Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Ganache or sauce

Cherry Coulis

Whipped Cream

Fresh Cherries

Chocolate Cake

? 2 cups all-purpose flour

? 2 cups sugar

? 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

? 2 teaspoons baking powder

? 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

? 1 teaspoon salt

? 1 teaspoon espresso powder homemade or store-bought

? 1 cup milk or buttermilk, almond, or coconut milk

? 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil, or melted coconut oil

? 2 large eggs

? 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

? 1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Prepare two cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE:

Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter until well combined.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
1. Add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl and set aside.
2. Add the heavy whipping cream to a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup and heat for about 1 minute, keeping an eye on it. If it heats up too much, it’ll end up everywhere. Remove from the microwave just before it bubbles up.
3. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate chips and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes. You can cover the bowl with some clear wrap to trap in the heat, if you like.
4. Gently stir the cream and chocolate together until they come together to a smooth consistency. Try not to whisk too vigorously, which can add air bubbles to the ganache.

Cherry Coulis
4 cups sweet cherries, (fresh or frozen), pitted*
1/4 to 1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar

Instructions

In a medium saucepan (off the heat), add water (use 1/3 cup for fresh cherries and 1/4 cup water for frozen cherries). Whisk in 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp sugar.
Place over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to thicken.
Add cherries and cook stirring occasionally until sauce is at a light boil (about 6-10 minutes for fresh cherries and 12-15 minutes for frozen). The sauce should be thickened and uniformly bubbling, not just at the edges, then remove from heat.