Heart shaped chocolate ganache cake

As I am writing this I am getting increasingly excited to see the BIG wedding tomorrow. My 13-year-old daughter and I have decided to get up before the crack of dawn to see history in the making. It is also my 17th wedding anniversary on the 29th, so it is a special day for me regardless of Royal weddings. I hope William and Kate's journey through life together turns out as wonderful as Robert's and mine has been, and continuous to be. Best wishes to them and many more for us too!



Happy anniversary!

 I remember watching Diana and Charles's wedding in 1981 as a pre-teen, completely enamored with this beautiful blue-eyed girl and the fairy tail nature of the whole thing. I could never understand, however, what she was doing with "old" Prince Charles. Anyway, it was a big deal in our family. My grandmother was in England at the time of that wedding visiting her sister who lived there, and she came home with lot's of stories and pictures of everyone partying and celebrating. She also returned home with her suitcase full of Royal wedding souvenirs; plates and cups and spoons adorned with Diana and Charles's picture on them. She had these memorabilia on display until she passed away a decade and a half later. We would make fun of how kitschy it all was. But I think it was a very memorable experience for her. Now I wish someone would have saved a cup or a plate, just for the historic value of it. But, alas! No one had the foresight.
Those of you who have followed this blog for a while know that I grew up in Norway, which is also a monarchy. We have our own King and Queen and a bunch of little princesses and a couple of princes. They are still very popular, and it is a great honor when someone from the royal family visits a small town or is present at an event. King Harald and Queen Sonja are scheduled to visit Minnesota this fall and there is a chance I might get to see them (oh my, what does one wear to see the king?)! I will keep you posted!

I am not going to talk at length about this cake. Suffice it to say, it is as delicious as it is beautiful and really easy to make. A fun way to mark an anniversary, Valentines day or any time you want to say I love you!


Heart shaped chocolate ganache cake
Cake:
 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon

 unsweetened (alkalized) cocoa (sifted before measuring)

1/2 cup boiling water

4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

3 tablespoons water

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon cake flour,

1 cup superfine sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon)
unsalted butter, melted, at room temperature

Note! This recipe is for a 9-inch heart shaped or round cake pan. I used an 8-inch heart-shaped pan, and just left a little batter out and reduced the cooking time by about 10 minutes.

It is important to prepare the pan thoroughly as follows: Coat bottom with shortening. Top with parchment paper cut to shape, then coat with baking spray with flour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk the cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
In another bowl, whisk the yolks, the 3 tablespoons water, and the vanilla just until lightly combined.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the cocoa mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula. Bake cake for 30-40 minutes ( see note) or until a cake tester comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze or ganache:

5 ounces very dark chocolate (60 to 65% cacao), chopped fine

7 ounces heavy cream

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional)

In a small sauce pan, bring the cream almost to the boiling point. Remove immediately. Put chopped chocolate in a medium size bowl and pour warm cream over. Let it sit for about 1 minute. With a spoon, slowly and gently stir cream mixture until chocolate has melted completely and mixture is shiny and smooth.

Mix in Grand Marnier if using. Set aside in a warm spot.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, place the pan on a wire rack. Let  cake cool completely. Loosen cake from pan by running a knife around the sides of the pan and the cake. Invert onto a large plate. Remove parchment and re-invert onto a cake stand covered with two overlapping pieces of parchment paper, to catch spills. Prick top of cake all over with a skinny wooden skewer. Pour about half of the ganache over the cake and smooth out over the top. Let it set for a few minutes. Proceed by pouring the rest of the ganache in the middle of the cake and with a flat spatula gently push over the edges. Pull away parchment paper.

Decorate as you wish.

Decorating idea: cover top of cake with raspberries, or dust with powdered sugar.

Cake recipe adapted from, Rose's heavenly Cakes, Rose Levi Beranbaum, 2009

Ganache recipe by, Fortheloveofdinner, 2011