Chocolate Birthday Cake
May 23, 2011
It is birthday season in our family. By some lucky roll of the dice, almost every member of our family was born between April and August. We celebrate the birth of someone every couple of weeks, usually with the a candle topped Chocolate Birthday Cake.
This cake began as my own personal favorite. I, like many, am a huge fan of chocolate. I am fairly certain that my birthday cake was chocolate for at least the first 25 years of my life (perhaps longer). About 5 years ago, I came across this recipe for chocolate cake from Ina Garten. Since then, I have made it countless times.
Imagine my delight when this cake became a favorite for my family as well! This year already, I have made it five times. In fact I have made it so much that I was reluctant when asked to make the most recent batch. I thought- Hadn’t we already eaten that cake enough this season? There are so many other good cakes to try. But then I whipped up the batter, baked the cake, and tried a sample crumb, shhhhh. This cake tastes sooo good! I would happily sign on to many more years of baking this exact cake.
Chocolate Birthday Cake is rich, chocolately, and incredibly moist. The buttermilk gives it a pleasant tang and the last minute addition of brewed coffee deepens the delightful chocolate flavor. As with any chocolate dish, it will be as good as the cocoa you use. I prefer Ghiradelli or Scharfen Berger. The frosting choice will create the identity of the cake. Mocha Buttercream is the frosting I most often pair with the cake. I have also made it with vanilla buttercream and strawberry buttercream. Really, you cannot go wrong. This cake is absolutely decadent and delicious. The very definition of a chocolate cake. It is perfect for a birthday or any time you need a good chocolate fix.
Chocolate Birthday Cake
from Ina Garten
makes 1 8-inch layer cake
Parchment paper for lining pans
Butter for greasing pans
1 3/4 cup all- purpose flour, plus more for dusting pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Ghiradelli)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment. Dust pans with flour.
Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl: flour, sugar cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined. Pour in the hot coffee and mix until it is incorporated. Be sure to scrape down sides and bottom to ensure all the flour mixture is thoroughly moistened. Batter will look very thin.
Pour batter evenly into the 2 prepared pans. Slide pans in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place pans on a cooling rack and let sit for 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the inside edge of each pan to loosen the cake, then invert onto the cooling racks. Peel the parchment off the bottom. Let cakes cool completely before frosting.
Lay one layer, flat side up on your cake plate or stand. Spread a layer of frosting over the top. Place the second cake round on the frosting, flat side up. Apply a generous amount of frosting to the top of the cake. Spread the frosting over the top and down the sides. Finish by filling in any places where the cake is exposed and smoothing the top and sides with a spatula. If the frosting is too loose, put it in the refrigerator and allow it to set up before spreading. The frosted cake can be kept on the counter until ready to serve. If it is a very hot day, keep it in the refrigerator to prevent the frosting from weeping.
Note:
Unfrosted cakes can be made ahead and frozen. After they are completely cool, wrap tightly in plastic and freeze for up to three months. Be careful not to place anything onto of the cakes. Even though they are frozen, then are still delicate and will crush easily.
For a larger cake and crowd, you can double the recipe. I have done this successfully many times.
Mocha Buttercream
adapted from Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven
makes enough for 1 8-inch layer cake
1 cup butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh coffee, cooled
Cream the butter. Add the vanilla and mix. Sift in the cocoa and sugar (Do not forget to sift. If you add lumps in at this point, they are almost impossible to remove). Add the coffee and beat. It may appear curdled or separated at first. Continue beating frosting until it is fully incorporated, light, and fluffy. Spread on cake.
Here is a printer-friendly version of the recipes:
Chocolate Birthday Cake and Mocha Buttercream
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My New Love, Focaccia- Two Ways
May 19, 2011
Over the last few weeks, several batches of focaccia made their way through my oven. Each batch took on a different personality. I topped one with oven-dried figs, walnuts, and blue cheese as an appetizer, another I brushed with garlic oil and served as a side dish. Another batch I made into a simple pizza and the last I topped with apples and cinnamon sugar for breakfast. Anyway you top this bread, it is delightful.
Besides its versatility and incredible taste, this bread is also very convenient to make. The dough rises twice, then rests in the refrigerator for 24-36 hours. When you are ready to bake, just pull a dough ball from the fridge, stretch it out, and top it as you please. Twice I served this bread for brunch. Usually I do not even consider a yeasted bread for brunch, because of the time it takes to rise, but since rises the day before, it is easy to pull off for a meal any time of day.
Though I have topped this bread many ways, my favorite remains brushing it with a garlic infused olive oil, sprinkling it with fresh herbs, and scattering coarse salt over the top. The outside becomes crunchy and brown, but the inside stays chewy and moist. The garlic flavor permeates the whole flatbread and the salt provides a crunch. It was a great accompaniment to our Huevos Diablos con Chorizo the other morning. Topping it with thinnly sliced apples is a close second, for a sweet version that is suitable for both brunch or dessert, though I would sweeten it up a bit more if serving it for dessert.
These recipes were submitted to Yeastspotting.
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Tequila Lime Tart
May 1, 2011
What can I say? Sometimes it is not enough to drink a margarita, I want to eat it too! I was inspired by Food52’s recent tart recipe contest. Tarts are fun to prepare and display so beautifully. I love to make them sweet and savory. Perhaps you already checked out my Caramel Apple Tarts or Sausage Kale Dinner Tart.
When the recipe for Tequila Lime Tart came together, I was busy making batch after batch of Meyer Lemon Curd. It occurred to me to make lime curd. While lime curd sounded delicious, wouldn’t it be even better with a splash of tequila? While I was at it, I might as well fold in some whipped cream. Viola, Tequila Lime Tart!
The tequila lime filling sits on a my favorite gingersnap crust. The tangy lime and spicy ginger are delicious companions. Make the tart ahead and let it chill in the refrigerator. When you are ready, slice and serve. Take care in lifting the pieces as the crust is brittle. This is a perfect dessert for anytime of year, as limes are always available. It would pair particularly well with a Mexican meal, but really it would be good anytime. Enjoy!
Note:
This recipe earned an Editor’s Pick on Food52’s recent tart contest! Here’s what they said:
My Pantry Shelf’s tart harnesses the power of late winter citrus and turns limes into a vibrant tart. The mousse-y filling is both refreshingly bright and satisfyingly creamy and the gingersnap crust is a great combo with the lime filling. Be careful with the delicate crumbly crust when removing the tart ring. The touch of tequila is just enough to make you think of a margarita on the beach—perfect for getting through the last days of winter.
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Oatmeal Jam Bars
April 22, 2011
With Easter around the corner, the house is a buzz with preparations for the Easter bunny. The chickens are busy laying eggs, the kids are dying them and collecting greens from the garden to leave for a bunny snack. As the Easter bunny’s executive assistant, I have collected some items for the bunny to present the children. We (the grown-ups at least) are not big on candy in our house (especially when the kids would presumably start eating it upon rising and discovering their baskets.)
So this year, there are books, stickers, and as a compromise, a small cache of jelly beans. I wanted there to be something special as well, something beautiful, exciting, sweet, but not so over the top that I would cringe as my kids ripped into them at 7 am. Ah ha! This year the Easter Bunny takes up baking!
Strolling through the supermarket aisles, I found a large cookie cutter in the shape of an egg. Inspired, I sought out a recipe for an oat bar which I would top with jam to create a colorful egg-shaped cookie bar. After an extensive search, I settled on a recipe for Raspberry Breakfast Bars from Deb at Smitten Kitchen. Since my pantry is still full of jam, I adapted the recipe to skip the raspberry filling (though it looks quite good and I may revisit it in raspberry season) and use my homemade jam instead. I also added coconut flakes to the crust, just because I am on a coconut kick right now.
The real trick here was to figure out a way to make sure the jam would show through. The original recipe calls for the crumb topping to cover the entire bar, but I wanted colorful polka dots of jam. To accomplish this, I tried multiple methods and settled on dotting the top of the crust with jam. Once cool, I cut them into egg shapes and bagged them individually for the Easter bunny to present. Mmmm, the smell of these bars is out of control.
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Crepes with Warm Berry Sauce and Lemon Curd
April 10, 2011
The countdown to summer has officially begun. Summertime is that special time of year when I hang my teaching hat and spend my days tickling my children, swimming, running through the hills, and of course canning the bounty of the season. So in these final weeks before summer is here, now is the time to clear out the pantry and make room for another season of dutiful and celebratory filling of jars. While some canned goods, such as jam, may be stored for longer, I always aim to eat my preserved foods within one year. Lemon curd is best eaten within 3 to 4 months, after which time the curd may darken, but still be safe to eat for one year.
There are many lovely ways to enjoy lemon curd, but not many that I feel justify me to eat it for breakfast. Thanks to the ever versatile crepe, I now feel free to indulge myself! This crepe recipe is directly from Julia Child’s The Way to Cook. They are incredibly easy to make and so good. For this special breakfast, I filled the crepes with lemon curd and topped them with a warm berry sauce made from frozen berries. The tangy lemon, sweet berry, and buttery crepe make for a beautiful and tasty treat. It is just the thing for a special weekend breakfast or brunch.
My Pantry Shelf 
