CLEMENTINE CAKE

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Clementines will always remind me of my stepson Alex, as he and his Dad would sit together devouring a few of them after dinner or mid-afternoon on weekends. We made sure to keep a backup bag stored away, just in case. In our neck of the woods, they are sold as cuties, a well-chosen name. This cake – made in the food processor – is supposed to be very easy. Of course, Sally + Cake = Drama. But it ended reasonably well, except for a burn on my right hand. Actually, two burns. A sticky kitchen floor. And a major spill of orange extract.

CLEMENTINE CAKE
(From Razzle Dazzle Recipes)

Cake:
3 clementines
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Icing:
1 clementine
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (I used orange extract, about 1/4 tsp)

Grease an 8-cup bundt pan. Peel clementines; cut into quarters. If there are seeds, remove them (they are normally seedless). Process with sugar in food processor until smooth. Add butter, then eggs; processing after each addition until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt; process until combined. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake in 350-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden. Cool on rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan.

For icing: Grate and squeeze juice from clementine. In food processor, measure 1 teaspoon rind and 2 tablespoons juice; add butter, confectioners’ sugar and liqueur. Process until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

At some point I would like to be able to bake a cake smoothly. No bumps, no boo-boos. In this particular case, the cake part went fine, except for the fact that since our oven is a perverse piece of equipment, I had to keep moving the pan around to try to cook it evenly. Burned my hand twice in the process, touching the grids. I thought I was off the hook, and proceeded to make the icing. Knowing how powdered sugar has a tendency to make a mess, I was extra careful measuring the first cup, and then, all confident in my flawless technique, grabbed the 1/3 measuring cup but the bag literally Poltergeisted on me! Powdered sugar everywhere, counter, floor, rug, my shoes… Truth be told, not the first time it happened, and I suspect it won’t be the last. (sigh) No time to clean then, just chased the dogs away, failing to notice I had the bottle of orange extract already open next to the food processor. I bumped it. Double mess to clean up, a sticky mixture of powdered sugar and orange extract. Its smell lingered for a looong while…

Although I greased the pan well, some parts of the cake stuck while unmolding. I went Zen, and carefully lifted the stuck parts, patching them nicely back on top of the cake. I expected the icing to hide my poor baking skills. That takes me to the icing part. Since I did not have orange liqueur and the orange extract seemed quite strong, I reduced the amount to 1/4 teaspoon. Eyeballed a little water to compensate. It seemed too thick, so I added more water. That was a mistake in judgment. The icing ended up too thin and failed to cover the cut and paste job on the surface of the cake. It explains why you only see a close-up photo of my production… I may not know how to bake a perfect cake, but I can point the camera like a pro! 😉 Anyway, I took the cake to the department already sliced, so the boo-boos were less evident.

The cake has a very intense clementine flavor, if you like cakes that are not too sweet, this is a great option. Of course, it does have a lot of sugar in it, but the clementine juice and zest comes through loud and clear. A perfect cake to make graduate students happy. And lots of staff and faculty members too…

ONE YEAR AGO: Springtime Spinach Risotto

TWO YEARS AGO: The end of green bean cruelty

THREE YEARS AGO: Torta di Limone e Mandorle

14Sep2011

CHOCOLATE INTENSITY

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Last week we hosted a reception at our home, but the guest of honor had a serious gluten allergy, so I chose a flourless chocolate cake as the dessert. I’ve made this type of cake several other times, but on this occasion I went with a new recipe whose name I couldn’t resist: Chocolate Intensity Cake. Nothing beats that! The cake bakes in a water bath to ensure its fudgy texture, and then it gets smothered in chocolate ganache, as a double dose of goodness. If you’re a cake-pro, go for a completely smooth icing and perhaps some decoration with ganache on top. I went with swirls, for reasons that I won’t discuss in public.

CHOCOLATE INTENSITY CAKE
(from The Cake Book, by Tish Boyle)

for the cake
8 ounces 62% bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 + ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup strong brewed coffee
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt

for the glaze
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
⅔ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform cake pan.

Place chopped chocolate in a large bow and set aside. Place the butter, sugar, and coffee in a medium saucepan and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until the butter is melted and the mixture begins to boil. Pour the hot butter mixture over the chopped chocolate, let it sit undisturbed for one minute, then whisk until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs until completely blended. Add the vanilla extract and salt, mix again. Pour a small amount of the hot chocolate mixture into the eggs, whisk gently, and add all the egg mixture into the bowl with the hot chocolate.

Pour the batter into the springform pan. Wrap the outside with three layers of aluminum foil, place it inside a large roasting pan and pour enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan Bake cake in the water bath for 35 to 45 minutes, until the center is still a bit shiny but almost set Carefully transfer the cake pan to wire rack and let the cake cool for 20 minutes. Run a thin bladed paring knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake, open the springform, and place the cake over a plate still on the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before adding the glaze.

Make the glaze by adding the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream almost to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir until completely smooth, add the vanilla, and stir again. Let it sit for 5 minutes at room temperature, then slowly pour the glaze over the chocolate cake, starting from the center. Smooth the surface and sides with an offset spatula. Refrigerate the cake, and bring to room temperature for 1 hour before slicing it.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I was nervous about serving this cake at the reception, because I hadn’t yet tested the recipe. So, I stressed over the baking time, stressed over glazing, stressed over when to remove it from the fridge, and if that wasn’t enough, I stressed about how to serve it without completely butchering the slices. That last part was easy, I handed the knife to my beloved husband. 😉

To my relief, the compliments kept coming, two guests said it was THE BEST cake they had ever had, and they were using all caps for the statement. Two commented on the pleasant “smokiness,” wondering where that could be coming from, and indeed, it was the coffee singing in the background. Coffee and chocolate, hand in hand, a perfect match.

I must say that this cake was awesome. The ganache becomes a single entity with the cake, making a velvety, smooth texture. A tiny slice will be enough because it’s so rich, but the intense chocolate flavor will linger in your mind, and you may find yourself reaching for a second slice, just to make sure you weren’t dreaming!

ONE YEAR AGO: Semolina Barbecue Buns

TWO YEARS AGO: Lavash Crackers

12Oct2010

THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BAKING

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

My husband and I agree on most important subjects, from personal finances to laboratory experiments. However, we can’t decide who is the most stubborn. Obviously, it is not me, but this week, I confess to a certain amount of stubborn determination…

…I baked a cake.

FONDANT AU CHOCOLAT
(from a food blog)

175 g bittersweet chocolate
240 g butter
400 g sugar
8 eggs
130 g all purpose flour

Butter a 10-inch round cake pan.

Melt the chocolate with the butter and reserve.

Place a pan with a small amount of water inside over the stove burner, and bring the water almost to a boil. Place a large bowl over the simmering water, and add to it the sugar and the eggs (still cold from the fridge). Beat them together with a whisk or an electric beater, just until the mixture is at room temperature.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg/sugar, whisk to incorporate. Sift the flour over it in three additions, and mix with a spatula until smooth, but do not over-mix.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake in a 350F oven until barely set in the center.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was the most straightforward recipe! No creaming butter and sugar, no cooking syrup to the “hair-of-an-angel” state, held at exactly 237.8 F while pouring over the spinning blades of a mixer. Still, I created another Armageddon in my kitchen.

The recipe instructed to bake the cake for 30 minutes until barely set. I baked for 35 minutes and it seemed set. Unfortunately, I didn’t stick a tester in the center because I didn’t want to ruin the surface. Unfortunately, I trusted my “instincts” and removed it from the oven. You’ll notice that I omitted the baking time in the recipe: please use a toothpick to make sure the fondant is cooked.

The recipe didn’t specify when or how to unmold it. I am aware that some cakes should cool in the pan, others should come out right away. I compromised and waited 10 minutes. It unmolded easily, but while flipping it over, the cake broke in two unequal pieces. One fell on the cake stand, the other on the countertop. Between them flowed a voluminous lava of chocolate batter, too much to qualify my production as a “molten chocolate cake“. Instead it became a “Cocoa Tsunami”, that took no prisoners.

I admit to shedding a few tears. The saint I married assembled the pieces on a baking sheet, placed them back in the oven at a mellow 325 F for 30 minutes, and I regained my composure. Once both the cake and I had cooled off, I shaved chocolate all over to cover the abuse.

Fate has repeatedly told me to stay away from cake baking. I’m just too stubborn, perhaps I must now admit, more than the man I married. But, no need to tell him that… 😉

Notes to self:
1. Never use your bare hands to stop a flow of hot cake batter.
2. Chocolate fondant cake is so awesome that it’s worth the struggle.

ONE YEAR AGO: Pain de Campagne

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