Dark Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Icing & Decorated with Fondant (Pradeep's Birthday Cake)

Even when you have had enough of each other, as a couple, there are certain things you wish to celebrate together - your wedding anniversary, birthdays and so on. Yesterday was Pradeep's birthday and after 4 years of our married life, this was the first time we were together to celebrate his birthday! Sounds weird  but, yes, duty first! Since this birthday was special, I baked a simple cake for him. To say the least, the result totally exceeded my expectations and the birthday boy enjoyed every bite of it!

First I thought to make a simple vanilla cake with chocolate icing. Then I felt that is way too simple and I wanted to try a fondant decoration, which apparently was my first try! Although I could drape it well, we both found it too sweet for our palate. Now coming to the cake, I suddenly remembered the dark chocolate bar I bought in my last shopping and chucked the vanilla idea. So dark chocolate cake it was; adorned with cream cheese icing and fondant decoration. Simple yet good enough for a first fondant trial!

Making the cake and the icing was pretty simple - barely takes about 30 minutes for the preparation and another 40-45 minutes for making. And this one again is a keeper; just as moist and fluffy it should be! Recipe is adapted from here.

Ingredients:

For the Cake

Dark chocolate - 100 gram

Salted butter - 125 gram

Water - 155 ml

Instant coffee powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cocoa powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Relish sugar - 6 tablespoon

Vanilla essence - 1/2 teaspoon

Egg - 1 medium

Flour - 125 gram

Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon

For the Icing

Cream cheese - 8 tablespoon, softened

Salter butter - 50 gram, softened

Vanilla extract - 1/4 teaspoon

Relish sugar - 12 tablespoon

For the Fondant

Plain fondant - 1 cup

Chocolate colour - 1 teaspoon

Red colour - 1/2 teaspoon

Preparation:

For the Cake

1. In a sauce pan, melt together first 6 ingredients in low heat and stirring to ensure lumps are gone. Switch off when chocolate and butter are melted. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda.

3. Once cool enough, add the egg to the chocolate mixture and beat using electric mixer in medium speed. 

4. Add the vanilla essence, followed by flour mix portion by portion, making sure to beat after every addition to combine well.

5. Preheat oven at 160 degree Celsius. Line a square baking pan with butter paper.

6. Transfer the batter into the baking pan and bake in over for 40-45 minutes. Once done let it cool.

For the Icing

7. In a mixing bowl, cream together cheese and butter until pale. To this add the vanilla essence and sugar. Beat together until well combined.

8. Refrigerate the icing mixture for a few hours until it takes a spreadable consistency. Spread thick layer of icing over the cake. Refrigerate again to set.

For the Fondant

9. Knead together fondant dough (saving a small ball) along with chocolate coloring nicely into a roll-able consistency and until the color spreads evenly. 

10. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough evenly into 1/4 inch sheet spreading about double the diameter of the cake. 

11. Once the icing is set remove the cake from refrigerator. Rather than lifting the fondant sheet using hand, drape it on the rolling pin and carefully transfer to the top of the cake.

12. Drape the fondant to fit the cake. Using a smoothing sheet, rub the top, edges and define the corners. Cut of excess dough from the edges.

13. Add red coloring to the small ball size fondant dough you saved and knead that too into a shape-able consistency. Shape it into a bow or whatever shape you would want to and fix it on top of the fondant you just applied.

14. Refrigerate the cake for a few hours for the fondant to set or until ready to cut! 

Enjoy! :-)