Chocolate cake

This is one of those cakes where there is chocolate everywhere in every preparation that composes it, it is a unique pleasure.

It is therefore a very very rich cake made of a dense and moist cocoa sponge, a chocolate diplomat cream and finally decorated with a chocolate ganache glaze.

Procedure

For the sponge.

Preheat the oven to 200°C static, prepare a baking tray with baking paper, a 16cm diameter ring lined along the edges with strips of baking paper.

In a bowl, weigh the milk, oil, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, salt, and vinegar. Mix with a whisk for a couple of minutes.

Add the sifted powders, then flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate, mix well with a whisk.

Finally, add the water and mix until you obtain a smooth mixture. 

Pour into the mold and bake at 200°C static for 10 minutes and then at 180°C for approximately 40 minutes.

Check the cooking with a toothpick, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, if it comes out dry it means the batter is ready.

Let it cool at room temperature for half an hour, remove the ring, and let it chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. The cake can only be cut once it's completely cooled from the refrigerator.

For the cream.

In a small saucepan, weigh the granulated and brown sugar, corn starch, rice starch, and lecithin and mix with a whisk.

Then gradually pour the milk into the powders, stirring constantly with a whisk, and blend with an immersion blender to dissolve any lecithin that may have formed lumps.

Cook the custard over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk as it cooks, bringing the mixture to about 85°C (185°F). You'll immediately notice a change in consistency and the custard will begin to thicken. 

Weigh the chocolate in a jug, remove the cream from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. 

Blend with an immersion blender, then add the margarine and continue blending until smooth and glossy. Transfer the custard to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate for at least two hours. 

Once the custard has cooled, whip the vegetable cream in another bowl using an electric whisk or a stand mixer. 

Lightly stir the pastry cream with a spatula to loosen it, then gradually add the whipped non-dairy cream, stirring constantly with a spatula and using bottom-up movements to avoid deflating the cream. At this point, the diplomatica cream is ready; transfer it to a piping bag with a closed star nozzle and refrigerate.

Once the cake is cold, cut it into 3 equal layers using a serrated knife.

Take a plate or tray on which to serve the cake.

Make a small dollop of cream, place the first cake disc on top and brush it with a little vegetable milk.

Make a layer of chocolate diplomat cream, about 150g.

Place the second cake disc and moisten with a little vegetable milk.

Make a layer of chocolate diplomat cream, about 150g.

Place the third cake disc and moisten with a little vegetable milk.

Cover the entire cake with a little cream, making a thin layer. It doesn't have to be perfect, this will only be the first layer, so keep some cream aside.

Let the cake rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

Cover the surface with the cream again, this time covering everything well and making it nice and smooth. 

Keep some of the cream aside for the final decoration.

Place the cake in the refrigerator for 1 h and prepare the icing.

To make the glaze, bring the cream and glucose to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the mixture over the chocolate, previously weighed in a jug, and blend with an immersion blender. 

When it reaches about 60°C, add the margarine cut into cubes and blend to create a perfect emulsion, without creating bubbles. 

Now the icing is ready to be used, when it has a temperature of around 32°C pour it over the cake and with a spatula create the dripping effect, the drops that fall onto the sides of the cake, simply by “pushing” the icing onto the edges.

Decorate with cream spikes and cocoa nibs.

Store in the refrigerator.