Beatty's Chocolate Cake

I got this recipe from one of Ina Garten's books but she got it from an old milkman's wife or something like that. I've been using it for all my cake recipes lately so it was time to share. It combines two wonderful things: chocolate and coffee.

I'm making it again to take to a lunch at work tomorrow. I'm using her chocolate frosting recipe as well. Hopefully I will get a slice, those teacher assistants are crazy about cake.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.
Chocolate Frosting: 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut) 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Course 1 final cake

Here is my cake from my last course 1 cake class. I think a few teachers at school have discovered that I'm rethinking my career plans.

Class 2 Cake

Here is my cake for class 2 of course 1:

After class 1 I was so excited about making it but waited til the night before to bake the cake since I didn't want it to dry out. I'm really impressed by the even strips that came in my kit. You wrap them around your pans and then magically your cake comes out flat. When it came to icing the cake, I used the cake icer tip. So much easier than putting a blob of icing in the center of the cake and going from there. I used all the tips my instructor told me about icing the cake and running the spatula under hot water makes such a difference. I'm such a perfectionist that finally I had to tell myself to put the spatula down. My instructor said my icing was really smooth and I lived out my dream of having the best iced cake in class.

I only had time to finish the pink part in class and then did the rest when I got home. I was so excited about finishing it that I forgot my ROY G. BIV order. The next day I took it to my grandparents and my mom to share. I had used raspberry jam for the filling and it turned out really nice.

Next week we can make cupcakes, a round cake, or mini cakes to do our "clown cake". When I was telling my grandparents this my grandfather laughed because they once took me to Hardee's when I was little and I screamed and cried because a clown was there. The clown cake is kinda scary. I'm going to be less excited to show it off.

Apple Crostata

Apple Crostata
For the pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 pound (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, diced
2 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds McIntosh, Macoun, or Empire apples (3 large)
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet.

For the filling, peel, core, and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle.


Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Creme Brulee

I decided to break out my new creme brulee set that I got for Christmas last night for a New Years dinner. It turned out perfect! I made 6 servings but I had enough to make at least two more. The recipe is pretty simple. Be sure to add the hot cream slowly so you don't end up with scrambled eggs (I always hear this tip on tv). Since I didn't have any Grand Marnier I added another half teaspoon of vanilla. And as you might imagine it is very fun torching the sugar on top :)

Creme Brulee
1 extra-large egg
4 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.

To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

!!!

Yesterday I signed up for a Wilton cake decorating class! I've been meaning to do this ever since I found out they were offered but never got around to it. The Wilton style of cakes isn't really mine but I'm still excited about learning the basics of cake decorating.

Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

First recipe using the new mixer! Yay.
I received the Barefoot Contessa Parties book for Christmas and immediately went through it to find a recipe to make using my new mixer. I decided upon these cookies, a reverse of the basic chocolate chip. Once I finally found some good quality white chocolate (3 grocery stores later) I got to use my mixer and wear my new apron. It was pretty much a great night already and then the cookies were delicious! I think they made me change my mind about white chocolate. Thank's to Ina I now like coconut and white chocolate. Up next: carrots- well only if they can be baked into something.

Here is the recipe:
Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
~Barefoot Contessa
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds good white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream the butter and 2 sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.