Dark Chocolate Baby Bundt Cakes with Chocolate Ganache & Caramel Buttercream

Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 & 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa or Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa  (I use half of each cocoa)2 eggs
• 1 cup milk (I use buttermilk)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour mini bunt cake pan (or two 9-inch round pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan)
• Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
• Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
• Pour batter into prepared pans. 
• Bake 14 to 17 minutes for tiny bunt round pans (or 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan/large round or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean). Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. (Cake may be left in rectangular pan, if desired.)

Ganache

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) heavywhippingcream
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoons cognac or brandy(optional)

Directions:

• Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized heatproof bowl. Set aside. 
• Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. (Can also heat the cream and butter in the microwave.) Bring just to a boil. 
• Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand, without stirring, for a few minutes. Stir gently (as you do not want to incorporate air into the ganache) with a spoon orwhiskuntil smooth. If desired, add the liqueur.
• Makes enough ganache to cover one - 9 inch (23 cm) cake or torte.

Caramel Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:   1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened 6 cups icing sugar (confectioners') 120 ml whipping cream 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract 1 tablespoon water pinch of salt 1-2 tablespoons caramel   Directions:    Beat the butter and icing sugar in an electric mixer on low with the paddle attachment for about 2 minutes.  Add the vanilla, water, whipping cream, and salt, and whip on high speed until fluffy and smooth--about 4 minutes.  If consistency is too thick, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time, then whip again for 30 seconds or so.

Inspired By:http://www.joyofbaking.com/ganache.html#ixzz1uEJsUIrZ