6in chocolate cake w/ whipped chocolate ganache

Ingredients:

cake:

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp of baking soda

1/4 tsp of salt

1/3 cup of white sugar

2 tbsps of brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1/4 cup of buttermilk, room temperature

1/4 cup of vegetable or canola oil

2 tsp of vanilla

1/4 cup of chopped chocolate, optional

1/4 cup of boiling water

whipped chocolate ganache:

1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

1/2 cup of heavy cream

supplies:

6 inch cake pan

non-stick spray

parchment paper

mixing bowls and spoons

stand or hand mixer

directions:

to make the cake: preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray baking dish with non-stick baking spray. line with parchment and set aside. in a bowl, sift all the dry ingredients together for the cake. 

in a separate bowl, mix all the wet ingredients for the cake, except the boiling water. add the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix well. 

once combined, add the chopped chocolate (if using) and hot water, and mix until smooth. pour into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. cool in the pan completely before removing and adding the whipped ganache. 

whipped chocolate ganache: heat the heavy cream until hot (but not boiling), and pour into a bowl over chocolate chips or chunks. mix until smooth, then cool to thicken for about an hour (refrigerator speeds this up). once cool, transfer to a stand mixer or use a hand mixer to whip. top the cooled chocolate cake, as desired.

suggested cake storing: air tight container in a refrigerator