Cinnamon, Caramel, Chocolate Ganache Cake

This cake sounded so good. I love cinnamon, caramel, and chocolate so this sounded like it would be great. It's been on my to-make list since 2008. So was it worth the wait? I think the caramel overpowered the cinnamon flavor and you couldn't taste the cinnamon at all. I think next time I wouldn't even bother with the cinnamon. The cake was very light and tasted good. I think I would maybe use a different chocolate for the icing. I used Trader Joe's Pound Plus 72% Belgium dark chocolate. It was a little too strong tasting. I generally use this for dark chocolate in baking but for some reason, it was a little too dark for this recipe. But the Sous Chef said he liked the contrast.

A few hints:

1. They didn't say to grease the pan. To grease or not to grease - GREASE. I was so glad I did. I think the sides would have really stuck had I not.

2. Seriously be careful when you pour the caramel into the cream mixture. You could totally end up in the burn center. It bubbled up like crazy. I had to pour, wait for the bubbling to subside, and then pour more. You're dealing with caramel which is basically molten lava. Be careful.

3. When it says mix the filling with the paddle attachment in your stand mixer, don't listen - use the whisk attachment. I started with the paddle and it was not thickening. I started to think that I had done something wrong. Once I threw on the whisk attachment, it thickened real quick.

4. Add 1 tsp vanilla to the cake batter (I also added 1 tsp chocolate extract)

I didn't do the chocolate shavings on the top but if I was taking this somewhere or making it for guests, I would have. I think it would've looked really pretty.

The was the half that left the house

Now you may be asking exactly how many pounds I've gained since I have been out of work - well enough that's for sure! But the Sous Chef brought more than half of the cake to work so at least a few thousand calories were saved. He said it went really fast so I guess I got my answer - it was worth the wait.

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