I have this inner longing to throw an intimate New Year’s Eve soiree at my home. I want it to be the kind of party where the men wear smart suits, and the women wear classy cocktail dresses, high heals, and pearls. We’d sing show tunes around the grand piano (I don’t own a piano). We’d talk of politics, literature, art history, and we’d use big S.A.T. words while doing so. We’d sip champagne cocktails and smoke cigarettes (I’m not a smoker). We’d play fun parlor games like charades, Parcheesi, and Cards Against Humanity . I’m not sure what the menu would be, but caviar would certainly make an appearance. Finally, I’d serve on a shiny, silver platter very elegant mini chocolate ganache cakes. Once we all enthusiastically welcomed in the New Year, and drank our last glass of bubbly, my husband and I would say goodbye to our very happy guests. We’d kiss one more New Years kiss before retiring to bed. We’d sleep soundly into the early afternoon. And so would the kids.
There are three components that make up this very chocolatey dessert. The first is a perfectly moist cake. I used Martha Stewart’s recipe. It was one of the more easier cakes to make because you just mix the wet ingredients into the dry. The second component is Sherry Yard’s recipe for ganache. I used equal parts heavy cream and chopped bitter sweet chocolate, with a tablespoon of rum mixed in. Finally, I wanted the cake to have a sweet, airy chocolate fudge frosting filling, so I made a batch from Family Circle’ Chocolate Fudge Cake. I had extra leftover and I piped it on top of each cake.
Okay, and away we go! Martha Stewart’s recipe makes two 9-inch chocolate cakes. After the cakes are baked , cooled, and have been leveled (very important), I sliced the cakes in half horizontally, and then cut out rounds using a 2-inch biscuit cutter.
I cut each round in half horizontally, and then piped on some fudge frosting. You could also just smear it on using a butter knife.
I sandwiched the fudge frosting by placing the other half on top.
Once each cake had filling, I placed all of the cakes on a wire rack which sat on top of a large piece of parchment. I then poured chocolate ganache over each one. I poured enough on each so that it coated the top and sides perfectly.
Next, I placed the cakes in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, so as to set the ganache.
Finally, using a star tip, I piped the remaining chocolate fudge frosting on top of each cake.
- 1 and ½ cups (128 g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 and ½ tsp. Salt
- 3 cups (375 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 3 cups (600 g) Sugar
- 1 TBS Baking Soda
- 1 and ½ tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 and ½ cups Vegetable Oil
- 1 and ½ cups Buttermilk
- 1 and ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 and ½ cups Hot Water
- 4 oz. (114 g) Unsweetened Chocolate, chopped
- 1 stick (112 g) Unsalted Butter
- 16 oz. Powdered Sugar
- ½ cup Milk
- 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 16 oz. Bitter-Sweet Chocolate, chopped
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 2 TBS Rum (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line both pans with parchment, and then grease the paper.
- Into a large bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using a hand-held mixer, beat in the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, and hot water one at a time. Keep mixing until batter appears smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in pans for 30 minutes, and then carefully invert each cake on wire racks. Once cooled, level each cake, and then horizontally cut each cake in half, so that you have four cakes in equal height.
- Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, or biscuit cutter, cut out rounds from each cake. You should get about 8 per cake. Wrap up and freeze the leftover cake scraps to use in a trifle, or cake pops. Finally, cut each mini cake round in half horizontally. Set these little disks aside.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour in the melted butter/chocolate mixture. Set this bowl in a larger bowl that has been filled with ice water. With a wooden spoon, mix the frosting until it is smooth and thicker. It should be good spreading consistency that will hold its shape when piped.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized bowl.
- In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and set aside for 1 minute. When ready, slowly stir the chocolate cream until it is smooth and shiny. This should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the rum. Set ganache aside to cool for 20 minutes.
- Pipe or spread some fudge frosting on top of one cake disk. Place another cake disk on top to create a mini two layered cake. Continue filling with each of the cake disks.
- Place all of the cakes on a wire rack set over parchment paper. Pour about 2 to 3 tablespoons of ganache over each cake. Allow it to run over all around so that the sides are covered. An off-set spatula might be of help here. Use it to spread the top, so that it pushes more of the edges. Once finished, place the cakes in the refrigerator to set, about 30 minutes.
- Place the remainder of the fudge frosting in a piping bag fitted with a star tip, or any tip of your choice. Pipe your design on each cake.
- Hand-held mixer
- 2-inch biscuit cutter
- Two 9-inch round cake pans
- Off-set spatula
- Piping bag
- Start tip
