Dark Chocolate Ganache Birthday Cake

Chocolate cake

Beat butter until soft and fluffy, add sugar and beat until creamy, add vanilla essence, and 1 egg at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Sift flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder in a separate bowl, then fold in a little at a time into butter mixture.

Add milk to the mixture.

Divide into 2 round 23cm tins that are greased, smooth down the mixture in tins with a spoon, and bake for 15-17 min at 180C.

Cool in tins for 10 min before turning out, cool thoroughly.

Icing:

I don’t really measure when I do the icing. 

Cream butter, add the icing sugar a little at a time.

Add the vanilla essence, then the cocoa powder, and set aside.

The cream I whipped with an electric whisk.

Add a splash of vanilla essence and ±1tsp icing sugar and fold it in (if you use it, as I didn’t add it as the butter icing and ganache topping is richly sweet).

Filling:

Before sandwiching the two layers with fresh whipped cream, cover it with chocolate buttercream icing.

Chocolate ganache:

Place 250ml fresh cream in a pot over medium heat, let it warm through but not boil.

Remove from heat.

Add 200g dark chocolate, let it sit for 5 min, then stir well.

Cool before pouring over iced cake and decorate as desired.