Chocolate Lovers Beware-- This Valentine Chocolate Ganache Hazelnut Cake Recipe is dangerous!

and, if someone makes you Chocolate Ganache cake,

please bring them flowers....just saying

RECIPE SHARE on VALENTINE'S DAY

For the Ones You Love, 

Bake A Delicious Chocolate Ganache Hazenut Cake

A few years ago I took a cooking class with famous cooking teacher Gail Monaghan.  She is an experienced professional who makes cooking with strangers a fantastic experience, and you can even gather a group of friends together to cook in private classes.   Together with a group of  friends we prepared a soup to nuts meal to with all the trimmings.  I then served this delicious dinner to my husband on Valentine's Day-- phew, it was exhausting.  This year I am happy to be eating a nice dinner out at my favorite local haunt, but as a surprise I will cook the Chocolate Ganache Hazelnut-filled cake for my family as dessert.   Today, if you are up for this challenge, make this cake for the ones you love-- they will seriously be smitten! First question may be-- what is ganache?

ga·nache

1. a whipped filling of chocolate and cream, 
2. used in desserts such as cakes and truffles.
3. Thank you Wikipedia, now let the baking begin...

Happy Valentine's Day

XO Tamara

And, if you are feeling ambitious, sign up for Gail Monaghan's next cooking class 
on February 28 at 7 pm HERE.

RECIPE from 
Gail Monaghan's Cooking Class

Chocolate-hazelnut Cake 

w/Ganache Filling & Chocolate Glaze

1 cup milk
¾ cup cocoa
1/3 cup white sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
¼ cup sour cream or crème fraiche
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Heat the milk in a small pan until bubbles begin to appear around the edges. Remove from the heat. Mix the cocoa and white sugar together in a small bowl and slowly beat in the warm milk. Let cool.
3. Cream the butter with the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Add the cocoa mixture. Mix the remaining dry ingredients together and gently blend into the butter mixture along with the chopped hazelnuts. Do not overbeat.
4. Turn the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake shrinks slightly from the sides of the pans and springs back when touched gently in the center. Cool on a rack for a few minutes, then turn out of the pans onto the rack. Let cool completely before filling and glazing.
5. Lay one cake layer on a serving plate. Top with the ganache filling and then the second layer. Pour the warm chocolate glaze over the cake, spreading with a metal spatula. Dust with chopped hazelnuts if desired
GANACHE FILLING
½ cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
7 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
Bring the cream and butter to the boil in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, add the chocolate and allow the mixture to stand for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache stand until cool but still pourable. Beat the ganache on medium speed until light and smooth, 1-2 minutes
CHOCOLATE GLAZE
Melt 6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate with 2 teaspoons of tasteless vegetable oil and pour over cake.