If there’s one saying that everyone’s heard a million times, it’s that you can’t judge a book by its cover. This spotted leopard cake is no exception – covered in a sinfully rich chocolate ganache and garnished with whipped cream and nut topping, it looks like a pretty standard chocolate cake at first glance. But looks can be deceiving. Once you cut into this decadent dessert, you’ll find a bright and colorful leopard print pattern, bursting with flavor! Not only is this cake a fun surprise for your guests, it’s fiercely delicious both inside and out. Try out the recipe and find out how the leopard gets its spots!
Spotted Leopard Cake With Chocolate Ganache
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- Piping Bags
- Cooling rack
- Double boiler
Ingredients
- 6 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.75 cups flour
- 0.5 cup milk
- 0.5 cup vegetable oil
- 6 egg yolks
- 0.5 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 0.5 cup vegetable oil
- 0.5 cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- 0.25 cup cocoa powder
- orange food coloring
- 1.5 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 0.33 cup cocoa powder
- whipped cream to garnish
- nut topping to garnish
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch springform pan and preheat the oven to 350°F. For the white cake batter, beat together the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Once the batter is the desired consistency, stir in the flour, milk, and vegetable oil, then transfer the mixture to a piping bag.
- For the leopard spots, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract together until the consistency becomes light and fluffy, then add the vegetable oil, milk, and flour. Transfer ⅓ of the batter to a separate mixing bowl and color it with orange food coloring, then stir the cocoa powder into the remaining ⅔ of the batter. Transfer the orange and chocolate batters to separate piping bags.
- Pipe in a thin layer of white cake batter into the bottom of the greased springform pan. Pipe a spiral of chocolate batter on top of the egg white batter. Pipe a spiral of orange batter on top of the chocolate spiral. Cover the orange spiral with another chocolate spiral. Pipe a layer white cake batter on top of the colored spirals until they are completely hidden. Repeat this same process 2 more times so that there are 3 layers of spirals in total, and cover the final chocolate batter spiral with a layer of white cake batter. Transfer the springform pan to the oven and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
- Once the cake has baked, remove it from the oven, place it on a cooling rack positioned over a baking tray, and let it cool completely.
- For the chocolate ganache, melt all of the ingredients using a double boiler. Once everything has melted, let the ganache cool slightly and pour it generously over the leopard cake. For an even smoother finish, pour the chocolate ganache through a sieve before coating the cake with it. Let the chocolate ganache set, then decorate the leopard cake with whipped cream and nut topping.
VIDEO
This spotted leopard cake is an indulgent treat for anyone with a sweet tooth and a soft spot for leopard print. It’s sure to be a hit at any gathering or special occasion – guests won’t be able to keep their claws off it!