Moist Chocolate Almond Cake (with Monster Decoration)
This Moist Chocolate Almond Cake (with Monster Decoration) is the ultimate cake. It is chocolaty, soft, and moist, and the shredded almonds blend perfectly with the rich chocolate flavor. The center layer is a smooth chocolate ganache that adds even more goodness to this cake!
Every Birthday I let my boys decide what kind of Birthday Cake they want. And let me tell you, they come up with the fanciest cake ideas. So far, I’ve made two airplane cakes, a tractor cake, an aircraft carrier cake, and a Swiss Cartoon Character named Globi cake – all in 3-D.
Now for this Birthday, my little boy wanted a Chocolate Cake with orange frosting and a monster on it!! Orange is his favorite color and he loves one specific shirt that has a friendly-looking monster on it. This said monster I needed to bring on this cake.
It’s fun to create these Birthday cakes and see how happy they make my kids!
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How to make a chocolate ganache
If you have never heard of ganache, it is a rich, creamy chocolate filling made from chocolate and heavy cream. It’s used to fill truffles, small confections, or cakes. It’s very easy to make and turns every dessert into a chocolate masterpiece.
I usually use the same amount of chocolate as heavy cream for cake fillings. Having a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients precisely is very helpful.
I recommend using good-quality chocolate! I’m Swiss and obviously think Swiss Chocolate is the way to go since it’s the best! I usually use Lindt Dark Chocolate bars, cut them into small chunks, and place them in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Add the heavy cream to a medium-sized saucepan and bring it to a boil. Like milk, heavy cream rises when it comes to a boil, so keep a close eye on it. Once boiling, take it off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. With a whisk, beat it together until smooth and shiny. Place a plastic wrap directly onto the chocolate and smooth it out. Since the ganache will harden, it will be easy to remove the foil without anything sticking to it.
Place it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or leave it on the kitchen counter overnight. It will firm up quite a bit. It is ready when soft enough to be workable but not runny anymore.
E Guete (Bon appétit)!! Don’t forget to share some pictures with me and tell me how you liked this Moist Chocolate Almond Cake (with Monster Decoration). It would make my day if you tag @mirjamskitchenyodel on Instagram, share on Facebook or pin on Pinterest.
You might also like the following:
Chocolate Cinnamon Winter Cake
Moist Chocolate Almond Cake (with Monster Decoration)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 200 g Butter
- 200 g Sugar
- 5 Egg yolks
- 150 g Lindt Dark Chocolate melted
- 300 g Almonds roasted and shredded
- 1 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- 5 Egg whites
- ⅛ tsp Salt
Optional: Chocolate Ganache
- 200 g Heavy cream
- 200 g Lindt Dark Chocolate cut in small chunks
Instructions
Chocolate Ganache
- Cut or break the chocolate into small chunks and place it into a small mixing bowl.
- Add the heavy cream to a medium-size saucepan and bring it to a boil. Like milk, heavy cream rises when it comes to a boil, so keep a close eye on it. Once boiling, take it off the heat and pour it over the chocolate.
- With a whisk, beat it together until smooth and shiny. Next, place a plastic wrap directly onto the chocolate and smooth it out. Since the ganache will harden it’s going to be easy to remove the foil without anything sticking to it.
- Place it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or leave it on the kitchen counter overnight. It will firm up quite a bit. It is ready when soft enough to be workable but not too runny anymore.
Chocolate Batter
- Butter a 9-inch baking dish, dust it with flour, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
- Place the shredded almonds on a baking dish and place it in the oven for a few minutes until golden brown. This step is optional, but roasted almonds will give this cake an even more intense nutty flavor.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until soft and smooth; you can use a hand or stand mixer for that.
- Add the sugar and egg yolks (one at a time) and mix until the mixture is lighter in color.
- In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate on the lowest heat. Once melted, add it to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until well incorporated.
- Mix the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder to the shredded almonds and add it to the wet ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and the salt until stiff. Carefully fold them into the batter. Don't overmix!
- Fill the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 30-35 minutes. It is done when you stick a toothpick into the center of the cake, and it comes out clear without any batter sticking to it.
- Let it cool on a cooling rack.
- Cut the cake in half and fill it with the chocolate ganache.