Strawberry- Rhubarb Compote

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Day Six of Breaking Dawn Desserts

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Chocolate Fig Truffle Cake

It all started with this sketch in class. Yes, I was sketching in class, but...it's a class where you can sketch.   Apparently it's a class where you can also sleep, talk, text or surf the web, so I didn't feel too bad about sketching while listening. Besides, inspiration had struck: a fig truffle cake.
It took me quite a while to find a recipe to adapt, before I found the Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte in The Cake Bible (find it on my books page). Three ingredients: eggs, butter and chocolate. Not only did it sound amazing, but it had directions for adding raspberry puree: exactly what I was looking for. I prepared the truffles for garnishing, then boiled down some fresh figs with some lemon juice and honey to make a fig jam.
The cake was really easy to make and WOW delicious (: I woke up the morning after baking and took my pictures just as the sun was rising above the trees in our yard. The pictures therefore have a kind of "cake for breakfast" look, which is exactly what we had! I even brought the cake to my Chinese cooking class where it was appreciatively devoured. It didn't taste very figgy except for the occassional crunch from a seed, you wouldn't know the figs were there, so I garnished the cake with figs, dredged in agave.
Please enjoy the pictures and this simple recipe which will probably become one of your new favorites. It is quick to prepare, but please note the chilling times (almost 4 hours) so that you don't make it right before dinner and have to wait til the next day to eat it (:

Shone Farm figs

 Chocolate Fig Truffle Cake
adapted from the Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte in The Cake Bible, find it on my books page.

You will need:
1 lb bittersweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
6 large eggs ( 1 1/4 scant cups if you want to be exact)

If using a fruit puree, you'll need:
2/3 cup puree
1/4 cup sugar

1 8" springform pan
A roasting pan or casserole dish to serve as a water bath

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Butter the springform pan and line the bottom with a buttered parchment round. Wrap the outside with two layers of tin foil to protect the pan from any leaks in the water bath.

In a large heatproof bowl over a pan of hot, not simmering water, (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) combine the chocolate and butter and let stand, stirring occasionally, until smooth and melted. (OR you can put a heatproof bowl in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring until mostly melted. Then stir until fully melted and the heat is evenly distributed).
In another large bowl set over a pan of simmering water heat the eggs, stirring constantly to prevent curdling, until just warm to the touch. Add the 1/4 cup sugar now if you are adding any fruit puree or preserves. Beat the eggs with the whisk attachment of an egg beater over the heat until hot. Then remove from heat and beat until cool and triple in volume.
Add your puree to your melted chocolate and butter and incorporate.
Using a large wire whisk or rubber spatula, fold half of the eggs into your chocolate gently, until almost incorporated. Fold in the remaining eggs until just blended and no streaks remain. Finish by scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure that the heavier mixture at the bottom is incorporated. Scrape into the prepped pan and smooth with a spatula.
Set the pan into the larger pan and surround it with 1" of very hot water. Bake for 5 minutes. Loosely cover with a piece of buttered tin foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
Remove from oven and set cake on a rack to cool for 45 minutes. It will look wet when you first take it out, but that's ok. It's going to set up as it cools.
Then chill the cake for 3 hours or until completely firm.

To unmold your creation:
Have ready a serving plate and a flat plate( I used a light cutting board), covered with plastic wrap.  Wipe the sides of the pan with a hot, damp towel.
Run a thin, metal spatula around the sides of the cake and release the sides of the springfrom pan. Place the plastic-wrapped plate on top and invert. Wipe the bottom of the pan with a hot, damp, towel. Remov the bottom of the pan and parchment. Reinvert onto your serving plate!

I garnished my fig cake with fig slices dredged in agave and chocolate truffles. Here's a simple recipe for truffles:

Chocolate Truffles

1 lb. Semisweet chocolate

1 cup cream

6 tbs. Butter (3 oz.)

Bring the cream to a boil.  Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and butter.  Stir until smooth.  Refrigerate until firm.  Beat the mixture with the paddle attachment on the mixer on medium speed until light.  Add a liqueur if desired.  Form into balls with your hands, or pipe into small rounds onto parchment-lined sheets.  Freeze until firm before coating, rolling in nuts, or rolling in cocoa powder.

Enjoy!

~Carrot Cake~

I made this cake last Easter and had people asking for the recipe! It is the best carrot cake I've ever had and I thought it was about time I shared the recipe!

Queen Anne's Cake
from "A World of Cake" by Krystina Castella
The original recipe also has 1 20-oz can of crushed pineapple and 3/4 cup golden raisins, which I omitted when I made this cake, but you can add them at the same time as the carrots if you wish!

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
5 eggs
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups corn oil
2 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts

2 cups cream cheese frosting
(recipe follows)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 8-inch fluted, round cake pans.

 Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate medium bowl, beat the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar until thick, about 2 minutes, then stir in the vanilla. Slowly mix the oil until blended. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, stirring until blended. Stir in the carrots and walnuts and mix until evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and set on a rack to finish cooling.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
6 tbs (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioner's or "powdered" sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Makes about 4 cups

Cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Slowly sift in the confectioner's sugar, and continue beating until all the lumps are gone. Add the vanilla and mix until fully blended and smooth.

Be sure to share this cake with your friends, they will thank you for it! ( :
Find a link to the cookbook in my book section here.

At the bakery and the farmer's market!

I got to draw for the cake decorator again yesterday and also assemble some fruit tarts at work!

Early French pears and fresh honeycomb from the farmer's market! Basically just me messing around with the camera ( :

Video!

One of my favorite cakes demystified. My Sweet and Saucy

June: a month of cakes and chocolate!

This month I was enrolled in a cake decorating class and also a chocolate class. I am also currently taking a vegetarian cooking class. I haven't done much cooking since I got a job as an intern at a bakery, until this week when I realized I'd stopped! So, I also made dinner on the 4th and have been working on creating one of my favorite lunches: Ochazuke with Hojicha green tea broth.

Cool spices mixed up for ginger cookies at work.

Freshly picked, local blueberries!

Practicing piping with butter :P

Red velvet in cake class! I learned at work that red velvet used to be just cocoa powder and the vinegar turned it slightly red.

Nowadays, most people use a lot of food coloring and expect a bright red from a red velvet cake. This recipe used vinegar and cocoa, but also some food coloring.

Chocolate feast!

Walnut fudge that I made in class.

Using my new piping skills at work! I know the flowers look sketchy, but it's actually a copy of the party plates we were given. They're supposed to look fake and kind of whimsical.

Cupcakes to match the cake. The girl was turning two and for her birthday, they were having a "ladybug release" party! SO cute! :D

The culmination of my cake decorating class. Vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream on an almond-infused yellow cake, with fresh strawberry filling and marzipan strawberries. My boyfriend and little bro helped me punch out the gum paste blossoms the night before so they could dry overnight. I filled the centers with yellow royal icing the next day in class.

Was lucky enough to draw "molten cakes" out of the hat at chocolate class! One of my favorite desserts (:

MMM Lava-ey

Got to draw this pug on a cake for the cake decorator to pipe at work!

Lychee at WHOLE FOODS.

Lunch: Pepper jack pupusas with fresh salsa and cabbage salad.

My newest experiment: Ochazuke a la Infusions in sebtown. They charge way too much for me to go there every day like I'd like to! They basically take quinoa, dried seaweed, veggies, tofu and green onions, mild miso and plum paste then pour this Hojicha (amaaaazing) green tea over it. Bon appetit!

Walnut Twix Dobos Torte for My Mom's Birthday!

So, for my mom's birthday, I took a traditional Dobos torte recipe and replaced the hazelnuts with walnuts and on top, coated shortbread wedges with the caramel and chocolate because she really likes Twix!
Here is the result. I figured I should post these pictures before I fell into a sugar-induced stupor :P
Pretty tasty!

My mom cracking up and Jordan wielding a fork

( :

Dobos Torte Recipe
from Krystina Castella's "A World Of Cake"

Sponge Cake
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
9 eggs, separated
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel Glaze
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs lemon juice

Toppings
6 oz chocolate, melted
6 cups bittersweet chocolate buttercream
1 cup hazelnuts

Makes 1 cake (serves 6 to 8)

To Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour four 9-inch round cake pans.

To Make the Sponge Cake
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate large bowl, beat the egg yolks, 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar, and the vanilla with a mixer until pale and thick. Add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture. In another separate large bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy but not stiff. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into batter.
To Bake
Pour 1 cup batter into each of the prepared pans and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until springy to the touch. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pans and set them on the rack to finish cooling. Repeat until the batter is used up, washing and regreasing and flouring the pans if necessary.
To Make the Caramel-Glazed Layer
Bring the sugar, water, butter and lemon juice to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is caramel colored. Spread the caramel over one cake layer and let set for 30 seconds. Then cut with a sharp knife into 8 wedge shapes. When they're cooled, drizzle the glazed wedges with melted chocolate.
To Assemble
Set one cake layer on a large plate, and spread with chocolate buttercream. Top with another cake layer and repeat until you've used up all the layers. Frost the top and sides of the stacked cake with chocolate buttercream.
Reserve eight hazelnuts and chop the rest. Coat the sides of the cake with the chopped nuts.
Using the remaining hazelnuts and dollops of buttercream as props, arrange the glazed wedges on the top of the cake, overlapping one another. Cut inbetween the wedges to serve.

Bittersweet Chocolate Buttercream
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips)
2 1/2 cups (5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

makes about 4 cups
Melt the chocolate in a microwave or double boiler; let it cool but not harden. Beat the butter until creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and melted chocolate. Mix until smooth.

Note: I made this cake with walnuts instead of hazelnuts and made twix cookies for the beautiful spiral topping. This recipe for chocolate buttercream is simply the most delicious I have ever had. I use it for everything now. Enjoy!

Max's Birthday-April 15th The Beagle Cake

Max loves See's candy, so for his birthday, I made a cake with layers of butterchew (brown sugar buttercream), butterscotch (butterscotch buttercream) and milk chocolate frostings. The whole cake is covered in chocolate sprinkles, which is the hallmark of See's Bordeaux, whenever you are trying to find one in the box. The cake is topped with brownies.

I can't give you the full recipe for this cake, because it's top secret! :P But I can give you the recipe for indisputably the BEST part of the cake: the brown sugar buttercream. You will want to eat it with a spoon!

Brown Sugar Buttercream
From How to Cook Like Your Grandmother

1 cup milk
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cup brown sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)

Stir the milk and flour together and mix over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until it thickens. It changes suddenly, so don’t walk away from it.Set the milk aside to cool, and combine the sugar, butter and vanilla in a mixer.Beat on medium speed for 5-10 minutes — colder butter will take longer — until the sugar is dissolved and you don’t taste the graininess of it any more.Add the milk mixture to the butter mixture and stir until smooth.The finished texture is light and fluffy.

http://cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/2009/07/how-to-make-brown-sugar-buttercream-frosting/