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Could someone please help me. I need to make the chocolate cake in both a 12″ square AND a 12″ round (separate occasions) and I can’t seem to get the hang of using these ready reckoner thingys!!, Also Paul refers to ‘sugar water’ when icing over ganache…how do you make this?
Thank you, Sandra

OMG so sorry but the email came in from [email protected] so just picked it up from that!!! Oops 🙂
Sandra

Hello Sandra

The recipe is set for a 10″ square. To convert to 12″ square, go down the green column to square 10 then follow that line to the blue section to the column number 12, that box shows a figure of 1.4. This means you have to increase all your ingredients by 1.4 (this is an increase of 40%). For the 12″ round conversion, go back to the 10″ square in the green section and follow that line to column 12 in the red section, this box shows a factor of 1.1 which means you increase all your ingredients by 1.1 (this is an increase of 10%). If you’re still finding it difficult to follow, you have the option of using the cakeometre which will work out all the ingredients for you without you doing any of the maths. Before you bake your cakes it might be worth looking through the many comments from other members for hints and tips to achieve a successful bake. You will find the comments under ‘Paul’s moist chocolate cake’ my feed back. If you’d like to consider a different chocolate recipe, there is the long shelf life recipe in this blog http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/how-to-make-chocolate-mud-cake. It is very similar, just slightly more dense. There are some comments left by members who have baked it up which may be of interest to you. I don’t know where Paul refers to ‘sugar water’, (could you point me to where that ref is please?). The sugar water I know is called simple syrup, made by boiling equal quantities of water and sugar for a couple of minutes, cooled and used to brush over cake layers to keep them moist for longer. The syrup can be made either from water, juice or alcohol of your choice. A vanilla bean can also be boiled up with it for flavouring. If I haven’t understood your question properly, please post again.

In the recipe I’ve seen the recipe makes a 6″ round and an 8″ round so not sure what you mean by the recipe being set as a 10″ square? He refers to sugar water when he is making the handbag cake and he wets the ganache before sticking the icing onto it.

Sandra

Sorry it’s me being thick. I’ve just seen that the recipe is indeed for a 10″ square cake. Just need to sort the sugar water now 🙂

Hi Sandra

Not to worry, took me ages find the 10″ square comment. Sugar water is the syrup, just make enough to make a glue, about 50gm sugar, 50gm water boiled up, even that may be a little too much, better to be over than under i say! The syrup also helps prevent any bacterial growth which could occur because the ganache gets a wash with pastry brush and boiling water. I’ve never had any problems and neither has anyone else on the site as far as I know. Before you start baking you may find it helpful to read the comments for the recipe, there are lots of hints and tips for a successful bake in ‘Paul’s moist chocolate cake’ my feed back and ‘Paul’s chocolate cake – timings. By searching moist chocolate cake you’ll also find many other comments which are useful. x

Thanks Andy. One more question I can think of is how do you increase 6 eggs by 10%???? 🙂
Sandra

Hi Sandra

I had a laugh, you’ve morphed me into Andy!!

Just use one medium egg to compensate for the 10% only if you want to. The recipe does not ask for eggs in weight. Some recipes do, particularly in French baking. In that case all eggs have to be weighed without their shells. A large egg weighs between 63 – 65 grams, so you’d need to take 10% of that. Here it isn’t necessary. Hope this answers your question.