Eat Cake: A Novel (28 page)
In the Sweet Kitchen
by Regan Daley. Artisan/Workman Publishers, 2001
Serves 12 to 16
Cake
1½ cups unsalted butter, in small pieces
7 oz. unsweetened chocolate, the best you can afford, coarsely chopped
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2½ tablespoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 2 cups boiling water, cooled (or 2 cups strong black coffee)
3 cups granulated sugar
10 tablespoons (5 oz.) Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour, not self-rising
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Glaze
10 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
7 tablespoons unsalted butter in small pieces
Additional unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the pan
Dark chocolate-covered espresso beans or chocolate coffee bean-shaped candies, for garnish
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, optional
1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Grease a 10-inch springform pan, line with a circle of parchment paper and lightly grease the paper. Combine the butter, both chocolates, and coffee in the top of a double boiler or a stainless steel or glass bowl. Set the bowl or insert over a pot of barely simmering water and stir frequently with a wooden spoon until melted. If the melted mixture appears somewhat speckled with what looks like unmelted chocolate, don’t be concerned. (Different chocolates have different cocoa butter and cocoa solids content and when melted with such a large quantity of liquid may seem to separate.) Place the sugar in the bottom of a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and pour over the sugar. Stir to blend and dissolve the sugar, and then allow to cool for 10 minutes.
2. With a wire whisk or the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, add the Kahlúa and the vanilla extract to the cooled chocolate mixture and blend well. Blend in the lightly beaten eggs, making sure they are thoroughly incorporated. The batter at this point will be extremely thin; don’t worry, just make sure to work each added ingredient in carefully.
3. Sift the flours, baking soda, and salt together. Add dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture in two additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times. Beat on medium
speed for one minute. The batter may have little lumps, but they won’t affect the finished cake.
4. Place the prepared pan on a baking sheet to catch any leaks and pour the batter into the pan. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1¾ hours to 2 hours, rotating the pan several times during that time to ensure even baking. The cake bakes slowly and stays beautifully moist. A crust will form on the top of the cake and may crack. Test for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer in a fault of the crust, poking near the center of the cake. It should come out clean, or with only a very few moist crumbs clinging to it. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the pan set on a rack. (The cake may be made up to 2 days ahead of time and kept in the pan at room temperature, covered tightly with plastic wrap.)
5. To prepare the glaze, combine the chopped chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water. Stir frequently until the chocolate is melted, then remove from the heat and cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Run a thin-bladed knife around the cake and loosen and remove the sides of the pan. Using a long-bladed serrated knife, carefully even out the top of the cake, slicing off any domed or uneven part of the crust. Use long, slow strokes of the knife, keeping the blade perfectly parallel with the counter.
6. Place a dab of the chocolate glaze on a 10-inch cardboard cake circle and invert the cake onto the board. Remove the pan bottom and the parchment paper. (If you haven’t got a cake circle or other piece of cardboard cut to 10 inches round, invert the cake onto a plate and remove the pan bottom but
leave the paper. Re-invert the cake onto a second plate and place the pan bottom on the top of the cake. Invert the cake a third time, ending up with the bottom-side up, top-side down on the metal pan bottom, and peel off the paper.) Brush any crumbs from the cake and pour the warm glaze onto the center. Using a metal spatula or palette knife, coax the glaze to the edges of the cake and over the sides; quickly spread the overflow evenly onto the sides. Garnish with the chocolate-covered espresso beans. Give the glaze an hour or so to set, then serve the cake with lightly sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
In the Sweet Kitchen
by Regan Daley. Artisan/Workman Publishers, 2001
Serves 8
ACTIVE TIME:
1
HR START TO FINISH:
3
HR
For cake
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
½ teaspoon salt
6 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For pineapple filling
1 (20-oz.) can crushed pineapple, including juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
For rum syrup
⅔ cup water
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons light rum
For assembly
Coconut buttercream (recipe follows)
3½ cups fresh coconut shavings or 2⅔ cups sweetened flaked coconut (7-oz. package)
MAKE CAKES:
Preheat oven to 350° and butter 2 (8-inch) square cake pans (2 inches deep).
Sift flour with salt into a bowl.
Heat eggs and sugar in large metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water, gently whisking constantly, until lukewarm.
Remove bowl from heat and add vanilla, then beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until thick and pale and tripled in volume (about 5 minutes with a standing mixer or 10 minutes with a handheld). Sift flour and salt over eggs in 2 batches, folding gently but thoroughly after each batch. Fold in melted butter until combined. Divide batter evenly between cake pans, smoothing tops.
Bake cakes in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean and cakes are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 5 minutes, then invert onto racks to cool completely.
MAKE PINEAPPLE FILLING:
Stir together filling ingredients in a heavy saucepan until cornstarch is dissolved. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then simmer, stirring 3 minutes. Cool completely, stirring occasionally.
MAKE RUM SYRUP:
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Transfer to a small bowl and chill until ready to use.
ASSEMBLE CAKE:
Trim edges of cakes if necessary and cut each horizontally in half with a long serrated knife to form a total of 4 thin layers. Put 1 cake layer, cut side up, on a cake plate and brush top with some rum syrup, then spread half of pineapple filling over it. Top with another cake layer and brush with syrup, then spread with about ⅔ cup buttercream. Top with a third cake layer and brush with syrup, then spread remaining pineapple over it. Top with fourth layer, cut side down, and brush with remaining syrup. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining buttercream, then coat with coconut.
COOKS’ NOTES:
Cake layers can be made 2 days ahead and left unsplit. Keep wrapped well in plastic wrap at room temperature.
Pineapple filling can be prepared 3 days ahead and chilled, covered.
Rum syrup can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.
Cake can be assembled 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Makes about 4¼ cups (enough to frost an 8-inch layer cake)
ACTIVE TIME:
15
MIN START TO FINISH:
35
MIN
It’s easier to make buttercream with a standing mixer, but it can be done with a handheld one.
4 large egg whites at room temperature
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups sugar
½ cup water
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces and softened
1½ teaspoons coconut extract
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
a candy thermometer
Combine egg whites and salt in bowl of a standing mixer or other large bowl.
Stir together sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and washing down side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. When syrup reaches a boil, start beating whites with electric mixer at medium speed. When eggs are frothy, add lemon juice and beat until they just hold soft peaks. (Do not beat again until sugar syrup is ready—see below.)
Meanwhile, put thermometer into sugar syrup and continue boiling, without stirring, until it reaches soft-ball stage (238–242°F). Immediately remove from heat and slowly pour hot syrup in a thin stream down side of bowl into egg whites, beating constantly at high speed. Beat meringue, scraping down bowl with a rubber spatula, until meringue is cool to the touch, about 6 minutes. (It’s important that meringue is fully cooled before proceeding.)
With mixer at medium speed, gradually add butter 1 piece at a time, beating well after addition until incorporated. (If meringue is too warm and buttercream looks soupy after some butter is added, chill bottom of bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice and cold water
for a few seconds before continuing to beat in remaining butter.) Continue beating until buttercream is smooth. (Mixture may look curdled before all butter is added, but will come back together before beating is finished.) Add coconut extract and beat 1 minute more.
COOKS’
NOTES:
Buttercream can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered, or 1 month ahead and frozen. Bring to room temperature (do not use a microwave) and beat with an electric mixer before using.
If egg safety is a problem in your area, you may want to use either pasteurized egg whites in the carton or reconstituted powdered egg whites.
Gourmet Magazine
, April 2001
Ingredients, at room temperature:
½ cup chocolate mini-chips or bittersweet chocolate chopped into ¼-inch pieces
¼ teaspoon Grand Marnier
1½ teaspoons cake flour
3 large eggs
1 cup full-fat sour cream
2 teaspoons orange flour water or 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ cups sifted cake flour
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (ground) unblanched sliced almonds, toasted and finely ground
1 cup sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 cup unsalted butter
