Triple Gateau Au Chocolat

Triple Gateau Au Chocolat 

 My dear friends were coming over and I had been planning my menu for over 3 weeks. I was excited like a child , giddy with joy and anticipation and trying to read up as many recipes as possible. You see I had a bit of confusion, should it be the Dobostorte rich, dark, with a caramel layer, the elegant Opera Cake or the ever Classic Triple Gateau Au Chocolat.

Playing tic tac toe I suddenly decided Gateau au Chocolat it would be. I searched high and low for the perfect recipe and boldly tried out my own with amalgamation of two different recipes for the chocolate cake base. It was french yolk based utterly silky and sensuous chocolate buttercream frosting and of course a ganache layer to top it all. In this season of strawberries I but naturally used those plump , juicy, sweet and sour berries because not only are they the sensation of the season , they cut down on the sweetness of the cake and works wonderfully well inside one's mouth. Imagine fluffy, soft, moist , firm yet light cake with a creamy buttery lighter than mousse frosting topped with dark , bitter yet delightful chocolate ganache giving it the perfect vintage coat for this winter. Triple for the triple indulgence - chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache :)

So here comes the cake, ta tah ta tah:

For the base

6 eggs
300gm all purpose flour
Baking powder (3 tsp)
4 to 6 tablespoonful of Sour Cream (I made homemade substitute of sour cream with heavy cream and buttermilk and allowed them to ferment for 24 hours before usage)
300gm of castor sugar
200 to 220 gm of butter
130gm of cocoa powder

For the chocolate butter cream frosting

6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4th cup water
200 to 300gm of tempered dark chocolate
250gm unsalted butter
200gm double cream

For the ganache

300gm dark chocolate
20gm butter
60gm double cream

I usually always start by baking the base a day ahead of serving because it not only lessens the pressure of the kitchen on the D-Day but helps in holding the frosting better. I also bake it in two batches and bake the cake batter twice by dividing the ingredients. Preheat ovent o 180 C and Start by sifting the baking powder and flour together and then moving on to creaming your butter with the sugar and when it is properly creamed add the eggs one by one mixing thoroughly. Fold your flour baking powder mixture but soft it once again before folding it because that helps in creating a light fluffy texture of the cake. Add your cocoa powder but sift it while adding it and then fold it . here you will find the mixture very thick and so add the sour cream. Fold gently because over mixing will cause the cake not to rise perfectly. bake at 180C for 47 minutes to 50 minutes. I use a convection oven and so my timing is more than what an OTG would require so lessen the time to 40 minutes in case of using OTG. Check if cake is done by inserting a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean you are done. Wrap in plastic leaving one side open and work on the frosting the next day.

Here are some tips :

1. Do not ever open the door even by mistake during the baking
2. After the toothpick insert let it rest in the oven for 10 minutes 
3. Let the cake cool down completely before trying to de-mould it else some of it remains stuck to the baking pan. 

Before frosting the cake. First cut the cakes to make four pieces the next morning. 

For the butter cream frosting 

Make the butter-cream using the French butter-cream method with the given amount of ingredients in thsi recipe 

Prepare ganache 

Temper chocolate on double boiler , take care not to seize the chocolate add cream and butter and mix really well. Now while it is in the liquid state use a spatula to gently spread all over the cake. decorate with strawberries and serve. Your guests will definitely remember this cake. 

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