Fall baking season is officially upon us. We just got all of our boxes unloaded into our new house last week and I’ve already made a batch of comfort brownies, two loaves of pumpkin bread as gifts for friends who helped us move, and my fridge is packed with butter and eggs. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
As fall begins to creep in, temperatures are still warm and I’m always looking for simple bakes to usher in the season—think muffins, quick breads, brownies. Most of my low-effort, minimal bowl recipes utilize the easiest baking method of them all: the blending method.
the blending method
Also called the muffin method, the blending method is the lowest maintenance baking process around. It’s used often in dense, moist recipes (like muffins) that incorporate liquid fat.
A very simple process, it consists of simply whisking dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another bowl and then adding the wet into the dry. Viola.
The one thing to keep in mind is to not over-mix. Recipes that follow the blending method tend to get tough pretty quickly when the batter is whisked vigorously and strong gluten structures are formed. To avoid this, I like to whisk my batters until there are only a few streaks of flour remaining, and then switch a rubber spatula and gently fold until there are no dry spots left.
a dark chocolate ganache sheet cake
Since the blending method is such a simple one, we’re diving straight into recipes. This chocolate cake is simple and rich—exactly what you want when you’re looking for a classic chocolate cake recipe.
For this recipe, we’re working with a very classic list of characters. For the dry ingredients, we have flour, cocoa powder, baking soda (to balance the acidity in the chocolate), baking powder (for leavening), salt, and both granulated and brown sugars. A quick note: in the blending method, sugar is considered a dry ingredient.
For the wet ingredients, I’m using oil (a liquid fat, of course), buttermilk, sour cream, and then we’re adding a bit of melted chocolate at the end. You can use any neutral oil that you like, or even a non-neutral oil—I sometimes like the way grassy olive oils pull the earthiness out of the chocolate. But when baking, I most often reach for coconut oil for it’s lightly-sweetened flavor. Make sure to melt it and then cool it to room temperature, or you can even buy coconut oil in liquid form, which is what I generally use when baking.
The frosting is rich and fudgy, as close to that Duncan Hines canned chocolate frosting as possible. We start by making a quick ganache, simply whisking hot cream into chopped chocolate until emulsified. Then, while that is cooling, we beat together softened butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder until smooth, before streaming in the ganache. Smear and swoop the frosting over your cooled cake and sprinkle with a bit of flaky salt before serving. Your friends will love you.
Dark Chocolate Ganache Sheet Cake
makes: one 9x13” cake
Ingredients:
for the cake:
2 1/4 cup (280 g) all purpose flour
1 cup + 2 tbsp (100 g) cocoa powder
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar
3/4 cup (150 g) melted coconut oil
(350 + 120 g) buttermilk
1/4 cup (50 g) sour cream
2 oz melted dark chocolate
for the frosting:
2 oz dark chocolate
2 oz heavy cream
1 stick butter, soft
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
flaky salt, for finishing
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a 9x13” pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Set aside.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together coconut oil, buttermilk, and sour cream.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth, taking care not to over mix. Stream in the melted coconut and stir until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is set and the edges of the cake are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack to frost.
To make the frosting, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a low simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let rest for 2-3 minutes.
Starting in the center of the bowl, begin whisking vigorously until the ganache is emulsified, smooth, and glossy. Let cool slightly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder until smooth. Gradually stream in the cooled ganache and mix until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Spread the ganache frosting over the cooled cake and sprinkle the top with flaky salt.