Gin's Vintage Dude cake

This chocolate chiffon cake's inspiration is from "vintage dude" party ware.  I want to evoke the feel of a gentleman celebrating his 30th birthday, sipping martini in his fine leather couch.  (LOL) I achieve the fine leather look by icing the cake with chocolate ganache.  The letterings are coffee buttercream and the cake graphics are also coffee buttercream that I dyed grey.

This chiffon chocolate cake is similar to red velvet cake but minus the red food colouring.  It is filled with cream cheese icing and covered with chocolate ganache.  I posted a shortcut version of this cake recipe at the bottom of this page.  Enjoy!

Vintage Dude party ware inspiration.

Easy Light Chocolate Cake

1 package of Duncan Hines classic yellow cake mix

2 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon brewed coffee (optional) 

1. Preheat oven at 350 F.  Grease and lightly flour the bottom and sides of 2 8" round lightly coloured cake pan.  
2. In a large mixer bowl whisk together cake mix and cocoa powder
3. Blend cake mix, oil, eggs, water, brewed coffee together at low speed until moistened (about 30 seconds).  Beat the mix for 2 minutes.  Pour mix into pans and bake immediately.  Bake for 26 to 31 minutes until toothpicks comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  
4. After 10 minutes score the sides of the cakepan and turn over on a cooling rack. 
5. Cool cake before filling and frosting the cake.

Cream cheese filling:

2 oz cream cheese at room temperature

3/4  cups sifted icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Beat the cream cheese with a mixer until cream cheese is nice and smooth.  Add the icing sugar and vanilla.  Blend in the mixer until nice and smooth.  Once the cake is cooled down fill the cake with cream cheese filling.

Chocolate Ganache ( adapted from Martha Stewart.com)

8 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate squares

1 cup heavy cream

1/8 tsp coarse salt

1. Coarsely chop chocolate squares with serrated knife.
2. Bring cream just to boil at medium heat.
3. Pour over the chocolate and add salt.  
4. Let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Stir with whisk until smooth.
6. Scrape off the side and bottom of the bowl to prevent from mixture to get grainy.
7. Continue to stir the mixture until it is completely cool.  This will take about an hour.  Once it thickens.  Spread on to the filled cake.  Enjoy! Please refrigerate the leftovers.