In addition to his amazing truffles, my father is also known for his fondness for experimentation in the kitchen. This almost always leads to delicious results, so we were intrigued when he shared his plan for these mini ganache cakes, and the fruits of our labor did not disappoint!
To create these, you really just need a sheet cake and some soft ganache. Luckily, we have recipes for both. Whether or not you plan on making these mini cake creations, be sure to check out this moist orange sheet cake at the next available opportunity. It was out of this world.
First, make a pourable ganache and spread in a thin layer on parchment paper to harden overnight.
Then, make your sheet cake and let it come to room temperature before popping it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This will make it easier to cut out the circular layers and for those layers to hold their shape.
You’ll need three circular cookie cutters in a small, medium, and large size. Use the largest size to cut your bottom layers, your medium size to cut your top layer, and (only if you want to get really crazy) use your smallest size to cut holes in the middle of the bottom layers. Later, you can fill those holes with ganache, jelly, cream, or whatever your heart desires for a surprise pocket of flavor.
If you are going to use a filling, you will want to seal the bottom with a layer of the hardened ganache. Use your largest size cookie cutter to create circles that match the bottom layers of your mini cakes. This will be the base for your cake.
Then, assemble from the bottom up. (We recommend placing the whole thing on a baker’s rack above a layer of parchment paper. It will make for easier clean up later.)
Start with a circle of the hardened ganache. Drizzle a thin layer of whatever filling you’ve made to create a glue-like seal for your bottom layer of cake. We obviously used a soft pourable ganache as our filling, but feel free to experiment with other options. Fill the middle of the bottom layer, and place your top layer last.
As the last step, coat the whole thing in a layer of your pourable ganache, and smooth with a small offset spatula. You can also use regular buttercream frosting, but beware that these cakes will be a bit more delicate since frosting doesn’t harden and set the way ganache does.
Top with powdered sugar, berries, pomegranate arils, or candied orange peel for a polished look! These are best enjoyed immediately, but they will also keep nicely in the fridge for a few days.
[addtoany] Yum