The Best Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

This truly is the best chocolate cake EVER. It's topped with a silky smooth chocolate ganache frosting, and it takes just 10 minutes of hands on prep.

YIELD: 12 SERVINGS

 PREP TIME 10 MINUTES

 COOK TIME 25 MINUTES

 COOLING TIME 40 MINUTES

 TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

CHOCOLATE CAKE

•  1 large egg
•  1 cup granulated sugar
•  6 ounces plain, vanilla, or chocolate yogurt (thicker Greek-style preferred, do not use diet, fat-free or light yogurt; sour cream may be substituted)
•  1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
•  1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•  1/2 cup brewed coffee, room temperature or warm*
•  1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
•  1 cup all-purpose flour
•  1 teaspoon baking soda
•  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•  1/2 teaspoon salt, optional

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

•  9 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (about 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips)
•  3/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract**

INSTRUCTIONS

CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9-by-9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine egg, sugar, yogurt, oil, vanilla, and whisk until smooth and combined. Add coffee, cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s), and whisk vigorously until batter is smooth and free from lumps.
3. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and whisk vigorously until batter has just combined, about 1 minute.
4. Pour batter, which is a loose and fairly runny batter, into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until top has set and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan completely, at least 30 minutes, before adding ganache or frosting the cake, or before slicing and serving. Unfrosted cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or store frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1. Place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power for 1 minute to soften chocolate; set aside.
2. In a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, heat the cream (I used half-and-half) on high power just until it begins to bubble and show signs of boiling, about 60 to 75 seconds.
3. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let it stand about 1 minute. Whisk vigorously until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth and velvety.
4. Add vanilla or optional flavorings and stir to combine. Set bowl aside for about 10 minutes, allowing ganache to cool and thicken a bit.
5. Whisk mixture briefly before pouring all of it over the cake. Lightly smooth and spread the ganache with a spatula or offset knife.
6. Allow ganache to set up for at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving the cake; or speed this process up by placing pan in the refrigerator or freezer briefly.

5. NOTES

   
   

   *Note about coffee: The coffee does not make the cake taste like a coffee-flavored cake. Rather, it brings out and enhances the flavor of the cocoa powder and adds depth of flavor; I highly recommend coffee but use water if you must. The coffee can be any temperature other than piping hot; you don’t want to scramble the egg.

   **Or optionally use 1 to 2 tablespoons rum, bourbon, coffee-, orange-, raspberry-, chocolate-flavored liqueur.