Pull Me Up Cake | Eggless Devil's Food Cake (Step by Step Pics)

Baking has been my favourite piece of cooking, but I was always a little apprehensive on my frosting skills. However, when all were confined at home due to covid lockdown, many new home bakers popped up in Kerala and this gave me a confidence to try out my hands in frosting too. My kids gave me the extra boost to prepare their birthday cakes, and so I started to bake for our birthdays and am really enjoying the baking and frosting melas. And believe me, the cake tastes super yummy 😋 than store brought. The other advantages that I noticed is that we can always alter the amount of sugar that goes in a cake, and you definitely get to know the amount of sugar that adds up in each cake. I have baked the White Forest Cake,  Spanish Delight Cake(San Marcos Cake) and Vancho cake (recipe coming soon). 

My younger son's birthday was two weeks back and my H's was a week before that (both in September). I made the Vancho cake for H's birthday and pull me up cake for son's birthday. Both cakes came out perfect. Pull me up cake is a trending cake these days. The cake is layered with whipped cream and is covered snugly with a OHP sheet. Chocolate ganache is poured on top over the cake and this plastic sheet is pulled up to get a chocolate explosion all over. It's a very nice experience to enjoy the melted ganache flowing out through the sides and getting covered on the sides of the half frosted cake. My son totally loved the experience and was very happy, but at the same time was a little nervous before pulling up. Pull me up cake can be tried out for rasmalai cake or any other chocolate ganache type cake. I have made an eggless devil's food cake to layer with whipped cream but you can use any chocolate cake.This is a perfect chocolate bomb for all chocolate lovers and do give this a try for any specific occasions , enjoy !!!

                                               

                                                

 Preparation time ~ 30 minutes

Baking time ~ 35 mins

Assembling ~ 30 minutes

Author ~ Julie

Serves ~ 700 gms cake

Ingredients

for cake 

dry ingredients

maida /all-purpose flour 3/4 cup

cocoa powder 1/3 cup

baking powder 1/2 tsp

baking soda 1/4 tsp

wet ingredients

granulated white sugar 3/4 cup

milk 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp

vinegar 1/2 tsp

curd 1/4 cup

oil 1/3 cup

vanilla 1/2 tsp

for sugar syrup

water 1 cup

granulated sugar 1/2 cup

for frosting

whipping cream 3/4 cup

for chocolate ganache

dark chocolate compound 200 gms

fresh cream 1 cup(240 ml)

for assembling

OHP sheet 2

cake board 1

dark chocolate chips 2 tbsp

white chocolate chips 2 tbsp 

                                             

Method 

FOR MAKING CAKE

• Sift all the dry ingredients twice and keep aside. Mix milk and vinegar first, keep aside for 10 mins.
• Mix oil and granulated sugar in a bowl, beat well. Add the yogurt, milk mixed with vinegar. Add vanilla essence and combine.

                                             

• Line a 6’ cake pan with parchment paper and line the sides with oil and flour. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C.

                                                 

• Add the dry ingredient mix in three batches and combine well. The batter is of ribbon consistency and then pour this in the prepared cake tin.
• Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes(mine took 35 mins to be precise). Remove cake from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Invert on a wire rack from pan to cool completely.

FOR FROSTING 

• Pour the cream in a glass bowl and beat with a beater for 4-5 minutes until stiff peaks. Invert the bowl gently, and see if cream flows. If it stays, it's ready. Refrigerate by covering with a cling wrap or lid until use.

FOR MAKING SUGAR SYRUP

• Heat the sugar and water in a pan. Boil till the sugar is dissolved completely.

FOR ASSEMBLING

• Cut the cake in three equal layers using serrated knife. 
• Place a dab of whipped cream on the cake board and place the first layer of the cake. Apply sugar syrup on the cake.

                                                

• Then add the whipped cream frosting, add the dark chocolate chips. Place the second layer of cake, add sugar syrup.
• Then place another layer of whipped cream frosting. Add in chocolate chips and finally place the top layer cake. Soak the syrup and place the frosting and chocolate chips. Refrigerate the cake till cutting.

FOR MAKING GANACHE

• Prepare the ganache half an hour before pouring in the cake.
• Chop the dark chocolate compound in bite size pieces. 
• Heat the cream in a bowl on medium heat. Don't wait to boil the cream, when 2 or 3 bubbles start appearing on the surface, remove from flame and pour over the chopped chocolate.
• Wait for 5 minutes and then gently mix to get a smooth ganache. Keep mixing until all the chocolate is melted. Cool completely before pouring on top of the cake.

                                             

• Stick two OHP sheets together and place around the cake. Place a cello tape and stick the ends.
• Place the cake on a deep bowl or deep plate to collect the excess ganache if any flowing out once you pull the OHP sheet. Now pour the chocolate ganache on top of the frosted cake and add the decorations if using any. I added white chocolate chips, wafer sticks, silver pearls and cake topper. Wait till the cake is  pulled up to enjoy the magic of flowing ganache. Don't wait too long to pull the cake after pouring ganache as ganache may stick to the OHP sheet and may not pull well. Also, don't refrigerate after pouring the ganache. My kid loved to pull, and it did properly dribble all around the cake. Cut and enjoy the cake. Remaining can  be refrigerated in airtight bowls; and believe me, the cake tastes best the next day.

Here is a glimpse of the birthday boy with the pull me up cake experience 😊

                                                

NOTES

* You can make any frosting cake this way, whichever uses ganache or rabdi in case of rasmalai cakes.

* Don't make the cake much in advance, as the cake gets moist as it sits in cling wrap and the top gets sticky. One day before is good enough.

* Please don't refrigerate after pouring the ganache. 

Enjoy the slice 😉

                                                         

Few of my frosting creations that may be helpful for any occasions. Am not a pro in frosting, but you'll definitely get ideas -
* Fondant Cake

* Spanish Delight Cake(San Marcos Cake)

* Opera Cake

* Chocolate almond Cake(Julia Child's Cake)

* Baby Shower Cake

* Black Forest Cake

* White Forest Cake

* Pineapple Pastry

* Red Velvet Cake

* Marble Cake with Butter Cream Frosting & Ganache

* Joan's Rainbow Cake

* Neapolitan Christmas Cake