Category: Cakes + Cupcakes

Buttermilk Chocolate Sheet Cake

 

 

 

 

 

Long before fondant dominated the Food Network and entire shows were dedicated to bakeries who could fashion cakes into realistic reproductions of Hogwarts Castle, there was the sheet cake.  The sheet cake is, for those who prefer not to spend more on a cake than they’d spend on a car payment, the go-to dessert for family or professional gatherings, celebrating birthdays, baby showers, graduations, and office farewells.

As far as I can tell, the world is divided into two groups of people: those who want the corner piece, and those who do not (much like those who want raisins in their oatmeal cookies, and those who do not).  We corner-piece folks cannot imagine why others prefer the cake to the frosting, for it is precisely the ample portion of frosting—on all three sides—that draws us to the corner piece in the first place.

This recipe is also known as a Texas Sheet Cake and employs an interesting technique of cooking cocoa powder and butter for both the batter and the frosting, and by pouring the frosting over the cake while it is still warm.  The recipe can be baked in a 15x10x1 jelly roll pan for 25 minutes, but as I don’t have one of those (yet) I employed my 13x9x2 and it worked just fine.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

Grease and flour a 13x9x2 sheet cake pan; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cocoa powder, and water.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture just comes to a boil.

Remove from heat and combine with dry ingredients, beating on medium speed until well-combined.

Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for one minute.  Batter will be very thin.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Just after the cake has come out of the oven, prepare the frosting so that it can be spread on the cake while the cake is still warm.

Buttermilk Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cocoa powder, and buttermilk.

Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.

Remove from heat and vigorously stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Pour over warm cake and spread with a spatula.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

 

 

 

 

 

In one of my favorite movies, Sense & Sensibility, Margaret Dashwood asks Colonel Brandon what it’s like in the East Indies.  He replies, as if imparting a great secret, “The air is full of spices.”

Whenever someone asks what that wonderful flavor is in a dish, it’s usually a spice.  Spices can be subtle, enhancing the flavors of other ingredients—the way pepper does, for example.  They can also be the main component, around which other ingredients are based, like in a cinnamon roll.

Cinnamon is a delightful aromatic spice that has been cultivated around the world for centuries.  I use Vietnamese cinnamon, which has a more complex flavor than your average grocery store-bought variety, but you can certainly bake with any kind.

From the moment this cake went into the oven, my kitchen was filled with the aromatic scent of cinnamon, and it lingered for hours after the cake was done.  The honey glaze is a surprising addition, offering a smooth, sweet flavor that complements the warm, spicy cinnamon cake.

For the streusel:

  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes

In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt.

Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or two knives) until the mixture resembles small peas.

Place in the freezer until cake batter is ready.

For the cake:

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup sour cream

Spray a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Add vanilla and sour cream, beating until just combined.

With the mixer on low, add flour mixture in thirds until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Remove streusel mix from the freezer.

Spoon half the batter into the tube pan and spread evenly with a spatula; sprinkle 3/4 of the streusel mix over the top.

Spoon the remaining batter into the pan, spreading evenly with a spatula; sprinkle the remaining streusel mix on the top.

Bake for 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Place the pan on a wire rack to cool before drizzling with glaze.

For the honey glaze:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons water

In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, honey, and water together and stir until smooth.

If the glaze is too thick, add a small amount of water to thin it slightly; if the glaze is too thin, add a small amount of powdered sugar to thicken it.

Drizzle over cake.

Lemon Cupcakes

 

 

 

 

 

Ahh, lemons.  Fans of amy bakes in the ‘burgh know very well of my sincere appreciation of this sunny citrus fruit.  I’ve had a recipe for lemon cupcakes on my mind for a while now, and these are prepared with a simple lemon cream cheese frosting, but I look forward to experimenting with strawberry or raspberry cream cheese frosting in the future.

I don’t usually pipe my frosting, but these cupcakes seemed to request it.  I have big plans to buy a massive pastry bag and enormous plain tip the likes of which are seen on the Food Network, but for these I used a regular 12-inch pastry bag fitted with a #12 Ateco tip.  You could certainly embellish these cupcakes with sprinkles, colored sugar, or a bit of candied lemon peel, but I’ve gone the traditional route with a simple swirl of frosting.

Note: lemon curd can be made from scratch, but I used ready-made lemon curd that I found in the jelly and jam section of my grocery store.

Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • Zest of 2 medium lemons
  • 1 1/4 cups milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line two 12-inch muffin ups with paper liners; you will need additional liners, as this recipe yields about 30 cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Add lemon zest and beat until combined.

Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, in three batches, beating until combined.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop batter into prepared muffin tins, filling about half full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 4 tablespoons shortening
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon curd
  • yellow food coloring

Preparation

In a large bowl, sift powdered sugar and salt together; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese, shortening, and vanilla.

Add powdered sugar in four batches, beating well after each addition.

Add lemon juice and lemon curd and beat well.

Add several drops of yellow food coloring and beat well.

To frost:

Spoon frosting into a 12-inch piping bag fitted with a #12 Ateco tip.

Pipe frosting in a swirl on top of each cupcake.

Store in the refrigerator.

Devil’s Food Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike’s first “real” job as a newspaper reporter took us to LaPlata, Maryland.  After we moved there it took me a few months to find a job, so I spent the summer baking, sending the results of my confectionery endeavors in to his office.  This cake was a particular favorite, proclaimed by one of his colleagues to be worthy of a blue ribbon at the county fair.  Allegheny County doesn’t have a fair, but if it did, you can bet I’d enter this in it.

I’ve found that if you grease cake pans, then line them with waxed paper or parchment paper and grease the paper before flouring the pan, your cakes will pop out easily.  You can certainly use the traditional grease and flour method without the paper, but this is my preferred technique.  To make the liners, I place the paper down on a counter top, lightly trace its circumference with the tip of a knife, then cut a slightly smaller circle of paper to fit inside the pan.

Also, when I frost cakes, I always frost the sides last.  You can certainly frost the top last if you’d prefer, but I find that saving the sides for last makes a smoother edge where the side meets the top.  I’m not a huge fan of elaborate decorations on cakes, so I use an offset spatula and smooth strokes to create a very homemade, old-fashioned appearance. 

Ingredients

 

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 1 recipe fudge frosting

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans.  Line the bottom of each with waxed paper, lightly grease the waxed paper, and lightly flour each pan.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat shortening on medium speed for 30 seconds.

Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each.

Add flour mixture and water alternatively in three batches, beating on medium speed until just combined.

Divide batter evenly between the pans and bake for 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pans for about 10 minutes; run a knife around the edge of each pan to loosen the cakes, then turn them out onto cooling racks and remove the waxed paper from the bottom.  Flip right-sides up and allow to cool completely before frosting.

 

Black Bottom Mini Brownies (Version One)

 

 

 

 

 

 

People often ask me what I miss about living in DC, and I tell them many things; our dear friends, our cool apartment on the Hill from which, in the winter when there were no leaves on the magnolia tree, you could see the top of the Capitol Dome, the Metro, the ample assortment of activities, the fact that we could walk to almost everything and only needed one car.  Oh, and of course, easy access to Starbucks.

From our apartment, there were three Starbucks shops in short walking distance; from my office on G Street, there were at least five.  While working at Catholic Charities Foundation, my friend Kelly and I literally went to Starbucks every day.  Sometimes more than once.

Among the treats behind the curved-glass dessert case was the infamous black bottom cupcake, a marvelous confection of cream cheese batter and dark chocolate batter that was at once spongy and dense.  I’m sure it had about a million calories, but it was totally worth it.

This recipe reminded me of the black bottom cupcake, though I have to wonder if the author actually tested it before it was published.  The original baking time needed to be nearly doubled, and when I popped each brownie out of its muffin cup after they cooled, they basically fell apart.  I’d suggest many changes, including baking in full-size muffin cups or a rectangular pan, reducing the quantity of mini chocolate chips in the cream cheese layer, or spooning significantly less batter into each mini muffin cup.  Let’s call this recipe Version One and keep trying, eh?

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Layer

  • 3 ounces cream cheese, slightly softened and cut into chunks
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Layer

  • 4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
  • 2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a 24-cup mini muffin tin with nonstick spray.

In a food processor, process the cream cheese, sugar, butter, egg yolk, and vanilla until well blended and completely smooth.

Pour into a bowl and add the mini chocolate chips, stirring to combine; set aside while preparing chocolate layer.

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and baking chocolate.  Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate almost melts; remove from microwave and stir until the remaining chocolate melts completely.

Add sugar and stir until well combined.

Add flour mixture and stir until very well combined.

Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of the chocolate mixture into each mini muffin cup.

Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate layer, distributing batter evenly.

Spoon remaining chocolate batter evenly over the cream cheese layer.

Place muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out almost clean; if the bottom is a bit moist, that is okay.

Cool completely in pans on a wire rack, then remove gently using the tip of a table knife.

Black & White Cupcakes

 

 

 

 

 

Say what you want, Seinfeld fans, but my mom calls black & white cookies “Baltimore cookies.”  Growing up in Clarksville, a small town in Howard County, Maryland, Genny likely encountered such treats in Baltimore-area bakeries.

Yesterday I baked almond cupcakes and intended to frost half of them with chocolate buttercream and the other half with vanilla almond buttercream when I thought…why not make a cupcake version of the Baltimore cookie?

A note about the frostings: it may be necessary to add more powdered sugar (and cocoa powder, for the chocolate buttercream) or milk to either batch to reach the right consistency.  You want the frostings to be easily spreadable, like very soft peanut butter, in order to create the half-vanilla, half-chocolate design on the top.  Always sift the powdered sugar before adding more to avoid lumps, and if you add more to the chocolate buttercream, add a bit more cocoa powder as well.

Almond Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 1/3 cup buttermilk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening for about 30 seconds.

Add sugar and vanilla and beat well.

Add egg whites, one at a time, until well combined.

Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively in small batches until just combined.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, fill cupcake liners about half-full.

Bake 20-22 minutes until the tops are very, very light golden brown.

When cupcakes are completely cool, frost one-half with vanilla almond buttercream and one-half with chocolate buttercream.

Vanilla Almond Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon almond extract
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, cream butter for one minute.

Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed to incorporate into the butter; this takes a few minutes.  I cover my mixer with a kitchen towel during this step to prevent a sugar storm.

Add salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, and one tablespoon milk; beat on medium speed for three minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.

Check the consistency; you may need an additional tablespoon of milk to reach an easily-spreadable consistency.

Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 to 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon milk (you may need an additional teaspoon as well)

In a medium bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter for one minute.

Add powdered sugar/cocoa mixture and beat on low speed to incorporate as much into the butter as possible; this takes a few minutes.  I cover my mixer with a kitchen towel during this step to prevent a sugar storm.

Add salt, vanilla extract, and one tablespoon milk; beat on medium speed for three minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.

Check the consistency; you may need to add an additional 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon cocoa powder.  If this addition makes the frosting too thick, thin it slightly with one additional teaspoon of milk.

Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

 

 

 

 

 

 

What can you say about a classic?  The yellow cake/chocolate frosting combination is the little black dress of baking, one that baker should have it in her repertoire.  There seems to be something magical in the pairing of rich chocolate buttercream with mellow yellow cake, in the same way that a chocolate cupcake is finely matched with vanilla buttercream.  They say opposites attract, right?

Yellow Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 10 2/3 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line two muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed for one minute.

Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each.

Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, beating until combined.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about half-full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

 

Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons milk
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

In a large bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter for about one minute.

Add powdered sugar and cocoa and beat on low speed to incorporate as much sugar into the butter as you can.  I cover my mixing bowl with a kitchen towel during this step to prevent a sugar storm.

Add three tablespoons milk and two teaspoons vanilla extract; beat for three minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and add the final teaspoon vanilla extract, then beat for another minute.

 

 

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Chips or Walnuts

 

 

 

 

 

My mom, Genny Kozusko, is awesome.  She is a dynamic Director of Athletics, coach, teacher, community member, and church volunteer.  She is beloved by many.  She is a woman with iron-clad willpower, particularly with regard to the consumption of sweets.  Sundays are Genny’s treat days, and since tomorrow is Mother’s Day, I decided to bake the banana walnut version for her; she doesn’t eat chocolate, so the cupcakes with the chocolate chips are really for Mike and his coworkers.

I began with a plain banana cupcake recipe and split it in half, then added semi-sweet chocolate chips to one half and toasted chopped walnuts to the other.  You could certainly add both chocolate chips and walnuts to the batter for banana chocolate chip walnut cupcakes (hmm…maybe next time).  The banana walnut cupcakes are frosted with traditional cream cheese frosting, while the banana chocolate chip cupcakes are frosted with peanut butter cream cheese frosting.

Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (from about four medium bananas)
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 12 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts, plus more for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; you may need a few additional liners, as my batter yielded 27 cupcakes.

In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In another medium bowl, combine mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Add the flour mixture and banana mixture in thirds, alternatively, beating after each addition until just incorporated.

Divide batter in half.

Toss chocolate chips with a dash of cake flour to lightly coat and prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cupcakes during baking.

Add chocolate chips to one half of the batter, then add walnuts to the other half of the batter.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and tops and a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, cream together peanut butter and cream cheese.

Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Beat in vanilla until incorporated.

Frost cupcakes and top with two or three chocolate chips for garnish.

Cream Cheese Frosting (half-recipe for 12 cupcakes)

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter.

Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Beat in vanilla.

Frost cupcakes and garnish with toasted chopped walnuts if desired.

Once cupcakes are frosted, store in the refrigerator.  Bring to room temperature before serving. 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

 

 

 

 

 

What does a baker do the day before she walks Pittsburgh’s half-marathon?  She bakes herself chocolate cupcakes with caramel frosting.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 10 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with liners.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.

Add eggs, almond extract, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

Add half of the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Add half of the milk and beat until just combined.

Add remaining flour mixture and milk alternatively, beating until just combined.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, scoop batter into prepared muffin tins.

Bake 20-22 minutes.

Cool completely before frosting.

Caramel Frosting

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Combine butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan and slowly bring to a boil.

Boil for one minute, remove from heat, and stir in milk.

Return to heat and bring to a boil once again.

Pour mixture into mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Beat caramel mixture on medium speed for a few minutes to disperse heat; the mixing bowl should not be too hot for you to touch, but if it remains warm that is fine.

Add one cup powdered sugar and one teaspoon vanilla, beating until smooth.

Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth.

Working quickly, frost cupcakes; I use a flatware teaspoon to scoop the frosting onto each cupcake, then spread it with a knife.  Trust me when I say you need to work quickly; f you’re not a speedy froster, you’ll end up with a bowl of hardened caramel that is very tasty, but not spreadable.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our fun with interfaith baking continues, as both Passover and Easter are upon us!  I’m no Torah scholar, so I’ll leave the explanation of the symbols, foods, and rituals of Passover to the fine folks at www.chabad.org.  As a baker, though, I can speak to the creativity that Passover requires; observant bakers turn to matzoh meal, potato flour, and all manner of unleavened ingredients to produce cakes, cookies, and other treats for this special time of year.

Tomorrow night, Mike and I will celebrate the beginning of Passover with a Seder, and for the next eight days, Mike won’t eat chametz, or anything that contains leavened grain, like bread, cereal, pasta, even beer.  I don’t abstain from chametz for two reasons; as a Catholic with Eastern European roots, Easter bread is an important component of my faith tradition, and (to be totally honest) I’m nowhere near disciplined enough.

This cake is an excellent flourless option for Passover; it is very rich, so I recommend slender slices served with fresh whipped cream.  You can omit the espresso powder if you don’t have it and use unsweetened American-style cocoa powder instead of Dutch-process, but if you’d like to stick to the traditional recipe, you can get both ingredients from King Arthur Flour; Williams-Sonoma also carries Dutch-process cocoa.

A note about the chocolate glaze: mine didn’t turn out as smooth as I’d like, which means I need to spend more time stirring it once the chocolate has melted to make sure all of the tiny bits of chocolate are incorporated evenly.

Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease a round cake pan; line with parchment paper and grease the parchment.

Cut butter into chunks and combine with chocolate chips in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl.

Microwave in 30-second intervals until butter melts and chips become very soft, stirring after each interval.  Stir to melt chips completely and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Add sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla and beat until just combined.

Add eggs and beat until incorporated.

Add cocoa powder and beat until just combined.

Gently pour batter into pan and bake for 25 minutes, until the top of the cake has formed a crust.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes; loosen edges with the tip of a knife and invert onto a cake stand or serving plate.

Allow to cool completely before glazing.

Garnish with toasted sliced almonds, if desired.

Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients

  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup heavy cream

Preparation

Combine chocolate chips and heavy cream in a saucepan and heat until cream is very hot, but not simmering.

Remove from heat and stir until completely smooth.

Pour over cake, allowing to drip over the sides.

Allow the glaze to harden for several hours before serving.