Chocolate Fudge Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream And Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Here I am, up at 1 am, surrounded by not one, not two, but FOUR different types of cookies around me! Yes!!! I have finally taken this seriously & I'm testing recipes every spare minute I can find, which with work, gym & a social life is almost impossible! So it's the sleep that's getting sacrificed, and honestly, I'm loving every minute of it. Being so busy that you end up collapsing in bed is my form of bliss!

After spending the last two hours researching the ratios & hows & whys of chewy caramel (to use in caramel stuffed cookies), I finally remembered this post that has been pending for 4+ months! I made this cake in one of my random bursts of inspiration & craving. The recipe was actually bookmarked long ago, and my team at work was constantly asking for something after discovering the blog, which is actually kept quite a secret because the follow up question is always - WHY DON'T YOU BAKE ANYMORE??



But one day - maybe I was feeling generous - I decided to do as they wanted & make an indulgent, rich & sinful cake. This cake just went on to prove how much I actually love just stepping into a kitchen & coming out with a delicious plate of trouble in a few hours. I don't know which was more fun, the cake making process, or the happiness when I saw the smiles on the people who ate it, or the taste of the cake itself! The cake is light yet full of chocolatey goodness, and the salted caramel buttercream is something you'd want to take a long bath in, it's that rich while still tasting smooth and dream like. Top it off with a simple chocolate fudge frosting, and you've got heaven on a plate, just like that!



Chocolate Fudge Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream
Recipe from Martha Stewart via Sweetapolita
Yield: Three 6-inch round layers
Serves: 8+

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
3/4 cup (90 g) dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
3/4 cup (190 ml) buttermilk
3/4 cup (190 ml) hot brewed coffee
2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (180°C). Grease & line three 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
2. In the large bowl of your electric mixer, sift together all the dry ingredients. Add all the remaining ingredients and beat until just mixed. The batter will be quite liquidy.
3. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean and the top feels springy to the touch
4. Cool to room temperature on wire racks. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

For the Salted Caramel Swiss Buttercream filling
Yield: 4 cups - You may be leftover with approximately 1/2 cup

Ingredients
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
generous pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks / 340 g / 12 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large egg white
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. First, we have to make the salted caramel to cool and keep aside, ready to add into the buttercream
2. In a medium saucepan, mix together 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (130 g) of the sugar with the water. Boil over medium heat. Brush down the sides of the saucepan with a dampened pastry brush to prevent crystallization. Don't stir the mixture at all from now on, you can however, gently swirl, occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and carefully add the cream, whisking until smooth. Be careful of the sputtering. Whisk in the sea salt & vanilla, set aside to cool.
4. Now it's time to make the buttercream. In the large bowl of your mixer, beat cubes of the butter until pale & fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
5. In a clean bowl, combine the egg whites & sugar. Place bowl over simmering water, whisking occasionally until the sugar dissolves, reaches 160° on a candy thermometer and the mixture doesn't feel gritty when rubbed between two fingers.
6. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Increase the speed and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 5-6 minutes. The bowl should now be at room temperature. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and add in the beaten butter, one cup at a time, whisking between each addition.
7. Using the flat beater, add the cooled caramel, beating until smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
8. Your buttercream is ready :) Store in the fridge until ready to use.

For the Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Yield: ~5 cups - You will be leftover with approximately 1.5 cups

Ingredients
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (45 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (90 ml) boiling water
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks / 339 g /12 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (63 g) confectioners’ sugar
pinch of salt
1 pound (454 g/16 oz) good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine together the cocoa powder & the boiling water, stirring until the cocoa has dissolved
2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar & salt using a flat beater, until pale & fluffy - about 5 minutes
3. Reduce speed to medium-low and add the melted chocolate, beating until combined. Add in the cocoa mixture and beat until well incorporated.

To assemble:

1. Split the layers into halves. Lay the bottom half of a layer onto a cake plate/board. Lay strips of parchment along the sides of the cake to ensure an easy clean up.
2. Scoop out about 1/5th of the filling onto the cake layer. Flatten out using an offset spatula. Add another cake layer on top and repeat the process until you have laid out all six layers. Ensure the top layer is the inverted bottom of one of the three cakes, to get a perfectly flat top.
3. Crumb coat with a light layer of the dark chocolate fudge frosting. Refrigerate.
4. Now ice the sides & top of the cake with the frosting - an offset spatula, a straight spatula & a bench scraper are your best friends during this, as is a good turntable - I use something similar to this.
5. Lay on your preferred candy of decoration (I used a Ferrero Raffaello)
6. Serve at room temperature

Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake

4 months since the last post on this... 4 (or a little less) months since life has taken a full turn, and everything I knew to be normal changed.

No.. there's no death, there's no life-threatening illnesses that happened. Just a lot of drama, a lot of confusion, and a lot of re-thinking of life. Which is why I've been away from the blog so much.. I've just lost all motivation. I didn't even know Google Reader had shut down!

I logged on last week because I finally managed some time.. and saw that I couldn't read any of my blogs anymore. I've begun using Feedly for now, what are you guys using?

Anyway... on to the cake. Over a year ago, I'd excitedly ordered this bundt pan, and got a friend to lug it over for me, since finding one in India at that time was next to impossible. And then I used it once, it's been sitting on my table ever since.. I kept it there as a reminder to use it. After seeing it everyday and not using it, finally a day after my birthday, I picked it up and went in to the kitchen. Figured baking would be my birthday gift to myself.

And I realised.. I'd forgotten how much I absolutely love baking. What a stress buster it is. How calming the measuring and scooping out of ingredients could be.. how therapeutic watching the mixer turn regular ingredients into gorgeous batter could be, and how enjoyable the sense of letting go and relying on the oven was. The anticipation of watching the oven work its magic and turn regular batter into a thing of joy was the perfect birthday gift.

As was this cake. It's the perfect coffee cake, it's light yet rich, and not sickeningly sweet. I forgot to marble the cake, and instead just ended up layering it, but it was just an aesthical flaw. I found the recipe over at Food Librarian, whose I Like Big Bundts activity is the first thing that shows when you look for bundts. When I clicked over and saw that the recipe is from my favorite book, Baked , I was sold!

Make this cake now. It's a crowd pleaser! Also, please do tell me how you guys are managing without Reader, is Feedly really the best option?





Marble Bundt Cake
Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Chocolate Swirl
6 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder

Sour Cream Cake
1 cup [2 sticks/226 g] unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups [450 g] sugar
4 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream - I used homemade sour cream, so the weight will vary
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups [420 g] all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt - omit if using salted butter

Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease and flour a 10 cup bundt pan (Mine's a 12 cup).
2.  Chocolate Swirl - In a medium saucepan, melt together the chocolate and cocoa on extremely low heat, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Sour Cream Cake - In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down, then add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Now stir in the sour cream and vanilla, and mix till incorporated
4. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt (if using). Add this into the butter mixture in three additions, mixing just till incorporated between each addition, do not overmix.
5. Scoop 1/3 of the ready batter (approximate is fine) into the chocolate mixture, and stir until evenly mixed.
6. Pour half of the remaining batter into the bundt pan, and level with a spatula. Scoop the chocolate batter on top of this in dollops, it's ok if some of the white batter peeks through. Using a knife, swirl through the batter. Now pour the remaining batter on top, and swirl with a knife again.
7. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. You might need to tent the top with a foil if you feel it's getting too brown.
8. Cool to room temperature and remove from pan. Serves 6-8.

Sunday Night Cake

Soo.. Anyone know how to get rid of small moths in the house? Since my room was virtually untouched for 6 months, it had a few moths when I got back, that didn't seem to be going away. I put out some naphthalene balls, and now, I'm super sick, with the parents slightly sick. I think I just had an almost-suicide attempt :P

Anyway.. With the sickness, I've been cooped up at home since a few days. I was of course, craving some dessert, and with Secret recipe club's reveal coming soon, I started to browse through my assignment for the month. I got super lucky this month, because Jamie is a part of Club Baked, which essentially is TWD, except with the Baked series of books, that I absolutely LOVE!. And with their new book Baked Elements recently out, they've taken over my mind even more than usual.

I knew immediately I'd make one from their books, and focused in on the Sunday Night Cake because of ingredient availability at home. It's got a weird name, but apparently it's to indicate that you can whip this up in an instant, for family, on a lazy Sunday. And that is exactly what the cake is. Hearty, comforting, and just perfect. The cake is robust, and has an interesting taste with the cinnamon, very right for fall. And the frosting / pudding is super rich and intense, and gives the perfect balance. As I've said countless times, I'm not a fan of the powdered sugar American buttercream, but this puddingy frosting is perfect. I actually have some leftover and hopefully I should be up to trying it with something else too.

Sunday Night Cake

Recipe from Baked Elementsvia Cookin' with Moxie

1 3/4 cups cake flour - I used the substitute of AP flour + cornflour/cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used almost a whole teaspoon, I love cinnamon a little too much)
1 1/4 stick [5 oz /  140 g] unsalted butter - I used salted just fine, omit the salt of course
3/4 cup [150 g] granulated sugar
1/2 cup [110 g] packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream - I used hung/greek yoghurt

Instructions -

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F [180 C]. Grease and line a 9 inch square pan. I couldn't find mine, so I used to 6 inch round pans instead.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one a time, beating between each addition.
4. Alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream / yoghurt in a dry, wet, dry, wet, dry pattern. Don't over mix.
5. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for at least half hour before frosting and serving.

Chocolate Oreo Cake.. Apologies for a long hiatus

So. A new post on this blog. After almost a month and a half, that's quite shameful. But, this is what I'd been doing for a month, immediately after my last post.


I traveled to all those places, and then headed back to Warwick for my final week there. Because of a number of reasons, I decided to head home to do my dissertation (a 15,000 word essay), and leave a month earlier than most everyone. It's a whole other matter that those reasons aren't too valid right  now, but hey, I'm home now, so what can I do. I was busy packing and saying my goodbyes, and I've been home for a week now, unpacking and saying hellos. It's only now that I've got some breathing time to actually write up a post. All you guys that are reading this and have stuck by me, I really, genuinely, thank you. I promise, none of that anymore.



And all you guys that left? I've got a great cake to try and win you back. Is a Chocolate Oreo Cake good enough? It should be, because this cake was amazing. Even more fun, just attacking the entire thing with some forks. There has never been a better feeling.


Look at that dreamy filling

Chocolate Oreo Cake

Avanika original - Individual components linked.

For the cake -
I used the recipe for this cake, from Chocolate Cakes. It's fast becoming my favorite, flavorful, yet sturdy enough to be torted and lifted and moved about {I'm quite rough with my cakes}. Make 1 batch of the recipe, and torte each cake it into 2 layers after it's cool.

For the filling -
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tsp powdered sugar
About 20 oreos, cut into quarters

Instructions -

1. Whip the cream and the sugar together until fluffy. Gently fold in the pieces of Oreos. 

 For the frosting -
Again, I used the recipe from the cake I linked to, it's super easy, and one I use when I need something lighter and not sinfully rich. Follow the instructions to make one batch of the frosting.

Assemble -

1.  Stack the first torted layer, flat side down on your cake board. Scoop on a 1/3rd of the filling.
2. Now add the second layer, pressing down slightly. Scoop on another third of the filling. 
3. Repeat for third layer, and then add on the fourth, making sure the top of the cake has the bottom flat surface of a torted cake, so that it's completely straight and easy to frost.
4. Add a thin layer of the frosting - a crumb coat - and allow to chill for a few minutes in the fridge. Now add on the final layer, and decorate as desired. I like keeping it simple, to give off a homemade cake feel. Cut and serve :)

Chocolate Fondant / Chocolate Lava Cake / Molten Chocolate Cake

Doesn't that look amazing? This is the elusive {or fussy} cake that goes by too many names. What do you call it? I prefer Molten Chocolate Cake. Anyway, I got Heidi's blog as my assignment this month, which had so so many recipes, that the choice became qutie difficult. Now that I've began cooking, a lot of her savory recipes seemed interesting too, but in an effort to keep this blog all about the good stuff, I decided to stick with a dessert recipe. Since her blog is translated to English, I chose one of the easier recipes, I didn't want to lost in translation. And this satisfies a craving too.

Managing the Facebook page for the Secret Recipe Club has made me quite active about it, so there's no chance anymore of me missing a post, which, with the new stricter rules, is a good thing. Go on and like the page, and while you're at it, like the page for this blog too :)

Molten Chocolate Cake

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen via Heidi's World

100 g dark chocolate {I used 64%}
1 stick [113 g / 8 oz] unsalted butter
2 tsp [30 g] cocoa powder
2/3 cup icing sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 tbsp flour

Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 425 F [220 C]. Grease and line ramekins with castor sugar, optional, but it helps.
2. In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate, butter and cocoa. Remove from heat, and sift in the icing sugar.
3. Now add the eggs and the yolks, mixing well between additions. Sift in the flour, until just mixed, being careful not to overbeat.
4. Pour into prepared ramekins and bake 13-15 minutes, till sides are set but the centre is still jiggly. You might want to have one test run first, since the timing is crucial for this sort of cake.
5. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or a dusting of icing sugar.

Almond Cake with Dried Fruit

Here's another recipe that I'd made while back home. Figure I should post it now, or else it'll go to the never ending folder of recipes that I didn't post on time, and then it became too old to post. {Do any of you also do that, or is it just me? For some reason, I can't bring myself to post things I made too long ago} Anyway, I made this because we had some dried fruits at home that my Mom wanted me to use up, and she loves her simple, unadorned cakes anyway. It was actually she that found and picked the recipe for me. Slavery at its best :P

Anyway, since you probably know by now, I don't like simple plain desserts too much. I went about making this pretty unenthusiastically, even though the recipe is by someone I admire a lot, Jacques Pepin {who is also the Dean at my dream school. I figured it would be one of those cakes that my Mom and others would eat, and I would just taste. How wrong was I? I should have trusted one of my idols more. The cake was absolutely amazing. Proved to me that not all cakes need to be over the top indulgent to be sinful. The almond flavor in it made it super rich, yet light and simple. And the dried fruits gave a wonderful contrasting flavor + texture. I had dried strawberries, figs, cherries and pineapples on it, but I'm sure you could make do with much fewer kinds. We took it to my grandparents' house because they love getting such handmade gifts, and even they gobbled it down :) {they have the appetite of a bird, between the two of them!} I also think they'd look much prettier in individual servings, made in a muffin pan instead, so maybe some of you could try that and show me :)

Almond Cake with Dried Fruit

Recipe from Jacques Pepin via the Wayward Oven

115g almond paste - I processed 115g of almonds in the food processor, which is about 1 cup
¾ cup sugar
1 stick [113g / 8 oz] unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 medium eggs
¼ cup milk
Dash of salt
1 cup cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder

For the syrup
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons whiskey, rum or cognac [optional]
2 tablespoons sugar

For the Garnish
1½ cups diced dried fruit (currants, peaches, apricots, pineapple)
¼ cup good apricot jam, diluted with 2 tablespoons water
8-10 mint leaves
1 cup Greek yoghurt for serving (optional)


Instructions - 

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and line a 8 cm round pan.
2. Put the almond paste, sugar, butter and vanilla in a food processor and process for about 10 seconds. Add the eggs, milk, and salt and process for 5 seconds. Add the flour and the baking powder and process for another 5 to 10 seconds, or until smooth.
3. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool on a rack to room temp.
4. Combine the ingredients for the syrup in a small bowl. Using a spoon or pastry brush, moisten the cake with the syrup. Scatter the dried fruit on top of the cake. Brush on the diluted apricot jam and garnish with the mint leaves. Serve with the Greek yoghurt.

Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream.. A sinful treat for Valentine's Day

So Valentine's Day is coming up. Again. This will be my second Valentine's day alone, ever since I was old enough to know what it was and celebrate it. But this time, it's different because even though I'm not single, I'll be spending valentine's day with friends.. the problems of being in a long distance relationship. I'm actually quite excited to be doing so though, this year of studying abroad is turning out to be totally awesome! And I've never quite got the hate for the day. Single or not, I love the day, it's an excuse to eat more chocolate, everything is so pink and colorful, it's the BEST! Make this for your big day, whoever you might me celebrating it with. You'll get a lot more love for sure :)



This is the level of decorating I could manage with my hungry flatmates hovering about me. Even this was a bargain to be honest :)

I thought I'd make a simple chocolate cake for the day, since I'm not really celebrating, I wanted to keep the red and stuff to a minimum. And since I had an evening off, I just randomly made this cake I'd bookmarked long ago, mainly because it was the one that suited my ingredients in the fridge the best. I didn't have very high expectations, just thinking it'd be an ok, nice, normal chocolate cake. Especially considering the cake uses cocoa instead of chocolate. But this cake blew me away. It was gone within the hour, but I guess that's what happens when you're living in Uni. It was really really good, and super easy to make too.

The cake layers were extremely moist, the kinds you'll find at bakeries, and the egg yolk buttercream was super delicious, and since I'm not a fan of traditional buttercream, these SMBC sorts have become standard for me, and don't worry me anymore. I even made this one with just a hand mixer, I haven't bothered lugging Sir Mix a Lot all the way since it's just a year's course. And it's topped off with a standard ganache. All the components on their own are pretty standard, but they come together to make the awesome cake. I love coffee, so the espresso is a welcome addition too.



How to use a candy thermometer in a teeny tiny saucepan

Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream

Recipe from Oprah.com via My Baking Addiction

Ingredients

For the cake -
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup very hot water

For the espresso buttercream -
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter , softened
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon very hot water

For the ganache -
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped (I used semisweet)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened and diced
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar

Equipment needed -
Candy Thermometer
Electric Mixer (Stand Mixer preferred)

Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 375 F [180 C]. Grease and line two 8 inch round pans.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Stir well, and gradually incorporate into the flour mixture, until just mixed. Add the hot water, and stir till blended.
4. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 25 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool on racks.
5. Buttercream - In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks vigorously, about 5 minutes, until they become ribbon like and pale and fluffy. In the meanwhile, (or later if you can't manage both at the same time), combine the sugar and the water, and boil until mixture reaches 238 F on a candy thermometer.
6. Once the sugar reaches the temperature, pour it in a slow steady stream into the yolks, with the mixer on, making sure to incorporate while pouring. Continue beating mixture until it comes down to room temperature and is light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
7. Now begin adding the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition. The mixture might curdle somewhere along the process, just continue beating till it comes together, and then go on with adding the butter, until it's all added. Dissolve the espresso powder in hot water, and beat into the buttercream. Set aside.
8. Ganache - In a large bowl, combine the chopped chocolate and butter. In a smaller bowl, boil together the cream and sugar just until it boils, and immediately pour into the chocolate mixture. Stir until chocolate is completely smooth. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes so that it thickens slightly.
9. Assembly - Remove parchment papers from the cake layers, and split into two using a large serrated knife. Alternately lay down the layers and the buttercream onto a cake plate, using 1/3rd of the buttercream each time. Make sure the topmost layer is an inverted one, so that the flat bottom appears on top of the cake, ensuring a nice even top.
10. Pour ganache over the top, easing it a little to cover the sides. If entire cake has not been covered, gather up the fallen ganache, and pour again, until the cake is well covered.
11. Refrigerate for about an hour, after which you can cut into slices with a clean, hot knife to serve.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Doesn't that cake look pretttty? It's ofcourse mainly because the cake was Oh. So. Good., but also because, I'm the proud new owner of a Canon EOS Rebel T2i! Finally :) Even though I haven't learnt any of the settings yet, I've got so many nice pictures of myself + friends. Can anyone recommend a good book / links to understand it all better, for a total beginner? It'd be super helpful, any would actally lead to me making some use of the camera beyond automatic settings! I super suck at food photography, and while I doubt that's going to change soon, I'd still like to learn more about the camera in general.



So back to the cake. I baked it on my visit home. The visit was amazing and so so much fun, but I was so busy meeting people and getting stuff done, that I hardly managed time to bake, and only did because people were requesting it so much, and ofcourse, my own cravings ;)


I'd had my eye on this cake ever since it won Most Popular on the Secret Recipe Club's December reveal, and was looking for a chance to make it, but couldn't because of exams. After baking it, I realised why it was most popular, the cake was heavenly. It was super fudgey and dense, but not annoyingly so wherein you need to grab a glass of water. The chocolate taste really shone through, which is why it's important to use a good chocolate [I used Callebaut Dark]. This cake has got the vote of a lot of people, so you need to try this one soon. Paired with some ice cream, it was sheer indulgence.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Recipe from David Rosengarten's Taste via My Beautiful Disasters


7 oz extra bittersweet chocolate
1 3/4 stick [200 g] unsalted butter
5 large eggs, separated
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup [180 g] granulated sugar
pinch of salt - omit if using salted butter
2 tbsp [15 g] unsweetened cocoa powder



Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease a 10 inch springform. I halved the recipe and used a 6 inch pan.
2. In a double boiler, melt together the butter and chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly. Now slowly whisk in the egg yolks and the vanilla. Stir to combine, and add in the sugar, salt and cocoa powder, stirring until incorporated.
3. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Whisk in 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten. Now gently fold in the remaining 2/3. 
4. Pour into prepared springform pan, and tap lightly on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 25-28 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
5. Place on cooling rack, removing the sides immediately. Allow to cool, and serve alongside some ice cream

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

This little breakfast cake represents the first thing I ever baked in my new home. It was kind of a hit and miss, with no scale [I'm just so used to it now], weird measuring cups, a new oven etc. But I was still quite happy with it. It tasted perfectly fine, and was a wonderful accompaniment to my breakfast.

I've started cooking ever since I came here, stuff other than pancakes and eggs atleast [though I tried the BEST pancakes the other day, I'll try and post them on here soon]. It's a slow process, but I'm realising that I actually quite like cooking. I'm not doing so too regularly, but when I do, I go all out, put in an hour of effort at the least. This blog has always been about baking, and I don't think I'm ready to change that, but I might just talk about some cooking experiences sometimes. Oh and also, I would love some recipe recommendations for a beginner cook!

Anyway, back to the cake. It's for the Secret Recipe Club, and this time I got Stacy from Every Little Thing. She has the cutest blog, and it had a ton of stuff I wanted to make. Unfortunately, since I'm still setting up, my options were quite limited by ingredient / tool unavailibility. I had a few options, of which I really loved the blueberry breakfast cake, especially since I had some blueberries in the fridge [P.S - Did I tell you how much I love that I can now just say a statement like that like it's no big deal. I love how easy it is to get things here :)]. The cake was also really easy to make, I actually just used a hand whisk, since I haven't even bought a mixer yet. The cake turned out really well, so soft, and barely sweet, so it went perfectly with my morning coffee.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Recipe from Eat, Live, Run via Every Little Thing
 

For the streusel -
1 cup oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, melted

For the cake -
2 cups whole grain pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 cups nonfat Greek yogurt
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups fresh blueberries


Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 350 F [180 C]. Grease a 9x13 pan, or two smaller pans, which is what I had.
2. Combine all streusel ingredients. Toss well. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, eggs, yogurt, and butter until well combined. Gradually sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined.
4. Now pour out about 3/4th of the batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle blueberries on top. Pour the rest of the batter onto the blueberries. Now pat the streusel mixture on top.
5. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until it feels springy to touch, and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Uma's Orange Cake

Soo... How did everyone get through the Great Blogger Crash of 2011? Were you frustrated, or were you happy to stay away for a bit? I was pretty bugged about not being able to comment on blogs, and some not opening at all, but luckily, my blog got through unharmed, and I was away for the weekend to an awesome beach retreat, so I didn't feel too much of it.

It's Secret Recipe Club time again, and I got an awesome blog - Cooking Rookie. I was planning on making this last week, but her blog was down, atleast for me. So I kept waiting, and finally managed to make it on the last day, with the super helpful Amanda's help - she copied the entire post for me so I could bake the cake! I just got back like an hour ago, and am quickly typing this post up, I just hope I can finish it before my eyes shut and I crash.

The cake was gorgeously soft and fluffy, mildly flavored, and basically one that I can get away with at breakfast too :) The instructions on her blog weren't too clear, so I did it as I thought correct, came out wonderful.

Uma's Orange Cake

Adapted from Cooking Rookie

1 1/2 cups [180 g] flour
1/4 cup yogurt
1/3 stick [57 g] butter
1/2 cup orange juice
2/3 cup [160 g] sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg + 2 egg whites
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt


For the glaze -
3 tsp icing sugar (45 cal)
1 tsp vanilla essence (5 cal)
2 tsp water

Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 350 F [180 C]. Grease and line a 9 inch round pan.
2. Rub in the zest with the sugar for added flavor and fragrance.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the whole egg, and beat. Now pour in both the juices.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add 1/3rd of this flour mixture to the above butter mixture. Then add in half the yoghurt. In the same way, add the second 1/3rd of flour, the last bit of yoghurt, and the last bit of flour mixing between each addition, only till incorporated.
5. In a clean bowl, beat together the two whites till stiff peaks form. Fold them into the above mixture, and pour this batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake for 30 mins, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Mix together all the ingredients for the glaze, and pour it over the cake while it's still hot.

New York Style Coffee Cake

This sure has been a week straight out of a Disney fairytale, hasn't it? The prince got his princess, the bad guy died. And while I can't celebrate the death of a person, it does give me a sense of peace to know that he can't do any more harm.

I made this cake to gorge on while watching the Royal wedding, and loved it so much, I'm made it again, just so I could share with you guys. Its from the guys at my most loved bakery ever, Baked NYC's Baked Explorations. I blindly trust every recipe they put out. This one was no different. It was truly delicious. Even while preparing the batter, I knew it would be awesome, it was one of the silkiest-smoothest batters ever! I may have eaten quite a few spoonfuls of it ;)

The cake when baked, was so fluffy and moist, this is going high up on my sure-fire winners list. The crumb was a little too much for me, even though I love it, I'd suggest you reduce it to 3/4th.

If you're ever sad, and watching something like the Royal wedding happen, bake this cake, sit down with a fork, and I ensure you, you will cheer up. That said, I wasn't really sad, I'm all about Harry :)

New York Style Coffee Cake

Adapted from Baked Explorations [India]

For the crumb topping:

1 cup [240 g] firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup [110 g] granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
2 sticks [226 g] melted butter
2 1/2 cups [300 g] all-purpose flour

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups [330 g] all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks [170 g] butter
1 1/2 cups [330 g] granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups [290 g] sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 350 F [180 C]. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass 9×13 pan. You can use a metal pan, but the edges may get a bit crispy.
2. To make the crumb topping - mix both sugars, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and whisk until combined. Fold in the flour until it is absorbed. Spread out a large sheet of parchment paper on the counter and spread this mixture out on the parchment paper to dry while you make the cake mixture.
3. To make the cake - Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. Cream the butter until it is smooth, and ribbonlike with a mixer. Add the sugar, and beat till fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Now add in the sour cream and vanilla, and beat till incorporated. Pour in the flour mixture in about 3 parts, beating just until incorporated. Once the batter looks silky smooth, it is ready :)
5. Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Using your hands, scoop up a handful of the crumb topping, make a fist so that it holds together, then break off in chunks and drop over the cake. Repeat until all the topping is used up. [I didn't do it this time around, so my topping will look a little different from yours. It's not a step I recommend skipping, the topping might be too crumbly otherwise]. You will have a thick layer of topping.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack, and serve alongside some coffee or tea.
7. The cake will last for 3 days, covered at room temperature. It's been one day since I made it, and there's only a tiny bit left.

Swedish Visiting Cake.. One of the easiest cakes I've ever made!

Soo, who like cheesy romantic movies? I'm not at all ashamed to say, I love them. I just finished watching one of my all time favorites, A Walk to Remember! Do you love that one? What's your favorite? Most of them have a common theme, Miss Plain Jane is actually Miss Perfect, and Mr. Perfect realises it halfway through the movie. And though it's been done to death, I still watch every new movie that comes out with a similar theme, and usually end up bawling my eyes out at the end! [Not a pretty sight, I always try to watch such movies alone to save embarassment]


This cake is actually a lot like those movies. Unassuming, simple. You look at it, and go meh. A skim over the ingredient list, and it'll just be bookmarked in your to-try list forever. If it wasn't for the TWD'ers, I would never have been introduced to this cake! They could not stop raving about it, and the other day I decided to try it out. It's a one-bowl recipe, that literally took 5 minutes [I'm not exaggerating] to prepare and put into the oven. And you'll probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now. So there should really be nothing stopping you from making this one!





Swedish Visiting Cake
Recipe from Baking From My Home To Yours


Note : Though this recipe calls for a cast-iron skillet, you can also use a pie plate, or even a round cake pan, this cake is not at all fussy.
Also, Dorie posted an apple variation that sounds amazing too.


Ingredients -

1 cup [220g] sugar, plus little more for sprinkling
Grated zest from 1 lemon [altenatively, you could use orange zest too]
2 large eggs
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract [optional]
1 cup [120 g] all-purpose flour
1/2 cup [1 stick / 113 grams] unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
¼ cup sliced almonds [blanched]

Instructions - 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F [180 C]. Butter a 9 inch pan, whichever one you decide to use.
2. In a large bowl [I used the cake pan itself], rub together the sugar with the zest until it becomes moist and fragrant. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Whisk in the salt and extracts. Using a rubber spatula, mix in the flour. Now fold in the butter. Transfer to your pan. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top. If using anything other than a skillet, place that pan on a baking sheet.
3. Bake for about 30 mins, until the top is golden brown, and slightly crisp, the inside will remain moist. Serve warm or cooled, for breakfast or for dessert, play with this recipe, it's very open to adaptations!!

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake

You know what? I'm not even going to try and tell you about this cake, because words really can't describe how good it is! A quick look at the flavors, and the fact that it's from the guys at Baked NYC should really be enough. This cake is going to be the sole reason I'm going to gain back all my lost weight, because I already want to make it again!


In other news, I'm almost done recovering, and can now resume eating better food! Yayyy! Travelling too much is still a no though. Oh, and I'm looking for some recommendations on cakes that are not chocolate filled with chocolate and topped with chocolate. Shocking I know, but I want to try some other flavors. Your tried and tested recipes would be the best way to start, right? ♥





Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake
Inspired by Baked  [India] [one of my most favorite books ever!!] 
Note : I did not use their recipe for the chocolate cake, only used their filling and frosting [which, face it, are the parts that matter anyway], since I already had a few layers of my favorite chocolate cake baked up, recipe below. It's a favorite of many bloggers! If you want to try this with their cake recipe, just google 'sweet and salty cake' and you'll find millions of links to it! 

Double Chocolate Layer Cake - Adapted from Epicurious [I've made a few changes over time, so the recipe looks a little different]
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped [I use a combination of bittersweet and semi-sweet]
1 1/2 cup [120 g] cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup hot brewed strong coffee
1 stick [4 oz / 113 g] unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup [340 g] granulated sugar
1 cup [220 g] light brown sugar
2 3/4 cup [350 g] cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup [165 g] oil
1 1/2 cup [360 g] sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract


Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 300 F [150 C]. Grease and line two 10 inch, or 3 8 inch cake pans.
2. Over low heat, stir together the chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, coffee and butter until everything melts and a nice thick paste is formed. Set aside to cool.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the sugars, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs till slightly thickened and lightened in color. Whisk in the oil, sour cream and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate mixture, mix well. Add in the flour mixture, mixing till just combined.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean, and the top feels springy to touch. It's alright if the top feels slightly sticky, it's still baked through, that's just how the cake is. Cool on wire rack. Since this cake is very soft, I recommend freezing the cake layers before using! It always makes for easier cake assembly.

For the salted caramel filling -
You probably end up using around 3/4 of this filling, but don't reduce the recipe, trust me. It'll finish in no time :)


1 cup [220 g] sugar
2 tbsp [20 g] light corn syrup
1/2 cup [130 g] heavy cream
1 tsp fleur de sel
1/4 cup [60 g] sour cream


Instructions -

1. Combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan, stir to combine. Boil on high heat till the mixture reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer. If you don't have one, just cook till it's amber colored, about 8-10 minutes.
2. In the meanwhile, heat together the cream and fleur de sel till it dissolves. Don't let the cream boil. Add it to the caramel once the caramel mixture is ready. Whisk it together. Whisk in the sour cream. Allow to cool to room temp.
3. You can use this immediately, or refrigerate upto 3 days before using.

For the whipped caramel ganache -


1 pound dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup [220 g] sugar
2 tbsp [20 g] light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups [390 g] heavy cream
4 sticks [1 pound / 452 g] butter, cut into tbsp sized pieces, slightly softened


Instructions -

1. This portion is the same as the caramel filling, so you ualready have a base to judge on :)
2. Combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan, stir to combine. Boil on high heat till the mixture reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer. If you don't have one, just cook till it's amber colored, about 8-10 minutes.
3. In the meanwhile, heat the cream, without letting it boil. Add it to the caramel once the caramel mixture is ready. Whisk it together. Let cool for 5 minutes.
4. Add the chopped chocolate to the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour the caramel sauce over the chocolate, letting it sit for about a minute before mixing till the chocolate has completely melted.
5. Now fit the micture with a paddle attachment, and beat the mixture on low till the bowl feels cool to the touch. Add the butter and increase speed to medium high till it's well incorporated, thickened and whipped, about 2-3 minutes. Let cool slightly before using, to make it easier.

Assembling the cake -

1. Slice the cake layers into 2 using a serrated knife or a cake slicer. I made a 3 layer cake, but you could make it a 4 layer cake as well, in fact, the salted caramel filling would be the perfect amount for a 4 layer cake.
2. Also slice off the tops of the cake. Lay down one sliced layer on a cake board, and add about 1/3rd of the filling. It will seem like it's too little, but it has so much flavor that the amount is perfect. Spread to the edges. You'll notice that some of it gets absorbed into the cake, that's supposed to happen!
3. Lay on the next layer, add another 1/3rd of the filling, and lay on the last layer. Save the bottom half of a sliced layer for the top, and lay it on inverted so that you have a flat top.
4. Now put on a light layer of the ganache, just to seal in the crumbs, called a crumb coat. Refrigerate for 5 minutes, then lay on the rest of the ganache and frost as desired [I used a cake comb, it's a lazy decorators best friend!]. Serve immediately. If you must refrigerate, reheat the cake for 10-20 seconds in the microwave, there's nothing worse than cold cake!!