Dreamy Soft Chocolate Cake (巧克力相思蛋糕)

I have been pretty inconsistent with my blogging lately....not that anyone has noticed it or anything. I can sometimes post up 3 posts in a week or I can totally disappear for close to 10 days. I guess it's just a matter of my poor time management and busy schedule. ;P Nevertheless, my love for baking never dampens no matter how busy I am. Believe me, I am always thinking of what to bake up for my family...plus using up all those stocked up ingredients, hahaha! And since my better half is currently on oversea assignment...I can't bake too much....have to control.. :D

Today I am again posting up another favorite, well at least it has just become my family's favorite. (^.^) It's the same recipe as the Dreamy Soft Pandan Cake I made awhile back, but a change in flavoring. This time I made slight changes here and there, so I figure it's best I just post it up for future references. :)

If you are wondering how come the colour of the cake is kind of dark...well I have to blame it on the Chocolate Emulco! I didn't realise it until it was out of the oven. :P I am so gonna omit it the next time. ;P I also saw Jane's version which I believe it's very good, so I tried to adapt some of her steps.

(Recipe adapted from SiewWei & Jane)

Ingredients for Dreamy Soft Chocolate cake (巧克力相思蛋糕) -fills a 8x8 square pan

Egg yolk batter

65g vegetable oil

50ml chocolate milk

40g dark chocolate, chopped small (I used 70% cocoa)
1/4 tsp salt

100g egg yolks (~6 egg yolks)

1 whole egg

55g superfine cake flour
10g Valrohna cocoa powder
1/2 tsp chocolate emulco (optional)

Egg white Batter

~200g egg white (I used however much of the egg white extracted from the above 6 eggs)

70g caster sugar

1 tbsp corn flour

• Heat up the milk just before it starts to bubble and add the chopped chocolate. Stir well and mix. Set it aside for use later.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks, whole egg, salt, vegetable oil, chocolate milk mixture together till well combined.
• Sift in the flour and mix well till no visible lumps. (set aside and cover)
• Preheat the oven to 160C. Prepare water bath in the oven. Grease and line parchment paper a 8x8 square cake pan.
• In the mixer bowl, add in egg white and beat till foamy. Then gradually add in the sugar and continue to beat till soft peaks. Then add in the corn flour and continue to beat till stiff peaks.
• Gently flour in the egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture in 3 separate portions and do not deflate the batter.
• Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 50 mins in water bath. (Fill a 9x9-inch square pan with water until the halfway mark and place it in the oven to create the water bath.)
•  
• Remove from oven when the tester comes out clean and let cool on rack before slicing.

Bare in mind that it's normal that the cake will deflate a little once it starts cooling down. If you compare the above pictures, you will notice that mine did shrink a little. So don't panic okay...let the cake relax. ;)

I have again spread a layer of Vanilla Swiss Meringue buttercream in between. My kids love it to bits! Besides that one slice I ate in the beginning, the rest is all polished off by them! After they finished the last slice, they are already asking when will I be baking it again. :P 

I then baked another batch and filled it with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream, also a winner! For easier reference, I shall share the Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe here:

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream (makes ~4 to 5 cups)

5 oz egg whites (~140g)
5 oz caster sugar (~140g)
1/4 tsp salt
bean scrapings from 1/2 of a vanilla bean

1 tsp quality vanilla extract
500g unsalted butter, cut into 2” chunks, room temperature

100g 80% cocoa chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

 

Chocolate shavings for extra texture and decorations

 

Method:

• Prepare a double boiler with a gentle simmer. In a heat proof bowl, combine egg whites, sugar and salt into it. Mix well but no beating is required. Place the bowl over the double boiler and placing a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature.
• Stir once in awhile to prevent the egg white from curdling at sides. Aim to to have the temperature reached at least 146F / 63C for food safety reasons.
• Once the temperature is reached, remove from heat and beat it till it is silky white. Add vanilla extract and mix well. If the mixture is still hot, place it over a bath of ice water to cool it down.
• Add the butter chunks one piece at a time and continue to beat while doing so. Continue to beat till all the butter has been added and the buttercream is smooth and silken.
• Mix the melted chocolate into the buttercream till it is well combined. Chill in the fridge till it is needed.

But I have to admit this recipe is one of the softest cake I made...definitely a keeper. ;) You have to try it for yourself, you won't regret it. :P

Hopefully my next post will be my submission to this month's MFF... hosted by Lena of Frozen Wings. Do show your support! :D Until then, have a good week ahead my friends!