Cake Prague Thursday, Apr 17 2008

ABOUT:

Even though it’s named Prague, it’s a very popular desert in Russia, don’t know why.

INGREDIENTS:

Dough:
0.5 L kefir/sour cream
3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cups cacao
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons cognac or brandy

Cream:
2 cups unsalted butter
1/3 cup cacao
1 can condensed milk

DIRECTIONS:

Cream:
Mix chopped butter with cacao in a mixer. Add condensed milk and mix again. Put cream in the fridge while dough is made.

Dough:
Heat oven 375 F

Mix kefir, cognac and cacao in the mixer, then all oher ingredients for dough. Mix everything very well. The dough must look like sour cream.

Bake 7-8 shortcakes about 15 minutes. Let them cool and spread cream on shortcakes. When all the shortcakes are creamed, spread the cream on the top and on the sides of the cake.

Put the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours. Decorate the cake with fruits and chocolate shaves.

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Black Forest Torte Thursday, Apr 17 2008

SERVINGS:

Makes 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Brownie
1 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup kirsch (clear cherry brandy)
3 tablespoons cherry preserves

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
7 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Mousse
1 12-ounce jar cherry preserves

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese (12 ounces)
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:

For brownie:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Place pan on baking sheet. Combine cherries and 1/4 cup water in small saucepan. Boil over medium-high heat until liquid almost evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add kirsch and boil 1 minute. Standing back, carefully ignite kirsch. When flames subside, mix in preserves. Cook until preserves boil and thicken, about 3 minutes. Cool.

Whisk flour, cocoa, pepper, and salt in small bowl to blend. Melt butter and bittersweet chocolate in heavy medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat; mix in 1/2 cup sugar. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, remaining 1 cup sugar, and vanilla extract in large bowl until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Using spatula, mix in melted chocolate mixture. Fold flour mixture into batter. Fold cherry mixture and chocolate chips into batter.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until top is dry and slightly cracked and tester inserted into center of brownie comes out with some moist (not wet) batter attached, about 55 minutes. Cool brownie in pan on rack 15 minutes. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides and cool cake completely. Replace sides of pan. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

For mousse:
Puree cherry preserves in processor until smooth. Transfer to small resealable plastic bag.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract in medium bowl until very smooth. Reduce speed to low. Beat in mascarpone just until smooth. Add cream and beat just until blended and still soft (do not overbeat). Immediately spread mousse evenly over brownie. Cut off enough of 1 corner of plastic bag with preserves to make 1/8-inch opening. Pipe preserves in parallel lines across mousse, spacing 1 inch apart. Starting 1 inch in from 1 side, drag tip of toothpick across lines in 1 direction. Repeat in opposite direction, 1 inch from first line. Continue, alternating direction every time to form chevron pattern. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Cut around pan sides, then remove sides. Let torte stand 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

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Rum Cake Wednesday, Apr 16 2008

ABOUT:

First time I had this cake was in Bahamas in 2005 and it was amazing. How can such a simple cake be turned into something delicious and moist? Ever since then, I was on the mission to recreate it. We brought back packaged Tortuga, Bacardi cakes and every recipe I tried did not come out right comparing to the brand cakes. It took me a while to finally come up with the perfect one which I had to borrow from probably 5 different sources and throw some of my own creativity.

SERVINGS:

2 cakes

INGREDIENTS:

Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
1 cup milk/buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sauce
1 cup dark rum
1 c butter
1 c sugar melted together
1/2 cup dark rum added after removed from heat
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Toasted chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter spring form pan with 3-inch-high sides.
Whisk flour and baking powder in medium bowl.
Beat butter, sugar, and salt in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix 1 cup milk/buttermilk and vanilla extract in measuring cup and rum.
Fold flour mixture into butter mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk mixture in 2 additions.
Transfer batter to prepared spring form pan.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes.
Cool completely in pan on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Sauce:
Reduce Rum for 3 min in heavy medium saucepan
Add all other ingredients.
Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
Increase heat to medium-high.
Boil without stirring until sauce is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes.
Cool slightly. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm slightly before continuing.)

Once cake is cooled off, pour the sauce over the cake.
Sprinkle with chopped pecans and serve.

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Zebra Cake Sunday, Apr 13 2008

ABOUT:

The cake got it’s name for it’s appearance

INGREDIENTS:

6 small eggs
110g castor sugar
150g cake flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tbsp emulsifier
100g butter, melted
30g condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

2 tsp cocoa powder
3-4 tbsp water
1 tsp chocolate emulco

Almond nibs or flakes for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS:

Dissolve cocoa powder and chocolate emulco in water.

Preheat oven at 170 C. Prepare and grease a 8 inch round cake pan.

Sift flour and baking powder. Set aside.

Beat eggs, flour in, castor sugar and emulsifier on high speed for 10 minutes or until batter turns light and creamy, i.e. thick ribbon state. To test, lift beater. Batter drops from beater should disappear when you count from 1 to 10.

Pour melted butter, condensed milk and vanilla essence (if any). Mix at slow speed.

Divide batter into 2 equal portions. Fold chocolate solution into one of the batters.

Using tablespoon, scoop 3 tbsp of uncoloured batter into centre of cake pan. Then, scoop 3 tbsp of chocolate batter onto the uncoloured batter you just scooped into the pan.

Repeat until you have finished about half of the batter. Reduce to 2 scoops each now and continue layering as (6). Reduce the amount of batter gradually until you only pour 1 scoop of each batter finally. The circles become smaller and smaller as your pour.

Sprinkle almond nibs or flakes to cake. Bake at 170 C for 35 minutes.

Let cake in pan for 10 minutes before turning it on to a wire rack to cool complete.

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