Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Make This!!

I made Matty a delicious chocolate cake for his bday. The icing on the cake (literally!) was the dark chocolate ganache. Super yummy! Tired of being stuck in a cake decorating rut, I copied the Farm Chicks idea of adding cake flags instead of the usual sprinkles.
Here is the recipe for dark chocolate ganache frosting. Make it!!! Click on this link if you want the dark chocolate cake recipe too (I just used a cake mix). :)

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

Place the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, warm the cream over medium heat until it boils. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for 1 minute, then stir together well using a rubber spatula, whisk, or immersion blender until very smooth. Add the vanilla extract and mix in completely.
Cover the ganache mixture tightly with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator until the mixture is firm but pliable. A good test is to press a finger into the mixture. If it takes the indentation of your finger easily, it’s at the right point. If the ganache is too soft, it will feel runny; if it is too firm, it will be hard to press your finger in it. If the ganache is too firm, let it stand at room temperature until it is soft enough to use.
Place the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl. Using the flat beater attachment or a hand-held mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is fluffy. Add the ganache in two or three stages and beat until the mixture holds soft peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. As the ganache beats, it becomes lighter in color. Don’t beat the ganache too long or it may separate and curdle.
Use a small offset spatula, a rubber spatula, or a spoon to spread the top of each cupcake with ganache frosting.

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