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Chocolate-Raspberry Layer Cake

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Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

I hope everyone is having a blessed Easter today. I am having a pretty great Easter weekend myself. Yesterday I went to Alton Brown’s The Edible Inevitable Tour. About a month ago I saw on Facebook that he was going to be in Houston so I did some checking and it appeared his show was sold out, but luckily for me he added a second show, so as soon as the tickets went on sale at 10:00am I was on it!!! I managed to snatch up second row seats as well!

Alton Brown Tour

Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

I also made this awesome cake this weekend. Chocolate and raspberry, what’s not to love? A flavor combination made in heaven! Unfortunately I forgot the layer of raspberry jam on the top layer of cake (it should be on both layers) so my picture may be a bit misleading but it still tasted just as awesome as the first time I made it. Enjoy!

Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

 

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Chocolate-Raspberry Layer Cake

Yield 12

Ingredients

CAKE

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

GANACHE AND RASPBERRY TOPPING

  • 18 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon Chambord or other raspberry liqueur
  • 6 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam, stirred to loosen, divided
  • 2 6-ounces containers fresh raspberries
  • Powdered sugar

Instructions

CAKE

  1. Position an oven rack in the center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Coat two 9-inch cake pans with 2-inch sides with shortening, melted butter or cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Coat parchment rounds with shortening, melted butter or cooking spray and dust lightly with flour.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together, flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
  3. In a medium bowl whisk water, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into well in dry ingredients and whisk to blend. Divide cake batter between prepared cake pans. Bake until cake tester inserted into center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pans on cooling racks.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

  1. Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a heavy medium saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Stir ganache until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in Chambord. Transfer 1 1/4 cups ganache to a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ganache is thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Let remaining ganache sit at room temperature to cool until lukewarm.
  2. Place rack inside rimmed baking sheet lined with foil for easy clean up. Carefully run knife around cake pan edges to release cakes. Place cakes on flat surface (dome side up) and level cakes by cutting off domes that may have formed. Invert 1 cake layer (cut side down) onto an 8-inch cardboard cake round. Peel off parchment paper and place cake layer on prepared baking rack. Spread 3 tablespoons jam over top. Spoon dollops of chilled ganache over and spread evenly. Place second cake layer (cut side up) on top of first cake layer and spread remaining jam on top of second cake layer. Pour half of lukewarm ganache over cake, spreading over top and sides to cover. Freeze until ganache sets, about 30 minutes. Pour remaining ganache of cake and spread ganache to cover cake. Freeze to set ganache, about 30 minutes. Let cake stand at room temperature for 2 hours before continuing.

RASPBERRY GARNISH

  1. Arrange raspberries in concentric circles on top of cake. Sift powdered sugar on top just before serving.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine American

 

Adapted from Bon Appetit June 2010

Red Walnut Praline Cake

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Red Walnut Praline Cake

I recently had the opportunity to try red walnuts by Sanguinetti. The two things I liked about these walnuts was their vivid red color and their flavor. They do not have the bitterness of regular walnuts, which was something that kept me from using walnuts in a lot of my baking. Well I am happy to say not anymore. Now that I know about these beauties I’ll be choosing red walnuts from now on. Red walnuts are available at the end of fall and during winter.

 

Red Walnut Praline Cake

I really wanted to highlight the walnut in the best way possible and after researching about the red walnut and how carefully they are handled so their beautiful red color would not be ruined I also wanted to treat them in the same manner. I wanted to be sure I captured the flavor of the walnut but also the beauty of it as well. I decided to make a cake with the walnuts chopped up inside, and then garnish the cake with some candied red walnuts to let the walnuts really shine through. I hope you enjoy this Red Walnut Praline Cake, which is soaked in a bourbon simple syrup and iced with a vanilla cream cheese frosting. (I doubled the amount of frosting from the original recipe but you do not need to if you are not planning on doing any special decorating. But I like to always have more frosting than not enough so I usually will always double the frosting just to be sure I have enough to decorate with. )

Here are some interesting facts about red walnuts:

Delicious raw California red walnuts make for not just a delicious tasting snack but a beautiful looking one as well! They are beautiful on salads, baked good and many other dishes. These red walnuts pack an amazing walnut taste too! Brighten up any dish with our great looking red walnuts. Our red walnuts are a fairly recent creation.

They are not genetically modified and were created using natural methods of grafting Persian red-skinned walnuts onto larger and creamier English walnuts. Red walnuts are only red on the inside, the tree and the shells look just like your typical English Walnuts.

Our red walnuts are larger and the shells are a little harder than other walnut varieties, and the trees grow slower. To retain their red color, they are shelled and handled very carefully. We take great care to maintain the beautiful red layer.

Our red walnuts are late-producing, so they are available at the end of fall and in the winter. Because they are so rare, supplies are limited. We suspect that you won’t see many after the new year. The good news is that we’ll be back next year with more!

For more information on where you can buy these red walnuts, head over Sanguinetti website.

Red Walnut Praline Cake

 

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Red Walnut Praline Cake

Yield 12

Ingredients

CAKE

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 chopped red walnuts or regular walnuts

SYRUP

  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon

FROSTING

  • 24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 8 cups powdered sugar

PRALINE TOPPING

  • 1 large egg white, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups red walnut or regular walnut halves

Instructions

CAKE

  1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with wax or parchment paper. Grease the paper and lightly coat both pans with flour. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg 1 at a time, add vanilla. Beat in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions. Fold in the chopped walnuts. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
  2. Bake the cakes until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in their pans for 10 minutes. Insert a thin flexible spatula to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and turn cakes onto wire racks to cool completely

SYRUP

  1. Stir 3 tablespoons water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the bourbon, set aside.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

  1. Using an electric stand mixer, in the large bowl beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Beat sugar in 1 cup at a time, occasionally scrapping down the bowl.

PRALINE TOPPING

  1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Using a fork, beat the egg white and 1 tablespoon water in a medium bowl until foamy. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the walnuts and toss to coat. Spread the walnut mixture on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, then stir and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Cool nuts completely on baking sheet.
  2. Place 1 cake layer, flat side up on a cake plate or cake round. Poke several holes on the top of the cake with a skewer or toothpick. Brush some of the simple syrup on top. Spread about 1 cup of the frosting over the top of the cake. Top with the second layer of cake flat side up. Poke several holes on top of the cake and brush the remaining simple syrup on top. Spread frosting on top of the cake and decorate.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine American

 

Adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts

German Chocolate Cake

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German Chocolate Cake

Growing up I was never a fan of German chocolate cake. I’m sure it didn’t help that the only German chocolate cake we would serve at celebrations was store bought. But I also wasn’t very fond of pecans or coconut (I’m still not a huge fan coconut). But now that I have some experience in baking, I’ve discovered pecans taste their best after toasting them and coconut can be very appetizing in the right recipes. We couldn’t have German chocolate cake without coconut right?

This was the first recipe I made for German chocolate cake. It was for Father’s Day and my step-father’s favorite. At that point in time I still wasn’t a fan of German chocolate cake, but while I was making this I sure thought this cake has to be good. No doubt this had to be better than the supermarket cakes that I was so used to when I was younger. Well I was right, and not only was I right I haven’t made any other German chocolate cake since. Why fix what ain’t broke. This recipe also has frosting for the sides of the cake, sort of a different spin on the classic version. I hope you will enjoy this cake as much as I have.

German Chocolate Cake

German Chocolate Cake

 

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German Chocolate Cake

Yield 12

Ingredients

COCONUT-PECAN FILLING

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 1/4 cups pecans, toasted and chopped

CAKE

  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
  • 4 large eggs, separated at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

FROSTING

  • 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

FILLING

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, egg yolks and butter and cook over medium heat, and stir constantly until the butter had melted and the mixture thickens and bubbles. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes longer.
  2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla, coconut and pecans. Cool for about 1 hour or until the mixture is spreadable, before using.

CAKE

  1. Place an oven rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of 2 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with wax or parchment paper. Grease the bottom of the pan and dust the pans with flour and set aside.
  2. Sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
  3. Combine the chocolate and boiling water in a bowl and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and set aside to cool.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and vanilla extract and set aside.
  5. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attached, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and beat on high speed until well blended and fluffy about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cooled chocolate and mix until blended. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating it with the sour cream mixture in two additions and mixing just until blended. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and set aside.
  6. In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer beat the egg whites at low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and mix until blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the whites are fluffy and begin to form soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to high and whip until the whites until they are glossy and smooth and form stiff peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the chocolate batter one-third at a time. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops.
  7. Bake the cakes for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Carefully run a small knife around the edge of each pan to loosen the cake and invert each cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

FROSTING

  1. Put the chocolate in a medium stainless steel bowl and place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the bowl from over the pot and set the chocolate aside to cool.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat at high speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the cooled chocolate at low speed, mixing until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Increase the speed to high and beat until the frosting is slightly aerated, about 1 minute. Use the frosting immediately or cover tightly and set aside at room temperature for up to 3 hours.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Place one of the cake layers upside down on a cake stand or cake round and spread 1 1/2 cups of the filling on top of the cake. Top with the other cake layer (smooth side up).
  2. Using a small offset spatula, smooth the frosting on the sides of the cake, filling in any gaps between the layers. Spread the remaining filling on top of the cake. Decorate with remaining frosting to your liking.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine American

 

Adapted from The Cake Book

Old-fashioned Chocolate Cake

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Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake 2-2

So I have actually posted this recipe before, just in cupcake form. You can check that one out here. But I needed an excuse to use my new Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G camera lens and since I know how easy this cake is to make I decided on this recipe for my food model. There’s nothing fancy about this cake, and I think that gives it a certain charm and a rustic appeal. No fancy decorating skills are required or cake tips to dig through or cake bags to set up. I think that’s what appeals to me so much with this cake. No need to fancy up the décor on this one. It’s old-fashioned style!

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

 

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Old-fashioned Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

CAKE

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

FROSTING

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

CAKE

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. To prepare your cake pans, grease them with a little melted butter or Crisco and line with parchment paper or wax paper, then dust with a little unsweetened cocoa powder. Tap out any access.
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Combine water, oil, vinegar, instant coffee and vanilla in a large 4 cup measuring cup. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined, a few lumps are okay. Divide batter between cake pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it, about 35-40 minutes. Cool the cakes on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert them onto a rack to cool completely.

FROSTING

  1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir in sugar, cocoa and salt. The mixture will be thick and grainy
  3. Combine the heavy whipping cream, sour cream and instant coffee in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, mixing until smooth. Gradually add the cream mixture to the chocolate and stir until smooth. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth to the touch, about 6-8 minutes. Do not boil.
  4. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla extract. Cool the frosting at room temperature until spreadable about 2-3 hours. (Frosting maybe be chilled until completely cold, then rewarmed gently in a microwave until spreadable. Heat at high power for 20 second intervals, stirring well after each interval. ) Enjoy!

Courses Dessert

Cuisine American

 

Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake

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This is one of my all time favorite cakes, and until just recently I had almost forgotten about it. I was going through my cookbook collection the other day and came across my Coca Cola cookbook and thought about this decadent and rich chocolate cake. I thought I have to blog this cake! It’s too good not to share. But be warned, this is a will power crushing type of cake. I am usually pretty good with just having a small slice of whatever tasty dessert I make, just enough to know if it’s a keeper, well this one I was having a very hard time staying away from. I could seriously eat the whole thing in one sitting. I probably had 3 bites more than I usually do but every calorie (which I didn’t count, because I just don’t want to know) was absolutely worth it!

Coca Cola Fudge Cake 1

Coca Cola Fudge Cake

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Chocolate Fudge Sheet Cake

Yield 12

Ingredients

CAKE

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup Coca Cola
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

ICING

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 6 tablespoons half and half
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup hazelnuts or nuts of your choice
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

CAKE

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9x2 cake pan.
  2. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt together and set aside.
  3. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt together the Coca Cola, oil, unsalted butter and unsweetened cocoa powder over low heat. Pour the melted liquid into the flour mixture and beat well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla extract and beat well. Pour into your prepared cake pan and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. To test for doneness stick a skewer in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs on the skewer, the cake is done.

ICING

  1. While the cake is baking, combine the unsalted butter, unsweetened cocoa powder and half and half in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted. Pour the melted mixture into a medium-sized bowl and beat in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Fold in hazelnuts.
  2. Pour the frosting on the hot cake. If your frosting is too stiff for the delicate hot cake, try warming up a cake spatula with hot water, then wiping the spatula dry and then smooth the frosting on the cake with the warmed cake spatula. Enjoy with a nice cold glass of milk or even a nice cold bottle of Coca Cola!

Courses Dessert

Cuisine American

 

Adapted from Classic Cooking with Coca Cola

Lemon Cupcakes with Fluffy Icing

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Makes 24 cupcakes

This year for Easter I decided to make these beauties. They’re perfect for any Spring or Summer gathering. After going back and forth deciding which type of cupcake to make, (confetti cupcakes or carrot cupcakes) I decided to do something entirely different at the last-minute, lemon cupcakes! But not the usual lemon cupcakes made with a lemon cake but one made with a tender white cake and a flavorful lemon curd filling, topped with a fluffy white icing, which makes for a light, flavorful, not too sweet cupcake.

Lemon Cupcakes Cover Pic_edited-2

 

Lemon Cupcakes Option 2_edited-1

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Lemon Cupcakes with Fluffy Icing

Yield 12

Ingredients

  • FILLING
  • 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice, divided
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs, plus 6 large egg yolks, at room temperature (save the egg whites for the cake)
  • 8 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces

CAKE

  • 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
  • 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups cake flour
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces, at room temperature

ICING

  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon corn syrup

Instructions

FOR THE FILLING

  1. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside. Heat the remaining lemon juice, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and mixture is hot, but not boiling. Whisk the eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot lemon-sugar mixture into the eggs then return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture registers 170 degrees and is thick enough to leave a trail when the spatula is scraped along the pan bottom, about 10-15 minutes. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture until dissolved. Stir in the frozen butter until incorporated. Pour the filling through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl (you should have about 3 cups). Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling; refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Fold the filling with a rubber spatula to loosen before using.

FOR THE CAKE

  1. Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Whisk milk, egg whites, and vanilla extract together in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup.
  2. Using your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low-speed until combined. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add all but ½ cup of the milk mixture, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the remaining milk mixture and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Give the batter a final stir by hand.
  3. Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, about 15-20 minutes. Let cakes cool in their pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Once the cakes have cooled you can store them covered in an air tight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for 1 day.

ICING

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl of a stand mixer and set over a medium saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Cook stirring constantly until the mixture registers 160 degrees, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat. Fit your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip the egg white mixture on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to whip until the mixture has cooled to room temperature and stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes longer.

ASSEMBLE YOUR CUPCAKES

  1. Core your cupcake with a cupcake corer. Place your filling in a piping bag fitted with a Wilton #12 tip and pipe in some filling in each cupcake. Top off your cupcakes with icing. I used a coupler without an icing tip for mine. Then top off with an edible flower or decor of your choice and enjoy!

Courses Dessert

Cuisine American

 

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes with Glossy Chocolate Icing

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I love this chocolate cake for many reasons:

1. It’s super easy.
2. I don’t even have to turn on my mixer.
3. It’s so good!

I shouldn’t need any more reasons other than that! When eating out, on special occasions my husband and I will get dessert, of which I rarely choose a cake dessert. I have never been impressed with any cake I have ordered while dining at a restaurant so I just stopped ordering them all together and choose something like a pie, ice cream or crème brulee (which I have never had success with, but I will try again soon). Well one night I decided to be adventurous and decided to order the chocolate cake at Antonia’s Cucina Italiana in Katy, TX and boy was I pleased! I thought, wow I guess some restaurants have gotten better with the cakes they serve for dessert. So silly me, this past Valentine’s Day at another restaurant I decided I wanted some chocolate cake for dessert, as I saw the decadent looking chocolate cake on the dessert tray I couldn’t resist. So I was anticipating how sweet, chocolaty and decadent this chocolate cake was going to be. Once it got to the table I had high hopes. Well one bite into it and I was very disappointed. I looked at my husband and said “this cake isn’t very good” he laughed and continued to eat his delicious bread pudding (the dessert I should have ordered) because it was no surprise to him. He knows how picky I can be with cake. As I continued to eat this not so good cake with a huge frown on my face (I know I had one because my husband told me), my husband said, don’t eat it if you don’t like it. And he was right. I wasn’t about to waist precious calories on a mediocre chocolate cake. So I sent it back. The look on the waiters face was priceless. It was the look of utter confusion. This must have been the first time someone sent back dessert as he didn’t seem to know what to say or do. After a few seconds I just said I am just picky since the cake was probably very good, very good for someone else not The Cake Chica. After that, I decided this was the cake I was craving for that night, just a simple, delicious, old fashioned chocolate cake and this recipe really couldn’t get any simpler.

***Icing must sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours for a spreadable consistency***

Old-fashioned Chocolate Cake with Glossy Icing

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Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes with Glossy Chocolate Icing

Yield 12

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE CAKE

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

GLOSSY CHOCOLATE ICING

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1/8 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

CAKE

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees with rack in the center. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Combine the water, oil, vinegar, instant coffee and vanilla in a large measuring cup and stir until the coffee has dissolved. Add the coffee mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined – a few lumps are okay. Divide the batter among the lined cupcake pan about 3/4 full, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 15-20 minutes. Then very carefully invert them onto a rack to cool completely.

ICING

  1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir in the sugar, cocoa and salt. Mixture will be thick and grainy.
  3. Combine the heavy cream, sour cream and instant coffee in a large measuring cup, mixing until smooth. Gradually add the cream mixture to the chocolate until blended and smooth. Cook and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth and hot to the touch, about 6-8 minutes. Do not boil.
  4. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla. Cool the icing to room temperature until spreadable, 2-3 hours. (Icing may be chilled until completely cold, then, warmed gently in the microwave until spreadable. Heat at high power in 20 second intervals, stirring well after each interval.)

Courses Dessert

Cuisine American

 

Recipe adapted from Cuisine At Home

Buttermilk Pound Cake

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Pound cake is a very versatile dessert so I have to admit being The Cake Chica, I felt a little guilty that I had never made one myself. Well now I can say I have made a pound cake, and a flavorful one at that. With so many desserts having pound cake as the base, such as trifles, bread puddings, and whatever else your mind can dream up, I believe everyone should have a great pound cake recipe in their repertoire. I recommend giving this one a try. This one comes from Cuisine at Home Issue No 86. April 2011 and it has some great tips for insuring your cake comes out with a fine crumb, a tender, moist texture and a rich, buttery taste. Top it off with some Tres Leches Sauce and fresh fruit and I’m in heaven.

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Buttermilk Pound Cake

Yield 12

Ingredients

CAKE

  • 3 cups sifted cake flour (sifted before measuring)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 16 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

SAUCE

  • 1 (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup dark rum

Instructions

CAKE

  1. Be sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. This will help reduce the chances of over mixing. Your butter should be about 70 degrees, or yield to pressure when pressed but it should not be mushy or greasy. If your butter is soft and mushy it can’t trap air and your cake will likely be dense.
  2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 10-15 cup fluted tube pan with butter and flour or a cake release spray, such as Bakers Joy.
  3. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, and set aside.
  4. Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until softened. Resist the urge to run the mixer on full speed. Doing this will only raise the temperature of the butter and melt it. With the mixer running on medium-low, slowly drizzle in the sugar until all is added, about 5 minutes. Continue creaming the butter and sugar until all the sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes more, stopping every two to three minutes to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  5. Whisk eggs and vanilla extract together in a glass measuring cup and mix into the creamed mixture in 3 or 4 batches, beating to fully incorporate after each addition.
  6. Alternately add flour mixture, and buttermilk in 3 batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
  7. Transfer the batter to prepared pan and smooth the top, and bake on an insulated baking sheet, or 2 stacked baking sheets, (baking the cake on an insulated baking sheet or two baking sheets keeps it from having a dark exterior) until golden and a skewer inserted all the way to the bottom of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 1 – 1 1/4 hours.

SAUCE

  1. While the cake is baking, combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream and rum in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.(Using a large saucepan will help the mixture reduce faster and is less prone to boiling over.) Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and continue simmering and stirring until reduced to about 2 cups, 20-25 minutes.Transfer the sauce to a heatproof container and place some plastic wrap right on top of the sauce and cool to room temperature.
  2. Once the cake has finished baking, allow the cake to cool in the pan about 15 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  3. Pour your room temperature sauce over cooled cake. Garnish with fresh fruit and enjoy!

Courses Dessert

Cuisine American

 

Sweet 16 Tiffany Box Cake

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I always get super excited when I get to do a custom cake like this. I don’t get to do very many because they aren’t cheap. This one was a gift to my niece who was turning 16 so I was more than happy to do one for her as a gift.

I get lots of inquiries from my co-workers about ordering cakes like this but they never actually buy them. I know it’s because of cost, but that’s just how much they are. There is a lot of work involved and I thought I would show just a little bit of what is involved when I do a custom cake. There are still plenty of things I still need to learn but this is the way I do my cakes right now. And each time I do one I learn a lot. That means I will only get better with practice, and practice makes perfect.

First thing I do is bake the cakes. Planning is everything when I do a custom cake, especially since I work full time. I’ll usually plan on taking one day just to do the baking.
Now that I have the cakes baked, it’s now time to trim them up. I usually take off the cake tops, or cake domes to make the cakes nice and flat on top.
I have a cake cutter that helps take off the cake tops but it doesn’t always get it even so sometimes I will have to go behind it and level it myself.

I’ll try to get it as level as I can.

Once I have all my cakes level I prepare to fill my cakes. I use a super thick buttercream dam to hold my filling in. To do this I add a lot of cornstarch to make it more of a putty like consistency.
I use a piping bag to pipe out the stiffened buttercream.
For square cakes I make sure I get the buttercream at the very edge of the cakes. The corners have a tendency to slope down and create a droopy effect on the final out come of the cake and I don’t like that so I make sure the corners are full of buttercream.
Once my buttercream dam is up I pour in my filling. Lemon this time.( I also made a mental note that I could have put a little more filling in so I will remember that next time. )
From here I will stack the cake layers pressing down just a little and repeating this process for all my cake layers.
I spread some buttercream on the sides of the filling edges and let the cake set for a few hours to settle.
While the cakes set, I prepare my support system. I use a special support system called SPS. No stacked cakes leave my house without this support system!!! It’s pretty much fool proof and this also allows my clients to come pick up their cake instead of me delivering it. This way customers can save a little money. This support system was made just for that purpose.
Since my cakes need to be stacked right on top of each other I first need to take off those little rings on the back side of the cake plate.
Now that I have those off I can turn the cake plate over and continue getting the support system ready.
The notch on the top of the cake plate helps the cake stay in place. No middle dowel required.
Just pop the cake board on top of the notch, and when it’s time to stack the cake, I’ll just place it on the preset hole. You’ll also see I have trimmed my cake board. My cakes tend to shrink a bit. Sometimes I will have to cut the cake plate as well but I did not have to do that this time since the fondant covered the edges of the cake plate this time.
After the cakes have settled I then take a knife and even everything out. Everything has to be straight.
 From there it’s time for the crumb coat. (which I didn’t have enough buttercream to do it properly so I made another mental note for next time) Once the crumb coat has crusted I take my Viva paper towels and my fondant smoothers and I smooth out everything.
I set the crumb coated cakes in the refrigerator for about 8 minutes, just enough time to get the buttercream set so when I lay the fondant on top it would mess up the cake.
Now that all the cakes are covered, it’s now time to stack.
I then have to measure to make sure the columns are the correct size so the cakes set flush against each other.
I just push down the columns and there was a gap so that means it’s time to get the hack saw out. I take a measurement and mark my columns to get them ready to saw.
This takes a little more work then cutting wooden dowels, but trust me, this cake will go nowhere when it’s all set and done. I like not having to worry if a cake will fall because of the type of supports I use.
Once everything is all measured out and ready to go I melt a little white chocolate and spread a little on the cake board for my cake to attach to.
From here I stack the cakes on top of each other and then the fun stuff comes. DECORATING!!!
But that’s for another blog post.
Thanks for checking out my blog. If you like what you see please follow. Thanks!

Banana Cake with Caramel Espresso Frosting

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Banana Cake with Caramel Espresso Frosting
My favorite part if making this cake was making the caramel for the frosting! I couldn’t resist eating it when it should have been putting it into the frosting.
 
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Banana Cake with Caramel Espresso Frosting

Yield 12

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar

CARAMEL ESPRESSO BUTTERCREAM

  • 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 pound unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

BANANA CAKE

  • 2 ½ cups cake flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 ½ cups pureed or well smashed very ripe bananas
  • ½ cups sour cream
  • 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 6 tablespoons safflower oil or neutral vegetable oil
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
  • Store bought banana chips

SUGARED PECANS

  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 ½ cups pecan halves
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions

BUTTERCREAM

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup, and salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, just until the sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring, and increase the heat to high.
  2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, begin beating the eggs at medium speed. When the sugar syrup reaches 225 F on a candy thermometer, increase the speed of the mixer to high. Continue to cook the sugar syrup until it reaches 238 F.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer off, immediately pour about ¼ cup of the hot syrup over the beaten eggs. Beat at high speed for another 10 seconds. (Don’t worry if the syrup look like it has hardened, keep beating and eventually it will smooth out.) Turn the mixer off and add another ¼ cup syrup. Beat at high speed for another 10 seconds. Repeat this process until all of the syrup is used. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat at medium-speed until the egg mixture is completely cool, about 5 minutes.
  4. At medium speed, beat in the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla extract and coffee mixture, increase the speed a to medium-high, and beat the buttercream until it is smooth and shiny, about 4 minutes.

CAKE

  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9 inch cake pans. Dust the pans with flour and tap out the access.
  2. Sift together the cake flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamom into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the bananas with the sour cream; set aside.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the safflower oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar and beat at high speed until creamy and light, about 3 minutes. At medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract. At low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating it with the banana mixture in two additions and mixing just until blended.
  5. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir in the pecans by hand. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.
  6. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs on it. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  7. Invert the cakes onto the racks and let cool completely.
  8. Set aside about 2/3 cup of buttercream for garnishing. Place one of the cake layers upside down on a cake board or cake plate. Using a small offset metal spatula, spread about 1 cup of the buttercream over the top of the layer. Top with the other cake layer, upside down. Spread the remaining buttercream over the sides and top of the cake. Place the reserved buttercream in a pastry bag with a medium star tip, and pipe rosettes or shells around the edge and top of the cake. Garnish with pecans and banana chips

SUGARED PECANS

  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly butter a baking sheet.
  2. Place the egg white in a medium bowl, add the nuts, and stir to coat the pecans evenly. Sprinkle over the sugar and toss the pecans to coat evenly with the sugar.
  3. Spread the nuts in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake, tossing pecans twice, for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely.
  4. Store pecans in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Store the frosting in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 hours, or refrigerate for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before using.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine American