Chocolate cake recipe with chocolate ganache frosting / filling. How to make Homemade Chocolate cake with eggs made in the oven. Recipe with step by step pictures.
This is our standard chocolate cake I bake for birthdays at home and for friends and family. This is a no fail chocolate cake recipe. I have made it so many times that I know the ingredient measurements in my head. I never took pictures while making this cake in the past as birthdays are always a chaos with party planning, food and always rushed for time. Finally I got time this year to do it. My son likes to experiment with different flavors of cake every year but Vinodh (my husband) has a standard order. It has to be this cake every year or a fresh fruit cake. This year we went with chocolate. This recipe can be made into cupcakes too and works so beautifully.
Here is a list of other cake recipes on the site. Cakes and Pastries Recipes Baking Recipes
Here is a list of things you will need to make this cake. Click the link below to buy them online. Ingredients Dark Chocolate Bar Instant Coffee Powder Cocoa Powder Baking Soda Vanilla Extract Equipment Measuring Spoon Set Whisk Parchment Paper Mixing Bowls Baking Tray Silicone Spatula 9 Inch Baking Pan Appliances 45 Liter OTG Oven Stand Mixer Heavy Duty Indian Mixie
Here is how to make Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Ganache Frosting Frosting for the cake First we will make the chocolate ganache frosting. For making the ganache frosting, We will need dairy cream / whipping cream and chocolate as main ingredients. You can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate. I have used Amul cream (tetra pak) and a local dark chocolate bar (Morde is the readily available brand in India). You can use gourmet chocolate bars, single origin bars etc… Its just up to you. Use whatever you can get hold of. Chocolate chips are also fine. But do not buy / use chocolate compound. Chocolate compound is good for making decorations etc.. but not for making ganache. Compounds usually do not contain cocoa butter. Compound chocolates are made with vegetable shortening. The label should read “dark chocolate” and should not carry the word compound. So buy accordingly. Weigh the cream and the chocolate. I have used 200 grams of cream and 400 grams of chocolate. The ratio is 1:2. Weigh the ingredients. Chop the chocolate bar into small pieces. Set aside.
Heat the cream in a kettle / pan until hot. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of instant coffee powder. Whisk well.
Also add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt and remove the cream from heat. Add in the chocolate pieces. The hot cream will melt the chocolate. Do not cook the chocolate on stove at any time as it will burn the chocolate and the flavour will not be very good. Chocolate is very sensitive to heat. After about two minutes of adding the chocolate, whisk well so the chocolate combines with the cream evenly.
Set aside in a cool place in the kitchen for an hour or two. If in a hurry, cool the ganache in the refrigerator for 20 minutes and proceed with the next step. Do not refrigerate for a longer time as the ganache will become hard and will be difficult to whip. In case the ganache has become hard, thaw for sometime and proceed to the next step.
Just before frosting the cake, whip the prepared ganache in a stand mixer / hand mixer for a full five minutes. From a dark brown color, the frosting will become a light brown due to the aeration. Set aside.
Now Lets make the chocolate cake. Powdering the sugar Weigh the sugar. We need 400 grams for this recipe. Grind the regular granulated sugar ( the kind of sugar we use in our coffee and everyday cooking )in a mixie to a powder. Set aside
Sifting the dry ingredients for the chocolate cake. Lay a newspaper on the kitchen counter top. We will sift the dry ingredients on a news paper. I find this the easiest and a no-mess method to sift dry ingredients. Take a colander / sifter and add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda (leveled teaspoon) and 250 grams of maida (all purpose flour).
Sift well.
Transfer the sifted ingredients from the newspaper to a big bowl. Always use a big bowl so mixing will be easy and less messy. To the bowl add in the powdered sugar we made and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
Wet Ingredients Take a bowl and add in 1/2 cup (150 grams) of plain yogurt / curd. Home made / store bought all works really well in this recipe. Add in two eggs and a teaspoon of good / real vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine.
Whisk well. There should not be any lumps. Whisk for a good minute so the yogurt combines well with the egg. Set aside. Note: The colour of this mixture is slightly brown due to the use of pure vanilla extract. If you use artificial vanilla, use less. 1/4 teaspoon will do in case of artificial vanilla essence. But I strongly advise to use pure vanilla as the flavour and aroma of pure vanilla is divine and makes a lot of difference in the end product.
Take a kettle and add in 200 grams of unsalted butter and 1 cup (240 ml) plain water. Bring to a boil. Let the butter completely melt.
In the mean time, take a bowl and in 60 grams of cocoa powder. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of instant coffee powder. Coffee accentuates the flavour of chocolate.
Once the water-butter mixture is boiling, add in the cocoa mixture. Whisk well and let the mixture cook for a minute on a low flame.
Remove from heat and add it immediately (add the hot liquid) to the dry ingredients kept in the big bowl. Make sure to not waste any butter-cocoa mixture. Use a silicone spatula to get everything in the bowl.
Gently whisk to combine.
Add in the whisked curd-egg-vanilla mixture to the bowl. Whisk to combine.
Prepare two – 9 inch cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan with butter or oil.
Once the batter is evenly mixed, add it to the prepared cake pans. Divide the batter into two and add it to the pans.
Place the pans in a preheated oven. The oven needs to be preheated for at-least 15-20 minutes at 180° Celsius / 350° Fahrenheit. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes. After 20 minutes, insert a tooth pick, if it comes clean without any wet batter, the cake is ready. If the tooth pick comes wet, bake for a few minutes more. Remove the baked cakes from the oven and allow it to cool completely for an hour. Note: If your oven is small, bake the cake in batches. while one pan is baking, store the other pan in the refrigerator.
Run the sides of the cake pan with a kitchen knife and invert the pan to a cake board to release the cake from the pan. Remove the parchment paper.
Invert the cake again with a cake board on top so the dome / curved side is on top. Cut the top of the cake with a serrated knife so the cake is flat and will be easy to assemble and frost. ( We will be using the cut cake pieces later. Do not throw away.) Repeat the same for the other remaining cake. Set aside.
Add about 1/3 cup of frosting ( need not be accurate. Just eyeball the frosting) and spread an even layer on the cake.
Gently invert the other cake on top of this one. Have your palm on the cake to support. The cake is very very soft and delicate. Be gentle or you will break the cake. I make it a point not to keep the cut side on top. The frosting will pick up the crumbs if the cut side is on top. The bottom side of the cake is now top.
Now, with a help of a spatula, spread the chocolate ganache frosting on the sides and on the top of the cake.
Once the cake is completely covered, set aside. The remaining ganache can be stored in the refrigerator and used for making hot chocolates etc… The ganache will stay good in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Place the cake crumbs in a baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes at 200° Celsius / 400° Fahrenheit. Let it cool. Once cool, crumble the cake into a powder by gently crushing between the fingers.
Pick up the cake on one hand and apply the crumbs on the sides of the cake. Have a newspaper below to catch the falling crumbs. Apply generously and gently press in the sides so it adheres to the cake.
Sprinkle the top of the cake with a slight dusting of cocoa powder. This is optional but gives a nice look to the cake.
A fantastic home made chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting and dehydrated cake crumble is ready.
This cake is a stunner and will make any party special. This 9 inch cake weighs roughly about 1300 grams.
Dry Ingredients
- 250 grams maida (all purpose flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 400 grams sugar
Wet Ingredients One
- 1/2 cup – 150 grams plain yogurt / curd
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Wet Ingredients Two
- 200 grams unsalted butter
- 1 cup plain water
- 1/4 teaspoon Instant coffee powder
- 60 grams cocoa powder
For the Chocolate Ganache Whipped Frosting
- 200 grams dairy cream
- 400 grams dark chocolate
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon instant coffee powder
Here is how to make Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Frosting for the cake Weigh the cream and the chocolate. Chop the chocolate bar into small pieces. Set aside. Heat the cream in a kettle / pan until hot. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of instant coffee powder. Whisk well. Also add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt and remove the cream from heat. Add in the chocolate pieces. The hot cream will melt the chocolate. After about two minutes of adding the chocolate, whisk well so the chocolate combines with the cream evenly. Set aside in a cool place in the kitchen for an hour or two. Just before frosting the cake, whip the prepared ganache in a stand mixer / hand mixer for a full five minutes. From a dark brown color, the frosting will become a light brown due to the aeration. Set aside.
Powdering the sugar Weigh the sugar. We need 400 grams for this recipe. Grind the regular granulated sugar in a mixie to a powder. Set aside
Sifting the dry ingredients for the chocolate cake Take a colander / sifter and add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 250 grams of maida (all purpose flour). Sift well. Transfer the sifted ingredients to a big bowl. To the bowl add in the powdered sugar we made and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
Wet Ingredients Take a bowl and add in 1/2 cup (150 grams) of plain yogurt / curd. Add in two eggs and a teaspoon of good / real vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine. Set aside.
Take a kettle and add in 200 grams of unsalted butter and 1 cup (240 ml) plain water. Bring to a boil. Let the butter completely melt. Once the water-butter mixture is boiling, add in the cocoa powder and coffee. Whisk well and let the mixture cook for a minute on a low flame. Remove from heat and add it immediately (add the hot liquid) to the dry ingredients kept in the big bowl. Gently whisk to combine. Add in the whisked curd-egg-vanilla mixture to the bowl. Whisk to combine.
Baking and Frosting the cake Prepare two – 9 inch cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan with butter or oil. Once the batter is evenly mixed, add it to the prepared cake pans. Divide the batter into two and add it to the pans. Place the pans in a preheated oven. The oven needs to be preheated for at-least 15-20 minutes at 180° Celsius / 350° Fahrenheit. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes. Remove the baked cakes from the oven and allow it to cool completely for an hour. Run the sides of the cake pan with a kitchen knife and invert the pan to a cake board to release the cake from the pan. Remove the parchment paper.
Cut the dome from the cakes. Place the cake crumbs in a baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes at 200° Celsius / 400° Fahrenheit. Let it cool. Crumble the cake into a powder by gently crushing between the fingers.
Frost the cake and apply the cake crumble on the cake.
Notes
This recipe is made with weight. Cup measurements are not available. Baking by weighing is more accurate and more dependable.
The recipe can be halved. Use two 6 inch baking pans to bake the cake if you are halving the recipe.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 60m
- Cook Time: 30m
Dry Ingredients
- 250 grams maida (all purpose flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 400 grams sugar
Wet Ingredients One
- 1/2 cup – 150 grams plain yogurt / curd
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Wet Ingredients Two
- 200 grams unsalted butter
- 1 cup plain water
- 1/4 teaspoon Instant coffee powder
- 60 grams cocoa powder
For the Chocolate Ganache Whipped Frosting
- 200 grams dairy cream
- 400 grams dark chocolate
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon instant coffee powder
Here is how to make Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Frosting for the cake Weigh the cream and the chocolate. Chop the chocolate bar into small pieces. Set aside. Heat the cream in a kettle / pan until hot. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of instant coffee powder. Whisk well. Also add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt and remove the cream from heat. Add in the chocolate pieces. The hot cream will melt the chocolate. After about two minutes of adding the chocolate, whisk well so the chocolate combines with the cream evenly. Set aside in a cool place in the kitchen for an hour or two. Just before frosting the cake, whip the prepared ganache in a stand mixer / hand mixer for a full five minutes. From a dark brown color, the frosting will become a light brown due to the aeration. Set aside.
Powdering the sugar Weigh the sugar. We need 400 grams for this recipe. Grind the regular granulated sugar in a mixie to a powder. Set aside
Sifting the dry ingredients for the chocolate cake Take a colander / sifter and add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 250 grams of maida (all purpose flour). Sift well. Transfer the sifted ingredients to a big bowl. To the bowl add in the powdered sugar we made and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
Wet Ingredients Take a bowl and add in 1/2 cup (150 grams) of plain yogurt / curd. Add in two eggs and a teaspoon of good / real vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine. Set aside.
Take a kettle and add in 200 grams of unsalted butter and 1 cup (240 ml) plain water. Bring to a boil. Let the butter completely melt. Once the water-butter mixture is boiling, add in the cocoa powder and coffee. Whisk well and let the mixture cook for a minute on a low flame. Remove from heat and add it immediately (add the hot liquid) to the dry ingredients kept in the big bowl. Gently whisk to combine. Add in the whisked curd-egg-vanilla mixture to the bowl. Whisk to combine.
Baking and Frosting the cake Prepare two – 9 inch cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan with butter or oil. Once the batter is evenly mixed, add it to the prepared cake pans. Divide the batter into two and add it to the pans. Place the pans in a preheated oven. The oven needs to be preheated for at-least 15-20 minutes at 180° Celsius / 350° Fahrenheit. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes. Remove the baked cakes from the oven and allow it to cool completely for an hour. Run the sides of the cake pan with a kitchen knife and invert the pan to a cake board to release the cake from the pan. Remove the parchment paper.
Cut the dome from the cakes. Place the cake crumbs in a baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes at 200° Celsius / 400° Fahrenheit. Let it cool. Crumble the cake into a powder by gently crushing between the fingers.
Frost the cake and apply the cake crumble on the cake.
Notes
This recipe is made with weight. Cup measurements are not available. Baking by weighing is more accurate and more dependable.
The recipe can be halved. Use two 6 inch baking pans to bake the cake if you are halving the recipe.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 60m
- Cook Time: 30m
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/chocolate-cake/
Pirandai Thuvaiyal Recipe made with Pirandai stems / thandu. This Tamil style Pirandai thuvaiyal / thogayal has a lot of health benefits and used in Ayurveda and Siddha as medicine. Recipe with step by step pictures in English.
Pirandai is also known as Veldt grape or adamant creeper. Its believed to strengthen the bones and joints in Siddha and Ayurveda. It grows really quickly and is literally a zero maintenance plant. I grow this in my small apartment balcony garden and it grows beautifully. I make this chutney quite often these days. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition an year back and my aunts recommended this as a home remedy. According to me, if there is no harm to try, just do it. Its called as Pirandai Keerai (greens / spinach) in Tamil. Its a stick like vine with small leaves. The leaves are not used in cooking.
The tender part or the top part (about two feet ) of the vine is what is harvested and used in the kitchen. The bottom segments can be very hard and can cause itchy hands while cutting and itchy tongue while eating. So do not use the bottom parts / segments of the vine even though they look inviting. As the creeper has rough edges, always apply oil to hands while handling it to avoid itchy hands. The edges / the outer strings are removed just like how we would string the beans.
I make a Pirandai thuvaiyal / chutney that goes well with rice for lunch. Do try this at home. My mom says that Pirandai is available in vegetable markets these days in Tamilnadu. You can buy this plant in a nursery. Its even available online.
Here is how to make healthy and easy Tamil style Pirandai Thuvaiyal / chutney at home
Harvest only the top segments from the plant. Do not go beyond two feet as the bottom parts are very stringy and can cause itchiness in the tongue. Apply oil to hands as pirandai causes itchiness. Remove all the leaves. Also cut the joints from the segments. The joints are hard and itchy. In folk medicine they say that the joints is just a resemblance of human bone joints.
After removing the joints, we will remove the rough outer skin. String the Pirandai to remove the outer rough skin.
It should easily come off.
This is how it will look after removing the outer skin. If the stem is very tender, then you can leave it as is.
Heat Indian sesame oil in a pan and add in the chana dal. Roast the chana dal on a low flame. When the chana dal is roasted, add in the dried red chillies. Roast for a few seconds till the chillies fluff up. Do not roast the chillies for long as it will burn and become black. Remove the chana dal and the chillies from the pan and set aside on a plate to cool.
Retain the oil used for roasting the lentils and the chillies. Add in the onions, garlic, ginger, the prepped pirandai, tamarind and curry leaves. Saute for a good 4-5 minutes on medium flame till the onions are soft and the pirandai has shrunk a bit.
Add in the coconut and the salt. Saute for a minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Grind with half a cup of water to a smooth paste / chutney like consistency.
Tempering of Tamil style Pirandai Thuvaiyal / chutney Heat Indian sesame oil in a pan and add the urad dal. When the urad dal is slightly brown, add in the mustard seeds, green chillies and dry red chillies. The green chillies adds a nice flavour to this thuvaiyal. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the curry leaves.
Add in the tempering to the chutney.
Serve the Tamil style Pirandai Thuvaiyal / chutney with rice.
Main Ingredients for Pirandai Thuvaiyal
- 1/2 cup cleaned pirandai segments
- 1 tablespoon Indian sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon chana dal
- 4 - 5 dried red chillies
- 1/2 cup onions, chopped
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1/2 inch piece ginger
- 1/2 inch piece tamarind
- 3 sprigs curry leaves
- 1/3 cup fresh shredded coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup water to grind the chutney
Tempering of Tamil style Pirandai Thuvaiyal / chutney
1 tablespoon Indian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon urad dal
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 green chillies, slit
2 - 3 dried red chillies
2 sprigs curry leaves
Harvest only the top segments from the plant. Do not go beyond two feet as the bottom parts are very stringy and can cause itchiness in the tongue. Remove all the leaves. Also cut the joints from the segments. The joints are hard and itchy. In folk medicine they say that the joints is just a resemblance of human bone joints. After removing the joints, we will remove the rough outer skin. String the Pirandai to remove the outer rough skin. It should easily come off.
Heat Indian sesame oil in a pan and add in the chana dal. Roast the chana dal on a low flame. When the chana dal is roasted, add in the dried red chillies. Roast for a few seconds till the chillies fluff up. Do not roast the chillies for long as it will burn and become black. Remove the chana dal and the chillies from the pan and set aside on a plate to cool.
Retain the oil used for roasting the lentils and the chillies. Add in the onions, garlic, ginger, the prepped pirandai, tamarind and curry leaves. Saute for a good 4-5 minutes on medium flame till the onions are soft and the pirandai has shrunk a bit.
Add in the coconut and the salt. Saute for a minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Grind with half a cup of water to a smooth paste / chutney like consistency.
Heat Indian sesame oil in a pan and add the urad dal. When the urad dal is slightly brown, add in the mustard seeds, green chillies and dry red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the curry leaves. Add in the tempering to the chutney.
Serve the Tamil style Pirandai Thuvaiyal / chutney with rice.
Author: Suguna Vinodh
