Anna Sultana’s Double Chocolate Cake, Maltese Style

Wow!! Ma’s Truffles sure got popular quickly.

Yes, they are handy for using up odds and ends left over from baking holiday treats.

And truffles are a nice addition for the holiday cookie platter.

But sometimes you want a fancy looking cake to finish off an important meal.

Such as when you’ve invited the whole gang over for a holiday feast.

Ma’s Double Chocolate Cake is delicious and impressive.

And it’s not really that hard to make.

Ma's Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Butter Topping is very similar to her Double Chocolate Cake.

It is a bit quicker and easier to make.

It’s also a bit lighter in the calories department.

Hints:

If you don’t have the raspberries - or any berries - on hand, no problem.

You can melt all of the chocolate at one time, and pour the resulting chocolate sauce over the cake.

Serve a slice of cake with some whipped cream and who’d be the wiser.

You can substitute chopped semi-sweet or dark chocolate or milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips when making the ganache.

For a mocha touch, add 2 or 3 Tablespoons strong coffee.

White chocolate also works well, too.

Mint chocolate can give the cake's flavour a nice holiday touch, especially if you add a sprinkling of crushed candy canes.

Yes, that’s another way to use up some of the holiday left over items.

Speaking of holiday left overs…

You can substitute whipping cream for the half and half.

Plain yogourt can replace the sour cream.

If you have a container of whipped topping in your freezer you can use that instead of the whipped cream.

Did you wash the bowl after you melted the chocolate for the ganache?

Don’t dirty it again.

Just shave or grate the remaining chocolate over the top of the berries or cake.

If you haven't invited  a crowd and are not likely to finish the cake at one seating, don’t top it with the cream, berries and chocolate drizzle.

You’d have to refrigerate the left over cake because of the cream, and, the next day the cream and berries would look a bit sad.

                        Double Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

          

Grease a 9 inch springform pan

Preheat oven to 350º           

Bake 50 minutes  

Prepare

1 Cup double strength coffee

Let cool to room temperature.

Melt

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate

Set aside (don’t let it get too cool - you need it as a liquid to blend in).

Sift together into a large mixer bowl

1 3/4 Cups sugar

1 3/4 Cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add

3/4 Cup sour cream

1/4 Cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

the cooled coffee

the melted unsweetened chocolate

Beat until well blended.

Pour into the prepared springform pan.

Bake 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

The cake will be a bit sunken in the middle.  That’s okay.

Cool 10 minutes.

Gently run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. 

Remove the rim. 

Carefully place the cake on a serving platter.

Poke holes, about an inch apart, into the cake with the end of a wooden spoon.

Allow the cake to cool before covering with ganache. 

Chocolate Ganache

Break into pieces

2 chocolate candy bars (100 g each)

Set aside 6 pieces.

Place a small bowl over a pot of simmering water.

Place in the bowl

all but the 6 reserved chocolate pieces

1/4 Cup half and half

Melt together over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the ganache over the cake and spread with a spatula.

Let the ganache soak into the cake. 

Don’t wash the bowl - you’ll need it for melting the remaining pieces.

Refrigerate the cake at least 1 hour.

Just before serving 

Place the 6 chocolate pieces in the small bowl used for the ganache.

Place it over a pot of simmering water.

Melt over low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture is smooth.

Top cake with 

2 Cups whipped cream

1 Cup fresh raspberries

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the berries, cream and cake.