I have a tendency of turning desserts into other desserts. Let’s turn a cookie into a cake, I think! Why can’t a biscotti be a pie?! Can rice pudding be an ice cream flavor?! This is obvious in my many attempts to create cannoli cakes, and s’mores ice cream. Or really, my favorite: cannoli s’mores.
It’s actually super fun to create desserts into other desserts! You want something familiar, but with a new (and exciting!) twist. It’s unexpected, and brings life to a whole new dessert. I obviously take my desserts seriously, people – work with me.
This time, the two dessert combo was churros (with chocolate), and cake. I wanted to get that iconic crunchy cinnamon sugar outer edge, with a light, fluffy cake, sandwiched with creamy, decadent chocolate ganache. And, that, my friends, is exactly what we got.
This cake is exactly what a churro is. Light, but decadent. Not too sweet, but just sweet enough. Served with a dark, dripping chocolate. And just like churros, you can’t stop at just one.
Churros with Chocolate Cake (adapted from here)
I have doubled the recipe below – that was the only way it would have enough height to make a layer cake. However, I first made the recipe how it was originally stated, and added that layer as part of my three layer cake – just in case if you want to do the same.
Also, let’s think about taking this cake to another level. Already, you will be spreading butter and sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar on every layer. But if you have the patience (and can stand the mess), why not do the same thing with the sides of the cake?! Why not, I ask. You ponder that.
For cake:
2 cups + 2 tbsp. (300 grams) all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
10 tbsp. (120 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1.5 cups (300 grams) sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cups whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
For topping:
4 tbsp. butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
For chocolate ganache:
8 oz. dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup cream
scant 1 tsp. espresso powder
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 inch springform pan (or cake tins) with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. Mix together milk with vanilla. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar, until light and fluffy – about 4 minutes. Add egg and beat until smooth.
Alternating with the milk mixture, beat in the flour in thirds, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until well combined.
Spread mixture into prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 30 minutes. Carefully unmold and cool completely over a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganche: Over a double boiler, whisk together cream, chocolate and espresso powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.
Cut the cake in half horizontally using a large serrated knife. Place the bottom half of the cake onto a serving plate. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon and sugar. Spread the chocolate ganache evenly on top. (If making three layers, as noted above, evenly distribute both the butter/cinnamon sugar mixture, as well as the chocolate ganache). Top with second layer, and repeat with butter and cinnamon and sugar.
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