My Birthday Cake: Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Butter Ganache

有时候，做蛋糕的过程跟人生都一样，人算不如天算。不管你计划的有多周详，都会有达不到自己的要求或意想不到的结果。

I'm talking about the birthday cake that I first time make for myself this year. I'm supposed to do the following: Bake a chocolate chiffon cake, cut into 3 layers, sandwich the layers and cover the whole cake with butter ganache, coat the sides with chocolate rice. And so far so good. I'm glad I have taken a photo of it while waiting for the ganache to set.

Then I tried to act smart and wanted to pipe some decorations on top inspired copied from a book. But my pipings turned out so horrible that I scraped away all of them and turning the glossy ganache on top into a little mess. I decided that plain and simple is good and left it as it is. It's my birthday cake! As long as I like it, it doesn't matter how it looks.

Indeed, this cake reflects a true part of me, my looks, my character and my thoughts. I'm just so plain that I prefer to be sitting at one corner and no one will notice. I don't look for any excitement in life. I just want to be safe and healthy and being happy in my life. And these will remain as my birthday wishes every year.

See the 3 layers of cake, sandwiched with ganache, not too obvious.

A side story. IhopeyoucanreadwhatIamwritingwithoutusingspacebarbecausemyspacebarisspoilt. I'm typing extremely slow with this post cos my spacebar key is spoilt. I think my nieces did something to it when I'm away from keyboard. Now I can only press the round part (see arrow) when I need a spacebar!

Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Butter Ganache

Ingredients (makes one 6 inch round tin)

Chocolate Chiffon Cake (Carol 自在生活)
3 egg yolks
15g sugar
20g vegetable oil
30ml milk
35g cake flour
20g cocoa powder

3 egg whites
1/2 tsp lemon juice (omitted)
35g sugar

Butter Ganache (Temptation of Chocolate by Alex Goh)
200g dark chocolate
100g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

* I have some leftover, maybe can reduce to 150g dark chocolate and 75g unsalted butter.

Method

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves.

2. Add in vegetable oil and whisk until well-mixed.

3. Sift cake flour and cocoa powder together. Add in, alternating with milk, in 2 batches. Whisk until batter is smooth and set aside.

4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy, then add in lemon juice and sugar (in 2 batches) and continue whisking until stiff peak form.

5. Fold in 1/3 of the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3), then pour the batter into the remaining 2/3 egg white. Fold gently until well-mixed.

6. Pour the batter into a baking tin lined and greased at the base. Give the tin a few slight bangs on the table to knock out air in the batter. Bake in preheated oven at 160 deg C for 32-35 minutes (I bake at 170 deg C for 30 minutes).

7. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.
(Not sure if I should unmould the cake to cool or unmould after the cake has completely cooled just like chiffon cakes, any advice here?)

Butter Ganache

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place them in a bowl.
2. Put the bowl over a pan of boiling water. Stir until the chocolate is melted.
3. Add in the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Use when it is slightly cooled and still in pouring consistency.

Assembling the cake

1. Cut the cake horizontally into 3 layers.
2. Sandwich the butter ganache in between cake layers.
3. Cover the whole cake with butter ganache.
4. Coat the side of the cake with chocolate rice.
5. Put any desired decorations on top.
6. Chill before serving.

Recipe adapted from: Carol 自在生活 and Temptation of Chocolate by Alex Goh 浓情巧克力.