Chocolate Celebration Cake

Recently I developed a cake that was dubbed the “gone in sixty seconds cake” by my family. It was a castella style sponge cake. It has quickly become my favorite’s most requested cake, with the chocolate cake being the longtime favorite. I was asked to convert the vanilla celebration cake into a chocolate version. Finally getting around to it.

Although, this cake uses the methods of a Hong Kong castella cake or souffle cake, I’ve developed it to have a little bit more volume to hold up frosting. It’s a great option for friends and family who like not-too-sweet desserts.

As much as I enjoy a decadent chocolate cake. This cake features a soft chocolate sponge, and a light chocolate whipped cream frosting. Add a bit of ganache for richness if you want. Considering that typical chocolate cakes are made with twice as much sugar, this lighter alternative is heavenly. Not to mention that it can be enjoyed simply as a snack cake!

Notes:

• Dry ingredients – measured using scoop and swipe method, which is slightly more than spoon and level method.
• Snack cake – the chocolate cake can be enjoyed unfrosted as a snack cake. A sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar and ganache can level it up a notch.
• Ganache – easily make ganache by heating heavy whipping cream in the microwave until bubbly. Pour over chocolate chips. Cover for a couple of minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Then add a splash of vanilla and quickly stir until it is smooth and glossy. I like an almost 1:1 ratio of heavy cream to chocolate chips (1/2 cup heavy cream and ½ cup chocolate chips, but this can be adjusted to the desired thickness. If you want chocolate that can be drizzled on the cake, I recommend a thinner ganache, which means less chocolate chips.
• Cook time – cook time may vary depending on oven, pan, and ingredients. Make sure to cook this cake until the tester comes out clean. Otherwise, you might end up with a cake that collapses or appears to be dense at the bottom.
• Cocoa powder – I used a Dutch processed cocoa powder that was alkalized, but any type of cocoa powder will work. Since we’re using the eggs as the main leavening agent for the cake, whether you use natural or Dutch processed is not impactful.

Chocolate Celebration Cake

Serves: 12
Time: 2.25 hours

Cake:
3/4 cup (109g) cake flour
1/3 cup (33g) cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 large eggs separated
¾ cup (177 ml) whole milk
1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (150g) sugar

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting:
2 1/2 cups (591ml) heavy whipping cream
¼ cup (21g) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (50g) confectioner’s sugar (or adjust to taste)
chocolate shards to garnish

Ganache (Optional – see notes):
½ cup (118ml) heavy whipping cream
½ cup (80g) semisweet chocolate chips
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 300F. Place a roasting pan in oven and add hot water.
• Line an 8×3 round cake pan with parchment paper and set aside. DO NOT GREASE.
• In a small saucepan, add butter and milk. Heat over medium heat until the butter has just melted, and the milk is steamy. Add a teaspoon of espresso powder. Stir until it has dissolved. Do not let the mixture come to a boil.
• In a large bowl, add the cake flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk well to ensure there are no clumps of cocoa powder. Alternatively, you can sift the mixture. Add the milk mixture into the dry ingredients while it is still warm. Whisk until smooth.
• Make the meringue using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the egg whites until frothy, about a minute or so. Then add the sugar and whip until you get stiff peaks. This takes about two minutes.
• Whisk in the 6 egg yolks and vanilla extract into the batter. The batter should have cooled enough by now to add the meringue.
• Fold the meringue into the batter, starting with a third and then adding the rest. Fold until the batter is homogenous and there are no streaks. Try not to over fold as the meringue could deflate.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the hot water bath for 75-85 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
• Remove pan from the oven. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes or so. Then run a knife around the edges and turn the cake onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely for about an hour or so before frosting.
• Make the chocolate whipped cream frosting – in a stand mixer, add heavy whipping cream, cocoa powder, confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract. Whip until you get deep tracks and frosting is fluffy. Do not overwhip.
• Assemble the cake. Fill, frost, decorate it however you like.
• Enjoy! Store leftover in airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.