Cake

German Chocolate Cake

September 25, 2009 by Lynsey 3 Comments

I have never attempted German Chocolate cake before, partially because Spencer has never been a big fan of coconut so I didn’t want this huge cake to go to waste after making it. While I was looking at different cake recipes I came across a German Chocolate cake recipe and showed Spencer and he said “that’s one of my favorite cakes” and I just looked at him in shock. After telling me that I asked if he wanted me to make this and he immediately said yes. I just couldn’t believe we had been together this long and I never knew that this was one of his favorite cakes. He’s eaten a few things with coconut in but not a whole lot and I never thought he would be a fan of this recipe since there is quite a bit of coconut in it. Once I found out that he was a fan, I knew I had to make this cake. The recipe that I decided to use was David Lebovitz’s. I’ve previously tried one of his recipes and loved it and I’ve heard tons of good things about his other recipes so I figured this would be a safe one to go with.

Spencer’s birthday was last week, so I decided I would make this for him for his birthday cake. I wanted him to be surprised by this, so while he was out with the guys one night I made it. He absolutely loved it. It turned out so good, and I was very pleased with the end result. Everyone that tried it went on and on about it. The cake was very moist, the filling was great as well as the icing. It was definitely a hit, to say the least.

Everything came together pretty easily. Since this is a layered cake it is a little involved, but it’s not overwhelming at all. The recipe for the syrup makes a lot, I added generous portions to all of the layers and even brushed the sides with it but there was still tons left over so you could half the syrup recipe and still have plenty. If you like a lot of filling you may consider doubling the recipe, I spread it on the layers fairly thin but if you would rather have a thicker filling it would be best to double the filling recipe. The only problem that I encountered was with the icing. I’m not really sure what happened, but it never thickened up. I let it chill for a few hours and it was still as runny as it started out, then I let it chill over night and it was still the same as it started out. After that I let it chill for a few more hours and when there was no improvement I started looking for other frosting recipes. Most of the German Chocolate frosting recipes I cam across were basically the same as the filling recipe, since I wanted to stick with the chocolate on the outside (like the original recipe) I looked for chocolate frosting recipes. The recipe I finally decided on was Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Frosting. I’ve heard so many good things about this frosting so I figured I wouldn’t be disappointed in it, and I wasn’t, it turned out great. I will try to attempt the original frosting again, but I did love the cake exactly the way it was.

German Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 Ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped
2 Ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 Tablespoons water
8 Ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ Cup + ¼ Cup sugar
4 Large eggs, separated
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon baking soda
½ Teaspoon salt
1 Cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

1 Cup heavy cream
1 Cup sugar
3 Large egg yolks
3 Ounces butter, cut into small pieces
½ Teaspoon salt
1 Cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 1/3 Cups unsweetened coconut, toasted

Syrup:

1 Cup water
¾ Cup sugar
2 Tablespoons dark rum

Icing:

8 Ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ½ Ounces unsalted butter
1 Cup heavy cream

Directions:

Butter two 9 inch cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment (or wax) paper and preheat oven to 350.

Place both chocolates and 6 tablespoons of water in either a double boiler or microwave safe dish. Melt chocolates and stir frequently to ensure it doesn’t burn. Once it’s melted and smooth, set aside to let cool to room temperature.

With a mixer beat butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in chocolate and then egg yolks one at a time.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Mix half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then mix in the buttermilk and vanilla and then finish adding the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup of sugar until the mixture is stiff.

Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the batter, then fold the remaining egg whites in until no whites can be seen.

Divide the batter evenly and pour into the two 9-inch, greased cake pans. Bake for about 45 minutes, until toothpick can be inserted in the center and come out clean.

Cool layers completely.

While the cakes are baking and cooling prepare frosting, filling and syrup.

To make filling:

In a medium saucepan mix the cream, sugar and egg yolks. In a separate bowl put three ounces of butter, salt, toasted coconuts, and pecan pieces.

Heat the cream mixture and stir constantly. Heat until mixture thickens and coats spoon.

Pour the hot custard immediatly into the coconut mixture. Mix and stir until the butter is completely melted. Set aside and let cool completely.

For the Syrup:

In a small saucepan heat the sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add the rum, stir well.

For the icing:

Place 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with corn syrup and 1 1/2 ounces butter.

Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute and then stir together. Let sit until room temperature.

***Like I said earlier, I couldn’t ever get this icing to come to the right consistency for me so I used Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Frosting. It turned out great, so if you don’t want to attempt the original frosting this one works just fine.

To assemble the cake:

Remove cakes from the pans and cut both cakes in half, horizontally with a sharp knife.

Place the first cake layer on a plate, brush with syrup, spread 3/4 cup of the coconut filling over the layer. Be sure the filling is spread over the entire layer. Set another layer on top of the cake.

Repeat process using the syrup to brush on each layer, spread thin layer of filling-3/4 cup of filling over each layer, including the top layer.

Ice the sides with the chocolate icing. Use a decorative tip and pipe the top of the cake around the coconut filling mixture.

Recipe Source: David Lebovitz

Frosting: Hershey’s

Daring Baker's Dobo's Torta

August 28, 2009 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

The August 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers’ cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

For the Daring Baker’s August challenge we made a Dobo’s Torta, which is an Hungarian specialty. A Dobos Torta, or torte, is a multi-layer cake (most of the time 5 layers) that is filled with a rich, chocolate buttercream frosting then topped with thin layers of caramel. The cake is named after a well-known Hungarian baker, Jozsef C. Dobos, who invented the cake.

Here is a history of the torta:

“Dobosh or Dobos Torte (type of cake) was first introduced at the National General Exhibition of Budapest in 1885; Franz Joseph I and his Empress Elisabeth were among the first to taste it. The cake soon became popular throughout Europe as it was different from all others. It was simple but elegant, as opposed to the multi-storey, flaming cakes of the age. Its other secret was its use of fine buttercream, which was very little known at the time; cake fillings and frostings were usually made with cooked pastry cream or whipped cream. The chocolate buttercream and the batter of the cake were both invented by Jozsef C. Dobos.

Dobos travelled around Europe and introduced the cake wherever he went. For a long time he kept the exact recipe confidential, until 1906 when he retired and gave the original recipe to the Budapest Confectioners’ and Gingerbread Makers’ Chamber of Industry, providing that every member of the chamber can use it freely.

Dobos Torte is known everywhere in the world and there are more than one hundred recipe variations. It is a commonly made torte in the upscale hotels, restaurants and pastry shops of the world. Another famous Hungarian dessert created in the same era is Rigo Jancsi.”

Information source: Wikipedia

I always enjoy attempting to make things that are different and that I’ve never made before. That’s one of the many things about the daring bakers I like, I am always able to attempt new recipes and new methods of cooking. Since I have joined, my eyes have been opened to many new techniques and many new recipes. This month was no exception.

I have never made or attempted to make a sponge cake, so when I found out this challenge involved sponge cake I was pretty excited but I was also a little hesitant. After I read the recipe for the cake, the process sounded a little similar to a recipe that I attemped a while back that I did not have success with. So I wasn’t really sure if I was going to have success with this recipe or not.

For this being my first attempt at making a sponge cake I was pretty happy with the outcome. I’ve never worked with a cake batter that turned out to be the consistency of this batter. It was definitely a different experience. It was also neat being able to pour the batter and watch it stay in the same place your poured it, rather than it spreading all over the pan. I did learn from my experience this time and I will do a few things different next time, but all in all it was a good experience.

I did have a little problem with the caramel sauce, I couldn’t really get it to the consistency I wanted. After working with it for quite some time, I finally settled with the consistency and poured it over a layer of sponge cake. It set fairly quickly, and after comparing pictures from other posts I decided that mine looked very similar. The only thing with the caramel is that it tasted a lot like lemons. I used the right amount of lemon juice, so I’m not sure if the lemon taste was supposed to be that evident or of the juice was just extra strong. I didn’t want to ruin the taste of the cake and icing so I just put a little accent piece of the caramel topping on the cake.

I’m so happy I was able to attempt this recipe. I wouldn’t say it turned out perfect but I am happy at the results since it was my first time. I will probably try a recipe like this again and make a few changes to get the results I want.

Daring Bakers Dobo’s Torta
Dobo's Torta
Sponge Cake:

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups confectioner’s sugar, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour

pinch of salt

Directions:

Place the racks in the top and centre of the oven and preheat oven to 400F.

Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Use the bottom of a 9″ springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn’t touch the cake batter.)

Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar, and the vanilla in a bowl on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted. Bean about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don’t have a mixer.)

In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add in the remaining 2/3 cup of confectioner’s sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.

Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center and the edges are lightly browned.

While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool.

Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8″ springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Sponge Cake Layer
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
Ingredients:
4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar

4oz bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped

2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature.
Directions:
Prepare a double-boiler: fill a large saucepan a quarter full with water and bring it to a boil.

In a separate bowl (heat safe), whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.

Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken. Whisk in the chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.

Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.

When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Caramel Topping

Ingredients:

1 cup caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar

Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top.

12 tablespoons water

8 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Directions:

To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.

Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.

Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer.

***There will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Assembling the Dobos

Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.

Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a cake base and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.

Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.

Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.
Dobo's Torta
Variations:

Shape: The traditional shape of a Dobos Torta is a circular cake, but you can vary the shape and size if you want. Sherry Yard in Desserts By The Yard makes a skyscraper Dobos by cutting a full-size cake into four wedges and stacking them to create a tall, sail-shaped cake. Mini Dobos would be very cute, and you could perch a little disc of caramel on top.

Flavour: While we both love the dark chocolate buttercream and this is traditional, we think it would be fun to see what fun buttercreams you all come up with! So, go wild! Or, you could brush each layer with a flavoured syrup if you just want a hint of a second flavour. Cointreau syrup would be divine!

Nuts: These are optional for decoration, so no worries if you’re allergic to them. If you don’t like hazelnuts, then substitute for another variety that you like.

Egg concerns

The cooking process for the buttercream will produce lightly cooked eggs. If you fall into a vulnerable health group then you may wish to use an egg-less buttercream.

Resources
http://cafechocolada.blogspot.com/2008/04/dobos-torte.html
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4VHMjIfxfYcC&pg=PA240&lpg=PA240&dq=%22dobos+torte%22&source=bl&ots=tcE2j8dTLl&sig=QoPANOL_MJnfi_vmHm5rW2ncC60&hl=en&ei=jidySrbpKeG2jAec58mODA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7
http://paulaerbay2.wordpress.com/2007/07/24/dobos-torte-recipe/

Red Velvet Cakeballs

January 8, 2009 by Lynsey 1 Comment

I love to experiment in the kitchen and try all types of new things. I come across a lot of unique recipes, ideas and presentations while I’m looking around different food websites and food blogs. There are so many different ideas and takes on food; and they are all so interesting. There are some that intrigue me so much that I bookmark them and have them as a must attempt recipe. I must say that my “must attempt” list keeps growing longer and longer as I come across more amazing recipes. Slowly but surely I will get to them all.

One of the things I have come across that I knew I must attempt were cake balls. Cake balls have experienced a growing popularity over the past few months; I’ve seen them popping up on multiple websites. They are just so much fun and there are so many different things that can be done with them. They can be make in different shapes, sizes, flavors and even put on sticks to be made into cake pops. They are so cute and the possibilities are almost endless!

After seeing these on quite a few websites I decided I wanted to attempt to make some. I knew the recipe would make a lot and I didn’t need those sitting around the house since it’s just Spencer and myself most of the time. I started thinking and I knew I wanted to do something for some of his co-workers so I decided I would do some goody baskets and fill it with some baked goods. This would be the perfect time for me to try out the cake balls and not have a ton sitting around the house.

The process of making these is pretty time consuming, so definitely keep that in mind whenever you start to make these. I probably made it a little more lengthy than most people because I decided to make a homemade cake rather than using a cake mix…but it was worth it. Plus I wanted to do Red Velvet cake and since that’s my bosses favorite cake I wanted to make sure it would meet her expectations! (I had to take some goodies to her too!) Even if you don’t do a homemade cake it would be better to give yourself a couple of days to do the whole process.

I wanted to do Red Velvet cake because of Christmas and I thought that would look awesome and be a bright burst of color once bitten into. I had never made a “from scratch” Red Velvet cake or any Red Velvet cake for that matter, so I hunted for the perfect recipe for quite some time and I finally came across a recipe I wanted to try on Pinch My Salt. Once I found the recipe I made sure I had everything and I got to mixing. The whole process of making the cake and baking it was actually not as hard as I had initially imagined. I don’t know what I was scared about since I tend to bake quite a bit but this cake has always been one of those that seemed to have quite a bit of difficulty. I’m proud to say I overcame my fear of Red Velvet Cake and I’m so glad I did because this cake turned out incredible! This cake also passed the test of my toughest critic, my boss…the lover of Red Velvet Cakes. Since this cake is her all time favorite she has tasted many and it’s what her mom cooks for her every time she comes to visit…so I was under double pressure, her favorite cake and it’s also a cake her mom makes. I was pretty proud when I heard from her that she LOVED the cake. I also got awesome reviews from the other recipients of the gift baskets as well as a few other people who tried them.

I had so much fun making these. It’s a great way to get the creative juices flowing and the possibilities are endless. Since this was my first time making these I decided I wanted to keep it as simple as possible just so I could have a fair chance of completing them and since I also had some other goodies to make to go in the baskets. I will probably experiment in the future with different shapes and possibly even with the cake pops. This is definitely a fun and different way to serve up a classic dessert. Let your imagination run wild with the different colors, flavor combinations and everything.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

For starters…Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F

Flour and grease a 9×13 pan.

Into a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a paste; set aside. (Be careful with the food coloring…don’t get it on your clothes or counter tops because it does stain!!!)

Place butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Make sure to scrape down the bowl occasionally, beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla and the cocoa paste.

Add one third of the flour mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. Finally beat in the last third of the flour mixture, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

Make sure the pan is greased/buttered, floured, and nearby. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Yes, it fizzes! Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Pour batter into the greased pan place in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cake cool completely.

Once the cake has cooled completely, crumble entirely.
To combine make the cake into balls mix in buttercream icing.

Buttercream Icing:

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup shortening
1/4 Cup butter
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Cups confectioners sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

Directions:

Cream butter, shortening, and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well after each cup is added. Mix in the milk and continue beating until light and fluffy.

***If you prefer you can use a container of store bought frosting.

Once the frosting is prepared, mix the frosting in with the crumbled cake and combine completely.

Once the cake and icing are combined, form cake balls to desired size (I made them about the size of golf balls) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment/wax paper. Continue this process until all the cake is gone.

Once cake balls are made, cover with plastic wrap or foil and place in refrigerator or freezer. Leave the balls in the freezer/fridge over night to ensure they are set and won’t crumble when dipped into the chocolate.

***I added a little something extra to mine. I took some of the buttercream and placed it in a piping bag and filled the cake balls with a little frosting so there would be a surprise inside!

Once the cake balls have chilled and are set they are ready to dip in the chocolate. In a double boiler melt desired flavor of chocolate ( I used 1/2 semisweet and 1/2 milk chocolate). Stir chocolate until smooth, once smooth begin dipping the cake balls into the chocolate.

Place dipped cake balls on wax/parchment paper. Continue the dipping process until all are covered.

After all were covered I placed mine back in the fridge to let set up. Once they set up I drizzled some white chocolate over the tops of them.

Red Velvet Cake Recipe By: Pinch My Salt

Buttercream Frosting: All Recipes

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