Rich Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

It's been an emotional roller-coaster of cakes this week, and the baking isn't nearly over. I started the week off building a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, hell yeah!... the week continued with the building of a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, double hell yeah!... and the week will wrap up with the baking and building of my pals Abby & Rafael's 4 tiered wedding cake, a full post on that crazy process to come!

I love a truly deep chocolate cake, not necessarily sweet, just rich in flavor, and I discovered that coffee is the key to achieving that full flavor. It's kind of like adding salt to your baking, it intensifies the flavor of the sweet and cocoa-ness. Bon Appétit has a similar recipe, however I would suggest reducing the 4 teaspoons of espresso powder to 1 teaspoon of instant coffee granules. We're not looking for a coffee flavor, just a super slight hint if anything at all.

My go-to chocolate buttercream frosting is the best, yes I can say that with confidence - the best! The key to a great chocolate buttercream with any recipe you use is high quality semi-sweet or even dark chocolate (nothing higher than 70% or it will burn before it tempers). Melt your chocolate, let it cool off before adding it to the butter, and mix. Cocoa powder, in my unprofessional opinion, is a cop-out. If you want it good, use good stuff. It's as simple as that. And when you're building your chocolate cake, be sure to follow the steps I've detailed in "Cake Building Tips Part Deux." (That's me getting all French and fancy on you!)

Upon request...
The Scootabaker's Chocolate Buttercream
(I use this to build and frost a 6" cake, but this recipe should frost about 36+ cupcakes depending on how much buttercream you like on your cupcakes. This can also be halved!)

20 ounces unsalted butter, softened

24 ounces confectioners sugar, sifted
18 ounces Belgian chocolate (high quality like Callebaut is even better), chopped, melted & cooled
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1. Mix coffee granules w/ vanilla and whipping cream until coffee is disolved. Set aside.
2. Beat butter until smooth, about a minute on high. Add sugar, beat on low then on high for about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Add coffee mix, and beat on low then high for another 2 minutes. Without scraping bowl down, pour melted chocolate over buttercream. Beat until just incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat on high for 10 seconds. You're done!

*Of course, for a super fluffy consistency, continue to beat buttercream for an additional minute on high. Be sure to hand whip the buttercream before applying it to your cake! This smooths the buttercream and releases excess air bubbles!

Cake Building Tips Part Deux: How to build a 3 layer cake

Whether it has 2 layers or 10, building a cake is no easy feat. There are definitely tools out there that aid in your efforts, but there are also some basic know-hows you need under your belt before the cake creations commence. For the aspiring baker in you, this is Cake Building Tips, Part Deux...

Tools you'll need:

• cake turntable (If you don't have a cake turntable, use a round plate on a smooth, grip-free surface and slowly turn plate to achieve a similar rotation)
  
• offset spatula
  
• bench scraper
  
• serrated knife
  
• piping bag & piping tip(s)
  
• pastry brush
  
• cardboard cake board
  
• parchment paper
  

A standard 6 inch cake feeds about 4-8 people, but for those counting calories it's more like 8-12 peeps. For this session I chose to build a 3 layer red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Each layer, prior to baking, weighed out at 10 ounces each. So the resulting layers after baking came to approx. 2 inches thick.

Step 1: Create a leveled layer using a serrated knife. Do this for each cake layer and set aside.

Step 2: Using a round cardboard cake board 2 inches larger in diameter than your cake layers (e.g. a 6-inch cake needs an 8-inch cake board), add a dollop of frosting in the center and cover with a decorative cake doily. Add another dollop of frosting in the middle and place your first cake layer centered onto the doily. The frosting holds both the doily and the cake in place on the cake board and keeps it from sliding around when decorating. Cut 4- 3 x 8 inch strips of parchment paper and nestle them underneath the edges of the first cake layer. This acts as your drop mat for the excess frosting.

Step 3: A little baker's trick - lightly brush simple syrup on each cake layer before frosting. Simple syrup is used to keep cake layers moist for long periods. To make simple syrup, boil equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan on low heat until the sugar dissolves completely.

Step 4: With a spatula, whip your frosting to release excess air bubbles and smooth out the frosting. Drop a large dollop of frosting on the first layer and with an offset spatula, gently spread an even layer of frosting across top. You can allow excess frosting to spill over sides, you will use this to crumb-coat later. Add more frosting until you spread about a 1/4 inch layer on top.

Step 5: With the second layer, center over first layer, and with your hand firmly press down on cake to release trapped bubbles and settle the second layer into place. Brush with simple syrup and repeat step 4.

Step 6: With the last cake layer, brush simple syrup on the cut side then turn upside and place on top of the frosted second layer, pressing down with your hand once more to set layer into place. Bend down to check that the top of the cake is level with the cake stand. Press and move layers around if uneven.

Step 7: Using a medium dollop of frosting as well as using the excess frosting that has spilled out between the cake layers, with the bench scraper spread a thin crumb-coat over the sides and then the top of the cake. Return excess frosting to the frosting bowl. Make sure to fill any gaps with frosting or the trapped air will make the frosting "burp" when you're all done with the cake. Remove cake from turntable and place in the refrigerator or freezer until the frosting has firmed up, approx. 10- 15 minutes. The purpose of a crumb-coat is to create a "crumb-free" base for frosting your cake. Think primer!

Step 8: Remove crumb-coated cake from refrigerator. Using an offset spatula, add dollops of frosting to the sides of the cake and then to the top. Be generous with the frosting since a lot will be removed when smoothing the sides and top out. Once entire cake is covered in frosting, hold the bench scraper gently against side of cake. Rotate turntable while holding spatula in place. Once sides are smoothed finish smoothing top of cake. Take the bench scraper and pull frosting in from the edge of the cake toward the center. Just like smoothing the sides of the cake, firmly but gently position the bench scraper at a tilt with one tip of the scraper positioned in the center. Hold that center spot and rotate the turntable until a smooth and even layer is achieved. Return excess frosting back to the frosting bowl.

Step 9: Gently pull out the parchment liners from underneath the first cake layer and pipe borders on the top and bottom edges of the cake.

Refrigerate cake or keep in a cool place if not serving immediately. Cake keeps for up to 4 days.

Frosting-filled Chocolate Cupcakes

I was thinking that maybe I should have a signature cupcake, you know, a decorating style to call my own. However, this could put me in the awkward position of infringing on someone else's brilliant idea, even without my ever knowing. But since we're just talking cupcakes, and by golly it's friggin' cupcakes!... there is plenty of room to share the wealth of creativity in the cupcake-o-sphere.

So let's just pretend I had a signature "Scootabaker Cupcake," it would have to be the Frosting-filled Cupcake. Here's what you do to make 'em: Prepare any cupcake recipe and any frosting or buttercream recipe; using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter, carve out the center; and with a pastry bag, fill the cupcake center with your frosting of choice. I made mint buttercream tinted a retro pink and green to fill my chocolate cupcakes with. I took a basic vanilla buttercream and added mint extract in 1/8 teaspoon increments until I achieved that perfect mintyness.

I found frosting my cupcakes this way to be the perfect solution to melty or smooshed frosting on hot summer days. Plus, there is less cupcake and more frosting to eat! Cause who ever eats a cupcake just for the cupcake and not for the frosting? What? That's just me? Oh.

Mocha Chip Gelato

"The best part of waking up, is Mocha Chip Gelato in your cup!" One more time! Everybody now! "The best part of..." ok, joking. It's just that coffee makes me super chatty and you can only imagine what coffee ice cream does to me. I know that ice cream is typically enjoyed in the afternoon/evening hours, but unless you want to be up all night with a buzzing head, you best eat this Mocha Gelato in the morning. And also because sugar is most easily burned off when consumed early on in the day. But that's a whole other topic and a whole other blog. 

My girlfriend Carolyn, "Hi Carolyn!," was so generous to present me with a gift card to Williams-Sonoma for a graduation gift. My my how fancy my dear friends are! I got myself a Kitchen Aid ice cream mixer attachment and flew home on my trusty yellow scoot to get crackin' on what came out to be the holy grail of gelato. Perhaps I am easy to please, but oh how I love coffee and chocolate, and when the two are joined in gelato matrimony, I cannot keep my stomach from growling. Though it was my first effort at homemade ice cream, I felt it to be a smashing success. Did I mention I didn't even share any of it?

Mocha Chip Gelato

Adapted from Gourmet, found via Epicurious

Makes 4 servings

Special equipment: an ice-cream maker

1 3/4 cups 1% milk*

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant-coffee granules

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Chopped nuts for topping, optional 

1.  Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Stir together 1/4 cup milk and cornstarch. Set aside.

2.  Whisk together sugar, cocoa, and remaining 1 1/2 cups milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Whisk in coffee granules. Stir cornstarch mixture again and whisk into saucepan. Return to a boil, whisking, then remove from heat. Add vanilla, a pinch of salt, and half of the chopped chocolate to saucepan, stirring. Set saucepan in the bowl of ice water to cool, whisking frequently. 

3.  Pour chocolate mixture in ice-cream maker and churn for 20-25 minutes. When nearly frozen, add remaining chocolate and churn until blended. Serve gelato with sprinkled nuts of your choice.

*NOTES: I substituted whole milk for 1%, to give the gelato a creamier texture. And because that's all I had in the fridge. *snork

Scooter Love - Happy Bastille Day!

When I was studying in Paris last year I was so overjoyed at the sight of scooter-lined streets and sidewalks when walking to class everyday, I was in absolute scooter heaven! So, in celebration of Bastille Day, (kind of like the 4th of July in the U.S.), I gotta share with you some Parisian scooter love!

(Click on photos to view larger)

Lemon-Coconut Bars

So I understand lemon bars are nothing new to the food blog scene, but since I am a novice blogette, I gave myself the honor of writing a post on my own attempt at lemon bars. Don't steal my thunder. 

Now that I'm back at the ol' bakery one day a week, I'm tempted to bake everything at home that I bake at the shop. But I must not. I must resist the urge to bake what's familiar and try recipes I've never touched before. The bakeshop has the best everything in my opinion, and my goodness how I struggle to not gorge while I'm working. The shop offers a pretty friggin' fantastic lemon bar, but I love me some coconut with my lemon so I captured this Bon Appétit recipe by the reigns, and reeled it in. The verdict: if you double the lemon filling and don't over-toast your coconut, you might have yourself a pretty sensational dessert! Otherwise, your bars will come out like mine - crispy & wimpy. I kid, they're not bad. But that's what neighbors are for - giving all your screw-ups too! *snork

Lemon-Coconut Bar

A Bon Appétit, April 2004 recipe found by way of Epicurious

Makes 9 large or 16 small bars

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted, cooled

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Filling

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon (packed) grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1.  To prepare crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 8x8x2-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving overhang. Grease lining. With a pastry blender or processor, mix flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add coconut and butter; process until mixture resembles fine meal and begins to clump together. Gather dough into ball. Press dough evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust until golden at edges, about 25 minutes. 

2.  Meanwhile, to prepare filling, combine 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, flour, baking powder, and salt in processor. If you don't have a processor, use a blender. Blend filling until smooth.

3.  Remove crust from oven and pour filling over host crust. Return to oven and bake until filling begins to brown at edges and is just set and springs to touch in center, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to rack; cool bars completely before cutting. Cut into 9 large bars or 16 small bars. Sift powdered sugar over. (Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 5 days.) 

Blueberry and Lemon Galette

When apples, pears, strawberries, or peaches just don't seem to do the job, you can always rely on blueberries to fill the void. Oh there is just a bevy of blueberry recipes out there right now and only so many blueberries to go around. Or so it seems. 

Gourmet has really been impressing me with the quality of their recipes they've been publishing. And I have a special place in my heart for fruit galettes and tarts, I really do. I think it's because of the ease and simplicity of its preparation and the stunning results. 

My boyfriend, M, and I were planning a visit to Silverlake. M asked if I could make a little something to bring as a symbol of our love and friendship to our friends who just a week ago lost their son Pablo to cancer. Blueberries, I later found out, were Pablo's favorite fruit snack. Maybe, cosmically, or even intuitively I knew this and thus created Pablo's Blueberry and Lemon Galette. Show your love too by visiting Pablove.org, a foundation created to promote the awareness of and fight against childhood cancer. 

This post is dedicated to Pablo and his family. Love. Peace. Strength.

Blueberry and Lemon Galette

Adapted from Gourmet, July 2004

Serves 6

1 lb fresh blueberries (3 cups)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, separated

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie dough

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon flour (for dusting) 

Garnish: grated lemon zest (optional)

1.  Position oven rack in the middle and preheat to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and dust foil with 1 tablespoon of flour.

2.  In a large bowl, gently stir together blueberries, cornstarch, zest, juice, cinnamon, salt, and 1/2 cup of sugar until well combined. Take the refrigerated pie dough, pre-rolled out to 1/8-inch thick circle, and spoon blueberry mixture onto center of dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border around edge. Fold edge of dough over 1 inch of blueberry mixture, pleating dough, then sprinkle dots of butter all over. Lightly brush pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle with remaining teaspoon sugar. 

3.  Bake until blueberry filling is bubbling and pastry is golden, 25-30 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack. Serve with whipped cream and lemon zest.

Vodka Pie Crust

Don't be scared by the posts' title. A little vodka can only help not hurt the baking process... and your liver.*snork 

Besides, with just a 1/4 cup mixed in with over a pound of dough and baked at 425 degrees F, you'd forget that there was ever any vodka in your pie way after you've eaten everything. But fret not, if alcohol isn't your thing, there are plenty of alternative pie crust recipes to choose from out there on that crazy intangible thing called the interweb. But right here we have a little grey goose to brighten our day! Or night, since that's when I do most of my baking (and drinking).

To explain for the call on vodka, pie dough needs liquid in order for it to, well, become dough. If it didn't have that liquid, it would just be a pile of butter and flour. And vodka plays the role of that liquid in the early stages of preparation. As Deb of Smitten Kitchen explains, "Vodka, because it is 80-proof, will mostly evaporate in the oven, meaning that your crust gets the liquid it needs but much of it will not stay." I adapted this recipe from Cooks Illustrated which has a reputable collection of recipes, and it's backed by Smitten Kitchen, so it gets my added endorsement with a vodka martini to cheers to!

Foolproof Pie Dough

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated, November 2007, found via Smitten Kitchen

Makes two 9-inch pie crusts or one 9-inch double-crust pie

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces*

1/4 cup cold vodka

1/4 cup cold water

1.  In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt, and sugar. With a pastry blender or in a food processor, blend butter and shortening until dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). 

2.  Sprinkle vodka and water over flour mixture. With a spatula, use a folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

*NOTE: I omitted the shortening because I don't always enjoy using it. If you feel the same as I do, butter can be substituted for the shortening.

Raspberry Linzer Bars

I won't lie, times have been tough lately, and I have been so eager to get back to some therapeutic baking. Having grown a little rusty, and in need of a bit of oil to lubricate my ultra-buff stirring arms, I prepared myself with a little one-and-two-and-three weight lifting. One order of Chinese, two orders of Mexican, and three bottles of beer, lifting forks-full of calories up and into my mouth. Who needs weights when there's food to be lifted?

So I was scopin' out Gourmet online for a practice run/warm up recipe. Found this Linzer bar recipe from their October 1979 issue. I've not had the pleasure of making any sort of bar type thing, and I couldn't find a reason not to do it. So I did it. Ladies and Gentlemen, here it is...

Raspberry Linzer Bars

Adapted from Gourmet.com, reprinted from Gourmet's October 1979 issue

Makes an 8-inch square pan (approximately 6-8 bars)

1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 large egg

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar*

3/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup of almonds, lightly toasted and ground

3/4 cup of raspberry jam

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread almonds on a lined baking sheet. Toast for 8 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool. In a food processor, grind almonds into fine crumbs. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. With an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. On low speed, mix in almonds and egg. Scrape down sides of bowl with a spatula. On low speed, add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Spray the baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Press two thirds of the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. With a spoon, spread jam over dough and sprinkle lemon zest over jam. Roll out the remaining dough 1/8 inch thick between sheets of parchment paper and chill for 15 minutes, or until firm. Peel off top sheet of paper, cut dough into 1/2 inch strips, and arrange the strips in a lattice pattern over the jam. Bake for 30 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely. With a serrated knife cut 2-by-1-inch or 4-by-2-inch bars.

*NOTES:

I substituted dark brown sugar for light brown sugar which gives the dough a richer, more molasses flavor.