The Cousins Grim: Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Let me start at the beginning.  My father loves my Chocolate Cake, and I traditionally bake him one on his birthday.  Last year, I made a 10 inch, two layer cake, and there wasn’t a crumb left. 

This year, I made it again, and had some left over, so I made a few cupcakes and had them in the freezer. 

Remember that old game Telephone you played as a kid?  Everyone sat in a circle and one person whispered something to the next person, and then that person whispered that same something to the next person, until the circle was complete. The last person then had to say out loud what the something was and the first person then had to say out loud what the something was.  

The two somethings were rarely even in the same genre, but everyone got a really good laugh out of it.

I recently gave a friend, Patty, a piece of the cake.  She loved it so much, she asked for the recipe, and I printed it off for her.  

She happened to relay to my cousin Leslie (a really good baker and chocolate lover) how good it was. Leslie wanted the recipe, so Patty read off the ingredients and the instructions to her so she could make it.

At least she thought she did.

Patty: Leslie's cake didn't come out.

Me: Why not, what happened?

Patty: I don't know, she just said it didn't come out.

Me: Did she make substitutions?  Did you have all of the instructions?

Patty: I don't know, but she said she took the cake, and the frosting to her mother's and told her to try to do something with it.

Couple of days later, I'm going to see Leslie, and I brought her a couple of the cupcakes made out of the leftovers that I had frozen.

Me: I brought you something.

Leslie: What is it?

Me: Chocolate Cake

Leslie: Give it to me!

Silence.  Then the moaning started.  

It didn't stop until the cake had been inhaled and she had frosting all over her face.  (She looks good in brown.)

Me: Patty said your cake didn't come out.  What happened?

Leslie: Well, actually, what happened was I left my oven on pre-heat and then forgot about it.  About 20 minutes later, when I checked, the cake was done.

Me: What about the frosting?

Leslie: It was grainy.  What it supposed to be confectioners sugar?  Are you supposed to melt the chocolate?

Me: Nope.  Regular old.  You put the cream and the sugar in a pan, and bring it to a boil, then pour it over the butter and the chocolate, and when it's melted you beat it over a bowl of ice.

Leslie: WELL, I DIDN'T GET THOSE INSTRUCTIONS!

Me: Why not?

Leslie: I was in a hurry and when Patty said the frosting was a ganache, I told her I've made a ganache before, I'll figure it out.

Me: Did you taste it?

Leslie: Well, I brought it to my mother's, and my sister Carol tasted it.  (My cousin Carol is known as a very eloquent person.  She always has the exact right words for any occasion.)

Carol pronounced it "VERY GRIM"

Leslie: We thought we might break it into pieces and layer it with chocolate pudding and whipped cream and make a trifle out of it.

Carol: It will be a very grim trifle.