I almost went and edited the old post Scrumptious Cocoa Cake then I decided to write a new post to update this. We’ve all been in this situation where we follow a recipe, something goes wrong, so we go and try it again so we can feel like we redeemed ourselves.

The recipe in question is Giallo Zafferano’s Scrumptious Cocoa Cake. The first time I made it it was a fail – I blamed it on my mistake to whip the egg whites in a plastic bowl instead of a glass or metal bowl. I thought that alone could have been the reason why the cake was not spongy. This time, after a bit more experience in baking, I not only avoided this mistake, but many others that recipe would have inevitably brought me to make. I got a beautiful rise resulting in a nice and tall cake, but the consistency was still not spongy enough. So do you know what? I’m deleting the recipe of the sponge this time.

If you want a beautiful and moist chocolate cake just follow Handle The Heat’s Best Chocolate Cake recipe – once you try that, I doubt you’re gonna like any other chocolate cake you bake. Thank you Tessa!

Refer to this recipe for a beautiful ganache to use between the layers and a very effective chocolate mirror glaze to decorate it! I sprinkled mine with golden chocolate mini confetti because I love gold and chocolate together and it was a nice touch to add on to the look of the cake. Happy Baking!

Ingredients:

For the mirror glaze:
165g sugar
40g golden syrup
125g liquid cream
7g jelly powder
150g water
75g bitter cocoa powder
For the ganache:
150g liquid cream
300g dark chocolate

Step 1 – Go to Handle the Heat for the Best Chocolate Cake recipe. Alternatively, you can also prepare our 5 Mins Chocolate Cake and jazz it up with this mirror glaze and chocolate ganache for decoration!

Step 2 – For the chocolate mirror glaze you have to put your jelly in a few tbs of cold water, for at least 10 minutes. Then in a large saucepan, add the cream, water, golden syrup and sugar. Keep mixing and bring to the boil on a gentle heat.

Step 3 – Turn the stove off and add the cocoa powder, mix and put back on the stove on a gentle heat to reach boiling point again, take it out of the stove and let it cool down for a few minutes. After draining the jelly, add it to the mix, using a whisk, until it’s completely melted.

Step 4 – Transfer the content to a tall hand-blender bowl and blend the mix. Let it rest in the fridge for one hour.

Step 5 – Now you can start working on your chocolate ganache. In a saucepan, pour the cream and add the dark chocolate in chunks. Mix on a gentle heat until the chocolate has melted completely and turn the heat off. To cool it down, place it in a bowl which you will put inside another bowl full of ice, so that the cooling won’t jeopardise the texture. Cover your ganache with clingfilm, attaching it evenly to the surface. Let it rest there until cold.

Step 6 – When your ganache is cold, whip it with a mixer until fluffy and with the help of a piping bag and spatula, fill the lin-between layer of your cake. This will also help your cake keeping moisture, as well as offering an extra texture of chocolate in your creation. TIP: You can also spread a layer of ganache on the surface and sides of the cake, so that when you use the glaze, the result will be super smooth and beautiful!

Step 7 – If your glaze has been in the fridge for one hour, it’s time to take it out and have some fun. First, I recommend you either pass it through a sieve or remove the top layer that might have solidified a little, as that might make your glaze uneven. Make sure that your cake stands on a grate on top of a tray so that you won’t make a mess on your kitchen surface. Pour the glaze on the top of your cake, and help yourself to a spatula to create an even, shiny coating. Once this is done, place the cake in the fridge for 10/15 minutes so the glaze solidifies the it’s ready to be displayed on a beautiful cake stand until your guests arrive!

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