ganache

Salted Caramel Crunch Brownie Bars

October 4, 2022 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Layered with fudgy brownies, salted caramel crispy rice cereal crunch, peanut butter marshmallow nougat, creamy chocolate ganache and flaky sea salt, these four layer salted caramel crunch brownie bars are decadent and crazy delicious.

side photo of the layers, brownie, caramel crunch, peanut butter nougat and chocolate ganache

Components of Salted Caramel Crunch Brownie Bars

Brownie layer

Rich and fudgy brownies made with dark chocolate are the base of these brownie bars.

Salted Caramel Crunch Layer

No hot sugar or thermometers needed here. Store bought caramels make this caramel layer thick and chewy. Crispy rice cereal is added for a crispy crunch.

Nougat Layer

Marshmallow fluff and peanut butter take this brownie bar to candy bar level.

Chocolate Ganache Layer

Smooth and creamy ganache tops the bars. Finish the bars with a sprinkle of flaky salt to further balance and enhance the flavors.

process photo of making the brownies and salted caramel crunch

Ingredients

In addition to basic pantry ingredients, like sugar, flour, vanilla, etc., these are the ingredients needed to make these brownie bars:

Bittersweet chocolate – Used for both the brownies and ganache, a darker chocolate is used in this recipe to balance out the sweetness of the caramel and nougat. You can use chips, or chopped chocolate.
Store bought packaged caramels – The most common brands are Kraft caramels or Wether’s chewy caramels.
Evaporated milk – This milk is used to give richness and a thicker consistency than what you would get with regular milk. I’ve listed a substitution for evaporated milk at the end of this post.
Crisp rice cereal – Added to the caramel, the cereal gives these bars a super delicious candy bar-like crunch.
Marshmallow cream – Making nougat involves making a marshmallow mixture. Using a store bought marshmallow fluff saves loads of time while making this nougat.
Peanut butter – Added to the nougat for flavor
Heavy cream – Along with butter, the cream thins out the chocolate and makes it creamier. It will also help the chocolate stay softer and not crack when cutting or eating.

process photo of peanut butter nougat and chocolate ganache

How to Make Salted Caramel Crunch Brownie Bars

Brownie Layer

Melt together the butter and chocolate.
Off the heat, whisk in the sugar, egg and vanilla extract.
Whisk in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Evenly spread the brownie mixture into a lined 8×8 pan.
Bake at 350F for 13-15 minutes. Cool completely.

Salted Caramel Crunch Layer

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the caramels and evaporated milk.
Microwave until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.
Stir in the salt and crispy rice cereal.
Spread in an even layer over the cooled brownies. Place in the freezer to chill.

Nougat Layer

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and evaporated milk.
Once the butter is melted, bring to a low boil and boil for 3-4 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, peanut butter, and marshmallow fluff.
Spread in an even layer over the caramel layer, and pop in the freezer to chill.

chocolate ganache topping with flaky salt sprinkled on top

Chocolate Ganache Layer

In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate, butter and cream.
Gently whisk until melted and smooth.
Evenly spread over the nougat layer and place in the fridge to chill for a couple hours.
Cut the brownie bars into squares and top each with a pinch of flaky salt. Enjoy!

Expert Baking Tips

Lining the pan properly ensures an easy removal and less mess. Line an 8×8 pan with two pieces of parchment paper which extend over the sides to give you “handles”. You can secure the handles with binder clips to keep the parchment in place.

Since this recipe has multiple components, you can break up the steps over the course of a couple days. Just store in the refrigerator after you have added the caramel layer.

Don’t skimp on the chilling time. Chilling them will ensure they are set properly, and also keep the layers nice and tidy when you go to slice and serve them.

squares of brownie bars lined up to show layers

FAQs

Can these brownie bars be frozen?

Absolutely. Layer them in an airtight container, or a zip top bag, separating each layer of brownie bars with parchment paper. This is so that when they are freezing, and as they defrost, they won’t stick to each other.

How do I store these?

Store them in refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.

How do I get clean cuts on the brownies?

The best way to get clean cuts on the brownies is to use a large chefs knife with a heated blade. Place the knife into a cup of hot water and let it sit for a minute or two. Wipe of the water and score and cut through the chocolate ganache first. Repeat the process of heating the blade and continue cutting all the way through the brownie bars. Make long cuts, rather than sawing through the bars.

Can any substitutions be made?

Equal parts heavy cream and water can be used in place of evaporated milk.

Semi sweet chocolate can be used in place of bittersweet chocolate.

Can I make these gluten free?

To make these gluten free, use a gluten free flour blend (my favorite is Cup4Cup) in place of the flour in the brownie layer. Replace the crispy rice cereal with a gluten free option, like Aldi’s Millville Crispy Rice Cereal or Nature’s Path Crispy Rice Cereal.

If you make these salted caramel crunch brownie bars, let me know! Drop a comment below or tag me on Instagram.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more brownies and bars, check out these recipes:

Cherry Swirl Biscoff Cheesecake Bars

Apple Crisp Bars

Florentine Bars

Blackberry Pie Bars

Salty Bourbon Millionaire Bars

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Salted Caramel Crunch Brownie Bars

Layers of fudgy brownies, salted caramel crunch, peanut butter nougat and ganache topped with flaky salt

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Chill1 hr 30 mins

Total Time2 hrs 15 mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: bars, brownies, ganache, nougat, peanut butter, salted caramel crunch

Servings: bars

Equipment

8×8 square pan

Ingredients

Brownie Layer

⅓ cup (40g) all purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup (57g) bittersweet chocolate
¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Salted Caramel Crunch Layer

34 packaged chewy caramels
2 tbsp evaporated milk
1½ teaspoons water
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup (21g) crispy rice cereal

Nougat Layer

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup (99g) + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
½ cup (62g) marshmallow fluff

Chocolate Ganache Layer

1 cup (170g) bittersweet chocolate
½ teaspoon espresso powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
flaky salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

Brownie Layer

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 pan with two pieces of parchment paper which extend over the sides to give you "handles" (this helps with removing the slice easily once it is set).
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In a medium saucepan, over low heat, combine the chocolate and butter. Cook until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
Whisk in the sugar, followed by the egg and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.
Pour the brownie batter into the pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the center looks set and the edges of the brownies pull away from the sides of the pan.
Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Salted Caramel Crunch Layer

In a medium bowl, combine the caramels, evaporated milk and water.
Microwave until melted, about 2 minutes, stirring the mixture every 30 seconds.
Stir the salt and the rice cereal into the melted caramel.
Pour the caramel over the cooled brownie layer, using an offset spatula to spread the caramel evenly.
Place in the freezer to firm up while making the nougat layer.

Nougat Layer

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar, and evaporated milk.
Once the butter has melted, bring the mixture to a low boil.
Cook the mixture for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally to keep the mixture from burning on the bottom of the pan.
Remove from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla, peanut butter, and the marshmallow cream.
Pour the nougat over the caramel layer, using an offset spatula to spread the nougat evenly.
Place the brownie bars back into the freezer to firm up the nougat layer while making the ganache.

Ganache Layer

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine the chocolate, espresso powder, butter and cream.
Whisk until melted and smooth.
Pour the ganache over the nougat, using an offset spatula to evenly spread the ganache.
Place the brownie bars into the fridge to chill for about 2 hours.
Remove the brownie bars from the pan using the parchment "handles" to pull them out.
Cut the bars into squares. Sprinkle each square with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Enjoy!

Notes

Brownie bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

White Chocolate Blackberry Tart

April 7, 2022 By Ashley Leave a Comment

This tart was almost too pretty to eat. Well, for me, anyway. My husband’s clients devoured it, so clearly they didn’t care that how pretty it was, only that it was delicious. Blackberry infused white chocolate ganache in a sweet tart shortbread crust and topped with fresh blackberries, mint, edible flowers and gold sugar pearls, what is there not to love? This tart is as simple to make as it is pretty, and is sure to impress family and friends.

Tart Shell

This sweet tart shell, or a pâte sucrée is tender and crisp, with a slight crumble in texture, similar to a that of a shortbread cookie. It’s the perfect foundation to most any filling, and can be made in a food processor. Check out my post on sweet tart dough for the recipe, and the step by step on how to make this dough.

White Chocolate Blackberry Filling

I love this filling. It is incredibly versatile as you can switch out the blackberries for any other berry (strawberries are extra dreamy here) and it’s super delicious. And the color is a stunner. No food coloring here, it is totally natural from the blackberries.

Basically, this white chocolate blackberry filling is a ganache. Cream and blackberries are cooked together on the stove and brought to a simmer. Crushing the berries while the mixture slowly comes to a simmer infuses the cream with the blackberry juice.

Once the mixture has come to a simmer (bubbling around the edges of the pot), the mixture is then strained over a bowl of chopped white chocolate. Press down on the blackberry mixture firmly with the back of a spoon to get out as much liquid (and flavor) as possible. Discard the remaining pulp and seeds.

Whisk together the white chocolate and the cream/berry mixture until the white chocolate is fully melted. Pour the smooth ganache into the fully baked tart shell and chill in the refrigerator until the ganache as firmed up, about a hour and a half to two hours.

Decorating

I decorated the tart with fresh blackberries, mint leaves, edible flowers and gold sugar pearls. I really wanted to emphasize the dark purple of the tart, so I chose fuchsia, gold and the green of the mint leaves as the color palette. Chamomile flowers would also look beautiful as well as violets and pansies. Start with making a basic design or shape with the blackberries. Add the mint leaves, followed by the edible flowers. I did tear some of the petals of the edible flowers to also add to the design. Finish by placing a few gold sugar pearls. This tart can be served chilled or at room temperature.

If you make my white chocolate blackberry tart, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes and creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more blackberry recipes, check out these posts:

Blackberry Pie Bars

Triple Berry Crumble Pie

Earl Grey Cake with Honey Buttercream and Blackberry Caramel

Berry Lemon Layered Pavlova

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White Chocolate Blackberry Tart

Blackberry infused white chocolate ganache in a shortbread tart shell

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Chill2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 40 mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: blackberry, blackberry ganache,, blackberry tart, tart, white chocolate, white chocolate gananche

Servings: servings

Equipment

Ingredients

Sweet Tart Crust

1 prepared sweet tart crust (fully baked)

Blackberry Ganache

2 cups (340g) white chocolate, finely chopped You can also use a higher quality chocolate chip – I recommend Guittard
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ¼ cups (150g) blackberries
½ cup (114g) heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste
Blackberries, mint, edible flowers and gold sugar pearls, for decorating

Instructions

Place the chopped white chocolate and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
In a medium, heavy bottomed sauce pan, over medium-low heat, combine the blackberries and cream.
As the mixture slowly heats up, use a potato masher to mash the blackberries.
Once the mixture has began to simmer (bubbles around the edges), remove from heat.
Push the blackberry/cream mixture into fine mesh sieve to strain the mixture into the bowl of the white chocolate. Discard the solids.
Let the mixture sit for a minute or two. Add the vanilla bean paste.
Slowly whisk the ganache from the center of the bowl outward until the cream and chocolate are combined.
If there is any pieces of unmelted chocolate microwave in 10 second increments, gently whisking after each increment.
Pour the smooth ganache into the tart shell. Pop any air bubbles that rise to the surface with a toothpick.
Chill the tart in the fridge for 1 hour, or until totally set.
Decorate the tart with blackberries, mint, edible flowers and gold sugar pearls.

Notes

Store the blackberry white chocolate tart in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Chocolate Glazed Banana Donuts

March 8, 2022 By Ashley 2 Comments

If you’ve never had a banana donut, you’re in for treat with this recipe. These chocolate glazed banana donuts are all the best flavors of banana bread in a baked cake donut, topped with chocolate ganache glaze and chopped, toasted hazelnuts. This is a simple recipe that comes together quickly, making it perfect for an on the go sweet treat any day of the week.

These donuts are tender, fluffy and moist. They retain their moisture for a few days, and I think these taste even better the day after they’re baked. The silky chocolate glaze is the perfect pairing and helps boost the hint of cinnamon in the donuts. Toasted, chopped hazelnuts add some nutty crunch.

Banana Donuts

These donuts are made all in one bowl, similar to how you would make banana bread. Melted butter, and brown sugar are whisked together, followed by mashed bananas, an egg and vanilla. Flour, a smidge of cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt are whisked in and mixed until just incorporated.

You can spoon the batter into the prepared donut pans, or you can also pipe the batter into the pans. Fill them about 2/3 full so that they have space to rise. The donuts only take about 9-11 minutes to bake, until they are golden brown.

Chocolate Glaze

While the donuts cool, prepare the glaze. Combine the bittersweet (or semisweet) chocolate with the butter, cream and a pinch of salt. Microwave in 30 second increments, still after each, until smooth, glossy and fully melted. Dip the cooled donuts in the glaze and top with toasted hazelnuts.

I hope that you enjoy these chocolate glazed banana donuts as much as I do! If you make them, let me know and leave a comment or tag me on Instagram.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more banana recipes, check out these posts:

Banana Bread Scones with Espresso Glaze

Banana cake with Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Buttercream

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5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Glazed Banana Donuts

Tender, fluffy baked banana muffins topped with chocolate glaze and toasted hazelnuts

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Course: Breakfast

Servings: – 9 donuts

Ingredients

Banana Donuts

1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (107g) brown sugar
1 cup (227g) mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (120g) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Chocolate Glaze

1/3 cup (57g) bittersweet chocolate chips
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
pinch of salt
1/4 cup (28g) toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped

Instructions

Banana Donuts

Heat the oven to 350F. Liberally butter (or baking spray) two – standard (6 wells) baking pans. You will be using 8-9 wells total.
Melt the butter in a large bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar until smooth.
Stir in the mashed bananas, the egg and the vanilla extract.
Sprinkle the surface of the batter evenly with the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk until the ingredients are fully dispersed in the batter.
Pipe or spoon the batter into each donut well, filling about 2/3 full.
Bake the donuts for 9-11, until golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in a donut comes out clean.
Leave to cool on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes before removing them from the pan to cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze

In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate, butter, cream and salt.
Melt in the microwave in 20-30 second increments, until the glaze is smooth, glossy and fully melted.
Dip the donuts into the glaze, twisting as you remove the donut, to allow the excess glaze to drip back in the bowl.
Topped with toasted hazelnuts.

Champagne Strawberry Truffle Cake

February 9, 2022 By Ashley 4 Comments

If you’re looking for a decadent, light and romantic cake, look no further than my champagne strawberry truffle cake. I’ve been making this cake for years. It was one of the most popular cakes chosen by brides back when I had my wedding cake business, and it’s one of my favorites as well. Tender, fluffy and moist champagne cake is layered with strawberry reduction, sliced strawberries and white chocolate ganache and covered with light and creamy Italian meringue buttercream. It’s a perfectly delicious and beautiful cake for any romantic occasion.

Champagne Cake

This cake is everything a white cake should be. Light, fluffy, moist and tender. Made with egg whites only, this cake is good for tinting with gel food colors. 2 drops of pink gel color will give you a soft pink color for a pink champagne cake. I used my go-to drinking rosé Prosecco, but you can use any champagne or Prosecco you like to drink, though I would avoid anything that is super sweet.

For white cakes, I tend to bake them at a lower temperature of 335F (a trick I learned from my friend Liz Marek over at Sugar Geek Show). I find that egg white based cakes can bake and puff up quicker, resulting in more doming, and/or shrinking when removed from the oven. Lowering the temp just a bit will result in a slower, more evenly baked cake.

White Chocolate Truffle Filling

The truffle filling in this cake is white chocolate ganache. It’s creamy and decadent, and is amazing with the champagne and strawberry flavors. This recipe makes just enough for two layers of ganache filling. Ganache is made by gently whisking hot cream into white chocolate, and left to cool until the desired consistency. The ganache, when ready for use, should be spreadable, much like peanut butter. White chocolate ganache can be made in advanced and stored in the fridge util ready to use.

Strawberry Reduction

Fruit reductions are one of my favorite ways to pack a concentrated flavor punch to my cakes. Strawberries, a little bit of sugar and lemon juice are cooked, mashed and strained. The pureé is then reduced to become thick and concentrated in flavor. Fruit reductions don’t make the cake soggy or soak through the cake, due to the low water content. I also like to use reductions in buttercream as they are the best way to get maximum flavor.

Vanilla Buttercream

I used Italian meringue buttercream for this cake, but Swiss meringue can be used instead if you prefer the cooking method more. Check out my post on Italian meringue buttercream for the recipe and tips and tricks and step by step process on how to make it.

Assembly Notes

In the recipe directions, I refer to how to make this cake with 3 layers of cake, and my preference, 4 layers of cake. The 3 layer cake’s assembly is a layer of champagne cake, a layer of reduction, buttercream dam, sliced strawberries and white chocolate ganache. Repeat with the second layer, and top with the final cake layer.

For 4 layers of cake, the assembly is the same except for the second layer, where I filled the layer with buttercream and not the white chocolate ganache. Two reasons why I did this. One, chocolate is expensive and I didn’t want you to make more ganache than you need for the recipe, and it seems like half of my readers tend to make 3 layers instead of 4. Two, I found 3 layers of ganache was a tad bit too sweet, so breaking it up with a lighter, whipped-like buttercream was the perfect balance.

If you make my champagne strawberry truffle cake, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes and creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more layer cake recipes, check out these posts:

Strawberry Rose Buttermilk Cake

Earl Grey Cake with Honey Buttercream and Blackberry Caramel

Banana Cake with Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Buttercream

Smoked Old Fashioned Cocktail Layer Cake

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5 from 1 vote

Champagne Strawberry Truffle Cake

Champagne cake filled with strawberry reduction, fresh strawberries, white chocolate truffle ganache and vanilla buttercream

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Assembly30 mins

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: – 8″ cakes (or 2 – 8″ cakes, torted)

Ingredients

14 ounces (397g) cake flour
12 ounces (340g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 ounces (113g) whole milk, room temperature
3 oz (85g) canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces (227g) champagne, I used Ruffino Rosé Prosecco
5 large egg whites, room temperature
8 ounces (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature

Strawberry Reduction

16 ounces (454g) frozen strawberries
1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

White Chocolate Truffle Filling

16 ounces (454 grams) white chocolate, chips or chopped
6 ounces (170g) heavy cream

Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream

1/2 batch prepared Italian meringue buttercream
1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced

Instructions

Champagne Cake

Preheat the oven to 335F
Prepare the cake pans. You can use 3-8" pans for a 3 layer cake, or 2 -8" pans, then torte in half, for a 4 layer cake. Brush the bottoms and sides of your cake pans with melted butter. Line the bottoms and sides with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cake flour, granulated sugar,baking powder, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, mix for 1 minute to combine.
In a small measuring cup, whisk together the whole milk, oil and vanilla.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together the egg whites and champagne.
With the mixer on low-medium speed, add in the softened butter pieces, one or two pieces at a time. Mix until the mixture resembles cornmeal. You should be able to gather a bit in your hand, squeeze and you have a solid piece. This means the butter is evenly distributed.
With the mixer still on low, pour in the whole milk, oil and vanilla mixture and mix until the flour mixture is moistened.
Turn the mixer speed to medium (4 or 6) and beat for *2-3 full* minutes. The mixture should be whipped, thick, and lighter in color.
Stop the mixer. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is properly mixed.
Turn the mixer speed on low, add the champagne and egg white mixture in three parts, scraping down the bowl after each addition has been mixed in.
Once all the wet ingredients have been incorporated, give the bowl a final scrape and mix with a spatula. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans.
Bake the layers for 30-40 minutes for 3 pans, 40-50 minutes for 2 pans. Start checking the cake at 30-35 minutes to test for doneness. Cakes are done when a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, and the top of the cake feels springy and set when touched.
Tap each cake pan firmly against the counter to remove excess steam. If your cakes dome at all, use a clean kitchen towel to gently push the domes down. Cool the cakes for 15 minutes in the pans.
Run a palette or butter knife around the cakes in their pans before turning them out to cool completely on cooling racks.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.

Make the Strawberry Reduction

Combine the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan.
Place the pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the strawberries have softened.
Using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, smash the strawberries to release their juice and break them up. Cook for 3 minutes more.
Push the hot strawberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve in a large bowl. Discard the leftover pulp.
Pour the strawberry pureé back into the sauce pan and place over medium-low heat.
Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes, or until the mixture is reduced to 1/3 cup and has thickened.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to use.

White Chocolate Truffle Filling

Place the white chocolate into a medium size bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds.
In a small saucepan over medium low heat, heat the heavy cream until the mixture just starts to bubble up around the edge of the pan. Do not boil.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a minute to allow the chocolate to melt. Gently whisk the chocolate and cream until smooth.
Leave the ganache at room temperature until it is a thicker, spreadable consistency, like peanut butter, about an 45-60 minutes.

Assemble the Champagne Strawberry Truffle cake

Working with chilled cake layers, use a long serrated knife to remove any doming from your cakes.
**(If you baked in 2 pans instead of 3, torte the layers, cutting them evenly in half. You will have four cake layers total. The tops of the cakes will be the center two layers of your cake.)
Fit a piping bag with a large round tip ( I use an Ateco 808), and fill with vanilla Italian meringue buttercream.
Put one of the cake layers, cut side up onto an 8" cake board or directly onto a cake stand.
Spread a thin, even layer of the strawberry reduction on the cake layer with an offset spatula.
Pipe a dam around the perimeter of the cake layer.
Place a single layer of sliced strawberries inside the damn.
Top with white chocolate ganache, using an offset spatula to spread it evenly over the strawberries. Filling should be 1/4" thick.
Add the second cake layer and repeat with the strawberry reduction, buttercream dam and sliced strawberries.
Top with white chocolate ganache, using an offset spatula to spread it evenly over the strawberries. Filling should be 1/4" thick.
*(For 4 layer cakes, pipe buttercream over the sliced strawberries in place of the ganache, creating a 1/4" layer of buttercream. Smooth with a spatula.)
Place the third layer on top, and frost the outside and top of the cake with the remaining buttercream.
*(For 4 layer cakes, repeat steps 5-9. Smooth with a spatula. Top with 4th and final layer, and frost the outside and top of cake with the remaining buttercream.
Decorate with fresh strawberries.

Notes

Champagne cake layers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.

Strawberry reduction can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

White chocolate truffle filling can be left at room temperature for up to two days. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator over night before using.

Vanilla Italian meringue buttercream can be left at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerated for up to a week, and frozen up to a month. Thaw to room temperature before rewhipping for use.

Assembled cake can be left out for several hours for serving, but refrigerate to store it. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Hazelnut Praline Cake

January 3, 2022 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Hazelnut is to chocolate as peanut butter is to jelly. They just belong together. It’s a combination of flavors that is so perfect, you’ll find it in baked goods across the globe. My chocolate hazelnut praline cake features chocolate and hazelnut in all the best ways. Tender, moist and fudgy chocolate cake filled with hazelnut praline ganache, crunchy praline crumble and silky smooth espresso French buttercream.

What is Hazelnut Praline?

Hazelnut praline is a cooked mixture of caramelized sugar, and toasted, chopped hazelnuts. The hot mixture is spread onto a silicone mat, or parchment to cool completely into a hard caramel candy. For this recipe, most of the praline is ground into a paste to mix into chocolate ganache while some of it remains in shards for sprinkling in between cake layers.

About the chocolate cake

This tender, moist and fudgy chocolate cake is my go-to chocolate cake. It has a tight, fine grain crumb, bakes up with a flat top and is incredibly flavorful, as well as being functional and a good foundation for stacked and tiered cakes. This cake can easily be scaled to make larger and smaller cakes, and it can also be carved for sculpted cakes. You can make this cake in 2 – 8″ pans, then torte the cake into 4 layers, or you can bake this cake in 3 – 8″ pans.

It’s super important to make sure that the butter and sugar are creamed for the entire time listed in the recipe. This contributes to a lighter, fluffier cake and creates an emulsion so that the remaining ingredients are incorporated properly.

You’ll notice that there are two different methods used for incorporating leavening in this recipe. Baking powder is incorporated in when adding the flour mixture. For an additional lifting boost, baking soda and vinegar are mixed together and added at the end of mixing. This jumpstarts the release of carbon dioxide creating more rise and more of a fluffy, soft cake.

The cooled cake layers are stacked with a layer of the hazelnut praline ganache, a sprinkling of praline and layer of espresso French meringue buttercream. French buttercream is truly a gem in the buttercream world. Made with egg yolks, in comparison to Swiss and Italian meringues which are made with egg whites, this buttercream is rich, silky and custardy. So delicious.

If you make my chocolate hazelnut praline cake, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes and creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more cake recipes, check out these posts:

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cake with Bourbon Dulce de Leche Buttercream

Malted Funfetti Cake with Strawberry Buttercream and Cookie Crumble

Salted Caramel Popcorn Cake

Coconut Lime Crumble Cake

Chocolate Stout Cake with Coffee Irish cream Buttercream

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Chocolate Hazelnut Praline Cake

Tender, moist and fudgy chocolate cake filled with hazelnut praline ganache, crunchy praline crumble and silky smooth espresso French buttercream

Prep Time2 hrs

Cook Time45 mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: – 24 servings

Ingredients

Hazelnut Praline

2/3 cup (100g) chopped hazelnuts, skinned
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

Chocolate Ganache

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 oz heavy cream
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Chocolate Cake

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 ¼ cup (480g) light brown sugar, packed
2 ½ cups (328g) all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons espresso powder
1 cup (120g) cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large eggs
2 cups (454g) buttermilk, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup (60g) mayo, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Espresso French Buttercream

12 large (168g) egg yolks
1 ½ cups (150g) granulated sugar
3 cup (678g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (76g) brewed espresso, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

Hazelnut Praline

Place the hazelnuts in a dry skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Toast for about 5-7 minutes, until they start to turn golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or a piece of parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons water. Cook over medium-high heat swirling the pan occasionally to evenly distrute heat. Cook until the sugar has melted and turns a deep amber color. Do not stir.
Stir in the hazelnuts. Pour the caramel onto the lined baking sheet in an even, thin layer.
Allow the praline to cool and harden completely. Cut into smaller shards with a sharp knife.
Reserve 3 tablespoons of praline for sprinkling. Place the remaining praline into a small food processor.
Process the praline mixture until it forms a fine powder. After 5 -7 minutes, it will start forming a paste. If it doesn't, after blending a while, add 1 teaspoon of canola oil to help it get it going.
Blend the paste until smooth.
Pour the finished hazelnut praline paste into an air-tight container to store and set aside while preparing the ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

Place the chopped chocolate into a medium size bowl. Set aside.
Heat the heavy cream and salt in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat on the stove until the mixture begins to simmer.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a minute to allow the chocolate to melt. Gently whisk the chocolate and cream until smooth.
Stir in the praline paste.
Let the ganache cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools, to a peanut butter like consistency.

Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter the bottoms and sides of 2 – 8" x 2" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment. Create a parchment collar to go around the sides of the pans.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, espresso powder, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine
In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
Place the softened butter and the brown sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the brown sugar on medium speed until it is very light in color and super fluffy, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of bowl with spatula after each addition.
Add one third of the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low until just combined. Pour half of the buttermilk mixture into the bowl and mix on low until just combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Scrape the bowl to make sure the ingredients are incorporated. The mixture might look curdled at this point, but it will come back together.
Add an additional one third of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add the remaining buttermilk mixture and mix just until combined.
Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are not any pockets of butter or flour remaining.
Add the mayo. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are incorporated.
Combine the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into the cake batter and mix on low for an additional 10 seconds.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Portion the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake the cakes on the center rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. You will want to start watching for the cakes to be done, when the tops dome and start to crack a bit.
Remove the baked cakes from the oven. If they have domed at all, use a tea towel to gently press down the domes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
Run a butter knife around the edge of the pans, remove the parchment collar and turn the cakes out onto a wire rack. Cool to room temperature.
Wrap the cakes tightly with a couple layers of plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill completely before assembling.
The cakes will keep tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a zip top bag in the refrigerator for up to three days. The cake layers can also be frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap and placed in a zip top bag. I personally don't like to freeze longer than a week, but you can freeze these layers for up to three weeks. Defrost the layers in the refrigerator before using.

Espresso French Meringue Buttercream

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks on high speed until extremely light in color.
Combine the sugar and 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) water in a small saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture boils. Stop stirring, and continue boiling the mixture until it reaches 238 F (115 C) on a candy thermometer. Remove immediately from the heat.
Pour a small quantity of syrup over the yolks with the mixer turned off. Beat on high speed for 5 seconds, then stop the mixer and add a larger quantity of syrup. Beat on high speed for another 5 seconds. Add the remaining syrup, and continue beating until the mixture is completely cool. Add the butter a few pieces at a time, and beat until the mixture is completely smooth.
Add in the cooled espresso and salt and beat until well combined.

Assemble Cake

Work with chilled cake layers. Using a long serrated knife torte the layers, cutting them evenly in half. You will have four cake layers total. The tops of the cakes will be the center two layers of your cake.
Put one of the cake layers, cut side up onto an 8" cake board or directly onto a cake stand.
Spread a thin, even layer of the ganache on the cake layer with an offset spatula. Sprinkle 1/3 of the praline on top.
Spread about one cup of the buttercream on top of the ganache using an offset spatula to evenly distribute the buttercream. You're looking for the buttercream to be about 1/4 inch thick.
Place another cake layer on top, top up, and press down gently so that the layer is adhered to the buttercream. Repeat the previous two steps, applying the ganache and buttercream.
Place the third layer cake layer, top up, and press down gently so that the layer is adhered to the buttercream.
Add the final ganache layer. Add the final buttercream layer. Place the final cake layer (the bottom of one of the cakes) bottom side up on the buttercream, pressing gently to adhere.
Frost the cake with the remaining espresso French buttercream. Decorate. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

The completed cake will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Cake recipe adapted from The Sweetapolita Bakebook by Rosie Alyea.

The Ultimate Guide to White Chocolate Ganache

April 16, 2021 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Welcome to the last installment of my ultimate guide to ganache series – all about white chocolate ganache. I looooove using white chocolate ganache. It is my favorite alternative for those who don’t like fondant. It’s creamy, delicious and serves as the perfect, smooth, blank canvas on a cake.

White chocolate is getting its own separate post because it can behave a bit differently from semi/dark chocolate ganache. It can seize or split easier, and melting white chocolate can sometimes be a challenge. Timing and ratio are key to white chocolate ganache. Gone are the days of troublesome ganache. With these tips and tricks, making a smooth and creamy white chocolate ganache will be a breeze.

How is white chocolate different from other chocolate?

White chocolate, compared to dark and milk chocolates, do not have any cocoa solids. It also has more sugar, more milk solids, less cocoa butter and can burn or seize easier than dark chocolate. But don’t let that dissuade you from making it. Choosing the right chocolate, heating it slowly and mixing it properly are key to a smooth and creamy ganache.

Really, the most important factor of determining the right white chocolate for ganache is the quality of the chocolate. As with dark chocolate, the quality of white chocolate makes a huge difference in the final ganache. Quality determines the taste and texture, especially in white chocolate which can range from chalky and cloyingly sweet to smooth and milky, which is why chips or coating chocolate can be a bit of a gamble. But, you can make ganache with them.

How to make white chocolate ganache

White chocolate ganache ratio: 3:1 or 12oz white chocolate to 4oz cream

Weigh or measure the chocolate and place in a bowl. Chop the pieces finely if you are using chocolate bars. Microwave for 45-60 seconds to soften the chocolate.

Place the cream in a saucepan and place on the stove over medium low heat.

Heat the cream until it starts to steam along the top. Keep a close eye on the cream making sure the cream doesn’t scald or curdle.

Once heated, pour the cream over the warmed chocolate. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.

With a spatula or a whisk, begin gently stirring the mixture starting in the center to blend, and working outward. This creates a smooth emulsion and prevents air from being incorporated. Too much air can cause the mixture to split.

You can use the ganache immediately or set it aside to cool to the desired consistency. Be sure not to agitate the chocolate while it is setting, which can cause it to split.

Let it set at room temperature. Place plastic wrap onto the surface of the ganache so that it doesn’t form a film.

The ganache is ready for drips at 85-90F and ready for filling or icing a cake when the texture is thickened and smooth, resembling peanut butter or canned frosting.

Whitening Ganache

Surprise! White chocolate ganache is often enough not white. Color does depend on the brand and varies, but with real white chocolate, to get a true white, you will have to color it. Candy melts and almond bark tend to be more white and less translucent.

You can whiten your ganache by adding white gel color in the cream before mixing it into the chocolate or mixing in the color after incorporating the cream. Alternatively, you can color it once it is ready to use.

Whipped ganache is a fantastic cupcake frosting. Beating the cooled ganache in a stand mixer until fluffy and thickened is also a way to whitening ganache and making a lighter frosting.

How to color white chocolate ganache

Traditionally, adding water based anything to chocolate spells disaster. Since ganache is an emulsion, you can add a concentrated gel color to the ganache. I like to whiten the ganache first. This is to make sure the color I am adding to the ganache isn’t altered by the ganache’s yellowish/translucent hue.

Even though you can totally use gel color in ganache, if I’m making red, navy, or even black (when possible use dark chocolate ganache for black – MUCH easier), I like to use oil/chocolate colors because these colors require a lot more color added to the ganache. The oil/chocolate colors can darken the ganache faster with less color.

Uses for white chocolate ganache

Drip cakes
Glazes for donuts, eclairs, cupcakes and more
Ice cream topping
Cake or cupcake filling
Topping brownies
Dipping cookies
Macaron filling
Whipped chocolate ganache frosting
Truffles
Frosting cakes
Dipping fruit

White Chocolate Ganache and Cake Decorating

Ganache is ideal for frosting cakes. It’s airless and super smooth, creating an smooth and flawless cake covering. It’s also one of the best cake frostings to use if you’re making a fondant cake. Ganache holds its shape better, and sets up more quickly than buttercream, allowing you to keep smooth and crisp ganache edges when covering with fondant.

Ganache also has a higher melting point than buttercream, which means that on warmer days, buttercream would melt faster than ganache. For those people who don’t like fondant, white chocolate ganache can give you that same white, flawless finish that fondant does.

Another perk of using ganache on layer cakes, is that you typically don’t get any bulging or blowouts as long as you’re allowing your cake to settle after filling and layering it and you’re not trapping any air under your fondant. You also want the ganache to be fully set before covering fondant.

Flavor variations

I love infusing flavors into white chocolate ganache, especially fruit reductions. But here are some ideas on what you can infuse or add to your ganache.

Jams and fruit reductions

Teas

Zests

Mint/Herbs

Extracts

Salted Caramel/Nut Butters

Alcohol

Coffee

Sprinkles

For more information on ganache and troubleshooting, check out my Ultimate Guide to Ganache posts listed below. If you make white chocolate ganache, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more on ganache, check out these posts:

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache Part 1

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache Part 2

Chocolate Stout Layer Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream

Under the Sea Cake Tutorial

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache: Part 2

April 11, 2021 By Ashley Leave a Comment

In the Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache part 1, I explained what ganache is and how temperature and ratio determines consistency and usage of the ganache. In this continuation post, I will go over how to make ganache as well as how to flavor ganache and troubleshoot any problems.

Ganache Amounts:

Bittersweet/Semi-Sweet Ganache:

1:1 – 10oz chocolate/10oz heavy cream

2:1 – 10oz chocolate/5oz heavy cream

1:2 – 8oz chocolate/16oz heavy cream

Milk Chocolate:

3:1 – 12 oz chocolate/4oz heavy cream

How to make ganache

Weigh or measure the chocolate and place in a bowl. Chop the pieces finely if you are using chocolate bars. Microwave for 30-45 seconds to soften the chocolate.

Place the cream in a saucepan and place on the stove over medium low heat.

Heat the cream until it starts to steam along the top. Keep a close eye on the cream making sure the cream doesn’t scald or curdle.

Once heated, pour the cream over the warmed chocolate. Let the mixture sit 3 or 4 minutes.

*Add ins: Adding a tablespoon of butter or corn syrup will give your ganache more shine, which is helpful especially when using for a drip or glaze. Corn syrup also gives the ganache a little bit of elasticity. Adding a pinch of salt to the chocolate before the cream is added gives the ganache a bit of flavor and breaks up the sweetness into identifiable flavors.*

With a spatula or a whisk, begin gently stirring the mixture starting in the center, and working outward. This creates a smooth emulsion and prevents air from being incorporated. Too much air can cause the mixture to split.

You can use the ganache immediately or set it aside to cool to the desired consistency.

Ganache and cake decorating

Ganache is ideal for frosting cakes. It’s airless and super smooth, creating an ideal and flawless cake covering. It’s also the best cake frosting to use if you’re making a fondant cake. Ganache holds it shape better, and sets up more quickly than buttercream, allowing you to keep smooth and crisp ganache edges when covering with fondant.

Ganache also has a higher melting point than buttercream, which means that on hotter days, buttercream would melt faster than ganache.

Chocolate ganache is also a good starting point for a true black frosting. Adding black color to the ganache allows you to use less food color, but also it’s easier to achieve a true black. Coloring buttercream uses far more gel color and can also leave an aftertaste.

Common Ganache Questions

Can I reheat or reuse ganache?

Most definitely. I almost always make ganache in advance and store in the refrigerator for a day or two before using it. I microwave ganache in short 5 second bursts, gently stirring after each to gradually bring the ganache to temperature, but also to achieve the desired texture. Refrigerating and reheating repeatedly can cause the ganache to lose its shine. But, it’ll still taste amazing.

How do you store ganache?

Due to the higher sugar amount, ganache can be stored at room temperature for up to 48 hours. You can also refrigerate ganache for up to 2-3 weeks, and freeze ganache for up to 3 months. Note that frozen ganache will typically loose it’s shine and glossy appearance when brought to room temperature.

What about white chocolate ganache?

See my Ultimate Guide to White Chocolate Ganache.

Can I refrigerate my ganached cake?

Absolutely. But, you don’t have to. The ganache *can*crack if the cake gets too cold. And while the topic of freezing ganache covered cakes is highly debatable, I do not recommend freezing a ganached cake because of this reason.

How do I attach fondant to my ganached cake?

When ganache is set on a cake, it sets firm and dry. You can adhere fondant to the ganache by brushing on a thin layer of sugar syrup, corn syrup, alcohol or vegetable shortening.

How do I color my chocolate ganache black?

There are a couple ways to darken ganache. Keep in mind, it only takes a small amount of black color to achieve black ganache.

You can add black chocolate/oil based color OR black gel color to your ganache until you achieve your desired color. It’s typically true that adding to water will cause chocolate to seize, but since ganache is an emulsion, you can use gel color.
You can add black gel color to the cream mixture before pouring over the chocolate.

Troubleshooting Ganache

Why is my ganache grainy?

If your ganache is grainy and poor quality chocolate isn’t the culprit, place the bowl of ganache over a double broiler, and slowly reheat the mixture, stirring until the mixture is smooth no longer grainy. If the ganache is greasy, too much air could have been incorporated while mixing. Additionally, use a glass bowl. Ganache is shinier and smoother when using glass compared to plastic. No idea why, it just is. Science.

Additionally, if you’re reheating the ganache, any graininess is just uneven melting. Just keep stirring and gently heat to even out the texture.

My ganache is lumpy after mixing in the cream?

Likely, your chocolate isn’t melted enough. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring gently after, until the ganache is smooth and melted.

I made my ganache too liquidy? How can I fix it?

For ganache that is too thin and won’t set, reheat it and add a small amount of chopped chocolate at a time, heating it thoroughly until thickened.

For ganache that is too stiff, add additional warmed cream, a tablespoon at time to thin it out.

My ganache split and is greasy. Can I fix it?

Be sure to not overheat your chocolate, as well as taking care to not overheat the cream. Chocolate that gets too hot can cause the fats to separate causing a split and greasy chocolate mess.

It’s very easy to overheat chocolate in the microwave. Microwave in short increments to avoid overheating.

Flavor Variations

Ganache is chocolate and chocolate will be the dominant flavor, but infusing flavor into ganache gives you loads of options for pairing with different cakes and fillings.

Mint and fresh herbs

Salted Caramel

Flaky salt

Extracts

Espresso

Earl Grey/teas

Zests

Cookie Butter

Peanut Butter

Nutella

Alcohol

Spices

If you make ganache, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more on ganache, check out these posts:

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache Part 1

Chocolate Stout Layer Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream

Under the Sea Cake Tutorial

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache: Part 1

April 11, 2021 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Chocolate ganache. Multi-functional, very delicious, and super easy, requiring only 2 ingredients – cream and chocolate. Ganache can be infused with different flavors and can be used for glazes, fillings, truffles, or even frosting cakes. With it rich, creamy and velvety texture, ganache is perfect for elevating any dessert and making beautiful cakes.

What is chocolate ganache?

Ganache is an emulsion consisting of chocolate and warmed cream to make a creamy, shiny and smooth mixture with various uses. The ratio of chocolate to cream determines how thick the ganache is and what it can be used for. The temperature of ganache also determines how it can be used. Warmed, it can be used for drips or glazes, cooled and set, it can be used as a cake filling, frosting or even chocolate truffles.

Uses for chocolate ganache

Drip cakes
Glazes for donuts, eclairs, cupcakes and more
Ice cream topping
Cake or cupcake filling
Topping brownies
Dipping cookies
Chocolate mousse
Whipped chocolate ganache frosting
Truffles
Frosting cakes
Dipping fruit

The importance of chocolate quality

When possible, choose chocolate bars rather than chips. Chocolate chips are made to retain their shape when baking. They do melt, as you can see when you eat a warm cookie, but they are made with less cocoa butter so the chips remain somewhat intact. This *can* make for a grainy, somewhat thicker and dull ganache. However, that’s not to say that you can’t use any chips. I prefer to use a higher quality chocolate chip. One that has a higher percentage of chocolate and cocoa butter, such as Ghirardelli 60%, or Guittard Extra Dark. For milk chocolate, I prefer to use chocolate bars only. It’s not as easy to melt milk chocolate chips, which can result in burning them or they can seize. I find that they make a clumpy, grainy ganache, but feel free to experiment to find your preference and what brands work best for you. My favorite bar chocolates are Callebaut and Guittard. Ghirardelli or Lindt are good alternatives that can be found in most grocery stores.

Chocolate to cream ratios

Depending on the ratio of heavy cream to chocolate depends on the consistency of the ganache is and how you can use it. The temperature of the ganache determines when you can use it. Freshly made ganache can be used for drips and glazes. Nearly set ganache, can be used for fillings, and firmer, cold ganache can be used for truffles. But all ganache will be thinner when just made, and set and harden more as it cools.

Semi/Bittersweet chocolate Ratios:

2:1 – 2 parts chocolate, to 1 part cream (by weight) creates a thicker, fudge-like ganache that when lukewarm can be used for drips, or when set to peanut butter consistency, can be used for cake fillings, topping brownies and frosting a cake. When the ganache is chilled or hardened a bit, you can use this ganache to make truffles. This is my preferred ratio for frosting a cake.

1:1 – 1 part chocolate to 1 part cream (by weight) creates a thinner ganache that can be used for glazes, drips and when cooled a bit, can be whipped to make a whipped chocolate ganache frosting or a mousse. You can also use this ratio for a cake or cupcake filling, but it will be a little bit softer.

1:2: 1 part chocolate to 2 parts cream (by weight) makes a thin, pourable ganache that can also be used as a glaze, or as an ice cream topping. You can also use this ganache for dipping fruit, or fondue as well as making hot chocolate.

Milk Chocolate Ratio:

Milk chocolate requires less cream than dark/bittersweet because it has a higher percentage of milk solids, less cocoa butter and has more sugar in it which allows it to stay liquid when heated.

3:1 – 3 parts chocolate cream to 1 part heavy cream (by weight) will make a thicker ganache like the bittersweet 1:2 ratio. You can also do 2.5oz of chocolate for a softer ganache.

Head on over to The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache part 2 to learn how to make ganache, how to flavor it, and how to troubleshoot any ganache issues.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more on ganache, check out these posts:

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache Part 2

Chocolate Stout Layer Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream

Under the Sea Cake Tutorial

Chocolate Stout Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream

March 11, 2021 By Ashley 5 Comments

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner! What better dessert to follow your corned beef and cabbage than this chocolate stout layer cake with coffee Irish cream buttercream and Irish whiskey ganache? This cake highlights some of Ireland’s best alcohols – Guinness Stout, Jameson Whiskey and Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur. The chocolate stout cake is out of this world delicious on its own, or with a variety of fillings and butter creams. But, layering and topping the cake with Jameson Whiskey infused chocolate ganache and a coffee and Bailey’s Irish Cream infused Swiss meringue buttercream takes this chocolate stout layer cake to a whole other level of amazing.

I actually have this stout cake on my wedding cake menu. It is one of my most popular flavors for groom’s cakes and is a huge hit with both beer lovers and non-beer fans alike. It’s a rich and chocolaty cake with deep coffee notes and a roasted flavor from the stout beer.

When I chose recipes for my business, I chose cakes with a tight, fine grain crumb, moist on it’s own without the need of moistening syrups, and incredibly flavorful, as well as being functional and a good foundation for stacked and tiered cakes. This chocolate stout cake is not only amazing because it tastes phenomenal, but also because it’s crazy functional. Especially, for making into a towering layer cake beauty. It can easily be scaled to make larger and smaller cakes, and it can also be carved for sculpted cakes.

The chocolate stout layer cake can be made with any stout beer you like. I used Guinness Stout because it’s easy to find and I enjoy the flavor of it. A chocolate milk stout would be fabulous here. I also baked my cakes in two pans, then sliced (or torted) those cakes into two. You can also divide the batter into three tins and bake as three separate layers if you wish.

You can use bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate for the ganache. The ganache is a standard 2:1 recipe, with two parts of chocolate to one part cream. This will allow you to use it as a drip consistency and as a spreadable frosting-like consistency between the layers. I like to add a little bit of corn syrup and butter to my ganache to allow it to have a bit more softer consistency when chilled. The butter and corn syrup allow it to be a bit creamier and gives it a bit more shine on the drip.

Avoid chocolate bark, low quality chocolate chips and candy melts for ganache. Use a higher quality chocolate here. The better quality the chocolate, the better the texture and the taste. I also add a little bit of Irish whiskey – I used Jameson – to my ganache for additional flavor. Allow the ganache to cool until it’s smooth and spreadable, like peanut butter.

I use Swiss meringue buttercream for this recipe as I love how well it holds the flavor of the coffee and the Irish Cream. Check out my post on Swiss meringue buttercream for the recipe and tutorial on how to make this silky and delicious buttercream. I flavored the Swiss meringue buttercream with cooled, prepared espresso (you can also use strong coffee) and Bailey’s Irish Cream. The coffee flavor complements the chocolate and the stout flavors from the cake. The Irish cream is the final touch, complementing the chocolate and the coffee so well. They are flavors that are meant to be. It’s so good! Definitely don’t leave out the Irish cream here.

I chose to keep the decoration on this cake pretty minimal. I was planning on doing a semi-naked drip but I actually loved how the Swiss meringue buttercream sort of had that two toned messy suede look, so I kept it. To get this look, I iced the cake completely and popped it in the fridge to chill. Once it chilled for 30 minutes or so, I pulled it out of the fridge, and filled in any holes or messy areas with buttercream. I used my cake scraper (or bench scraper) and smoothed the buttercream out completely, which blended both the chilled and room temperature buttercream and created that two tone look and some additional texture.

For the drip, I heated the remaining ganache just until it was the same consistency of what it was when I first made it. Then I poured it into a squeeze bottle to add the drips to the cake. You can also use a spoon to apply the drips instead, if you wish. I added the drips first then I filled in the top with the remaining ganache. Work quickly because the ganache wants to set up quickly on the chilled cake.

There you have it, chocolate stout layer cake with coffee Irish Cream buttercream and Irish whiskey ganache. After I was done shooting the photos for this cake, part of it went to weekend cake tastings and consultations, but the remainder of it was sent off with my husband to a business meeting where it was promptly polished off. They even sent me a video raving about the cake. It’s THAT good.

If you try this chocolate stout layer cake with coffee Irish cream buttercream and Irish whiskey ganache, let me know! Leave a comment in the comment area below and be sure to snap a photo and tag it #littlevintagebaking on Instagram. I love seeing your Little Vintage Baking creations!

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Chocolate Stout Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream

A moist and chocolaty stout cake filled and dripped with dark chocolate Irish whiskey ganache and filled with coffee Irish Cream Swiss meringue buttercream

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 30 mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: 1" x 2" x 5" servings

Ingredients

Chocolate Stout Layer Cake:

1 cup (226g) unsalted stick butter, softened
2 1/4 cups (504g) light brown sugar, packed
2 1/3 cup (315g) all purpose flour
1 cup (120g) high quality cocoa powder, Dutch processed, sifted to remove lumps
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp fine sea salt
4 large eggs room temperature
1 bottle (12oz, 350ml) Guinness stout beer, or your favorite stout, room temperature
1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, room temperature
1/4 cup (60g) mayo, room temp
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Irish Whiskey Ganache:

8 oz (227g) chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup (116ml) heavy cream
1/2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp Irish whiskey, I used Jameson
Pinch fine sea salt

Coffee Irish Cream Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

1 batch prepared Swiss meringue buttercream, omitting the vanilla
1/3 cup (80ml) brewed Espresso, room temperature
2-3 tbsp Irish Cream, I used Bailey's
1/8 tsp fine sea salt

Instructions

Make the chocolate stout layer cake:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter the bottoms and sides of 2 - 8" x 2" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment. Create a parchment collar to go around the sides of the pans.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine well.
In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and stout. Whisk to combine.
Place the softened butter and the brown sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the brown sugar on medium speed until it is very light in color and super fluffy, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of bowl with spatula after each addition.
Add one third of the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low until just combined. Pour half of the beer mixture into the bowl and mix on low until just combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Scrape the bowl to make sure the ingredients are incorporated. The mixture might look curdled at this point, but it will come back together.
Add an additional one third of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add the remaining beer mixture and mix just until combined.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are incorporated.
Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there are not any pockets of butter or flour remaining.
Place the bowl back on the stand mixer. With the mixer speed on low add the mayo. Mix for 10 seconds.
Combine the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into the cake batter and mix on low for an additional 10 seconds.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Portion the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake the cakes on the center rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. You will want to start watching for the cakes to be done, when the tops dome and start to crack a bit.
Remove the baked cakes from the oven. If they have domed at all, use a tea towel to gently press down the domes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
Run a butter knife around the edge of the pans, remove the parchment collar and turn the cakes out onto a wire rack. Cool to room temperature.
Wrap the cakes tightly with a couple layers of plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill completely before assembling.
The cakes will keep tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a zip top bag in the refrigerator for up to three days. The cake layers can also be frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap and placed in a zip top bag. I personally don't like to freeze longer than a week, but you can freeze these layers for up to three weeks. Defrost the layers in the refrigerator before using.

Make the Irish Whiskey Ganache:

Place the chopped chocolate and butter into a medium size bowl. Set aside.
Heat the heavy cream, salt and corn syrup in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat on the stove until the mixture begins to simmer.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a minute to allow the chocolate to melt. Gently whisk the chocolate and cream until smooth.
Add the Irish whiskey and whisk to combine.
Place the ganache into the refrigerator until it is a thicker, spreadable consistency, like peanut butter, about 30 minutes or so.

Make the Coffee Irish Cream Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

Add the salt, espresso and Irish cream to the prepared buttercream. Mix on low until incorporated completely and the buttercream is silky and smooth

Assemble the Layer Cake:

Work with chilled cake layers. Using a long serrated knife torte the layers, cutting them evenly in half. You will have four cake layers total. The tops of the cakes will be the center two layers of your cake.
Put one of the cake layers, cut side up onto an 8" cake board or directly onto a cake stand.
Spread a thin, even layer of the ganache on the cake layer with an offset spatula.
Spread about one cup of the buttercream on top of the ganache using an offset spatula to evenly distribute the buttercream. You're looking for the buttercream to be about 1/4 inch thick.
Place another cake layer on top, top up, and press down gently so that the layer is adhered to the buttercream. Repeat the previous two steps, applying the ganache and buttercream.
Place the third layer cake layer, top up, and press down gently so that the layer is adhered to the buttercream.
Add the final ganache layer. Add the final buttercream layer. Place the final cake layer (the bottom of one of the cakes) bottom side up on the buttercream, pressing gently to adhere.
Frost the cake with the remaining coffee Irish cream buttercream. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Microwave the remaining ganache in 3-5 second intervals, stirring after every interval until the ganache is loose and pourable but not hot.
Add the drips around the perimeter of the cake. Fill in the top of the cake with the ganache and smooth.
Slice into pieces and serve.
The completed cake will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Notes

To adjust the recipe for different size pans: (Creates 2 - 2" layer cakes to be torted, or you can divide them into three pans)

Halve the recipe for 6" cakes

One and a half recipes for 10" cakes

Two and a half recipes for 12" cakes

Cake layers adapted from The Sweetapolita Bakebook

Under the Sea Cake Tutorial

August 21, 2020 By Ashley 1 Comment

I love the sort of cakes where I can make all the decorative components in advance. Then, when the time comes to decorate, I can just pop everything on the cake, make it look fab, and then it’s done. My Under the Sea cake is that sort of cake. All the decorative components can be made and stored in advance. The decorative components themselves are also relatively quick to make, and don’t take hours like sugar flowers or sculpted figures, but are still impressive and beautiful. I absolutely loved making this impressive cake, and it’s certainly a cake that is sure to wow your guests or clients.

Supplies:

6″square cake

8″ square cake

bench scraper

white chocolate ganache – pale peach, cream and pale blue (recipe below)

royal blue, ivory, and orange gel colors

white chocolate, melted

modeling chocolate or fondant, pale peach

edible sand

ball tool

dresden tool

white non-pareils

pearlized white dragées

white rock candy

The ganache

I’ve really been embracing the “messy” cake look lately. Appreciating flaws, and still making something gorgeous even if it isn’t perfect. After years of making cakes with perfect buttercream and flawless fondant (perfect, perfect, perfect all the things), I’m really loving these intentionally rough edged, textured cakes. For this cake, I used white chocolate ganache. Ganache is a total dream to work with. I find that when I want a specific texture or a flawless finish, ganache is my cake covering of choice. On this cake, I wanted texture.

My preferred ganache ratio for covering a cake is 3:1. Three parts chocolate to one part cream. This makes a ganache that is firmer and spreadable, like peanut butter. I colored the ganache three different colors – cream, pale peach, and a soft, pale blue. I wanted the colors to be soft, muted and able to blend together well, so very little color is needed. Just add a little color with just the tip of a toothpick.

Covering and Texturing the Cake

1. Cover the tops of the cake and the upper third of the cake with the cream color ganache. Smooth out the cream colored ganache with a bench scraper. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

2. Add the pale peach ganache to the middle of the cake. Smooth out the ganache with a bench scraper, blending the cream and the peach colors together as you scrape and even out the ganache.

3. Cover the lower third, or bottom of the cake with the blue ganache. Smooth out the ganache with a bench scraper, blending the peach and the blue as you scrape and even out the ganache. Even out and clean up the edges of the cakes with an offset spatula to define the square edges.

4. Let the ganache firm up for 5 – 10 minutes or so, just so that it’s not wet to the touch. Use a bench scraper to lightly scrape the cake. This will create a light stucco-like, sandy texture in the ganache.

The Coral

I made three different types of coral for the Under the Sea cake. I made piped coral pieces with white chocolate, mesh coral pieces with cake lace, and sculpted coral with modeling chocolate. I made the edible lace coral with white cake lace and a cake lace mat with a mesh design. You only need a small batch of cake lace for this cake (I used SugarVeil). The mat I used is the SugarVeil Mesh Mat. Any white edible lace will work, and any mesh/netting type mat will work as well. Follow the instructions on the package to make the lace. Let the lace dry on the mat overnight, so that it’s still pliable but also firm enough to hold its shape. You can also bake it, according to the package directions if you wish to speed up the process. Tear pieces from the large sheet of lace, in round-ish shapes, with jagged edges to create coral-like pieces. Use piping gel to attach these to the cake, shaping some them to give them a bit of movement, while leaving others flat.

For the chocolate coral, place a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper over a printed off coral template. I found one in a google search for “coral template”. Any template you like when you search will work. Alternatively, you can pipe some freehand chocolate coral shapes, without a template. Then, pipe onto the parchment, over the template, with melted white chocolate. Make several of these as they are fragile and break easily. I found that the pieces I liked and used the most were mostly just fragments rather than whole piped pieces. Let the chocolate set up completely before using. Carefully place the coral onto the cake with more melted chocolate, and lightly hold in place for a few seconds. Overlap and leave gaps when placing your coral.

I created the shells and the starfish using moulds. Any seashell moulds will work just be sure they’re not too large. I used cream/peach colored modeling chocolate for my shells, starfish and sculpted coral, but fondant will also work too.

How to make sculpted coral

1. Roll the modeling chocolate into different size teardrop shapes. You want them to be various lengths and sizes.

2. With a ball tool, press into the large, rounded side of the teardrop shape to create an indentation.

3. Place them in clusters on the lower left bottom tier, and the lower right top tier, attaching to the cake with melted chocolate or piping gel. Place them close together, even sort of squeezing them together, so that they look like a mass of coral. Make 5-7 per tier.

4. For the smaller coral attached to the cake, roll out small pea size balls with modeling chocolate. Use the ball tool to make indentations.

5. Use piping gel to attach these close together to the side of the cake, trailing upwards from the clusters sculpted coral on the lower left bottom tier and lower right top tier. Make as many or as few as you would like.

6. Use the thin side of a dresden tool to make small indentations all over to give the coral some texture.

Finishing Touches

Once all of the of coral is placed on the cake, place the starfish on with piping gel or melted chocolate. Place the shells onto the cake or cake board. I only ended up using two shells and placed them on the cake board with the edible sand. To make the edible sand, mix together 1/4 cup of finely ground butter crackers, or Ritz crackers, and 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar.

Place some white rock candy in the sand on the cake board, but also attach some along with the coral with melted chocolate to fill any gaps, cover any big breaks, or to fill out the design. Add some white pearlized dragées around the coral with piping gel. I think these look like little bubbles or pearls, and I like the pearlized look they contribute to the cake.

I also used some white nonpareils to add some bubble like detail as well. Brush a little bit of piping gel onto the cake to attach them. I had a happy decorating accident when placing the nonpareils. You can see that in some areas I pushed in the nonpareils but they didn’t stick, leaving little holes in the cake. I had hoped they’d just stick to the ganache but no luck. Well, I totally loved the little holes and thought they added great texture so I left them.

One of the great things about this cake design is that you can really make it your own by rearranging the different coral, creating different shaped corals, adding more or less of a type of coral or shell, using different color palettes or adding some cool features – like octopus tentacles, oysters, and fish.

Please feel free to leave any questions you have below, and if you make this cake, be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see your amazing cake!

Ash xx

For more cake decorating tutorials, check out these posts:

Woodland Tree Stump Cake Tutorial

Vintage Gilded Buttercream Cake Tutorial

Mini Tutorial: Romantic Roses Cake

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White Chocolate Ganache

Thick and creamy, white chocolate ganache that's perfect filling and coating cakes and cupcakes.

Prep Time15 mins

Cool1 hr

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

1 cup (227ml) heavy whipping cream
3 cups (680g) white chocolate, chopped or chips

Instructions

Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium low heat.
Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a medium size bowl.
When the cream begins to bubble around the edges, remove from the heat, and pour over the white chocolate. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
Gently whisk the chocolate and cream from the center of the bowl to the outer edges of the bowl. Do not mix too fast as you want to avoid incorporating air.
If the chocolate isn't melted all the way, place in the microwave in 15 second increments, whisking after each session, until smooth. Do not overheat.
Let the chocolate ganache firm up until it's the consistency of peanut butter before using.