Baking A Strawberry-Chocolate Loaf With A White Chocolate Ganache

It was my mom's birthday and I wanted to bake a small cake as we were going to share a large lunch. I decided that chocolate is always a firm favorite with the family and therefore chocolate cake would be just the way to go. My mom asked for a cake with a chocolate ganache and I decided to make this white as I was already using a very dark cocoa in the cake itself. Then I got some fresh strawberries and the rest was a simple matter of stacking and coating. I walk you through this seemingly intricate cake and show you that it is actually a very simple one to bake, in today's blog.

Start by lining a baking tray with waxed paper.

Separate three eggs.

Add a tablespoon (12,5 ml) of castor sugar to the egg whites.

Beat the egg whites.

Add a tablespoon (12,5 ml) water, 1/2 cup (125 ml) castor sugar and a tablespoon (12,5 ml) lemon juice to the egg yolks.

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla to the egg yolks and beat the mixture.

Measure 2 tablespoons (25 ml) cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking powder, 1/2 cup (125 ml) cake flour and a pinch (1 ml) salt.

Sift all the dry ingredients together.

Mix the egg yolk mixture with the dry ingredients.

Fold in the egg whites.

Spread the batter level in the baking tray.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 °C.

While the cake is baking, you can measure half a cup (125 ml) cream in a saucepan.

Weigh 225 g white chocolate. (Try your best not to notice that I am weighing chocolate on a Diet Scale!).

Heat the cream to boiling point.

Remove the cream from the heat and add the chocolate.

Stir the chocolate into the hot cream, allowing it to melt.

Add a pinch (1 ml) of salt and a dash (12,5 ml) brandy. (The brandy is optional).

At this stage my cake was ready to come out of the oven. Loosen the sides of the cake.

Cover the cake with a clean tea towel.

Put a wire rack upside on the cake. The tea towel will prevent the grid of the wire rack to indent on the cake.

Turn the whole parcel upside down with the wire rack at the bottom.

Remove the baking tray.

Pull the wax paper/baking sheets away.

You will now need 1-2 punnets of fresh strawberries.

Wash the strawberries, discard the water, but do not dry the strawberries.

Use the lemon you cut earlier for the cake and squeeze the leftover juice over the strawberries. (This step is optional, but I do believe it makes the strawberries even more delicious than they already are).

Sift some (about 1/4 cup or 60 ml) icing sugar over the strawberries.

Toss the strawberries.

The icing sugar will dissolve in the wetness and cling to the strawberries, giving them a lovely sweet taste and pretty shine.

Cut the cake in three equal lengths.

Brush some apricot jam onto each of the three layers of cake.

I decided to add a teaspoonful (5 ml) caramel essence to the chocolate ganache, after tasting it. This is again optional.

Drip the ganache over the cake. Add a second layer of cake, apricot jam and ganache. Now add the third and last layer of cake, apricot jam and ganache.

Stack the strawberries in tight rows on the top layer of cake.

I should have made a second cake. Despite the large meal, everyone asked for more!

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.

Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
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