Mild Chocolate Cake Showstopper
with White Chocolate Ganache and Spiced Chocolate Glaze

by Nyani-Iisha Martin

I came up with this at Dunster House. [Ny earned a living with her culinary skills during her first year after graduating from Harvard, cooking for the Masters at Dunster House. --Ed.]

Mild Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

3 tbsp cocoa

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 cup sour cream, heavy cream or evaporated milk

1 tbsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

Cream the cocoa, butter, and shortening together (preferably in a mixer) for 5 to 10 min while you beat the cream, eggs, and vanilla together. Add butter mixture all at once and beat well to combine. Sift in the dry ingredients and beat for 2-3 min; add chips now, if using. Put into a bundt or ring pan and bake at 350 for 50 minutes or so.

White Chocolate Ganache

1 &1/4 cups heavy cream

4 oz white chocolate, chopped

Heat 1 cup cream in a heavy-bottomed large saucepan over medium-high heat until it simmers. Remove from heat. Add chocolate all at once and stir until partially melted. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes to complete melting. Stir mixture again until smooth and all chocolate particles are melted. Stir in 1/4 cup cream and let cool until very cold.

Beat until thick and fluffy (takes less time than regular cream) and mound in center of cake. Refrigerate cake until cold.

Spiced Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp white sugar

3 tbsp water

1/8 tsp ea cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice

1 pinch cloves and pepper

1 tsp vanilla

Bring sugars, water, and spices to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and chocolate. Let cool 5 min, then drizzle over cold cake.

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