German chocolate crave

Preparation time: 30 min
Baking time: 30 - 35 min
Difficulty level: moderate
Source: www.bettycrocker.com with some modification
Pan size: 13" x 9" pan or 24 regular muffins or 8" round pan

Serves: up to 15-17 people

Ingredients:

Cake

Bitter sweet German chocolate: 4 oz 

Water: 1/2 cup

All purpose flour: 2 14/ cupBaking powder: 2 tspSalt: 1/4 tspGranulated sugar: 2 cupsButter at room temperature: 1 cup4 large eggs, separatedVanilla essence: 1 tspButtermilk: 1 cup

Chocolate Ganache
Bitter sweet or semi-sweet chocolate: 4 oz
Whipped cream: 1.5 to 2 cups

Procedure:
Cake

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Grease the baking pans, line them with parchment paper and dust with a little flour.
2. Sieve flour, baking powder, salt in a small bowl and keep aside.
3. Coarsely chop chocolate and stir it into half a cup of hot water, until chocolate melts into a well blended mixture. Allow it to cool.
4. In a medium blow, beat the 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
5. Separate the eggs; save the whites in a bowl while you beat in the yolk, one at a time into the butter - sugar mixture. Allow yolk to completely blend in before adding the next yolk.
6. On low speed, beat in the melted chocolate and 1 tsp vanilla.
7. On low speed, beat in half of the flour mixture until just smooth, then beat in half cup of buttermilk. Repeat beating in flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk just until smooth. Do not over beat.
8. Using a clean mixer beater, beat the egg whites until light and fluffy. Mix this into the batter by hand, by cut and fold technique. Do not beat.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
10. Let cake cool completely before topping and filling with ganache.

Chocolate ganache

1. Heat cream in a saucepan until just starts to boil.

   Turn off heat and drop chocolate cubes into it.

   Stir to melt chocolate completely.

   Let cool for about half hour before topping it on cake.