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Black Garlic Chocolate Cake for #NationalGarlicDay

National Garlic Day 2015
Calling all garlic lovers! 

Do you know what today is?!?

Welcome to National Garlic Day 2015, hosted by Heather from girlichef. April 19th is a day for garlic lovers far and wide to come together and celebrate the wonder of "the stinking rose".

Whether it's the ability to ward off vampires (and bugs), its numerous health benefits, or the way it lends flavor to a dish, there are so many reasons for singing the praises of garlic.


Okay, so if you've been following me for awhile, you'll know that I typcially go with a savory recipe for any cooking challenge. Almost. Every. Single. Time.

So, for this post - #NationalGarlicDay hosted by Heather at girlichef - you might be wondering why am I sharing a dessert? It's garlic...that automatically means savory, doesn't it?

Well, that's how I roll. I'm a maverick that way; I love the unexpected.

I wanted to use black garlic (click to read about it) because it has a softer, less pronounced garlic flavor. It's fabulously distinct.

I did have a little ingredient snafu when our local Trader Joe's told me that they no longer carried black garlic. "It didn't sell well," the greengrocer admitted. Whaaaat?!!? I also struck out at Whole Foods and a local Asian market. Thank goodness for the internet. Eureka! I included a link at the bottom of this post if you can't find any locally.

To help you get in the mood, check out these garlicky good recipes from this year's National Garlic Day bloggers:


Now back to my cake..."Mommy, what's the secret ingredient?" the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf asked.  Shhhhh...

Ingredients
Cake
  • 1 C butter + more for greasing pan
  • ⅓ C organic cacao powder* (I used Dagoba)
  • 1 C water
  • 2 C  flour
  • 1½ C organic granulated sugar
  • 1½ t baking soda
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ C sour cream
  • 1 t pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cloves black garlic*, peeled and mashed to a paste
Mango-Ginger Sauce
  • 3 C mango chunks (I had some frozen ones)
  • 1½ T ginger spread*
  • ½ C organic granulated sugar
  • ½ C water
  • chocolate shavings for garnish
Procedure
Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bundt pan. And set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cocoa powder, and water. Heat until butter is melted. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and baking soda. Gradually pour in the chocolate mixture, whisking constantly smooth. Add the eggs - one at a time - whisking until combined. Fold in the sour cream, vanilla extract, and mashed black garlic until smooth.

Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the tallest part comes out clean, approximately 45 to 50 minutes.


Place pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto the wire rack and let it cool completely. While the cake cools. Make the sauce. First a note about the sauce. I put out the question on social media: "Chocolate + ________________ [fruit sauce]. Go!!" My friends came up with some great suggestions that I have shelved for another day. For this cake, though, I opted for a mango-ginger sauce.


Mango-Ginger Sauce
Place all of the ingredients - except the chocolate shavings - in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until it comes to a chunky jam consistency. You can mash it with a potato masher if you like it more smooth. Cool slightly. This sauce is best served warm, in a dollop, on top of your chocolate cake. To serve, top the cake and sauce with chocolate shavings.

*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. I will only recommend products that I have used and loved...not for any compensation unless otherwise noted in the blog post. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item on your own.

      

Comments

  1. I saw black garlic in the supermarket the other day but it felt mushy and, frankly, past its best. Or is that the way it's supposed to feel? Your chocolate Bundt looks delicious, Camilla, and I am really loving that sauce!

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  2. I love garlic and I think this cake sounds wonderful and I love that you chose mango to go along with it.

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  3. I'm very intrigued by black garlic. I've never seen it in my market but will check out your link. I'm sure this cake is very delicious. I love the unexpected, and this is certainly unexpected! How fun!
    Renee - Kudos Kitchen

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  4. Awesome, I'm glad that you were able to get your hands on some black garlic to make this...you probably know I love the chocolate and black garlic combo. The mango ginger combo sounds like it would go really well, too. Beautiful!

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  5. Chocolate and black garlic is genius! Stacy, black garlic IS mushy! It is not firm like normal garlic. I have several recipes using it on my blog, if you want to get some additional ideas. Again, truly genius.

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  6. Awesome idea! What a fun way to infuse garlic in a non-traditional way. I've always been able to find black garlic at TJs out here - hope they don't stop carrying it anytime soon!

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  7. I love black garlic and it's such a shame that it's so hard to find these days...I feel like a few years ago it was everywhere! Using it in this cake is a great idea! I made a chocolate cake with garlicky mustard in it once and it was amazing how well it worked...it doesn't taste "garlicky" at all...just an extra layer of flavor you can't quite place.

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  8. Black garlic?! Ok now I am intrigued! Love this!

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  9. I adore black garlic yet sadly it didn't occur to me to use it for today! I am so curious about it in this cake.

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  10. You are a rebel aren't you? =) That elf photo is just adorable.

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  11. This looks so good - I'm going to give it a go and just not tell my husband what it is.

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  12. I never tried black garlic. This looks like a great recipe to start!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This article is really fantastic and thanks for sharing the valuable post.

    ass grab

    ReplyDelete

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