The Classic: American vanilla cake with chocolate ganache. -

It's another month for the Cake Slices and January's options for baking was a tie between bannana cake with coffee and walnut buttercream and The Classic - an American birthday cake with fudge frosting. I voted for The Classic and planned to make this mid January. However, as I was having lots of family around for Boxing Day (26th December) I thought it would be a fantastic idea to make this cake for then - but I only decided this on Christmas day so had to compromise and instead of using fudge icing I made a chocolate ganache as I could not go to the shops and buy double cream.
The cake itself turned out to be a delicious vanilla cake and although I added 5 tablespoons of vanilla essence any taste of the vanilla was swamped by the chocolate ganache. I don't know whether this would be the same if I had made the fudge icing - I suppose i'll have to make it again to find out. My family, especially the kiddiewinkles loved the cake and described it as "death by chocolate" which can only be a good thing.
Here is how my Classic cake with chocolate ganache turned out:

The Classic

Inside the Classic.

Inside my cake

Fancy a slice of the classic?

Slice of my cake

I first started by creaming the butter and sugar together - I have noticed this book, Vintage Cakes tends to start with sifting the flours together, but I am so used to creaming the butter and sugar together I always start with that. I used a combination of caster sugar and soft brown sugar - but I suggest you stick to ordinary caster sugar as the brown sugar burnt slightly after the cakes were baked.

two sugars

sugar beaten

I then added 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to the sugar mixture.

sugar beaten with oil

I blended the egg yolks, and whole eggs to the mixture alternating with the flour. Once these ingredients were combined I added a cup full of buttermilk, mixed well and placed in the baking tins.

Mixture for cakes

Vanilla pre bake

After around 30 minutes the mixture was baked. I left the cakes to cool n a wire rack whilst I got in with the icing.

Baked cakes

I weighed 300g milk chocolate and 200g dark chocolate and 500g butter and melted over a low heat. Once melted I left to cool down for an hour and then placed in the fridge for the ganache to set.

Butter and chocolate for ganache

Melted ganache

Ganache set

I then cut each cake into equal halves so I had four layers of cake then placed the chocolate ganache over each layer and then spread the chocolate ganche over the cake to create a crumb layer.

Layering up

Layering up

Crumb coating

I placed the cake in the fridge for the ganache to firm up for around 30 minutes and then applied another coating of the ganche around the cake.

This is my type of cake, rich, tasty and very chocolatey. A must try for all those that love a combination of flavours in their cake.
Serves 8-12 servings - you will need two 8 by 2 inch round cakes, greased and bottoms lined with parchment paper circles.

Ingredients for The Classic.
2 cups (9 ounces) SR flour
a tea spoon of baking powder.
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (14 ounces) caster sugar
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
5 tablespoons of vanilla essence
4 egg yolks, at room temperature
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup of buttermilk

For the chocolate ganache
500g milk or dark chocolate or a combination of both.
500g butter or margarine

Method
Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350F. Place a medium bowl in the refrigerator to chill.
Sift together the flour and baking powder in a bowl, then whisk the mixture by hand to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.
In a bowl of a free standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. As you make the batter, stop the mixer frequently and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With your mixture on low speed, drizzle the oil and the vanilla into the mixture until well combined. Blend in the egg yolks and whole eggs one at a time, adding the next one as soon as the previous one has dissappeared into the batter. With the mixture on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour.
After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape the bowl. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incooperated and complete by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you do not overbeat the batter. Divide the batter evenly between two pans.
Bake in the middle of the oven until cakes crack a bit on top and centerrs spring back when lightly touched, 35 - 40 minutes. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Flip the cakes out of the pans, leaving on the parchment paper until you assemble the cake. Let them continue to cool on the rack, top side up, until they reach room temperature.
Meanwhile make the frosting, combine the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl above a pan with of water until melted . Once melted place in a heatproof jug to cool - this should take an hour. Then place the chocolate ganche in the fridge until it has set.
Using a metal spatula, frost the top with a heaping of the frosting, spreading it out to the edge of the ccake. Stack the second bottom cake layer cut side up on top of the frosted cake and spreead another 1/2 cup of frosting on top of the cake.
Next, align one of the top two layers, cut side up, on top of the frosted cake and repeat with another heaping 1/2 cup of frosting. Stack the last later, cut side down this time, on top/ Apply a thin layrer of frpsting all over the cake to create a crumb coat. Place the cake in the refridgerator until thr frosting is firm. Take it out and frost the cake with the remaining frosting, using your spatula to make decortive swirls.