Engagement Cake–Chocolate Yogurt Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

I was asked to make an engagement cake and the idea of having the ring incorporated.  I haven’t done many shaped cakes before but I thought how hard would a box be to do?

I made a 10 inch round and a 6 inch square, covered in fondant and applied fruit blossoms in gumpaste randomly around the cake.  I tried to match the Tiffany teal colour and inserted a jewel into the top of the box.

The cake itself is a 4 layer chocolate yogurt cake with dark chocolate ganache between the layers.  So everything is edible but for the jewel on top.

Recipe:

For Two 6x 2-inch cakes (50-60mins)

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1/3 cups cocoa
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 large egg
• 1 cup yogurt
• 6 ounces ( 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Prepare pans with cooking spray and parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, powder, and salt and set aside.
3. Cream butter with sugars until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time.  Scrape down sides.
4. Add dry ingredients and sour cream to butter mixture alternating in 3 batches.  Mix for a minute on medium setting.  Batter will be pale cocoa colour.
5. Scoop into pan(s) and bake for 50-60 minutes.  Take out when tester comes out clean. 
6. Cool completely.

For the Ganache:

• 12 oz good dark chocolate
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Break up the chocolate into small pieces and place in bowl.
2. Heat the cream in a pot to almost a boil.  When bubbles just start to form remove from heat immediately.
3. Pour cream over chocolate pieces and stir.
4. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and shiny.
5. Allow to cool until it has thickened enough to pipe.  To room temperature.

Baking the cake and filling with ganache is the easy part.  I then chilled them to set the ganache.  I covered each layer in buttercream and then in fondant.  Recipe and directions can be found here.  It was so warm here the last few days that the fondant wasn’t cooperating as it needed a lot more icing sugar due to the humidity.  I had to make sure everything was sufficiently covered in corn starch to prevent it sticking.  There might have been some curse words used in the endeavours to cover the 10 inch. :)

All in all I think it turned out great! Of course, now I would do some things differently, like the top of the box.  oh well!

Thanks for looking!

Linked up with:
Sweet as Sugar Cookies
Melt in Your Mouth Mondays
Mingle Mondays @ Add a Pinch
My Girlish Whims