Favorite Chocolate Cake

My personal view on cooking tends to be pretty basic. The better quality of the ingredients, the better the finished product. I also prefer to use fewer ingredients, that's why this cake recipe is one of my favorites.
First off, I cheat.

Unless I am doing something special, I just use a cake mix. This allows me for more time on what I really like, the presentation!
But first, lets make the cake.

I double the cake mix and use 3 9inch rounds for a taller cake.

To ensure my cake doesn't stick, I always use parchment paper.



I use the pan as my guide and stencil around it.

After I cut out the parchment paper and trim to fit the pan, I butter and flour the pan as normal.

Cook the cakes till they are bouncy when you touch them and the sides start to pull away from the pan.

Let them cool! While the cakes are cooling, start with the ganache.

A basic ganache is just two ingredients-so don't skimp on the quality!

Cream and chocolate are all you really need to make ganache, some recipes will call for butter or flavorings, but like I said, I prefer fewer ingredients-the texture and body of chocolate will be the star here.

8-12 ounces chocolate (I use Hershey's Special Dark chips)
8 ounces heavy cream.

Heat the cream over low/med-low heat till it starts to steam, just below a boil. You don't want it too hot or it will scald the cream, not hot enough and it won't melt the chocolate.
Place your chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) in a heat safe bowl.
Pour heated cream over chocolate, allow to sit for 15 min.
Stir with a wire whisk until smooth, can add 1 t. vanilla at this point if so desired.
Separate about 1 cup of the ganache mixture and leave at room temp.
Chill, covered the rest of the ganache until firm (a finger dragged through it leaves a solid trail).

The more chocolate you use, the thicker your ganache. A firm ganache can be rolled into balls and dipped into melted chocolate for easy truffles.

Once the ganache is well chilled, whip it up! I recommend putting your whisk in the freezer. Colder is better when it comes to whipping heavy cream. When your ganache is lighter in color and has a smooth, almost fluffy texture, it's ready!

Now, one more thing to make-simple syrup. Two ingredients.

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I use equal parts
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
Boil til the sugar dissolves. Cool.
The end.

Level your cakes using a serrated knife. If the cakes are too uneven, it will be very difficult to decorate.
The simple syrup helps keep the cake moist, put some one each layer after leveling.
You can do this one of three ways:

If you don't have a pastry brush or a squeeze bottle, a spoon works fine.

Now, divide your whipped ganache into thirds, and put one third between each layer of the cake.

What about the ganache we left out at room temperature? Well it's time to use it!

Once you have the cake "stuffed", pour the ganache (it should still be a liquid) over the cake. It should leave a nice glossy finish on the top and drip down the sides a little.

Using the rest of the whipped ganache, frost the sides of the cake, over the drip marks from the liquid ganache.

The finished product should look something like

This.

Note: For those wishing to "step it up a notch" (sorry Emeril), you can add a chocolate wrap.

Use a ruler to measure the height of your cake. On parchment paper make a series of marks at that height and then use the ruler to bring them together in a straight line. Practice wrapping the paper around the cake to get an idea how long to make it. You should end up with a strip of parchment paper that fits somewhat snugly around the cake.

Use any kind of good melting chocolate and slather it on the parchment. Make sure it is lying on a flat surface. You will probably need an extra pair of hands to help you wrap it around the cake evenly.

Once the wrap is on, let it set-preferably in the refrigerator.

Peel off the paper, and voila!

I used both white and milk chocolate melts to create this design. Experiment and find what you can do!