MAKE IT CUTE

 

Foodies take note—you can be a culinary whiz at *any* age. Just ask eight-year-old Avani Shah, the youngest contestant on this season's MasterChef Junior (if you're unfamiliar, it's a cooking competition TV series that airs on Fox).

Avani’s culinary passion comes from early experiences of cooking pancakes with her dad. As she got older, she even looked to her grandfather for help and inspiration when it came to family recipes and traditional Indian dishes rooted in her family’s heritage. Baking is Avani’s main focus (it would be ours too!), and in the future she hopes to open her own bakery.

Want to try your hand at one of Avani's creations? She shared her favorite recipe for chocolate cake with a dreamy ganache frosting below.

Ingredients:

- 10oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 ½ cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup corn syrup
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 5 eggs (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 9-inch cake pans

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter the sides and bottom of two round cake pans. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt).

2. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar and oil at medium to high for six minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. While the mixer is still running, add one egg at a time, followed by the vanilla and almond extracts until everything is combined.

3. Add a half cup of flour mixture and a splash of milk at a time until everything is nice and smooth. Pour the batter equally into your two cake pans.

4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Periodically check to make sure they are browning evenly.

While you let the cakes cool, you can start on Avani’s *delicious* chocolate ganache frosting:

1. Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl, making sure it is large enough that you’ll be able to add in the liquid mixture later. In a saucepan, combine the cream and corn syrup, then place on medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Make sure to not bring it to a full boil, as this could burn the cream.

2. Turn the heat off and carefully pour the mixture over the chocolate chips, but don’t stir it just yet. Once the chocolate starts to melt from the heated liquid you can then start stirring. Stir until all of the chocolate is completely melted and mixed in with the cream or syrup. It should look dark and shiny.

3. Place it in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the ganache doesn’t thicken too much. Once it is cooled, pour your ganache into your mixer and mix until it is a whipped consistency. Two minutes on medium speed should produce a lighter color and fluffy consistency.

4. If your cakes are cooled, frost away...and enjoy! 

P.S.: Avani's top tip? "Don't be afraid to experiment! If I didn't mix the original ganache mixture, I never would have come up with this amazing frosting!”

Do you have dreams of one day being a chef? Or just love to cook? Let us know below! 

Frosting photo credit: Cookies and Cups.

by Kaila L. | 2/18/2017