Chocolate Berry Cake

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Mine certainly was great and that’s because I had the opportunity to share the joy with beautiful people, even if only virtual path.

I’m not in my best shape and that’s because my tonsils are not my friends anymore. So I replaced the mulled wine with hot tea and more time spent under the blanket. However, I couldn`t resisted not sharing this wonderful cake recipe, the star of our holidays.

The cake has a moist dough with intense chocolate taste. For berry mousse I used frozen fruit, kept for this special occasion. Sweet and delicate, this dessert ends a great holiday meal!

Chocolate Berry Cake

Cake

1 3/4 cup  flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup  cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup strong coffee

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease with butter and dusted with flour a cake with a diameter of 20 cm.

Mix sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder.

In another container mix the eggs for 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the oil, then buttermilk and vanilla.

Sift the dry ingredients over the eggs mixture alternating with coffee, mixing at low speed.

Pour in the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes (test with a toothpick). Allow to cool inside the pan for 10 minutes then remove the pan and allow to cool completely.

Chocolate ganache

2 cups heavy cream

14 oz chocolate

Place 8 oz of chocolate and the heavy cream in a sauce pan. Be careful not to boil the cream, just to melt the chocolate.  Leave to cool overnight. The next day mix the composition until it becomes creamy.

Make the same thing with the remaining heavy cream and chocolate, but prepare them just before you assemble the cake. This composition must remain liquid to be poured over the cake.

Berry mousse

1 1/2 cup berries

1/4 cup sugar

3 sheets of gelatin

1 cup heavy cream

Hydrate gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes.

Mix sugar with berries and heat the composition until sugar dissolves (careful not to boil). Leave the composition to cool a few minutes then add the gelatin (if the temperature is too high, fibres in the gelatin will be destroyed).

Wipe the heavy cream, then incorporate the fruit mixture.

Cut cake into 3 layers. Fill the first layer with chocolate ganache and the second layer with the berry mousse. Cover the cake with a thin layer of creamed ganache then pour over the liquid ganache. You can decorate with berries.

I wish you have a good time preparing  for the New Year`s eve.  Hope I get better soon and see you this year’s  last post about New Year’s Resolutions!