Monday, April 12, 2010

Mocha Chocolate Gateaux

I am seriously lost when I have to bake a cake for a big group- for more than 10 people that is. That's usually for my kids' birthdays. I don't have an oven big enough to bake a large cake( hope hubby doesn't miss this part of the post:-)), so I end up baking 2 cakes. I first fantasize about 2 cakes, then search for 2 recipes, (some times only one), search for decorating ideas, then bake 2 cakes. Then decorate, make sure the fridge is filled with cake stuff only, sugar syrup, whipping cream, whipped cream. Generally, get all excited and stressed out simultaneously. You bet, my family gives me strange looks when I do not let anyone near the fridge. LOL!  So much for my cake obsession:-))

So as usual, for my son's birthday, I made the Kiddie Helicopter Chocolate Cake and this Mocha Chocolate Gateaux. This one was light chocolate sponge filled and topped with sinful coffee cream. If  I may pat my own back, this was one of my best cakes ever.

This chocolate sponge recipe is from Deeba. I have doubled the quantity which made one medium sized cake and one small one. I am scared of making sponges but this one came out good thankfully. ( Except a thin upper layer which was slightly soft, I sliced it off). The small one became my trial cake as I wanted to see how chocolate sponge tastes with coffee cream before going ahead and making it for the whole party bunch. The test cake was certified by hubby, brother, niece and kids. Then I proceeded with the birthday cake. Here comes the recipe.

Chocolate Sponge
Ingredients:
Eggs -3
Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup
Flour - 1/2 cup minus 2 tbsps
Cocoa powder- 2 tbspns
Method:
  • Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Line a Swiss roll tin with baking parchment, grease it & dust it with flour.( I used a regular round cake tin, about 8 inches)
  • Sift flour and cocoa.
  • Beat eggs with sugar till thick & mousse like, for about 10 minutes. Fold in flour, gently, so that the beaten air is not released.
  • Pour batter into a lined, greased & floured tin. Bake for 35-40 minutes till done; lightly colored.(Takes longer in a regular cake tin, specially if the quantity  is more than the above, so be careful)
  • Turn out to cool on rack, immediately removing the lining.
  • Slice the cake horizontally into 2 slices.
Sugar Syrup( For one cake using 3 eggs, double this quantity if making 2 cakes)
 1 Cup water
 1 1/4 tablespoon powdered sugar(adjust to taste)
  Mix both together and refrigerate till needed.

For the Mocha Cream, I used about
Whipping Cream( I use Rich's) - 2 Cups, makes approximately 4 cups of whipped cream(You could use more or less depending on how generously you want to frost, fill and decorate)
Instant Coffee Powder - 2 teaspoons, more to taste

Chill the whipping cream for at least 10 hours in the fridge. Chill the beaters and the bowl for 2-3 hours at least. Stainless steel works best .Place over a large bowl of ice. Whip first on slow speed for a minute or so and then at medium speed for about 8-10 minutes or till the cream forms soft peaks. Be careful not to over whip.

Place one cake slice on the cake platter and soak well with the syrup using a spoon. (Do not over do this as the cake will become soggy). Use the bottom layer with the parchment for the top of the cake as it will be smooth and gives a neat and flat finish to the cake.
Spread some of the whipping cream evenly using an offset spatula. Place the second layer on the cream and soak with sugar syrup. Frost with the cream. Refrigerate for about an hour or so and allow the cream to set.

For the 'Web design'
1 1/2 tablespoons cream
1 1/2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Boil the cream, take off the heat. Add the chocolate chips, stir well till smooth. Cool and put into a small ziplock bag. Snip a TINY hole. Draw a spiral from the center outwards. Draw a wooden toothpick from the center outwards at a 60 degree angle at equal points on the cake. Next draw the toothpick in the opposite direction. My ganache was a lil runny, otherwise it would have looked better. I have drizzled more ganache from the edge of the cake randomly to let it flow downward. Placed Cadbury Shots in the middle.

This cake tastes best chilled about 24 hours before serving. If you are iffy about the decoration part like me, make the cake up to the frosting the cake stage, chill well, and decorate a couple of hours ahead of serving time. Whew!! That's it!!

The chocolate and coffee is truly a delightful combo, I really loved this cake. If you love cakes, chocolate and coffee this one is a must try!






    34 comments:

    SathyaSridhar said...

    Suma,,,cake looks perfect dear icing perfect n i likw the web design,,,sure it will taste yummyyyyy.... hope ur kids enjoyed this delicious cake.

    Anonymous said...

    Wow Suma, now you're having me yearning for dessert right after my dinner! Im sure the kids enjoyed this one, both yours and the ones that came to the party. Cannot wait to taste one of your cakes soon ;)

    Smita Srivastava said...

    Simply superb ..... Such perfect icing , the choco nutties add to the creative design !!!

    Smita
    @Little Food Junction

    Nithya said...

    This looks fantastic. :) I just came to know that whipping matters so much and involves so many things to make it perfect.. Thanks for the details. Will surely try this cake soon :)

    Priya Suresh said...

    Very beautiful mocha chocolate cake and looks awesome..

    Sneha said...

    THAT LOOKS AWESOMEEEEE!! Lucky kids!! :0D

    Pavithra Elangovan said...

    Looks so good and even though the ganache is runny its looking so good and modern. Perfect looking cake with ganache drizzling on sides.. Yummy wish to have a slice.

    Prema said...

    cakes luks beautiful...

    Suma said...

    @Madhuri! Am waiting to feed you one of my cakes:-))
    @Nithya- True, Nithya, u bet it takes so many things to fall together to make a good cake. Me learning it the hard way:-))

    Jayanthy Kumaran said...

    Dear Suma,

    I can't take my eyes from your lovely click...sooooooo tempting...thanks for sharing...this goes to my must try list.

    Sum said...

    OMG!!! This looks sooooo sooo fantastic! I wonder if i ever will be able to make anything close....

    Nandinis food said...

    Very cute cake and it's lovely!

    Simplyfood said...

    This cake looks delicious and it has been decorated really well.

    Unknown said...

    suma I must say the cake looks sinful and delicious and I am really in awe of ppl who can decorate cakes!

    shahana said...

    Looks so perfect!

    Deepti Pawar said...

    This is heaven...and I want to bite into it (I'd be too greedy if I said I want the whole thing, no?)

    And Suma, this is one more thing I want on 'the list' for bloggers night :P

    Ann said...

    Wow.. it looks so yummilicious and i'm drooling over the pic.

    M D said...

    Hey Suma, this is by far the best cake I have seen here. It looks beautiful! I am going through a WOW factor just by the look of it. Every bite must be yum!

    Parita said...

    The cake looks fantastic! One question i am new to your blog and went through some of your old posts, you have been bit by baking bud , welcome to the gang :D Ok now my question does rich's whipping cream hold up well for piping? I have never tried rich's always used those whipping cream powder. Thanks!

    shubhada said...

    hey I'm on a diet and your cake makes me drool:)))

    Deepa said...

    hey this looks so perfect..the cake and the icing..love the webby look..

    Nachiketa said...

    What a yummy looking cake... am sure ure son must have been really happy....

    Can totally understand the cake obsession n protective feeling about the fridge :-)

    The Variable, Crazy Over Desserts - Nachiketa
    Catch me on facebook @ Crazy Over Desserts

    Deepthi Shankar said...

    that looks very beautiful

    Aps Kitchen said...

    This one luks beauthiful nd i love the mocha flav... :)

    Suma Rowjee said...

    Thanks all!
    @Parita- Rich's does hold quite well when piped, though getting it to behave well for piping consistently has been a mystery for me:-)) Does power work well for piping? I have never tried it..Do u stabilize your cream? Do lemme know.

    Champa said...

    Looks good. I hope you get a bigger oven soon. I understand how protective one can be of their decorated cakes. I usually have to hide it from the kids since they start putting fingers into the frosting.

    Deepti Pawar said...

    Suma, I was thinking of trying this sometime... Wanted to know if you did not add any baking powder/soda, butter to your chocolate sponge cake?

    Unknown said...

    Perfect icing cake!

    Aparna S Mallya said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Aparna S Mallya said...

    yummy looking cake for sure! yr son must have been so happy!

    Malar Gandhi said...

    Looks extraordianry, splendid creation.

    Shri said...

    Hi Suma, Totally love chocolate coffee flavoured desserts. Have this on my mind for baking this wknd. I have couple quick Qs - 1. Just double checking if the sponge does not require butter or baking soda or baking powder? 2. Should I add the coffee powder to the cream and then start the whipping process?
    Trying my hands at cake decoration for the first time...butterflies in my stomach..totally nervous !
    Thanks so much !

    Shri

    Suma Rowjee said...

    Hi Shri! Yes, right, the sponge does not have any baking powder,butter, soda etc. The leavening is solely with the whipped eggs. You could add the coffee to the cream when you start whipping. Good luck with the cake, have fun decorating!

    Shri said...

    Suma, thanks so much for writing back ! I baked it on Friday, decorated it y'day and relished it today. It turned up fantastic simply fabulous. Hubby and kid are not too much of coffee lovers, but after the first spoonful there was no stopping....they washed off half the cake.
    Coming to the decoration part, it wasn't bad for a first trial. I was scared to whip the cream too long so it was a little soft and the swirls were not clearly visible.
    Thanks for the lovely recipe :)

    Cake gel and fondant next up for experimenting...and all the credit for my daringness goes to your blog. Kudos..love your space and I love your write ups...very motivating for dummies like me !