Acid Cocoa

Self-rising flour can be a useful thing.  It saves on cabinet space and requires one less step in measuring.  I was really pleased with the result it produced in a Lemon Yogurt Cake, but I should have known something was amiss when a search for chocolate cake recipes using only self-rising flour and no other leavening agent produced very few results.

There's nothing inherently wrong with using self-rising flour in a chocolate cake, but when I tried one of the few recipes that met my 'self-rising flour only' requirement, this one from King Arthur Flour, I found it to be a bit dense, quite crumbly and a little dry.  There was a bit of an incident that could have been the root of the dryness... the oven got switched off (ah!).  I was standing right there to turn it back on, but as I found that I had to bake the cake much longer than I should have, it is possible that it lost more heat than I had realized.  It was not until later, however, that I noticed a review of the recipe mentioning the difficulty of cutting the cake without ripping it apart, and this leads me to suspect that the crumbling was not the fault of the oven.

I don't know what the source of the crumbling was, but I'm somewhat inclined to think that it might have been related to the use of self-rising flour with no added baking soda or baking powder.  Cocoa, it turns out, is acidic.  Who knew?  (Ok, many people I'm sure.  Joy the Baker did.  And now I do - and you!)  Both baking soda and baking powder, a derivative of baking soda, react chemically when mixed with an acid, and one by-product of this reaction is carbon monoxide that is released when exposed to the heat of the oven; it is this chemical reaction that serves to leaven the cake.  Another by-product of the reaction is the neutralization of the acid.  This, it seems to me (bearing in mind that I could be considered a chemist by no stretch of the imagination), is why many cake recipes call for both baking soda and baking powder.  As Craftsy explains it, this is 'a system of checks and balances. If a recipe contains baking soda to neutralize the acid in a recipe, it might not be enough leavening to give a decent lift to the baked good, but adding more baking soda might be too much in relation to the acid. Here’s where the baking powder comes in, to save the day by giving the recipe a little extra lift while maintaining a pleasant flavor.'  What they don't mention, however, is that the high pH of baking soda also enhances the Maillard reaction responsible for browning.  Huffington Post writer Amanda Greene explains the chemistry in some more detail and reports that cookies baked with baking powder substituted for baking soda, that is, cookies which did not have the Maillard reaction-enhancing high pH, tasted of their raw ingredients.

Because cocoa is an acid with a low pH, and there was no extra baking soda to neutralize it, it is possible that the Maillard reaction was affected.  I am not sure (again, barely an armchair chemist here) how this could have impacted the texture of the cake and caused it to become crumbly, but I certainly am curious!  Similarly, though the cake did rise without any additional leavener I wonder if that extra boost would have produced a fluffier result.

It's too bad experimenting with chocolate cake is so hard.  Better get back to the mixing bowl.

Eat To Your Health

I've been going on a bit about lard lately, so I thought that I should take a break from cake and dedicate this post to all those little piggies out there.  They deserve it, because:

Pigs are cute!

Spiders (named Charlotte) love pigs!

And... Bacon!

(I have not made a cake out bacon.  Or with bacon.  Or shaped like bacon).

Also, April Fools! - (shhh, your groaning is killing my moment) - this post will not be dedicated to our porcine friends, deserving as they may be.

Instead, I'd like to capitalize on the recent news that Earl Grey tea is good for your heart and talk about an easy recipe for Earl Grey Chocolate Cake with Lavender Honey Mascarpone Frosting.  The recipe for the frosting is in the Recipe Box, as is a recipe for chocolate cake.  But here is the disclaimer for this post: I used box cake.  This is not another April Fools.  If you are offended by the use of box cake (some people are!), please read no further.  Alternatively, just substitute a scratch chocolate cake recipe for Betty's if you prefer.

I turned to Ms. Crocker (whose history is pretty interesting, I just discovered) for help with this cake because, while I often find that I've run out of one thing or another when I go to bake, on this occasion I was out of nearly everything.  Including time.  Under the circumstances, a box cake was the easiest way to meet my cake-baking needs.  Truth be told, however, the cake came out so well that it made a repeat appearance the next week, unchanged, mix and all.

To make Earl Grey chocolate cake, all you need to do is substitute tea for the liquid called for in the recipe; Betty wanted 250ml or approximately 1 cup, and the same goes for the chocolate cake recipe in the Recipe Box, with the tea being substituted for water in the first case and for coffee in the second.  I let the tea steep for at least 10 minutes - the stronger it is, the more detectable it will be in the flavour of the cake.  I used Teapigs' Darjeeling Earl Grey, which is my favourite and not just because of the dachshund.

After brewing the tea, proceed as directed by the box or recipe.  As with all chocolate cake, I recommend dusting the pans with cocoa powder instead of flour.

The mascarpone frosting isn't much more complicated than the cake.  In fact, the most difficult part might be getting your hands on some lavender extract.  I found mine at a spice shop when I wasn't looking for it, so I don't have any experience actively seeking it out, but I imagine that it should be readily available at such specialty retailers.  Once you have the extract, mix one teaspoon of it together with four teaspoons of honey.

Next, combine the lavender honey with the mascarpone (500g), mixing until completely combined but stirring gently - mascarpone can freeze up and become grainy if beaten too vigorously.  Once combined, fill a piping bag with the frosting and pipe onto the first layer of cake.  If your frosting has become too melted in the mixing process, set it in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes before piping (if you leave it for long enough, it may separate a bit and need a little more mixing, but that is fine).

If you would prefer not to involve a piping bag, you can speed the process up even further by simply spreading a layer of frosting with an offset spatula.  By this point, however, I'd saved so much time on the cake already that I felt like getting a little fancy.  Before adding the next cake layer, I also drizzled some plain honey over the frosting.

Add the top cake layer, and repeat the icing process.  To finish it off, I drizzled some more honey over the top and then sprinkled it with some dried lavender petals, which are edible.  Et voilà!

Eat to your health.

Great Chieftain o' the Puddin'-Race

I've been hoarding this recipe for a while now; since its creation, in fact.  It was the first cake I invented, and it's my favourite.  It earned two passing mentions on the local radio, and it was my claim to marginal fame.  I've been stubbornly reluctant to let it go, and yet all of its elements have been in the Recipe Box for a few months.

 
Born around the height of the Great Cupcake Fad, this cake actually began life in the form of the little cloud-topped, cup-shaped treats.  The basic components were chocolate cake, chocolate ganache and swiss buttercream, none of which is particularly unusual and all of which are easily translatable into a scrumptious layer cake.

The final component of my Whiskey Cake is the secret... You may be able to guess what it is.

Unsurprisingly, I wasn't even the first to think of putting whiskey in a chocolate cake: I was inspired by this recipe for Chocolate Irish Tipsy Cake that my mom once made for St. Patrick's Day.  It's quick, simple and delightfully delectable.  As much as I enjoy baking things from scratch, it can be hard to beat a simple box cake every now and again, and the addition of the instant pudding pack really gives the cake a ton of moisture.  Topped with this Hot Buttered Whiskey Glaze from Jack Daniel's, all I can say is - yum!

In a way, I can't give away the exact recipe for my cake because the recipe isn't exact.  I put whiskey in everything, but never in the same amount.  It's in the cake (pre-bake, substitute for part of the measurement of coffee, or other liquid such as water if called for), in the ganache and in the buttercream (you would think it wouldn't hold it, but it does).  For the latter two especially I use the pour-and-keep-pouring-til'-it-tastes-right method; let your taste buds be your guide  By the time it tastes right to me my olfactory senses are buzzing too...

I've always opted to use Irish whiskey (Jameson is great if it's on sale) because I'm not a huge fan of the smokey peat of Scotch whisky.  Last week, however, the idea was to honour the great Scottish bard Robert Burns, and so a Whisky (without the 'e' - trust me, it can be a touchy topic) Cake it had to be.

The most labour-intensive aspect of this cake is making the buttercream.  I've commented on it before here (and chocolate cake here and ganache here), but briefly: 1.) Beat a meringue to a stiff peak.

2.) When the meringue has cooled to room temperature, chop more unsalted butter than you ever want to think about or see and beat it into the meringue, a few pieces at a time,

3.) It'll look gross...

4.) Then it will look even worse...

But, 5.) If you and your hand mixer are able to power through it, the result - a light silky smooth buttercream - will be worth it.  Just don't think about the butter. 

(A side note: if you are lucky enough to have a stand mixer I'm sure I don't have to tell you to use that instead of a hand mixer, but make sure that you use the paddle attachment for the butter-beating; it will ensure far-fewer air bubbles, which is really what you want for a smooth surface on your cake).

Once the buttercream is finished, add your whiskey, and if you haven't put it in the ganache yet, throw some in there too.  For the cake itself, split your cake layers (best done after the layers have had a brief stint in the fridge or freezer), and spread a layer of ganache on each.  If your ganache hasn't set, you can try adding more melted chocolate (reheat the ganache a bit first so it doesn't freeze up) and cool it all again, or you can use a thin layer of moderately loose ganache and let it set on the layers in the freezer for a few minutes.  Once the layer of ganache is firm, spread a layer of buttercream on top.  Stack on the next cake layer and repeat until you get to the top layer, which should not have ganache on it.

Cover the cake with the remaining buttercream, pipe on borders or a design if desired, and enjoy!

Pop-up Ty

popty, n., Welsh - bakery.  From Welsh pobi, 'to bake' and tŷ, 'house'.

pop-up tŷ, n., Gibberish - a mobile, home-based bakery, most likely to be found in Aberystwyth during the month of August.

Baking outside of the warm (sometimes hot, depending on how long you've been preheating the oven) confines of your own kitchen can be cumbersome.  Adjusting to a new layout is one thing, but unfamiliarity with the temperament of the oven (every baker knows they can be finicky) and a potential lack of tools can be more seriously problematic.  That is why, knowing that I'd be spending nearly the entire month in a student dormitory, I promised there would be no baking in August.

I lied.

It's hard to say no when someone asks nicely for cake.  It's harder to say no when you're sitting in the pub having a few pints.  So I said yes, realizing that I would need to select a simple cake and borrow equipment/a kitchen.

I based my cake selection on cream cheese frosting, because it's as easy as it is delectable.  Then I decided on chocolate cake, as it would give a similar effect to red velvet, but without the hassle of actually making red velvet.  I googled the pairing, and found this recipe, which was originally created by Ina Garten.  It seemed like a simple recipe, and I'm a fan of using coffee to enhance the flavour of chocolate cake, but I was really sold on it for the illegitimate reason that the blog's author lives in Corte Madera, which is a lovely town housing one of my favourite shopping centres...  I did say the reason was illegitimate.

Arranging baking facilities took a bit more planning.  The cake was to be for a reading group held at a friend's house, but unfortunately his kitchen was not the best-equipped for baking.  In the end I encroached on another friend's hospitality (and her baking pans and mixer) to bake the layers a day early (that is pop-up ty #1), and made the frosting on the night of the meeting in the less-baking friendly kitchen (pop-up ty #2).  Even if I had been home, I would have preferred to bake the cake itself ahead of time, in order to freeze it.  If I haven't mentioned it before, it is much easier to split frozen cake layers (if you choose to split them) than room temperature layers, because as nice as moist, fluffy room temperature cake is, it isn't terribly stable.  It is also a lot more crumbly than frozen cake, so frosting while frozen means fewer crumbs in the icing.

Down to the baking.

The recipes for chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting can be found in the Recipe Box, or find both on Marin Mama Cooks.  This recipe presented a trick for chocolate cake that I'd vaguely thought about in the past, but wasn't sure would work.  The trick is flouring the baking pans not with flour, but with cocoa powder.  Powdering the pans.  Makes them sound a bit like Victorian ladies...  In any case, I wanted to try it, and did that first.

Next you mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another.

(Note: The wet ingredients haven't been mixed yet in this photo, I thought the various ingredients repelling each other were interesting).  This recipe calls for buttermilk, but if you don't have that on hand you can use approximately a tablespoon of white vinegar in a cup of milk as a substitute.  Allow the vinegar to sit in the milk for a few minutes to curdle, stir, and proceed with the recipe as written.  The recipe also called for two extra large eggs, but since I had medium eggs I used three.

The recipe as found in the blog then directs to add the wet ingredients to the dry, and I'm not sure why.  I did not do this, and I wouldn't recommend it unless, perhaps, you were stirring very gently with a spoon and adding the liquids a very little at a time.  If you're using any sort of electric mixer, as soon as you turn it on in a bowl-full of dry ingredients you're going to see a dusty explosion and, when the cloud clears, find yourself and probably everything else covered in a fine layer of cocoa-flour...  It seems unwise.  Mix only until just combined.  I was especially leery of over-mixing with this recipe, since I'd seen from the blog how liquid it ends up, in part because of the cup of coffee that is added after the wet and dry ingredients are combined.  I used a pour-over brewer, brewing directly into a measuring cup to make and measure to coffee.

Pour the hot cup of coffee into the batter and combine.  Don't be worried if it looks really runny; although it would be (to me) fairly concerning to see a batter so liquid, it evidently is supposed to be that way, and it does bake normally.

The resultant cake is very moist, but not dense.  I did adjust the oven for one layer, turning it down and extending bake time, but I believe that was because the oven was not a convection oven.

In the end I didn't have time to split the layers (I had to get to the text the reading group was working on, as it was [nominally] the reason the meeting was being held), but that allowed me to put a thicker layer of frosting between the cake layers, and extra cream cheese frosting is certainly no hardship.  The reading group was happy, and so was I.  Watch out for a pop-up tŷ opening in a kitchen near you.