2 1/2 oz Unsweetened chocolate
1 1/3 c Unbleached white flour
2/3 c Unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1 1/2 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
1 ts Ground cinnamon
3 Eggs; (or equivalent egg
; replacer)
1 1/4 c Honey
2/3 c Vegetable oil
2 ts Vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1
-lemon
3/4 c Buttermilk
1 1/2 c Grated carrots
GANACHE
6 oz Unsweetened chocolate
1 c Heavy cream
1/2 c Honey
1 ts Creme de cacao
Bring all cake ingredients to room temperature. (Chocolate may harden
when mixed with cold eggs or milk.) Preheat oven to 350 ? F.
Melt 2 1/2 ounces of chocolate in a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon
in a bowl. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs or prepare egg replacer (add a few extra
tablespoons of buttermilk to egg replacer for this cake). Add 1 1/4
cups of honey and beat until light.
Add oil to egg-honey mixture and beat well. Stir in vanilla and lemon
zest. Add melted chocolate. Mix well and then stir in buttermilk.
Stir dry ingredients into liquid ingredients until just combined.
Stir in carrots.
Pour batter into 2 9-inch round cake pans, buttered and floured. Bake
35 to 40 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out
clean. Let cake cool before removing from pans.
For ganache, melt 6 ounces of chocolate in double boiler. Let cool to
room temperature.
Warm cream in a saucepan over low heat until just warm. Do not boil.
Stir honey, creme de cacao and warmed cream into chocolate. Stir
gently with a spoon until well-combined then whisk for about 30
seconds until mixture lightens in color and looks silky. Do not
overbeat. Ganache will thicken as it cools. It can be refrigerated.
When cake is completely cool and ganache is at room temperature.
Spread ganache over one cake. Place second cake on top and pour
remaining ganache on top, letting some flow over edges. Ganache will
develop a silky sheen in a few moments.
Yields
12 servings