Cake for Two

Admittedly, singles and even twosomes have few reasons to do much baking. Who wants all those cookies in the house when no one eats them?

Still, during the sugarplum season, all but the most curmudgeonly non-bakers preheat their ovens for one or two sweets.

For those who are tempted but don’t want to get involved in serious baking, a single-layer chocolate-sour cream cake with ganache frosting is the answer. This is a delicious cake with a delicate crumb and smooth, elegant frosting. Yet it is very easy to make.

Prepare the batter; bake the cake and let cool on a wire rack. If you don’t have a rack, use the top to the broiler pan. While the cake cools, prepare the frosting. Ganache is simply a combination of melted chocolate and cream. This recipe also uses coffee to cut the sweetness.

Unfortunately, the recipe makes too much ganache. Experienced cooks will whip up a batch of cupcakes or cookies to use up the leftovers; novices will probably lick the bowl. That’s fine too.

CHOCOLATE-SOUR CREAM CAKE WITH GANACHE FROSTING

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons strong liquid coffee

1 cup sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sour cream

Ganache Frosting

Colored candy sprinkles, optional

Cream butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla. Scrape bowl and beat mixture well.

Stir together cocoa and coffee in small bowl to form paste. Stir into butter mixture.

Stir together cake flour, salt and baking soda in separate bowl. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream to batter. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into greased and floured 8-inch round cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees until wood pick inserted near center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cake cool 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Turn cake right-side up on serving platter. Prepare Ganache Frosting. Spoon half of ganache in pool in center of cake. With spatula work out to sides and let excess trickle down cake. Add more ganache and work out to sides as desired. Add colored candy sprinkles. Refrigerate cake 1 hour to firm up frosting before serving. Makes 6 slices.

Note : About 1/3 of ganache will be left over. It makes great hot fudge sauce. Place ganache in small container. Refrigerate, covered, up to 1 week.

To use, heat in top of double boiler set over simmering water or in microwave on MEDIUM power, about 20 seconds for 2 tablespoons. Serve over ice cream.

Ganache Frosting

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces

Place cream and coffee powder into heavy-bottomed pan. Bring to boil. Remove pan from heat. Add chocolate. Stir constantly until melted and ganache is smooth.