Thursday, May 9, 2013

Dark Chocolate & Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake with Chocolate Glaze



Wishing all the mothers a great Mothers Day!
This is a cake that leaves you feeling refreshed and light after eating.  Even the cream part alone is so yummy and irresistible. It is a chocolate cake with a light pink frosting(owing to the strawberries and the strawberry jello used), but it doesn't look pink in the photograph though. As I made this cake for a party and didn't have much time to spend on retakes, I let it be as it is.
I was a little apprehensive when I was making this frosting, as I thought that probably the jello and the strawberry flavor would overpower the whipped cream. But surprisingly though, it all combined well enough and turned out to be a wonderful treat.

Ingredients:
Chocolate cake (made 2 sheet cakes by doubling the recipe)
Strawberry Whipped Cream:
1 pint whipped cream
2-3 teaspoons strawberry gelatin
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons food processed strawberries(take some fresh strawberries, wash them, remove the stems, and throw them in the food processor until they become a thick, seedy liquid)
Method:
strawberry Whipped Cream:  Beat whipped cream until stiff peaks form.  Stir in gelatin and powdered sugar until desired taste is reached.
For the Glaze:
4 oz (115 g) high quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (76 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
Method:
Place the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir the mixture using a rubber spatula until melted and smooth. *Be careful to not get even a droplet of water into your bowl of chocolate and butter.
Assembly of Cake:
Chill sheet cake in freezer for 30 minutes, or refrigerator for several hours. The cake will be a bit sticky, but should not be soft and fragile. If so, place in freezer or refrigerator again until more firm.
Using a sharp, serrated bread knife, cut the cake in half, then those halves in half--4 total. The pieces will be 11" long and about 4.5" wide.
Place 1st layer face-up (on a platter, or whatever you choose to serve the cake on), and spread about 1/2" thick layer of whipped cream on top. Repeat this step finally place your final layer face down.
Crumb Coat  cake with thin layer of whipped cream using a small offset spatula for the top and a straight offset spatula for the sides--if you have a metal bench scraper, you can run along cake to get smooth finish and to achieve sharp corners. Always start at the top of the cake, working your way down. Chill cake for about 30 minutes, or pop back in freezer for 10-15 more minutes to set cream.
Using  clean tools, add a thick layer of whipped cream on the top of the cake, working it over the edges and then finish the sides. Be very generous with your whipped cream, because you will be scraping most of it off with the scraper. It just makes it so much easier to get the smooth finish. Chill the cake for as long as you need, but at least 15 minutes to set the cream.
Drizzle your warm (but not hot) ganache over the top of your very chilled cake so it seeps down the sides. Be careful not to use too much, or you will lose your pink cake underneath! You can use your clean small offset metal spatula to smooth it over the top. Chill to set.

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