Classic Chocolate Cake | Chocolate Cake Covered With Chocolate | Chocolate Cake Using Cocoa Powder | Second Blogoversary

Hello dear readers and friends guess what my blog has turned "2". Yes "You Too Can Cook" celebrates its second birthday!! I never knew that me and my little blog would travel so far, yet nowhere did I think of quitting or giving up. Looking behind I can recall so many things, triumphs failures hurdles and what not. But the best part is the amount of recognition and support I got and still get from my readers and friends. Many a times its the readers e-mail or comments what motivates me to move forward and am truly thankful for that. Am so glad to know that You Too Can Cook has got a good set of regular readers silent followers and wonderful friends. I've experienced a whole different world through blogging and enjoy being a part of the blogosphere. 

I have a lot to tell about the journey but it would be better to just thank my readers and friends who have been a spine to my work. Thank you readers without you this could not have been possible. Thanks for all the support and love you've showered on You Too Can Cook. And I thank God who had guided me right from the beginning and who has blessed the works of my hands, and also my family for being my fullest support. Thanks to ones who have tried my recipes, and may thanks to the readers who keep sending me an uplifting mail/comment (each comment/mail from readers is of golden value to me). Hoping to get the same support and love in future too! 

During the past  two years much has happened but on a short note let me share with you something about the journey in a nutshell, its going to be just about the recipes. 

Most gawked/viewed recipe - Chettinad Chicken Masala 
Most loved/tried recipe - Sponge Cake Using Pressure Cooker, Samosa & Gulab Jamun
Most welcomed on Facebook - Paneer Tikka & Corn Flour Sponge Cake
Most Pinned on Pinterest - Heart Shaped Maida Paniyaram
Most viewed on Food porn sites - Homemade French Fries
One of best recipe that deserved to have got more recognition but did not - Chettinad Mutton Rasam
My most favorite recipes - Dark Chocolate  Cake With Chocolate Ganache Frosting, Chicken Ghee Roast, Popcorn Chicken (and many more :P )
And finally my favorite comment - The one by Amy on Christmas pops

Last year for my first and special blogoversary I made ganache frosted dark chocolate pressure cooker cake which was a hit among tasters and readers and this year its gonna be a chocolate cake again but its the classic cocoa cake using an oven. To me chocolate gives a better sense of celebration and it has to be there to uplift my enthusiasm and celebrations. 

And so to celebrate this happy journey and successful entry into the 3rd year, I baked made a simple chocolate cake covered with chocolate. I made two cakes one covered with chocolate and the other one was a layered chocolate cake covered with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. The latter whipped cream cake disappeared into hungry tummies, the night I made it ;) So I did not get a chance to click a pic of it. Luckily I was able to save my chocolate covered cake J This is a classic chocolate cake recipe using cocoa powder which I referred from here, I replaced sour cream with milk and it was still fabulous taste-wise. The cake was super soft, tasty and moist. I used melted chocolate for the decorations, you can use buttercream frosting or ganache or even whipped cream as you wish. 

Happy Birthday Blog Baby J

INGREDIENTS

Preparation Time - 20 minutes
Baking Time - 25 to 30 minutes
Makes two 6 * 2 inch cakes  

1. Maida / All purpose flour - 200 grams
2. Sugar - 200 grams 
3. Baking powder - 1 tsp 
4. Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp 
5. Unsalted butter - 175 grams 
6. Eggs - 2 (At room temperature)
7. Vanilla essence - 2 teaspoons 
8. Unsweetened cocoa powder - 35 grams 
9. Milk - 150 ml 

To Cover Cake With Melted Chocolate & For Decoration

1. Milk chocolate / Dark chocolate - 200 grams 
2. Dairy milk shots / Any chocolates balls - As required
3. Chocolate sprinkles - As needed

Oven / OTG Settings

1. Heater / Rod select - Both
2. Shelf / Tray placement - Center 
3. Temperature - 175°C or 180 °C 
4. Baking time - 25 to 30 minutes 
5. Preheat Oven - 10 minutes

PREPARATION METHOD

• Place a tray in the center rack of the oven and preheat at 175°C for 10 minutes.  
• Grease two round pans of 6 Inch x 2 Inch dimensions (or use one large pan) Then line the base with a butter paper or parchment paper. 
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, twice using a strainer or sieve and set aside. 
• Now beat butter and sugar together for a minute using an electric beater. You can also use a hand whisk just beat until the sugar gets mixed up well with the butter. 



• Then add one egg at a time and beat well for two minutes. Add milk and vanilla essence and beat on medium speed for a minute. 


• Add the above mix into the sifted flour mix and mix gently with a spatula or flat spoon, then beat on lowest speed for a minute or until there are no lumps. 
• When the batter turns smooth divide the batter equally and pour it into the prepared cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Check after 25 minutes to see if your cakes are done. (To do this insert a wooden skewer or toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean your cake is ready, if not bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, I baked the cakes one at a time) 
• Once done, remove the pans from oven and set aside until it cools down. Then transfer the cakes from the pan onto a wire rack for it to cool completely. 
• You can serve warm cake with a dollop of ice-cream or just wait for it too cool down well then frost with ganache, melted chocolate or with buttercream. (Decorating the cake is just optional)

How To Melt Chocolate 

• Take a 200 gram bar cooking chocolate, either dark chocolate or milk chocolate and chop it into smaller pieces. 
• Now using the double boiling method melt the chocolate. For this, place a sauce pan half filled with water on flame. Above that place another bowl filled with the chocolate pieces. See that the bowl filled with chocolate is not smaller than the sauce pan. Also take care to see that the chocolate filled bowl touches the water in the saucepan. Leave undisturbed for a minute. 
• Never melt chocolate directly. Always follow the double boiling method, else it will burn when placed on flame directly. 
• Chocolate pieces will start melting after a few minutes. Now stir well with a spoon or whisk until it melts well and there are no lumps and seems smooth. The chocolate will be very flowy. 
• Now remove from flame and set aside until it warms down and becomes slightly thick. Do not wait until it cools down.

How To Cover A Cake With Chocolate 

• Place the cake over a cake board or wide plate and place it above a cake stand to make decoration an ease. 
• Now, pour a few scoops of the melted chocolate over the chocolate cake and spread well on all sides using a spatula or a flat spoon or knife. It will spread well if it is in the right consistency. 
• Then when it is still wet, decorate with chocolate sprinkles on the cake sides if you wish. To do this just take a hand full of sprinkles in your palms and stick them on the sides of the cake by gently pressing your palms against the chocolate layer. (Spread a paper below the cake table to collect the extra sprinkles falling off from the cake during the procedure.)
• Repeat this until the cake sides are covered well. or until you are satisfied. 
• Then decorate the cake tops as you wish with chocolate curls or chocolate balls. I used the extra chocolate to make another layered chocolate cake. Also I used it for decoration. For decorating or piping purpose just wait until the melted chocolate turns thicker in consistency then add them into piping bags and pipe your favorite designs. 
• I used dark chocolate to cover the cake and milk chocolate to make a scribble design around the cake. 
• Serve when the chocolate sets well, this will take just a few minutes depending on the climate. You don't have to refrigerate the cake. 

A palatable, luscious, super soft & moist 

Classic Chocolate cake covered with chocolate is now ready!! Chocolate cake lovers you have to try this!!

Thanks to all my lovely readers & friends who helped 

"You Too Can Cook" travel so far J

Check out my other chocolate based recipes here!!

BTW, Happy Women's Day Friends!! Be proud to be a woman!!