Black Zirconia

 

Some people have an obsession for Red Velvet, my obsession is what I have decided to call Black Diamond. I don’t know why, when we have the perfect chocolate sponge and chiffon cake recipes, I still feel vaguely unsatisfied in the chocolate cake department. So, I’ve chosen to pursue a chocolate cake that is as black and rich as the night sky.  So, when I saw a recipe on Epicurious for a Double Chocolate Layer Cake, and noticed that the picture showed an insanely dark cake, I had to give it a go. I figured there was no way that it would actually be as dark as the pictures appeared, but I wanted to actually see that the pictures lied. But I figured that a cake has the rave reviews that it does (apparently the most reviewed recipe on Epicurious) must have some redeeming qualities.

To go with this new recipe, I had bought these new silicon cupcake cases over the weekend. When silicone bake-ware first came out several years ago, I was not too excited by them. But, over the past couple months, the idea of reusable cupcake cases been appealing to my eco-sensibility, not to mention the fact that running out of cupcake cases right at the moment when one wants to bake is a bit frustrating. However, I’m not too sure that is a good justification eco-wise–is  using up copious amounts of water to wash up these little cups any better than paper cupcake cases that end up in a landfill? I’m guessing it’s a draw on the eco-friendly factor.

Why do the cupcake cases matter at all in this discussion? Well, I used them for the first time, on a recipe I was also test-driving for the first time. I’m not sure what went wonky here, the silicone cases or the recipe, but I found the cake to be too moist. I know, how bizarre; that should not even be possible, a too-moist cake. But when a cake is bordering on gunky, that is the definition of too moist. When I was making it, I did feel there was too much liquid, and also too much sugar. I decided to decrease the sugar content, but kept the liquid-to-dry-ingredients ratio the same. The sweetness is still a bit too much for me, so I used a frosting that is not as sweet.

I halved the recipe and divided the batter between a 9 inch round pan and nine cupcakes. While the cupcakes came out a bit too gooey, I have not cut into the round cake yet. It might just be perfect, but I’ll see in a few days. I do love the darkness of the cake, it definitely met my expectations in the color department. If it had met all my expectations, I would have called it my Black Diamond cake, but I’m afraid this recipe might need a bit of work to get to that point. So, just a Black Zirconia.

A Lazy Girl’s Red-Velvet Tiramisu

I say that this is for the lazy girl because I did not make the cake specially for the task–it was leftover from the time when I made a red-velvet chiffon cheesecake. Also, I did not make a zabaglione cream to fold into the “mascarpone” because, honestly, I forgot. I say “mascarpone” in quotes, because I did not have mascarpone, so I improvised with cream cheese and sour cream.

You might be wondering why I’m calling it a tiramisu when it’s red, lacks zabaglione, and real mascarpone? Also, when it’s being served in goblets rather than made in a square serving platter? Well, because I can. Also, because it tastes like a tiramisu. And because it really does pick me up, like a good tiramisu promises.

I find that I like a tiramisu without a zabaglione cream, which tends to make the dessert even more rich, almost unbearably so, although using a pastry cream of any sort would reduce the amount of mascarpone one would need to use. It’s a trade-off, I guess. The prospect of lazy on the brain and less overwhelming on the taste buds appeals to me.

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes from Martha Stewart.

I made a half recipe, using weighed (rather than scooped) ingredients. Next time, I’ll scoop and see if the result is any different.

These don’t dome, but they do rise nicely, so be sure to not overfill. They are wonderfully soft and fluffy, and flavor is deliciously cinnamony, not too much and not too little.

I topped them with a brown butter icing–the warm, nutty flavor of the browned butter perfectly complements the warm, cinnamon flavor of the cake.

Nutella Chocolate Cupcake

Recipe by Master Chef Season 1 contestant Sharone Hakman.

Notes: These did not dome up the way the cupcakes do on every. single. tv food show.  I even searched the Internet beforehand for tips on how to make sure they dome. Many people recommended preheating the oven to 400 F , and then turning it down to 350 F once you slide them in.  Someone suggested baking cupcakes at 375 F for the first 7 minutes, then bringing the temperature down to 350 F. Someone else suggested baking it at 375 F all the way through.

I did all of that, separating out the cupcakes into 3 separate muffins pans.

Nothing worked. The cupcakes rose, but they definitely did not dome.

The only thing left to do is play scientist and mess with the ratios of the leavening agent, baking powder. Or try using shortening rather than butter. Or sprinkle some Magic Doming Dust on top before sliding them into the oven. Yes, this is the method I find myself drawn to!

In other notes, I omitted the Nuttella in the batter and the frosting, because I couldn’t be bothered to look for it. I melted a bunch of Hershey’s minis and assorted milk chocolate we had lying around, and used that with the cream cheese frosting.

It worked out pretty well: the taste is a thing of beauty, the texture is nice and fluffy,albeit not as moist as I was looking for, and the icing on top really is the icing on the top.

Patriotic Pops

When I made red velvet whoopie pies some time back, I saved a few to do something (anything) interesting with them in case the whoopie pies themselves weren’t all that. Turns out, they were quite good, and I forgot about the saved up whoopies until last week. My mother saw these cake pops that have been made so popular by Bakeralla (I think Bakerella practically invented these?!), and she was all, “You should try that!” I’d always overlooked them, because I thought my mother might find them too simple, and I really need to focus on my advanced techniques.

Turns out, she liked them. Lesson learned: do not try to guess what another person will think.

Then, earlier this week, I was at Starbucks, and saw their cake pops sitting in the display case, and large posters of their cakepops on the signboards. They were just taunting me, I tell you. But I resisted the urge to even look at them up close, because I was sure that I’d see the price tag and would not be impressed. I did, however, resolve to make cake pops the first chance I got, and on Wednesday, I did it.

I went a-crumbling, a-mixing, a-rolling, and a-smothering, and made out with fourteen of these lovely, moist little cake morsels. I decided not to skewer them on sticks, because I just didn’t want to deal with any potential hassle of them falling off. I was operating on the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I’d read warnings that you should only opt for making these when you’re in the mood for something intensely sweet, and I took that as a warning to scoop the sugar out in human quantities. People around this here house, they tend to desert the desserts that are excessively sweet.

I opted against a chocolate coating, because I wanted a white coating but I didn’t have white chocolate on hand. So, I made a pourable fondant, but I must say I’m not terribly fond of it: it’s a bit too sweet, so I will have to search for a white alternative to chocolate that is more palatable, yet sets firmly like chocolate does.

I wanted a red-white-and-blue color scheme, because come on: what’s more American than Red Velvet? Also, I just wanted red, white, and blue to sit on a plate together. We’re not red states, we’re not blue states, we’re the United States! (Getting ready for campaign season, all right?)

My cup, it runneth over

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a Nutella cake baked in a mug, and I was intrigued, but seeing that they were baked in the microwave rendered me a tad skeptical. I didn’t want to waste our Nutella on something that might not work, so I looked for recipes sans Nutella. If there is one thing (besides the sheer volume of eye candy) that food curation sites are good for, it’s definitely the variety of virtually anything you’re curious about.

I chose this recipe from Collaborative Curry, and seeing that it was chocolate-free but cocoa-rich, I filed it away for a day when I was feeling calm, zen, and in the mood for something quick that would not disturb my moment of zen. I decided today was just such a day, and I went for it.

I used decidedly smaller tea cups than the mugs recommended, because I know that a mugful of cake is too much even for my family. I’d only kill them with that much kindness if they really really got on my nerves. But they’ve kept their nerve-wracking ways to a minimum, so a cupful of cake is more appropo.

In the first batch, I used a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. I found the surface to have too many large bubbles once cooked, so for the second batch I eased it back to 1/3 teaspoon. The hole-y surface is minimized, but still not to my liking. Next time, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder would probably do the trick.

When I first filled my teacups, I filled them about 3/4 full. I quickly discovered that it was way too much, as the first cup overflowed big-time:

So, I learned that they should be filled about half-way to the top, like so:

Overall, I like this recipe a ton. I might play around with the amount of vegetable oil to get a more moist cake. The beauty of it is that it’s really a 5-minute cake, and very economical because it’s virtually impossible to flop. Playing around with the ratios of ingredients by the batch till you get the texture you’ll love is like child’s play.

Love. it.

Covered in Snowballs

There is this fabulous little cake we used to get in South Africa, called Snowballs. It’s not the American version, where you cover a cupcake in white frosting, sprinkle coconut on top and call it a day. No, it’s two half-moon shaped cakes, sandwiched together with red-colored jam (any kind, just color it red!), covered in red jam, and then rolled in pink-colored coconut. The whoopie pies that have become popular lately (among foodies, anyway) remind me a lot of snowballs, but they are too flat and the texture too dry. The Mexican sweet bread Besos also reminds me snowballs, especially since it looks exactly as I described: two half-moons sandwiched together and covered with red jam, then rolled in coconut!

Every year or so, I do a Google search for “South African Snowballs” and a few days ago, I found a recipe–which never happens! This must be one of the most elusive recipes around, because I normally get absolutely nothing. I was so excited, I gave it a go yesterday, and was not happy. The recipe was not a flop in the sense that it is definitely inedible (it is totally eatable!), but it is a flop in the sense that it’s a cookie, not a cake (not by any stretch of the imagination!). The recipe was from Food Network UK, and I must say I’m surprised it’s nowhere near authentic.

As for the Besos recipe, I never even knew what those sweet breads were called until I searched for “Mexican sweet bread round with jam.” I found a few recipes that I wanted to try, and went with one from 1935 made with cornstarch. It’s delicious, but for the excessive amount of cornstarch which results in a powderiness that is unwanted (I’m guessing that the corn starch of yesteryear was probably a bit different than ours today). It’s also more of a cookie, albeit a very tender one, and the flavor is simply awesome: delicately rich and buttery!

One of these months, I’ll mess with a few whoopie pie recipes to see if I can get a rounder, moister cake that I can make into Snowballs…

Triple the chocolate

When we were kids, our parents were of the sort who did not buy cakes, cookies, and pies from any store or bakery anywhere in the world under any circumstances whatsoever. Well, perhaps I exaggerate a little bit on that count, but I do not exaggerate when I say that my mother would sooner fill a 25-gallon tub with homemade chocolate chip cookies than even risk us kids looking sideways at an 18 ounce package of preservative-laden, artificial-flavor-ridden, food-coloring-soaked items of a decidedly inferior quality.

So, when I was a kid, I never even knew cookies such as these existed. Occasionally, when we’d go out to LA for a Saturday at the Griffith Park Observatory, or some museum exhibition, or just an endless day at the mall, my dad would buy packages of Hit cookies, which were basically butter biscuits sandwiched with a chocolate filling. Sometimes he’d have them, and sometimes he wouldn’t, but we’d never know until we were having our tail-gate picnic lunch. So the potential promise of them would basically bribe us into submission, and we’d behave ourselves until we got a “hit” off the (proverbial) crack pipe. And if there was no Hit to be had, well, we’d be too exhausted to care. (OMG. There’s a Facebook page for these Hit cookies, and someone on there comments that they are as “addicting as crack.” So glad I’m not the only one!)

I saw these Devil’s Food Cookies on Tasteologie, which took me to the recipe on mybakingdom.com, and I found that it was a knock-off of a ready-made cookie. Knowing, from the very core of my DNA (thank you, mother) that these would be better than anything a grocery store could serve up, I had to give it a go. I was not disappointed: these are pillowy soft cake/cookie, and they are so perfectly satisfying that I figure I’m not lacking anything in my life for not having had the ready-made version of these as a kid. They are even better than Hit, which I guess might make them akin to heroin. Or whatever is better worse than crack.

Last week, I made a chocolate marshmallow creme, so that was waiting around to be used up. This project was the perfect candidate, turning them into Triple Devil’s Food Cookies: Chocolate in the cookie, chocolate in the filling, and chocolate on top.

Thank you God for guiding me to double the recipe. Amen! I made these a bit larger than I should have, and next time I wouldn’t flatten them out as much as I did before baking. The yield as is was 33…but I could easily see getting 40 out of this batch.