Chocolate Cake

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a round cake pan (8″ diameter) with butter, then lightly sprinkle it with some all-purpose flour. Set aside.

Put the egg whites in a medium sized bowl (reserve the yolks for later) and beat them until they are foamy. Set aside.

Into a bowl, put butter and sugar. Beat until creamy. Add the egg yolks and beat until a light yellow cream is formed. Then, pour in the lukewarm milk, all-purpose flour and cocoa powder. Beat until a brown cream is formed.

Then pour in the foamy whites and the baking soda. Using a wooden spoon, stir this batter gently until all is combined.

Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer is inserted in the center and comes out clean. I like to prepare the filling while the cake is baking, because it gives enough time to cool both

Then remove it from the oven and let the cake cool for ten minutes. Then, invert the cake onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the filling:

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, pour the sweetened condensed milk and the salted butter. Never stop stirring this mixture. Cook this mixture until it starts to simmer, about 7-10 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and place the saucepan onto a cooling rack. Let it cool completely.

For the assembly:

Grab a tray or a cake cardboard and line it with parchment paper. Place the cake over it. Then, line the surface beside the tray/cake cardboard with parchment paper. It’s to ensure the place won’t be a complete mess.

Cut the cake in half lengthwise to make two layers. Using a large spatula, take the top layer and place it onto the surface lined with parchment paper.

Using a large spoon, pour the filling over the bottom layer of cake. Spread the filling evenly until the cake borders. Trim the top layer of cake using the serrated knife. That’s to ensure the top surface is as even as possible.

Place the top layer over the bottom one, pay attention if this layer is aligned to the bottom layer. Set aside.

For the topping:

Take a medium saucepan. It must be large enough to place a bowl over it (like a double boiler). Pour some water until the half of the saucepan is full. Place it over medium heat until the water starts to simmer. Remove from the heat.

Put the chopped chocolate into the bowl and place it over the saucepan to heat. Once the chocolate is melted, remove the bowl from the saucepan and pour in the heavy cream. Stir until all is combined.

Using a spatula, pour the ganache topping over the cake. Spread until even and pay attention to cover the sides of the cake. Put it into the fridge for 1 hour. Then, top with the chocolate sprinkles.