Erivum Puliyum: Chocolate Mirror Glaze Cake ~ Happy New Year wishes !!

Wishing all my readers and friends a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !!

Hope everyone had a great start. May the day start with new hopes, new beginnings and newer opportunities knocking at your door. May all your wishes come true and 2024 be a great milestone in your lives.

Frosting cakes are rarely made at home except for kids birthdays, and I go for very simple when frosting cakes as am naive in frosting skills and I lack patience to learn that too. However, this mirror glaze cake looked stunning when I saw many posting this up, so was the wish to try this cake sooner. This cake is a similar easy to go one for people like me to quick fix a frosting cake.

Baking has always improved for me over a period of time, from pre packed cake mixes to trying out new trial and error cakes. But frosting has always taken the back seat. As the number of frosting cakes made in a year are less, and so I don't try improving the learning too.

This was made for my son's birthday, who is an avid chocolate lover, and so he totally loved the cake and frosting. The chocolate mirror glaze, when poured over the cake, gives an elegant smooth finish. Don't you feel so ? I was quite happy with the outcome. This can be prepared with all basic cake ingredients and frosting also needs fewer ingredients compared to other frosting cakes. Give this a try this holiday season and enjoy.

Preparation time ~ 20 minutes

Baking time ~ 40 minutes

Author ~ Julie

Serves ~ 6' cake

Ingredients

for chocolate sponge

all-purpose flour (maida) 3/4 cup

baking powder 1/2 tsp

baking soda 1/4 tsp

salt 1/8 tsp

cocoa powder 6 tbsp

sugar 3/4 cup (6 tbsp)

veg oil 6 tbsp or 1/3 cup + 2 tsp

yogurt or curd 1/2 cup

milk 1/4 cup

vinegar 1/2 tsp

vanilla essence 1/4 tsp

for chocolate ganache

fresh cream 3/4 cup

dark chocolate compound 300 g

for sugar syrup

granulated sugar 1/3 cup

water 3/4 cup

for mirror glaze

water 3/4 cup

granulated sugar 3/4 cup

cocoa powder 1/3 cup

dark chocolate compound 60g (1/3 cup chopped)

unsalted butter 1 tbsp

Watch on YouTube -

Method

FOR CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

Sift the dry ingredients twice, keep aside.
Mix the milk with vinegar and keep aside for 10 minutes until curdled.
Add the granulated sugar and oil in a bowl and mix. Add the curd and whisk until sugar is dissolved.
To this add the milk-vinegar mixture. Also, add the dry ingredients in batches & mix. Add in vanilla extract.
Prepare a 6' pan with parchment paper and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C for 10 minutes.
Pour the batter in the tray and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes. Remove from oven and check with a tooth pick if done. Cool on a wire rack for 10–15 minutes by covering with a towel and remove the cake from the tray, cool completely and store by wrapping in a cling wrap till use.

FOR CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Heat the cream and chopped chocolate using a double boil method until the chocolate melts and is smooth.
Cool and refrigerate by covering with a cling wrap till use.

FOR SUGAR SYRUP

Heat the sugar and water in a pan until the sugar dissolves. Switch off flame and leave to cool.

FOR CHOCOLATE MIRROR GLAZE

Mix the cocoa powder, water and sugar in a pan without lumps. Put this on flame and let the mix thicken till it coats the spoon. Then add grated chocolate and give a quick mix. Finally add in the butter, mix.

ASSEMBLING

Cut the dome and then level cut the cake in three rounds. Keep aside.
Thaw the chocolate ganache before use. Apply a small layer on the cake board. Place the first layer of cake.
Pour the sugar syrup to soak the layer. Apply the chocolate ganache and spread as a single layer.
Place the second layer cake and pour sugar syrup followed by chocolate ganache layer.
Finally, add the final layer of the cake and add sugar syrup & chocolate ganache.
Apply ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Level the cake and refrigerate for 30 minutes -2 hours.
Finally, pour the chocolate mirror glaze all over the cake. Add decorations and cover the border using chocolate sprinkles if using, or leave just like that. Refrigerate another 30 minutes, cut and serve.