It was my birthday yesterday and finally I turned 18 (or so I would like to believe..sigh…how I wish that was true!!!). Christmas is over but the hang over is still there. The weekend was spent in Vegas (I know- life is gooood!!). It was my first time there and after a long time I had so much of fun! Three days of drinking, eating, drinking, gambling, drinking, shows, lights and did I mention drinking?! Came back late night 26th since V was working on Monday, 27th – my birthday. Called people over for cocktails and cake- it was supposed to be a surprise but V had to tell me since the house was in a mess after the long weekend. So much for the surprise!
Luckily, the cake was already planned. A few days back I discovered Deeba’s blog, and was floored by her baking skills. The moment I laid eyes on her version of the Lavender Chiffon Cake, I knew this was it- this was the birthday cake I had to make. Impressed with the whole look of the cake I decided to replicate it. I tried my hand at the firm white chocolate ganache decoration too with a mango motif design, though with not much success. Of course, Deeba’s cake looks so much more beautiful and wish my pictures were as good (I should have photographed in day light- but the cake got ready in the evening, just in time for the party). Looks aside, the cake was excellent- just baked, it was springy to touch like a chiffon cake should be, and light as a feather! So what if my photography and decorating skills aren’t that good! As they say, you learn from your mistakes and am happy to come out of this as a more experienced decorator- I promise next time would be better.
When I was young, every Christmas, one of my mom’s friends, would gift us a loaf of fruitcake. It was the most delicious cake I have ever had. Growing up, I experimented tasting other fruitcakes, but nothing ever came close to that cake and well, the other fruitcakes just put me off fruitcakes altogether. This Christmas I wanted to recreate the same recipe. I tried asking my mom to get the recipe from her friend, but, unfortunately she did not have her number. One thing my mom did know about the recipe, though, was that she would make it at least a month before Christmas, soaking the cake with booze every few days.
So, the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend, I started prep for my version of fruitcake. One thing I was sure that I did not want to use in the cake, was candied fruit. I was so sure about that, that even before searching for an apt recipe, I had already bought dried fruits. So I looked into my cookbooks, but none carried the recipe that made the cut. Then , I turned to my next best friend, google, for the recipe. And I found Alton Brown’s. Now, I loooooove his series Good Eats and the recipe is from one of the episodes of the series that aired this recipe. Besides not including any candied fruits, the recipe also got rave reviews. I did tweak it a bit by including the dried fruits I bought. My list included black figs, calmyrna figs, dried currants, medjool dates, dried cranberries, crystallized ginger, monukka raisins, pitted prunes, sultanas. I used brandy instead of rum as thats what I had on hand. Since, I planned to gift the cakes to a few of my friends, I tripled the recipe.
The dried fruits chopped up and covered in sugar
I have never baked so many cakes together at one time before. And, there was this nagging feeling telling me- this is not a good idea. I did not have a bowl big enough to mix the whole batter. Then the oven wasn’t so big to accommodate all the cakes and having enough space for air circulation. Anyways, I thought to myself, if they are an utter failure- well, I’ll keep them for myself and make a pudding!
Three weeks later, they are all wrapped and ready to be gifted to friends, save for one- the one for us. Now, of course, I don’t remember the taste of the fruitcake I had eons back, but this version has been the best I have eaten since then!
All wrapped up!
Alton Brown likes to have his slice toasted with some mascarpone cheese! Like Alton Brown says, this is Good Eats!
Black Forest Cake is one of V’s favorite cake and for a long time he had been hinting that I should make one. Now, in India its a pretty popular cake and most people I know love it. Not me. I am not a fan and never was. I am the dark truffle cake kind of girl. Or the strawberry cheesecake girl but NOT the Black Forest Girl. So, when I decided to make this cake V and I had a deal – that he has the sole responsibility of finishing it and I won’t help. But, argghhh, my love for all things sweet- I don’t think I’ll be keeping my end of the deal. But, going by the cake, I think V is going to keep his end.
For the recipe, I took out the Cake Bible. Like the name suggests- its just that! If you love baking, this is one must-have book! Rose’s Swiss rendition of the Black Forest Cake is far lighter and more delicate than the original German one. Kirsch soaked cherries are sandwiched between two thin, light layers of liqueur moistened chocolate génoise to make the cake. (In true representation of myself, I goofed up and did not read Rose’s instruction to half the recipe for the génoise and ended up making the full recipe. Thus, instead of a two-layer cake I had a four layer cake, which was not too bad- kind of like the cake we get in Indian bakeries!)
The whipped cream is barely sweet so in case you want a sweeter taste add more sugar. Rose also gives the option of using Super Stabilized Whipped Cream. While, the Real Old Fashioned Whipped Cream is lighter in texture, the cake cannot be held at room temperature for more than 15- 30 minutes. I took my chances because I did not have the required gelatin for the Super Stabilized one. Also the Real Old Fashioned Whipped Cream is great for people with access to only the low-fat cream (the 20 % kinds), as the method given results in a 40 % butterfat cream
The cake used has the light texture of a génoise but is more velvety and moist. An equivalent amount of chocolate is used instead of cocoa, but a special technique is employed to intensify the flavor. Before being added to the batter, the chocolate is cooked with water which releases its flavor. When chocolate is dissolved in water, the surrounding barrier of cocoa butter in chocolate dissolves and swells the cocoa particles until they rupture, unlocking the flavor components, thus getting a génoise in the flavor of your favorite bittersweet chocolate bar.
You can make the cake ahead, like I did. Refrigerate or freeze it, in case you don’t plan to make it within 5 days. I kept it at room temperature as I assembled the cake the next day. This was also my first stint at making rosettes (or actually any kind of piping). Lot of improvement is possible, but I think for a first time attempt it did not turn out too bad, watsay?! V loved the look and loved the cake. Hubby is happy, my stomach and thighs are not!
*Update*:
This recipe was first tried on December 21st, 2010. I have made this recipe after that, and have updated the pictures as well. The pictures you see are the updated ones (only the one just below is from the original post), and though the recipe makes a four layer 9 inch cake, for the pictures I halved the recipe and made a 3 layer 6 inch cake. For just the two of us, halving the recipe works absolutely fine, since it makes a smaller cake.
*Second Update*:
I made this again for my dad’s birthday. I experienced a few problems and have learnt a few lessons and tricks to keep in mind from the mistakes I made.
Make sure you use sifted flour. Even before measuring it, sift it first, measure and sift it again over the beaten eggs 2-3 tbsp at a time. Use cake flour (making your own cake flour is given in the recipe).
To be on the safer side, you could also add a tsp of baking powder- classic genoise gets is rise only from beaten eggs, but if you are unsure of your folding skills, add a teaspoon of baking powder.
Gently fold the flour in and try not to over mix. A balloon whisk works well to fold yet not deflate the mixture, you still need to make sure to be gentle.
Also before you mix in the chocolate mixture take about 1 cup of the batter and fold it to loosen the mixture and then add it to the rest of the beaten egg-flour mixture. This will make sure you don’t end up over-mixing the batter.
Also, be generous with your syrup. Everybody loves a moist cake. Poke the cake in places with a toothpick so that the cake soaks the syrup better.
