It is said that the sense of smell is the most evocative of all senses, and this chocolate almond tart with blackberries made me think of it, not only because of the current aroma in my kitchen (I wish food blogs could be not only visual but carry the fragance of the dishes to their readers!), but because of what it (more…)
This is the year of milestone birthdays at out house. We celebrated one in March, and now one in May —and it’s not the last one! But this one is very special and celebratory, particularly for my son David, who turns two digits. In fact, I think he has been celebrating for quite a while now. The big 1-0! This white and dark chocolate birthday cake was a feast for the eyes.
For the first of his celebrations, we visited his older brother at Purdue University, and listened to him play at the Jazz on the Hill festival. What was forecasted as a gloomy and rainy day, ended up being a sunny and at times hot day on the grass, perfect for a concert in the park.
And what a venue! An outdoor auditorium in mid-century modern leaning to 60s style, Slayter Center is something to see. Built in 1963 thanks to a donation by Dr. Slayter, a graduate in chemical engineering and most famous for inventing fiberglass, Dr. Slayter played tuba in the university bands, and his donation funded the construction of the Slayter Center for the Performing Arts. Designed to reflect Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England, the sides and back walls of the stage are formed of stelae similar to the stone monoliths in Stonehenge. The stelae are formed in concave-convex shapes for best sound diffusion. The spaces between the stelae are filled with broken rough blocks of yellow French glass and black epoxy-resin. The ceiling is comprised of alternating concave and convex sections and is completely suspended from above by stainless steel cables from an enormous steel tripod. It does not touch the sides, to maintain an outdoor feel to the whole structure. The sound is superb for an outdoor amphitheater. Seating is casual, on the gently sloping hillside. The fabulous music of the various jazz bands, from guitar ensemble to brass to big band, made for a wonderful afternoon.
David was thrilled to celebrate there (he’ll have a party with friends at a later date) and we were all glad to see Matthew, one week before he finishes his first year of university —something that I’m still finding hard to believe.
And what is a birthday without a birthday cake? David likes all kinds of sweets, much to my dismay, and adds chocolate sauce, raspberry jam and sprinkles of every kind to his ice cream at any opportunity. So fittingly, his birthday cake had to include those. The White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Birthday Cake may sound like a heavy cake, but it is surprisingly light. The chocolate mousse filling and frosting is smooth, and the cake very airy. I didn’t feel any guilt having an extra serving! The white chocolate ganache marries very well with the other flavors, and a bite of cake leaves a hint of raspberry taste behind, which is what you want, and not an overwhelming raspberry flavor. A crowd pleaser at our house, and I’m certain at your house too.
Makes one 2-layer 8-inch cake
Making the cakes
In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt). In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and then whisk in the boiling water. Pour the batter into the cake pans, equal amounts per pan, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pans for a few minutes, then on a greased wire rack until completely cool.
Making the mousse frosting
Whip 2 cups of cream until soft peaks form, and gradually add the baking coca, one tablespoon at a time. Add in the icing sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
Making the raspberry sauce
In a small saucepan over low heat, thin the raspberry jam with the water, stirring. Set aside to cool.
Assembling the cake
Level the cakes with a sharp serrated knife. Place one cake on a plate or cake board and spread one layer of mousse frosting, about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Drizzle some of the raspberry jam over the frosting, making sure you end about 1 inch before the edge of the cake. Place the other cake on top, making sure it’s leveled. Gently cover the cake in mousse frosting, starting with the top, and smoothing with a cake spatula. Refrigerate while you make the white chocolate ganache.
Making the ganache
Place the chopped white chocolate or pearls in a bowl. Over medium heat, warm up the cream until before it boils, to avoid bubbles. Gently pour the cream over the white chocolate and stir to melt and mix evenly. To increase shine, add in the melted butter and mix well. Let sit about 10 minutes so the consistency of the ganache is less fluid.
Place the refrigerated cake on a wire rack placed over a piece of parchment paper and slowly pour one laddleful of the ganache over, making sure it doesn’t reach the edge of the cake. Spread gently with an off-set spatula from the center to the edges, until it drips slightly over the sides. Place the cake on a plate and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to cool the ganache. Decorate with sprinkles, more on the center and some on the edges. You can also place some sprinkles around the base of the cake.
Note1: the cakes can be cooked in advance, and wrapped in plastic wrap. They can even be frozen until ready to use.
Note 2: I use dutched baking cocoa because I like the darker color it gives the cake. If you decide to use cocoa powder, because it is more acidic than dutched cocoa, you’ll need to use less baking powder to increase the leavening of the baked cakes, 1 teaspoon will be enough.
If you read my previous post, with the recipe for Monas de Pascua, Easter Sweet Bread, you’ll remember I mentioned that the Easter sweet bread will last for a couple of days, pretty much like with any bread. And like it happens with bread that is not fresh, you’ll either have to toast it and eat it with jam and butter or your (more…)
You might be wondering why I would be posting a recipe for Mona de Pascua now. In my defense, I will say that we ate the monas (also called panquemados) on Easter Monday, as it is tradition in Spain. And also in my defense I will say that Easter started on Sunday, but it hasn’t ended yet. In fact, it will not end until Pentecost, which this year (more…)
This is a very special week in my home city of Valencia, Spain, where every March, Spring and Fallas seem to arrive together. From March 12 to March 19, the city stops its daily business to celebrate this festival. In a ceremony called la plantà, the setting, 700 colorful statues are mounted throughout the city, in every square and street crossing. Fallas is the name of the festival, but it’s also the name of these statues, real works of art, built each year for the occasion. There are 368 children’s fallas and 370 full-scale fallas. These can stand as tall as 90 feet, and they portray popular characters, like celebrities and politicians. The children’s fallas represent cartoon characters. With the unusual political situation that Spain is living at present, many fallas this year portray our most popular politicians, in very humorous situations. Thick hot chocolate for La Fallas is the drink of choice, particularly when accompanying it with buñuelos, sweet fritters (click here for the recipe for apple fritters).
At the end of February and beginning of March, one week holds two birthdays in our family of five. You will then understand that some Lenten promises take a break, and we pause to celebrate. Two cakes, two special meals, and a whole week of anticipation and celebration. This year, in fact, those two birthdays are (more…)
This is not the post I was going to do for this week. In fact, this post was not even planned. What was planned, and what is almost finished, (as you will soon see), is a different recipe, of one of my favorite tapas. But Matthew came home this weekend, almost by surprise (we had known for just a few days), and we had to celebrate. Add to it (more…)
Have you noticed how, more often than not, the end of something good only means the beginning of something better? It happens to me everytime I bake: the end of a good dessert brings me inspiration for the next. But most often, it’s the ingredients, or rather, what’s left, the scraps and by-products, that are the spark (more…)
As promised in the Velvety Lemon Tart post, this week I’m also sharing the recipe for Strawberry Tartlets. The recipe for the crust is the same as the one for the lemon tart —no wonder, you’ll say, considering that I used the leftover dough from the lemon tart! However, because the strawberry tartlets will be smaller, the time in (more…)
I grew up surrounded by orange trees. Almost literally! The name of the place was El Taroncheral, and the property, an expansive orange tree grove that included a large stucco dwelling and a circular basin where rain and well water for irrigation were collected. Eventually, three houses where built: I grew up in one of the houses.
Taroncheral, by the way, (more…)
