Wish Fulfillment - Sour Cream and Coffee Chocolate Bundt Cake

I cannot word this in a way which doesn’t sound like an irritating humble-brag, so please forgive my next sentence: My boyfriend bought me the cake pan of my dreams for my birthday. For the past five or more years, I have adored a certain cake pan the same way one might adore a fancy car, or any other fancy covetable belonging. Heavy, shiny, technically functional and of course, expensive for what it is, now that I think about it, it actually might compare to that 6th Gen. Camaro that said boyfriend desires.

Of course, then, the maiden cake of this pan must be similarly worthy. Surveying the household opinion, the shouted conclusion was chocolate cake. Ah, but which one…? A quick search yielded approximately 695,000 results (thanks, Google!), none of which seemed to be exactly right. In the end, there was a spreadsheet of similar recipes, all scaled to 1 cup of butter, and an alarming number of identical recipes. The closest, actually, happened to be the King Arthur Flour recipe for Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake, were it not for the fact that I totally disregarded the instructions altogether. But enough about the dang pan and process, Jesus, girl, how was the cake?!

Well, then, I wouldn’t be writing this if the cake did not blow my mind, now would I? With a dual-layer texture that changes my preconceived notions on bundt cake, it’s been sliced and slivered away piece by piece. The crust tastes almost toasted, the best chewy brownie corners fading to velvet crumb three-quarters of an inch in. The flavor is dark and seductive, just sweet enough with hidden slivers of chocolate and bolstered with a full cup of freshly brewed coffee. This cake is best served 24 hours from the oven, having allowed its “crust” and “crumb” to settle together and flavors to smooth out.

Sour Cream Chocolate Bundt Cake

Adapted from King Arthur Flour and Every Other Cake Recipe available on the Internet
Around 10 cups of batter, bakes into 1 regular bundt cake or 2 8" x 4" loaves

Ingredients

¾ cup cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting the pan

1 cup hot coffee

1 cup butter, plus the paper butter wrappers (or extra) for buttering the pan

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

½ cup sour cream

¾ tsp salt

¾ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chocolate, finely chopped (~2-3 oz.)

Directions

1.  Put the cocoa powder in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or larger, and add the hot coffee, stirring all the while with a fork or a whisk. The result will be quite thick, as though you’ve made a very nice hot chocolate. Allow to cool while you complete the next steps.
2. Cream together the butter and both sugars. I prefer a stand mixer, but this is definitely possible with a hand mixer or a spoon, patience, and elbow grease.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape the bowl between beating each one in. The batter will get much more creamy and smooth, starting to resemble excellent buttercream frosting.
4. Add the vanilla and sour cream, and beat them in as well.
5. Add the salt, baking powder and baking soda to the batter, mixing thoroughly.
6. By now, the cocoa powder and coffee should be cool enough that the butter doesn’t immediately collapse when you add it. Carefully, because it may splatter, mix the chocolate into the batter.
7. With a spatula, fold the flour into the batter, making sure to scrape the bowl. Flour and butter like to hide in the bottom of the bowl, particularly since there is a lot of batter in this one! Set the batter aside.
8. Finely chop the chocolate and fold it into the batter. I liked dark chocolate for this one, but if you prefer your cake sweeter, perhaps milk is more to your taste.
9. Thoroughly butter your bundt pan or 2 loaf pans, making sure that butter gets into every sharp corner. Take a handful of cocoa powder and sprinkle the inside, dusting it as you would flour. This preserves the nice brown color of the cake, and I like to think it adds an extra touch of pure chocolate flavor. If there is some left after coating the pan, pick up the pan and lightly tap it so the extra cocoa powder falls into the cake batter.
10. Preheat the oven to 350F.
11. The batter is thick; pour/spoon the batter into the bundt pan. You may need to turn the pan and spread it evenly, since the batter doesn’t flow well. Tap the pan onto the counter, a sturdy table or your knee to even out the batter.
12. Pop it into the oven and bake for between 50-65 minutes (mine took 60 minutes for a wooden toothpick to come out clean).
13. When the cake tests done, cool it on a rack for about 30 minutes. Then, turn it onto the rack and gently unmold the cake. Allow to rest for 24 hours, if possible.
14. Slice and enjoy!

Party Food - Brazilian Cheese Bread

I've been obsessing over these for over a year a year and half. I should have shared the recipe the instant they popped out of the oven, all thin toasted, crispy crust around a soft chewy, cheesy puff, hot enough to make my roommate juggle one in eager anticipation.

Last year on my boyfriend's birthday, I gathered our friends, many bottles, a magic custard cake from White on Rice Couple and a batch of these beautiful breads. True to form for a karate party, drinks were mixed and shots taken, but these stood out amongst the fuzzy memories. They are fully worth the labor, enough so that a staunchly non-cooking friend asked me for the recipe. Since then, they've been to a Christmas party, a birthday party (as the birthday cake request...!) and a baby shower.

Tomorrow, they're going to the beach! To those in the U.S., Happy Independence Day! Let's eat a lot, terrify our pets with bright lights and loud bangs and generally cause a ruckus :D

To those in every other country in the world... Happy Monday...?

Like those bottles hanging out on the top shelf of my pantry, these are always welcome to the party.

Brazilian Cheese Bread
Adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients
2 cups tapioca flour (I use plain, not fermented, which is just fine)
1 cup whole milk (yes, you can use skim, evaporated + water, etc. Forgiving recipe!)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I like olive)
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup shredded Parmesan/mozzarella/cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Set aside the tapioca flour in a bowl.

2. Boil the milk, oil and salt. They will bubble up alarmingly fast, so have the tapioca flour ready to go!

3. Dump in the tapioca flour and stir quickly, forming a gelatinous dough. Turn off the fire, but keep stirring until all the tapioca flour has been incorporated. I recommend a wooden cooking utensil, such as a spoon. My personal favorite is a wooden paddle with square edges, so I can scrape the inside edges of the pot.

4. Stir vigorously (I prefer a mixer at this point...) until cool. Add the eggs and keep stirring until the dough is light yellow and reasonably homogenous.

5. Add the shredded cheese and stir until all the cheese is evenly mixed in.

6. Using a scoop, spoons or your hands (dip your hands in water to reduce sticking), form balls of dough around 2 tablespoons in volume. At this point, you have a few choices.

7.A. Preheat the oven to 350F and arrange the breads on top of parchment paper on baking sheets, a couple of inches apart. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then party!!!

7.B. Alternatively, arrange the breads on top of parchment paper on baking sheets and freeze, saving them to bake later. This is also a good method of portion control...

Either way, now or later, enjoy! These are best warm, since they lose their unusual chew when they cool, resembling more typical cheese buns made with wheat flour. They do make fantastic sandwiches, though, hot or cold.

Master of the Disaster - Castella Cake (Finally!!!)

I've done it. Not achieved perfection, no, for that is a journey long into the future, but one of many stops on that everlasting quest. For a while now, I've been working on a cake that's incredibly simple, but incredibly difficult to get exactly right. This is a bit of a longer post, so if you'd like to know how I have inched closer to mastering the delicate perfection that is castella cake, kindly skip to the last paragraph.

Whenever I find little flaws that don't affect the enjoyment of a dessert, I like to call them technical faults. A sink in the middle of the cake, an errant crystal in the ice cream, a dimple in the frosting, those are all technical faults. 

Almost always, it is the flavor of the dessert which is fine, but the texture which is off. Flavor comes from ingredients and texture from technique. Conveniently enough, my ingredients are always acceptable; after all, I'm the one who sources them. Once I acquire it, I yield control, other than proper maintenance (refrigerator, cupboard, what have you). Technique, however, that's the really fun part. There lies the execution, the real core of cooking and baking, kissed or beaten by environmental factors that you thought were under your control, but mock you while you whip your eggs.

Lately, I've been delving into personal development, motivation and efficiency. I want to know how I can improve my work process, and how to cast myself in the best possible (i.e. employable) light. I like to think of past experiences as ingredients and the current present as the technique. Whether baking a cake or building a business, there are only 2 things at play: what was done before, and what is possible to do now. It's not really possible to change what was done before. Similarly, if the ingredients are already bought, there you are. You can buy more ingredients, certainly, just as you can learn additional skills. Did you run out of cream while assembling a tiramisu? Walk, bike, drive a vehicle to the nearest cow or store. Are you moving to Italy for 5 years to work? Get on italki, find an Italian dictionary, bookmark Google translate, find the best pizzeria in town (I'm joking a little bit, but some of the best pizza I ever had came from a place which was run by a couple from Rome...). 

See the similarity? Both require time and another resource, usually money and effort. You can sometimes compensate for ingredients, but eventually, they have to be sourced. I liken it to learning a skill or hiring someone with the proper skills for a business, or a career. 

I find it strange that when it comes to baking, it's so much easier to just start, and force myself to go through the motions. Eventually, I'll have a cake, or dinner. Same with washing dishes or clothes, sorting, cleaning. Simple, physical tasks. For me, the mental are harder: studying, programming, applying for jobs, writing. They all require total focus, while it seems that my brain takes every moment available to shut off. My brain is either really efficient or selectively lazy, depending on the perspective. 

Not so for this castella cake. As I mused in this post, one of my weaknesses is the easy promise, even (especially...!) to myself. I'm trying to fix it, and one promise that I have kept is a castella cake for my mother. Every year, I make a birthday cake for each of my parents and my brother. Every year, since I started this, around the time I found this recipe, for over 5 years now, my mother has requested the same cake. It's not too complicated, consisting entirely of eggs, sugar, flour, milk and vanilla. Rather, it's the technique that requires precision and plain, pure, hard work. I won't list the recipe here, not when you can find it so detailed and clear on Just Hungry. 

This time, it even took 2 tries, since I found that you can only put one cake in the oven at a time. Luckily, I did have enough eggs to try again, and it survived the trip to Hong Kong. However, it did not survive my grandmother on my dad's side, who loves cake, but hates butter (how are we related...?!). In fact, the perfection of which I speak was actually accomplished in Hong Kong, borrowing my uncle's tiny, portable oven. One more hint: turn the oven temperature somewhat higher than recommended. That is the only change I can say for this recipe. Unfortunately, I don't know how high, since the way I found this out was that my uncle's oven is ridiculously miscalibrated. An adventure for another time...

Keeping Promises - Chocolate Microwave Cake

One of my biggest struggles throughout my life has been keeping promises. I don't mean the huge, terrible, soul-chaining, life-haunting, Lyanna Stark-type promises, but the little ones we make every day. Yes, I'll do this for you. Yes, I'll come at this time. The small promises on which common trust is based and a reliable or unreliable reputation is built. The frequent, tiny commitments.

I just had the amazing fortune of being reminded this by a close friend. I have missed two appointments in a row with her now. These are appointments that, at the time I promised, had every intention to keep. I might make the excuse that life interferes, but that's not a good one. There are really very few good excuses, when you think of it. Poor goal-setting notwithstanding, there is always a way to solve a problem or accomplish a mission. It might require unacceptable sacrifice, advance planning or both, but there is always a method. The idea is to find a method that doesn't require unacceptable compromises, but in my case, I really had just forgotten. And that is nothing I cannot fix.

In honor of this renewed commitment to keeping promises (to myself, too!), I present a recipe that I promised to another close friend last night. I have already sent it to her, but I thought you might like it, too. It's just the thing when your boyfriend craves a sweet, but you're too stubborn to buy grocery store cookies and you have only an hour before intense karate training... or it's midnight and you really should go to bed but you really want some chocolate... or your adviser wanted that problem solved before today's meeting and you thought it would only take a couple of hours, but a couple of days later it's still not solved... is that one just me?

Chocolate Microwave Cake

Adapted from 4-Ingredient Nutella Mug Cake

Makes enough cake to serve 2-2.5 people, unless someone is quite hungry...

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter (melted in the microwave in the cup)

1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

3 tbsp cocoa powder (I like Dutch-processed for this)

4 tbsp granulated sugar

6 tbsp milk (I prefer 2% or whole)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp almond flour (substitute all-purpose if unavailable)

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Pinch salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

Directions

1. In a large measuring cup (microwaved cakes seem to work better in vessels with straight sides), melt the butter and mix in the oil with a fork. Add the cocoa powder and mix until it forms a paste.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing thoroughly until there are no lumps. With this small batch, the risk of over-mixing and toughening the batter by over-developing the gluten in the flour is low.

3. Microwave for about 2 minutes. The cake is done when the top looks almost dry; it will continue to bake as it sits. Allow to cool, then enjoy! 

Dreams - Lemon Meringue Pie

I tease my friend D. about his dreams.

This kicked off when we marveled at sea lions in La Jolla Cove, picked up steam when we explored Las Vegas, kept popping up when we hiked in (and admired) the Grand Canyon, and most recently, revived as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on foot (twice...). You see, D. is a visiting scholar from Italy, here for 6 months then gone, back to complete his Ph.D. in Palermo. He's the adventurous type, and keen on exploring as much of the States as he can reach before returning home. The joke began when he declared, "my dream!" in his lilting Italian accent as we drove out from Riverside for each of our various adventures, and just hasn't let up.

One boy's dream is another girl's project. If his (English) word is dream, then mine is project. From trekking around the Riverside hills to my Ph.D., each one of my own dreams seems much more achievable when I call them projects and break them into steps. To me, dreams are those far-away wishes that you make, eyes half-closed, when you can't quite see how to make them true. Projects require work. Projects are real. Projects can be kneaded and folded and baked.

One such project is lemon meringue pie, but I seemed to be perpetually short of lemons, eggs or both. Turns out, though, D's favorite dessert is lemon meringue pie. The surest way for me to finally! accomplish something is a promise to another, and his birthday was in November (I'm sorry, blog!). I made it a point to pick up lemons and extra eggs the next time I went to the grocery store, and in one fell swoop, I managed to bring happiness to my friend and fulfill one of my own dreams. Then, two weeks ago was our adviser's birthday, and I could not bring myself to accept one of the too-sweet, mass-produced things from the grocery store bakery as the treat. As I muddled about in indecision, D. finally suggested lemon meringue pie again.

After making our adviser nervous about a sudden lab meeting that had been called, where none of his students would tell him the reason, we managed to surprise him with a small party. He then turned the tables by raising the stakes for next year. Apparently, when he was a grad student, someone in the lab programmed one of their research robots to drive up to his adviser with the cake. The gauntlet, it has been thrown!

The next morning, I received the news from D. that the solitary leftover slice had been a satisfactory breakfast. Dreams achieved.

Lemon Meringue Pie, adapted from use real butter
Makes one 9" pie

Pie (crust, borrowed from Chez Pim)
1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold salted butter
2 tbsp water

You'll need a large, flat surface, a rolling pin, two pieces of plastic wrap (optional, but they make life much easier..), a sharp knife, a large bowl, a cup and clean hands.

Lay one piece of plastic wrap on your flat surface. Put the water in the cup for easy access.

Dump the flour into a large bowl. Cut the butter into slices and drop them into the flour, then break them apart with your fingers. Coat each piece of butter with the flour. Add the water, mix it about with your fingers, then start to fold the flour and butter onto itself. I like to take half the mixture, dump it back on top of itself, turn the bowl, and repeat. Once you have a cohesive dough, pick it up and place it on the plastic wrap, then cover it with the other piece of plastic wrap. Start to roll it into a rectangular shape, so that you can keep folding it a few more times. If the plastic wrap starts to stretch, remove it, dust the dough with flour, replace the wrap and turn it over. Keep folding until you have a smooth, workable piece of dough. It's simpler than it sounds, and better instructions (and pictures!) are found on Ms. Pim's lovely website.

Once you have your crust, roll it out and transfer it to your pie pan. Form your edges, then put it in the fridge or freezer. At this point, preheat your oven to 350F. Once the oven is 350F, prick the pie crust and parbake for 15 minutes. This step is to prevent a soggy crust. If you have your egg whites handy, you might wish to save a few drops in a separate bowl, then brush the saved egg whites onto the crust when it comes out of the oven. This tip is borrowed from Dessert First.

Lemon (filling)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
Pinch salt
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. In a saucepan, boil the water. Turn the fire off, then whisk in the sugar, cornstarch and salt and turn the fire back on. It will immediately thicken and turn somewhat translucent. When the pudding mixture starts to boil, temper the egg yolks by whisking in a bit of the pudding at a time. Pour the egg yolks and pudding back into the pan. Cook until it begins to bubble again, a bit alarmingly. Turn off the fire again and whisk in the butter, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour this into your half-baked pie crust.

Meringue (topping)
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
Pinch salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

You need a clean whisk for this. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, whisk the egg whites, cream of tarter and salt until it forms soft peaks. Pour in the sugar and whisk until it forms stiff peaks. Top the lemon filling, preferably touching the pie crust with the meringue. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes, until a nice, light brown. Alternatively, if you are cooler than I, and possess a propane torch, please use that (and send me pictures!).

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The origin of every Thankful Thursday post!  The day in the States when family and friends are gathered, masses of food are cooked and enjoyed and arguments and laughter abound.  I would be amiss if I did not post today, and I even have a recipe for you.  Two of them!  The pumpkin bread is very traditional, and adapted from The Streaming Gourmet.  The lime cheesecake bars are adapted from various sources, including Smitten Kitchen and Bakergirl.  Both have gone through various incarnations and adjustments, but these are the ones I am proud to present today.  Thank you to my family, friends, boyfriend and of course, everyone who reads this blog.  Make one of the two, make both, save the recipe for another day.  Just promise me to give thanks.  I hope you all enjoyed the day!

Pumpkin Loaf adapted from The Streaming Gourmet
Makes 1 tall 9"x5" loaf

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute up to 1 cup whole wheat flour)
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (can substitute mostly cinnamon, a little nutmeg)
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1¼ cups sugar
2 eggs
15 oz. (1 can) pure pumpkin (none of this "pie filling" nonsense)

Equipment
1 large bowl (wet ingredients)
1 medium bowl (dry ingredients)
1 whisk 
1 rubber spatula
Measuring cups and spoons (please see note below)
9"x5" loaf pan 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Using the stick of butter, lightly butter the loaf pan.

2. In the medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice (or your choice of spices), salt, baking soda and baking powder.

3. In the large bowl, mostly melt the remainder of the stick of butter (I use the microwave, but you can always melt it in a pot over the stove if you prefer).  Add the sugar and beat until thoroughly combine.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  It will start to look nice and fluffy.  Stir in the pumpkin until it all looks orange.

4. Fold the dry mixture into the wet, stirring gently until there are no lumps or streaks of flour.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 350F for 60-75 minutes (mine takes 70).  

5. Allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan before cooling on a wire rack.  Try to wait at least 20 minutes before slicing for the best texture.  The flavor is even better the next day, although the crust will no longer be nice and crispy.  Enjoy!

Note: I have removed the measuring items (spoons, cups, etc.) from the equipment list.  I figure that you're all smart enough to know that if the ingredient list has 1/2 teaspoon of something, you can use 2 1/4 teaspoons or actually pull out your 1/2 teaspoon measure.  In any case, most spoons are gathered with a ring, so you still need to pull out the entire set.  Please let me know if this (or anything else) bothers anyone!