Beach Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate ganache is super quick and easy to make and for the basic recipe you only need two ingredients – whipping cream and chocolate. It can be used as a filling (as in this recipe), frosting or glaze. Initially I was going to make a sponge cake filled and frosted with chocolate ganache but I ended up making a beach cake… perhaps because hubby and I were planning our next vacation to the Caribbean or because I’m missing the summer days already :(. In case you want to experiment more, I’ve also provided some pictures / details on how I turned a regular cake into a beach cake.

Time*: 75 min, Prep: 30 min. Cook: 45 min + 3 hours chilling time
Servings: 12-16

*if you want to make a beach cake, be ready to spend another hour for covering the cake with fondant and decorating it

Ingredients:

For cake:

7 eggs
7 Tbsp water
10 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
14 Tbsp sugar

You also need a pan that is 26.7 cm (10.5 inch) in diameter, greased with butter and floured. Or whatever baking pan you might have but make sure to adjust the ingredients accordingly.

For filling:

250 g semi-sweet chocolate
250 ml whipping cream
Vanilla or rum extract (optional)
150 g red sour pitted cherries in syrup, drained (optional)

For syrup to moisten cake:

250 ml boiled water
6 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp rum extract

For decorating cake:

To keep the recipe simple, you can decorate the cake with chocolate ganache (just make a little more than indicate above).

This time I’ve used some fondant (see my post on How to Make Honey Fondant), piping gel and brown sugar to make a beach cake. You will also need paste food coloring.

Directions:

Cake:

Beat egg whites and water with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Add sugar and beat until dissolved. Fold in the egg yolks.

Combine flour and cocoa powder.

Slow down the mixer and carefully blend in the dry mixture until just combined.

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Pour batter into springform pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until brown (you can insert a toothpick in the centre and if it comes out clean then it’s ready).

Filling:

To make the chocolate ganache, heat the whipping cream in a bowl over a pot of boiling water. Add the chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy.

Place the bowl on the stovetop on medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir continuously for 4-5 minutes. You can enhance the chocolate ganache by adding vanilla or rum extract. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Syrup:

For the syrup, melt the sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir constantly with a spoon until sugar reaches a golden-brown colour. Pour the boiled water over the caramelized sugar and bring to a boil. Add the rum extract and remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

Assembling the cake:

Place the cake onto your work surface. Let it cool and then cut the cake horizontally in half. Moist the cake layers with sugar syrup.

Whip the chilled chocolate mixture until light and fluffy. If it’s too thick you can mix in a few tablespoons of whipped cream. You can also add some red sour pitted cherries as I did.

Place the first layer on your cake board and using a spatula, cover the top with the chocolate ganache (saving a few tablespoons).

Place the second layer on top. Ice the cake with a thin layer of chocolate ganache, covering all holes and imperfections.

Decorating the cake:

Roll out fondant and cover the cake. Smooth the fondant and trim the edges at the bottom.

Add blue paste food colouring to clear piping gel until you get the desired shade you want for the water. Cover 2/3 of the cake with the coloured piping gel.