This cake is beautiful. Although I love perfectly frosted cakes

This cake is beautiful. Although I love perfectly frosted cakes

Cake Dessert

07:30 Add Comment

This is the first time I've ever made a naked cake, so I actually had a little bit of a panic attack during the frosting process. Frosting the cake pretty much went against all my perfectionist tendencies. Because how do you actually judge when a naked cake is finished? How much frosting is too much frosting, exactly? Or did I use too little? .

Ingredients:
For the Chocolate Cake:
(makes a double layer 8-inch cake)
1 3/4 cups (8.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 cups (14 ounces) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (2.25 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
1/2 cup (4 ounces) vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (8 ounces) freshly brewed hot coffee

For the Hibiscus Cream Cheese Frosting:
(makes around 2 cups, enough for a scantily-frosted cake)
1/2 cup (4 ounces) water
2 tablespoons dried hibiscus flowers
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick // 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups (14 ounces) confectioner's sugar, sifted (see baker's notes)
a pinch of kosher salt

Recipe:

For the Chocolate Cake:Preheat the oven to 350 (F). Prepare two 8 inch round cake pans by spraying generously with cooking spray and lining the bottom of each pan with parchment paper circles. Spray the top of each parchment circle and set aside.
In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.

In a separate medium bowl, combine 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup oil, 2 eggs, and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Whisk together gently until just combined.
With the mixer on its lowest speed, slowly add the wet ingredients (from the 3rd step) to the dry ingredients (from the 2nd step). Add 1 cup hot coffee. Continue stirring on low speed until just combined, before stopping the mixer and using a heatproof rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix into the batter. The batter will seem really liquidy, but again, this is normal.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of each cake comes out with a few crumbs and the tops of each cake bounce with a spongelike texture when poked gently with your finger. When the cakes are ready, remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes, before turning out to cool. Remove parchment paper and allow the cakes to cool completely to room temperature.
Once the cakes are cooled to room temperature, wrap each layer in plastic wrap. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours before frosting.

For the Hibiscus Cream Cheese Frosting:First, make the hibiscus tea. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small pot over high heat. Once the water is boiling, remove from heat and immediately add 2 tablespoons dried hibiscus flowers. Steep for at least 10 minutes — the longer you steep the tea, the darker your frosting will be. Take care not to get any of the tea on your clothes! It stains like crazy. After steeping, strain out the hibiscus flowers and discard.

In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together 8 ounces cream cheese and 1/2 cup unsalted butter on medium speed for around a minute, until fluffy and well combined. Gradually add 3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar a quarter cup at a time until fully incorporated. Add a pinch of kosher salt, and beat on high speed for at least a minute. Lower the mixer to its lowest setting and slowly drizzle in the hibiscus tea one tablespoon at a time until the mixture is a pale pink. The more tea you add, the more flavorful and colorful the frosting will be.

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Wow.. just looking at the pictures I can see how dense and moist the cake must be

Wow.. just looking at the pictures I can see how dense and moist the cake must be

Cake Dessert

14:04 Add Comment

The cake's denseness was not a bad thing at all — on the contrary, it created the perfect texture for soaking up absorbing a cake soak. I ended up whipping a Grand Marnier cake soak that I poured over the cake before topping it off with powdered sugar and orange zest. The orange flavor complemented the cake's eggy flavor, resulting in one of the most delicious cakes I've had in a long time. I also suggest whipping up a dark chocolate ganache or orange glaze to top the cake off. Or at least, that's what I'll be doing the next time I make this cake. ;-)

Ingredients:
For the Sweetened Condensed Milk Cake:
(makes one 10-inch, 12-cup capacity bundt pan)
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter (plus more for pan)
1 teaspoon orange zest (plus more for garnishing)
8 eggs, at room temperature
2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for pan)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Grand Marnier Cake Soak:
(enough for one 10-inch cake)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup Grand Marnier (or any other orange-flavored alcohol)

Recipe:

For the Sweetened Condensed Milk Cake:Preheat the oven to 350 (F). Prepare your bundt pan by either generously spraying with cooking spray or brushing with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Dust generously with flour and flip and tap to remove excess flour.

In a small pot, melt 1 stick unsalted butter with 1 teaspoon orange zest over medium heat, continually stirring with a heatproof rubber spatula to prevent the butter from burning and help infuse it with orange flavor. Set aside to cool.
In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk together 8 eggs until well beaten. Pour in 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk and whisk until well combined. The mixture should be pale yellow and smooth. Add butter and orange zest mixture (from the second step), and continue whisking until well combined. Once the butter has been incorporated into the milk and eggs, turn the mixer off and replace your whisk attachment with a paddle attachment. 

In a small bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle over the liquid mixture (from the third step), and turn on your mixer to the lowest speed, mixing the ingredients together until just incorporated.
Once the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the liquid ingredients, pour into the greased bundt pan and bake for about 60 minutes — a skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come out completely dry. When the cake is finished, let the cake cool in its pan on a cooling rack completely. While the cake is in the oven, make the Grand Marnier cake soak. 

For the Grand Marnier Cake Soak:Combine 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and a pinch of salt in a small pot. Cook over low heat (do not boil!), whisking frequently until the sugar is dissolved and the vanilla is fragrant about 10 minutes.
Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pot from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Once the mixture has cooled, whisk in 1/2 cup Grand Marnier.

Putting It All Together:Once the cake has cooled in its pan completely, use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the exposed part of the cake (this will be the bottom of the cake once inserted into a plate).
Pour the Grand Marnier cake soak over the cooled cake and let sit for at least an hour, before inverting onto a plate and garnishing with powdered sugar and orange zest. 

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The Chocolate Glaze And sweetened condensed milk bundt cake

The Chocolate Glaze And sweetened condensed milk bundt cake

Cake Dessert

03:11 Add Comment

Erlend's in town this week and I am beyond stoked. It's easy to stay in touch and feel connected through all our modern technologies, but really, at the end of the day, nothing beats IRL time. I feel like I've been especially bad about that this year too — because it's so easy to talk over Gchat, iMessage, Snapchat, or whatever, I'll sometimes find that a whole month has gone by without me actually hanging out with anybody. Is that sad to admit?

Ingredients:
For the Toasted Sesame and Sweetened Condensed Milk Bundt Cake:
(makes one small bundt, or an 8 x 4-inch loaf)
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks // 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup (2.35 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
5 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) sweetened condensed milk

For the Chocolate Glaze:
(enough for 1 cake)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
3.25 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Recipe:

For the Toasted Sesame and Sweetened Condensed Milk Bundt Cake:Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 (F). Prepare your cake pan by generously spraying with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together 3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy.
Once the butter and sugar is light and fluffy, turn the mixer to its lowest speed and slowly add 5 large egg yolks, one at a time, only adding the next egg yolk when the previous one before it has fully incorporated into the batter.

Once the egg yolks have been incorporated, turn off the mixer and whisk together 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk in a liquid measuring cup.
Turn on the mixer to its slowest speed and add the dry ingredients (from the 2nd step) in 3 parts, alternating with the sweetened condensed milk mixture (from the 5th step) in two parts. DO NOT OVERBEAT — simply beat together until all the ingredients have just been incorporated.
Transfer to your prepared cake pan, using a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until the top is a dark, golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before unmolding.

For the Chocolate Glaze:Toast 1 tablespoon sesame seeds in a medium pan over medium-low heat until the sesame seeds start to brown and emit a nutty aroma — keep your eye on them because once they start to brown, they brown really easily and are quick to burn! Once the seeds are toasted, immediately transfer to a plate to a wire rack to prevent further toasting. 

In a medium, heat-proof glass bowl, combine 3.25 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 teaspoons water, and 2 teaspoons light corn syrup. Create a double boiler by setting the bowl of ingredients over a saucepan containing an inch of water, ensuring that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Cook the ingredients over medium heat, stirring together with a rubber spatula until melted and combined. If the mixture looks like it will seize, use a whisk. Once the ingredients have combined, transfer to a liquid measuring cup and use immediately — if you wait too long, the glaze will set and be difficult to work with!

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Banana-Chocolate! One of my face combinations. Yummy! And that frosting

Banana-Chocolate! One of my face combinations. Yummy! And that frosting

Dessert

02:34 Add Comment

I sometimes worry that I've lived out west too long and that my sensibilities will never match the ones here. As I get more settled into a routine, I find myself confusing New Yorkers with the weird, crunchy West Coast habits I've mostly acquired while living in Portland. Like bringing my own tote bags for groceries. I literally bewilder almost every cashier I interact with when I decline the plastic bags they seem to hand out so freely (they were 10 cents a bag in San Francisco!) and give them my own.

Ingredients:
Special Equipment:
a food processor

For the Banana Chocolate Chip Cake:
(makes a three-layer, 6-inch cake)
1 1/3 cups (6.65 ounces) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) whole buttermilk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9 ounces super ripe peeled bananas, mashed (I used 3 medium-small bananas — see baker's notes)
1/2 cup (3 ounces) mini chocolate chip

For the Instant Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
(makes about 2 1/2 cups, enough for one triple layer cake)
3 ounces 100% unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to slightly warm
2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup (6 ounces // 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Drippy Glaze:
(makes around 1/4 cup, enough for one cake)
3 ounces 70% cacao dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Recipes:

For the Banana Chocolate Chip Cake:Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325 (F). Prepare three 6-inch cake pans by spraying generously with cooking spray and lining the bottoms of each with a parchment paper circle; spray the parchment paper circle as well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/3 cups (6.65 ounces) all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt until fully incorporated. Set aside.
In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar and 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter. Cream together on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy and has doubled in volume. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, add 1 large egg, and continue mixing again on medium-high for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Lower the mixer speed to its lowest setting. In a liquid measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) buttermilk, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, whisking briefly before streaming into the butter and sugar mixture. Once all the mixture has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and paddle for another 5 to 6 minutes, until the mixture is practically white and completely homogeneous. You're basically forcing too much liquid into an already fatty mixture that doesn't want to make room for it, so if it doesn't look homogeneous after 6 minutes, keep mixing. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl every few minutes or so.
Once the mixture is homogeneous, reduce the mixer speed back to its lowest setting once more. Add 9 ounces of mashed banana and mix for 45 to 60 seconds to ensure that the bananas are scattered throughout the batter.

Still on low speed, add the flour mixture (from the 2nd step) and mix for 45 to 60 seconds, just until the batter comes together. DO NOT OVERMIX. Mix just until the dry ingredients have disappeared, before stopping the mixer, scraping down the sides of the bowl, and incorporating any remnants of dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula. Scatter 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips over the mixture and mix them in by hand until fully incorporated throughout the batter.
Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans, using an offset spatula to smoothen out the top of each cake.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. The center of each cake should no longer be jiggly, but be careful not to overbake since the cakes will continue to cook after you've taken them out of the oven — it's better to pull them out on the slightly early side than later. Allow cooling completely in the pans on a wire rack before turning out.

For the Instant Fudge Frosting:In the bowl of a food processor, combine 3 ounces melted and cooled 100% unsweetened chocolate, 2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) confectioner's sugar, 3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons whole milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pulse the ingredients together to incorporate. At first, it will seem like there are too many ingredients in the food processor and that they will never incorporate together, but continue processing until the frosting is smooth and a uniform brown color. It will happen! Use immediately.

For the Chocolate Drippy Glaze:Place the 3 ounces roughly chopped chocolate, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon water, and 2 teaspoons light corn syrup in a medium, microwave-proof bowl. Melt in 20-second increments in the microwave, whisking after each time, until completely melted and smooth. Use immediately.

source here

This cake looks amazing! That frosting is truly making me drool right now

This cake looks amazing! That frosting is truly making me drool right now

Dessert

14:19 Add Comment

This recipe works best if you make the coffee fudge in advance. The recipe will make more than what's needed for the frosting technique in the photos; if you want to use it all though, you can go for a drippy cake look or an overall glaze. The fudge also keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; you can use it for other desserts, like your post-dinner ice cream sundae

Ingredients:
Special Equipment:
a rotating cake stand (see baker's notes)
an offset spatula

For the Coffee Fudge:
(makes 2/3 cup)
3 tablespoons strong (preferably cold brew) coffee
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1-ounce dark (at least 70% cacao) chocolate, roughly chopped
a pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

For the Coffee Cake:
(makes an 8-inch, two-layer cake)
2 1/2 cups (11.25 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cup (12.25 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) canola oil
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) strong (preferably cold brew) coffee, at room temperature

For the Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting:
(makes enough for an 8-inch, two-layer cake)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks // 12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
a pinch of kosher salt
4 1/2 cups (18 ounces) confectioner's sugar
6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Recipes:

For the Coffee Fudge:In a medium bowl, combine 3 tablespoons coffee, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 ounce roughly chopped dark (at least 70% cacao) chocolate and a pinch of kosher salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons light corn syrup. Stir intermittently while bringing to a boil; the moment it boils, immediately pours it into the bowl containing the chocolate and coffee (from the 1st step). Let sit for 1 full minute undisturbed.
After a minute, slowly begin to whisk the mixture. Continue whisking until the mixture is glossy and silky smooth, speeding up your whisking. This will take around 2 to 4 minutes depending on your speed and strength. Transfer to a small glass jar with a lid to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; do not freeze.

For the Coffee Cake:Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 (F). Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by spraying generously with cooking spray and lining the bottoms of each with a parchment paper circle; spray the paper as well.
In a medium bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, and 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to its lowest setting and add 1 cup sour cream, beating until incorporated. With the mixer still on its lowest setting, slowly pour in 1/2 cup canola oil and continue beating until incorporated. Once the oil is incorporated, slowly pour in 3/4 cup coffee and continue beating until combined.

Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn on the mixer back to its lowest setting and add the dry ingredients (from the 2nd step) a few big spoonfuls at a time, beating on low speed until the dry ingredients have just disappeared into the batter.
Divide the cake batter between the two prepped pans and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top of the cakes are golden and bounce back when gently poked. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes, before turning out onto the rack to cool completely to room temperature.

For the Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting:In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and a pinch of kosher salt at medium speed until soft and fluffy. Lower the mixer speed to its lowest setting and add 4 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, turning the mixer speed back up to medium once the sugar is fully incorporated. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy, and reduce the mixer speed back down to its lowest setting. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk; once the milk has been added, turn the mixer back up to medium and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Use immediately.

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