with the baking part with the help of  our friend, Kristina, who can always be counted on to give us a good recipe. If you read my last post, you now how much I love my friends who give me their signature recipes. One year she gave us this carrot cake for his birthday, and the search for carrot cake stops there. Kristina takes her cooking and baking quite seriously and she will research a recipe looking for what she considers the “best of.”  She has come up with ten signature recipes and I’m knocking down her door to get all ten of them. One down, nine to go.

“Aren’t all chocolate cakes the same”, you might ask?  No. Some are lifeless. Some are dry. Some don’t rise. Some are almost there, but not quite there because they don’t have enough chocolate flavor.  Some are too heavy, some too light. Texture and flavor are key, and this cake has that perfect texture and does what a chocolate cake should do. But be forewarned, it’s a very unique recipe, as there is both butter and oil, and there is some cooking on top of the stove.

We opted for a ganache topping (my favorite) as super sweet frosting ruins the depth of a good chocolate cake. Using ganache offsets the sweetness and allows the true chocolate experience to shine.

As far as ganache, you will find variations that use corn syrup, but I prefer a very simple cream and chocolate with a touch of good vanilla.

So, tell me how do you like your chocolate cake? I like  just like this with a little ice cream or a glass of full-bodied red wine, depending if I want to be a kid or a grown up.

The Fairy Hobmother Giveaway

I’m quite the skeptic and wasn’t sure what a visit from the Fairy Hobmother meant until I checked my in box and sure enough, I received a $50 gift card from my favorite shopping site, Amazon.com.  All I did was leave a comment over at Barbara Bakes, a yummy  dessert site, who was also visited by the Fairy Hobmother.  A day later, the Fairy Hobmother asked me to place this link for appliances here and in return she will visit this site and just might select you to receive a special gift also. You have nothing to lose. Just leave a comment because you know a $50 gift card is a great way to kick off the shopping season.