Never Enough Sweets

After all that work making that "A" shaped cake for my No.2 to celebrate her 3rd birthday in her playschool, my No.1 asked me,"Mama, is mei-mei gonna have a birthday cake to celebrate at home?". I was at a lost for words at first, but didn't want to disappoint her, so I said yes, I'll make another one today. Anyway, I don't see why not since my girls always have so much fun when there's a birthday celebration. Since my No. 2 loves everything chocolate, I made a different chocolate sponge cake. I have to say I'm more satisfied with this one, a lot softer then the previous cake. ;) I made mini cupcakes with pink butter cream icing with the left over cake batter since I was using a smaller cake mold this time.I have again used sliced bananas and chocolate ganache between the cake layers. (Somehow very well accepted by my girls)

Chocolate sponge cake 2
Ingredients A
3 egg whites
60g vanilla sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Ingredients B
3 egg yolks
50g vanilla sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
75ml of milk
60g melted cooled butter

60g cake flour
40g unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

1 ripe banana sliced and drizzle with lemon juice
3 to 4 fresh strawberries, sliced half

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease a 10cm round cake pan, line with parchment paper , grease again and dust with plain flour.
   
2. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
3. Add vanilla essence, milk and melted butter to egg yolk mixture, whisk until well blended.
4. Sift the cake flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together in another bowl. Then sift again into the egg mixture. Folding in until well incorporated.
   
5. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Then add sugar and cream of tartar and whip until it forms soft peaks.
6. Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture in to the egg yolk batter to lighten it. Then add in the egg white in 2 more batches using gentle fold and cut action to blend into the egg yolk batter. Making sure not to deflate the bubbles.
7. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
8. Cool in cake pan for 10 minutes before removing and cool completely before getting the cake out of the mold.

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients
4 fl oz whipping cream
113g / 4 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate (I used Lindt)
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp confectioner's sugar

Heat up the whipping cream in microwave on HIGH for 40 secs. Add hot cream to chopped chocolate and stir to mix well. Sift cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar into the chocolate ganache and let cool.

Assembly of cake

1. Cut cake across the middle. Place the first layer of cake on plate and set aside. Spread 1/2 of the prepared ganache on the 2nd layer of cake.
   
2. Placed sliced bananas on top of chocolate ganache, and place 1st layer of cake on top, cut side up.
3. Spread remaining of the chocolate ganache evenly on cake. Decorate with sliced strawberries on top of cake.

Bon appetite!
And you know what, we went for banana split that night too at Baskin Robins. :) Well, what can I say, one can never have enough sweets, haha!