Happy Ground Hog Day

It's Ground Hog Day so I made some cakes for the kids at the community center.
                                   
 This recipe makes a rich decadent chocolate cake.  Start by melting 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup of water, 1/3 cup of dutch cocoa and 1 tsp. of salt.  Remove from the heat and set it aside.

 Mix 2 cups of flour with 1-3/4 cup of sugar and 1-1/2 tsp of baking soda.  Add the butter mixture and mix well.  Add 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.

 Pour the batter into a prepared bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.  Test it with a toothpick.

 Look at the difference in these cakes.  I rarely use Pam for anything anymore but since I hadn't made a bundt cake in a long time, I was worried about it sticking so I sprayed it with Pam and sprinkled it with flour.  I was not happy at all with the finished cake.  It's just a coating of flour but it really is unattractive.  So, for the other two cakes, I brushed the pan with butter and then coated it with flour and look at the difference.  No more Pam for me, ever.

 While the cakes cooled, I made the ganache.  This is a good chocolate you can get at Trader Joe's.

 Break it up into small pieces.  You need 4 ounces for 1 cake.

 Pour 1/2 cup of heavy cream into a pan, add 1-1/2 tablespoons of sugar.  Heat until the sugar melts.

 Stir in 1-1/2 tablespoons of corn syrup and the chocolate and stir until blended and you have a nice shiny ganache.  Frost the cake.

 Since I wanted these to look like dirt, I ground some thin mint cookies in my food processor and then sprinkled the finished cakes with them.

Hi Phil!  Looks a bit like Whack a Mole, doesn't it?

Comments

sandra said…
THE ONE WITH THE GROUNDHOG POPPING HIS HEAD OUT JUST KILLS ME!!! THESE CAKES ARE ADORABLE AND LOOK JUST LIKE HOG HOLES,LOL.
GREAT JOB!!
Anonymous said…
that is adorable! You are so clever, the kids will love them!
Damn you, PAM! *shakes fist*
Leanne said…
They are very cute. Bet the kids love them!
Hay tell us more about the chocolate rake - never seen anything like that before
You are right! The pam did make it ugly..but boy did the cake turn out cute for the kids! Wow! So inventive you are! Wonder why the pam did that. Must have been the flour mixed with it causes some sort of..something. Hmmm..
Mary Ann said…
Oh my gosh, it DOES look like Whack a Mole! But.. the difference in the two cakes was dramatic, and I have noticed that with Pam and flour before, too. I use real butter mainly now, for everything.
Anonymous said…
I must say they do look like they are made from dirt :-) :-) :-) soo cool!

These must be deadly delicious!

So did the groundhog see his own shadow?

Have a great day!
Christer.
Anonymous said…
Wow this looks gorgeous and on the first day of my new year healthy eating kick ;(
Lauren
x
Guillaume said…
I totally forgot it was Groundhog Day. For me it is Candlemas, time for pancakes and all. Now reading your post and watching the pictures, I am hungry for cake.
Robin Larkspur said…
I know you don't like chocolate, Joyce, but how could you resist those cakes. I am a choco-holic! I would fight that ground hog for a slice of that cake!
Nellie said…
Not only is your presentation adorable, the cake will be absolutely wonderful!
TARYTERRE said…
How cute is that? LOVE them. Not happy about six more weeks of winter, though.
Barb said…
You will be making a group of children very happy.
Kay said…
Oh gracious! You are so darn creative. That is the cutest Groundhog Day cake I've ever seen. Thank you for the hint about the butter and flour. My last bundt really stuck to the pan though. I can't remember what I used. I'll use butter next time.