Mini Chocolate Loaf Cakes With Ganache Recipes

MINI CHOCOLATE LOAF CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the insides of an 8-cup mini loaf baking pan.
• Put the butter, cocoa, coffee and milk in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave until the butter melts, about 3 minutes. Whisk to combine and set aside.
• Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the sour cream, vanilla and eggs until blended in a small bowl. Whisk the hot cocoa mixture into the flour mixture and then stir in the sour cream mixture until just combined. Divide the batter equally among the loaf cups.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool the loaves in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack. Dust the tops of the loaves with confectioners? sugar.

MINI CHOCOLATE LOAF CAKES WITH GANACHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325F. Rub two 3x5 inch mini loaf pans with shortening or butter and dust with cocoa powder.
• Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small yet deep mixing bowl and stir very well. Add the soft butter and squish it around with the back of a spoon, coating the flour mixture. Stir in the buttermilk. With a hand-held mixer, beat the mixture for about two minutes, scraping sides of bowl, until smooth.
• Mix the lightly beaten egg, vanilla and cooled coffee together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add to the batter in three parts, stirring gently with a spoon until mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips. Bake on center rack at 325 F for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan set on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn from pan.
• To make the ganache, heat the cream for about 30 seconds (or just until hot) in a microwave-safe measuring cup. Add the chocolate. Let sit for a minute, then stir until melted and smooth. This ratio thickens pretty quickly and is harder to drizzle So to drizzle, transfer to a zipper bag (heavy duty is best, but regular is okay if you're careful not to break it) snip a tiny bit off the bottom corner of the bag, then squeeze lines of ganache over the loaves. Chill to set the ganache.

MINI CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH DARK-CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Cakes: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush mini muffin tins with butter, then dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess. Melt chocolate, stirring until smooth, in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water; remove from heat and let cool. Stir together cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl until a smooth, loose paste forms; set aside.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat together butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated. Beat in vanilla, cocoa mixture, and melted chocolate. Beat in half of flour mixture, then sour cream. Beat in remaining flour mixture just until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into each mini muffin cup. Bake until puffed and a toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out with moist crumbs attached, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cakes cool in tins 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to let cool completely.
• Ganache: Bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over high heat. Place chocolate in a small bowl. Pour cream over chocolate, let stand 1 minute, then stir until chocolate is melted and smooth.
• Assembly: Pour 1 teaspoon ganache over each cake. Let stand until ganache is set, about 30 minutes. Shave block chocolate with a peeler and place curls on top of cakes.

MINI CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the cake: Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 6-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides with oil then line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk together the egg, sugar, oil, sour cream, coffee and vanilla in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined.
• Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake starts to pull away from the sides, 29 to 32 minutes. If you under bake the cake, it will slightly sink, so check it!
• Remove the cake from the pan by carefully running a paring knife along the edge to loosen, then tilting it into one hand and peeling off the parchment from the bottom; place it on a small cake stand.
• For the ganache: Combine the chocolate, cream and corn syrup if using, in a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl fitted over a small saucepan of simmering water. Stir over medium heat until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. (Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and cream in the microwave on low in 25-second intervals, stirring between each.)
• Pour the ganache over the cake, and garnish with the pomegranate arils.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE MINI-CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place miniature paper baking cup in each of 60 mini muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box. Fill muffin cups three-fourths full (about 1 heaping tablespoon batter each).
• Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Place chocolate in medium bowl. In 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream just to boiling; pour over chocolate. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes until chocolate is melted and smooth when stirred. Stir in liqueur. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture coats a spoon.
• Meanwhile, by slowly spinning end of round handle of wooden spoon back and forth, make deep, 1/2-inch-wide indentation in center of top of each cupcake, not quite to bottom (wiggle end of spoon in cupcake to make opening large enough).
• Spoon jam into small resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut 3/8-inch tip off 1 corner of bag. Insert tip of bag into opening in each cupcake; squeeze bag to fill opening.
• Spoon about 1 teaspoon ganache onto each mini-cake. Garnish each with raspberry. Store loosely covered.