I have made this cake several times now, and it is always amazing. My youngest daughter, however, has asked that I make her a white (or yellow) cake with chocolate frosting for her upcoming kindergarten graduation. I have tried twice now with recipes from various sources with disappointing results.

Dawn, do you have a white/yellow cake recipe that you would be willing to share? In terms of texture, moisture, and flavor, this is my all-time favorite cake recipe. I'm hoping you have a paler counterpart.

Thanks!

--Alvin

I do have one I will see what I can dig up and I will get back to you. For now I may just email you the recipe, but eventually I will put it up as a Rouxbe Recipe. Cheers!

Hi...

I have two questions :

1) Is it possible to bake the cake so that it doesn't have a dome ? I think it's much easier than just cutting the dome off which is the hardest step for me since I found it too hard to cut in a perfectly horizontal way. I saw once that wrapping the cake pan with moist towel can help.

2) Can I just bake one big cake instead of two small ones ? by making only one cut in the large cake I think you can have a cake that is more even.

To prevent dome/humped cake tops, you need to check the internal temperature of your oven. It is likely too hot. An oven that is too hot will cause the cake to set unevenly and have a humped center. Also, if the cake sets before it has fully risen, it will have poor volume/texture.

When baking more than one cake, make sure that the pans aren't touching each other so there is good air circulation.

If you do have a dome, you can also flip the cake upside down (if you're icing it) so that the hump is on the bottom.

And, yes, you can bake one cake instead of two small ones. You can even make cupcakes out of this batter. You'll just need to adjust the baking time. Cheers!

This cake was very easy to make and turned out perfectly. It was a big hit at my dinner party last night!

I made the chocolate ganache cake and it was delicious. When I was making the cake the only problem I had with my cake was the bitter after taste how can I correct that and what did I do wrong. I will be trying it again. My daughter loved it.

It could be the type of chocolate, cocoa powder or coffee that you are using. The next few times you make the cake, tweak these ingredients to see if you notice a difference in flavor.

Also, make sure you've measured your baking powder and baking soda accurately. Cheers!

My wife made the chocolate ganache cake for Thanksgiving and it received rave reviews. She even made it the day before and it was as moist as could be for the next two days and then it was all gone. She wants to make this cake and plus a "white" version for our annual neighborhood Christmas Eve celebration. Would it work to make the ganache with good quality white chocolate? How do you think a white chocolate flavor would be with lemon cake? Can you send me your white cake recipe?

This is superrrrrrr

This is definitely A chocohaulic's cake. So very moist. I made about 20 cupcakes and a one layer cake 'cause I only had one round pan. Both turned out great and plus it's a no brainer! THANKS

Just a stupid question, why do we make the ganache first? Wouldn't it save time to make the ganache while the cake is baking? just a thought :D

Not a stupid question Monique...it really just comes down to having to put one step before the other. Doing the ganache first ensures that it is cool enough for when the cake is done (and cooled). If you want to do it while the cake bakes then you certainly can. For some people it is harder to do something while something else is baking as they may not be as fast etc.

For almost any recipe many steps can be done at different times. I always try to do stuff while other stuff is boiling, baking, sauteing etc. but we cannot always write the recipes that way. Once you become comfortable with a recipe you can really go in any order that works for you. Cheers!

Oh thanks, I hesitate to change stuff right now because I'm still learning lots oc techinique and I thought there was some logical reason that I ignored. Since it was my first time, I preferred to follow the recipe to a "T"

Thanks again, PS Dawn, feel like I know you! That is your voice we hear on the videos, right?

Indeed, that is my voice that you hear Monique (although in "real life" I am a bit more crazy and loud...shhhh don't tell anyone).

I am glad to hear that you feel like you know me because I always think the same thing of all of you. I feel like we all have some special "Rouxbe/culinary" bond. Cheers!

Any advice on how to make a white chocolate ganache to make a "white" version of your chocolate ganache cake, which was such a hit? Do you plan to post your favorite dense, white cake recipe in the near future?

White chocolate ganache can be tricky to make because there is no cocoa mass in the chocolate - only cocoa butter - so it is much softer. For more information, you might want to check out the lesson on The Basics of Quality Chocolate. Depending on the cocoa butter content, you'll need to add less cream and much less butter. This will be covered in a future pastry lesson. Sorry, but we currently don't have a recipe for a dense white cake on Rouxbe. Hang in there :)

Hey, tks for the recipe, it really worked out great! I was kinda proud of myself, which rarely happens when I cook deserts! :)))
I really want to enrich this recipe with some Southern Comfort but i don't know how it will work better - in the ganache or in the cake. How do you think some alcohol will affect this recipe?

Yes, you can add a bit to either. Just adjust one of the liquids. For the ganache, I wouldn't add more than a tablespoon or so - could be too overpowering. Cheers!

I don't have baking soda available in the whole city. Is there any substitute for baking soda??

Is it OK to user spring pan with this recipe?

Here is some information on baking soda. Potassium bicarbonate (sodium-free; substitute measure for measure) can be used.

If you don't have normal cake pans, a spring form pan would work. Just make sure it has a tight seal and grease them well. Cheers!

Thanks so much Kimberley :)

I read the article about backing soda and I realized it's the same as bicarbonate of soda is that right? I also knew that it's been used in recipes with acid ingredient so what is the acid here? is it coffee?

Both the coffee and the cocoa powder add acidity. Cheers!

I made this cake for our daughter in laws b-day. Everybody loved it. It baked up so nice and the gnache was just the right touch for chocolate lovers like us. Thanks!