All American Chocolate Cake

Lately the air quality in KL is getting from bad to worst. Every morning there is always a thick haze overcast in the atmosphere with a slight hint of smoky smell in the air. All this is due to the forest fires in Sumatra, Indonesia. No no, it's not because of the heat that causes the fire...it is actually set by developers in Sumatra to clear the land! *sigh* The damages that human does to earth is really beyond toleration sometimes. I just wish that our future generations will still be able to enjoy the seer beauty of nature and not having to suffer from the mistakes that their fore fathers have done to the environment.

Okay, enough with being poetic...let's get back to today's post. Have been having that familiar craving lately....yeah that one, chocolate....a good piece of dark chocolate cake of course. So I browse through my cook books and found an easy enough recipe in Y3K's "Delicious Cakes" by Amy Heng. The American Chocolate Cake! Fortunately I have all the ingredients in my pantry so I got to work immediately.

I did some slight modification to the recipe, so here is my version:
Ingredients for American Chocolate Cake:
Chocolate Cake:
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
370g soft brown sugar (I used 330g)
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs ( I used 3 large eggs)
320g all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
100g unsweetened cocoa powder
280ml hot water

Chocolate filling:
300ml fresh whipping cream
600g semisweet chocolate (chopped)

• Heat the cream in double boiler method til bubbling, pour over chopped chocolate.
  
• Let mixture stand for 3 minutes before stirring it.
• Stir mixture till smooth and let cool and refrigerate till needed.

Topping and decorations:
50g white chocolate (melted and added 1 tsp of shortening)

Method & Assembly:

• Line and grease a 10" round baking tin. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, vanilla extract and sugar together till light and fluffy.
  
• Add in one egg at a time and mix well after each addition.
• Sift the dry ingredients and set aside.
• Mix the hot water with the cocoa powder and set aside.
• Alternating the flour and cocoa mixture into the egg mixture and incorporate till everything is used, ending with the flour mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50mins to 1hr, or till cake tester comes out clean.
• Let cool on rack. Then using a serrated knife, cut the cake into 3 layers horizontally.
• Spread 1/4 of the chocolate filling on the 1st layer of the cake. Top with the 2nd layer and spread another 1/4 of the filling. Then place the last layer over and frost the rest of the chocolate ganache over the whole cake.
• Using a piping bag, pipe circles on the surface of the cake. Using a toothpick to create a feathery effect by dragging the toothpick across the piped chocolate.

In the cook book, it suggest to decorate some white chocolate moulds on the side of the cake. But since I much prefer the cake to be less sweet, I opt not to do it. Furthermore, I am not a fan of white chocolate! :-P

The cake was tender & decadent, definitely a chocolate "curbing" fix, haha! I had a big slice (the picture shown above) and was completely satisfied....mmm, got milk?!
Have actually prepared 2 portions to share with my friends/neighbors here. But whenever I pass them these goodies, there is always some mixed feelings involved. You must be wondering what am I saying here, haha! My friends would be delighted that they got these delicious treats but on the other hand worrying about putting on the extra calories!! Haha...o well, I guess I really have to come up with some exercise plans for us if I want to convince my friends to eat more of these treats! ;)