A Slice of Decadence
“When June came the grasses headed out and turned brown, and the hills turned a brown which was not brown but a gold and saffron and red—an indescribable color.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Inspiration
Picking Olallie berries the first week in June is an annual tradition. My mom took us to Gidzich Ranch every June. Making Olallie Jam and pie with my mom is a treasured food memory. This year I went to Gidzich Ranch to pick berries with fellow blogger, Sunny Cove Chef, and picky daughter. The Olallie season is even shorter this year, three weeks rather than five or six. There is no ignoring the California drought. The u-pick for raspberries and boysenberries has been cancelled this year. Although all the fresh berry offerings are seasonally available at the farm stand. And they sell pie. Buy the slice or an entire pie. We shared a slice of raspberry pie on our visit. Almost unbelievable, pie stuffed to overflowing with vivid magenta berries. Summer!
I’ve shared Olallie jam, pie, ice cream and financiers. This year I made a very decadent chocolate cake to pair with the Olallies. One thin slice is enough to quell all chocolate cravings. I found a similar recipe in my mom’s things and made the cake for Mr. R’s birthday last winter. It was every bit as chocolaty as I imagined. It was then that I envisioned chocolate with summer berries. Chocolate for Mr. R and summer berries for me — a slice of sheer decadence. In every bite the lusciousness of the tangy, unsweetened berries lingers after the smooth, rich chocolate has captivated the senses.
Essentials
Any summer berries pair wonderfully with the chocolate cake, boysenberries, raspberries, blackberries, Marion berries and of course Ollalies. Use fresh berries to stuff the cake, frozen will release too much moisture as they defrost. Whatever unsweetened cocoa powder is available will work in this recipe, but the better the quality of the chocolate, the better the cake. This is a very easy layer cake to make. No mixer is used for either the cake or the ganache frosting. The most difficult thing is waiting for the ganache to set so that the cake may be sliced!
| Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake | |
| 3C/360gr | all-purpose flour |
| 2C | sugar |
| 1/2C | unsweetened cocoa powder |
| 2t | baking soda |
| 1t | fine grain sea salt |
| 2C | hot water |
| 3/4C | grape seed oil |
| 2T | distilled white vinegar |
| 1T | coffee granules |
| 1t | vanilla extract |
| Ganache Frosting | |
| 1-1/4C | heavy whipping cream |
| 1/4c | full fat sour cream |
| 1t | instant coffee granules |
| 1C/8oz | unsalted butter |
| 1-1/2C | sugar |
| 1-1/4C | unsweetened cocoa powder |
| 1/4t | fine grain sea salt |
| 2t | vanilla extract |
| 2 pints | fresh Olallie berries, boysenberries, blackberries, Marion berries or raspberries |
- Heat the oven to 350. Grease two 8”x2” round cake pans.
- In a large bowl sift or shake through a sieve the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, soda and salt.
- In another bowl whisk together the water, oil, vinegar, instant coffee and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. When done a tester inserted in the center of the cake will come out cleanly. The cake will have pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cakes in their pans on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then invert them to finish cooling on the racks. As they cool they will lose their domed tops.
- To make the ganache, whisk together the cream, sour cream and coffee granules until smooth in a medium size bowl or large measuring cup.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Using a wooden spoon stir, the sugar, cocoa and salt into the melted butter. The mixture will be very thick and grainy. Switch to a whisk and gradually add the cream mixture to the saucepan, stirring and cooking until the ganache is smooth and glossy. Cook only until the sugar has dissolved, do not boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool the ganache at room temperature until spreadable consistency, 2-3 hours. Cooling the ganache in a bowl of ice or on top of an ice pack will speed up the chilling process. Stir the ganache occasionally to check the consistency. If the ganache hardens, it can be softened in the microwave. Microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stir to mix thoroughly.
- Place one cake in the center of a cake stand, right side up, and frost with a cup of ganache. This layer of ganache needs to be deep enough for the berries to cling to. Cover the entire surface of the ganache frosted cake top with berries. Nestle them closely together and gently push the ends of the berries down into the ganache. Frost the bottom of the second cake with a lighter layer of ganache and place it, ganache side down, on top of the berry covered cake. Press down, just enough to join the cakes together but not enough to squash the berries. Use the rest of the ganache to frost the top and sides of the cake. Decorate the top of the cake with berries. To firm the ganache chill the cake for at least one hour before slicing. Serve the cake with additional berries. Store the cake in the refrigerator.
Deb, I have yet to meet a chocolate cake I didn’t like, and your cake is no exception. Ladened with the prized Olallieberry, this cake is really something special.
Thank you for the wonderful comment Mary!
The berries sound so good with the chocolate! What a great way to use these gems during the shortened season. Wish I could dip a finger into that frosting with sour cream!
Thank you Lisa! This is a fabulous chocolate cake!
I love that you went berry picking, Deb! Fruit picking has been on my to do list for a very long time, and I’m planning to do so this summer. I’m smiling as I read your post, because I am sharing a flourless chocolate cake tomorrow on my blog as well and it feels like we’re totally on the same wavelength. Hope you have a lovely week!
Thank you for the gracious comment Ala! Your comment has me longing for a slice of chocolate cake!
those olallie berries are gorgeous! so dramatic, like blackberries are, and i imagine they’re wonderful paired with that chocolate cake. Such a perfect way to do chocolate cake in the summer, for sure.
Thank you for the wonderful comment Shannon! Olallies are very similar to Blackberries, and very much a summer treat.
This looks devilishly decadent! I love that the berries are added fresh to the cake (not a fan of cooked fruit). Sadly, looks like I’ll miss berry picking this year, but there’s always farmers’ market.
Thank you Jacquee! I hope you are on the mend and find some time to enjoy summer at the farmers market!
Such a marvelous cake Deb! And berry picking too! So great you can do those kinds of things where you live. Here it’s all picked already, bummer. Love the combo, and that ganache!
Thank you Paula! It is a very good chocolate cake!
Gorgeous cake- took one look and fell head over heels in love 😉 I would like to go berry picking- maybe I could join you sometime… I enjoyed your photos Deb 😉
Thank you for the gracious comment Patty. Definitely will contact you before our next berry picking trip!
This looks so delicious… and you have presented it so beautifully in your photos too Deb! We don’t have Olallie berries here, but they look like blackberries.
Thank you Cathy! Olallie berries are very similar to blackberries.
Holy cow, I just had to sit down. That cake is a vision!!
If chocolate is your thing, this is the cake to make! Thank you for commenting Carol!
Deb, it was so much fun picking Ollalieberries with you and your daughter. Let’s do it again next year. That cake looks out of this world.
Yes! To next berry picking next year! Enjoy Paris Gerlinde, can’t wait to hear about your adventure.
What gorgeous pictures, Deb! How exciting to go to a farm to pick berries with a fellow blogger. I hope you have the chance to share here other recipes made with ollalie berries. This cake is stunning and looks quite decadent!
Thank you Denise! I froze some of the berries and we had the rest with our morning yogurt!
What a decadent cake! I am so envious of those gorgeous Olallieberries – they are my favorite!
Thank you for the Olallie love Laura! They are special to me too.
Deb, I am sorry to hear about your drought. I have never heard of Olallie berries before and so this is very interesting. The cake has got me drooling and it is only breakfast time!
Thank you for the gracious comment Jane! There is much rumbling and excited discussion that next winter will been wet and rainy. Let’s hope so!