“The more you know, the more you can create. There's no end to imagination in the kitchen.” -
Julia Child
I am a proud owner of Rose levy Beranbaum's Cake bible. I will write another post on my experiences with the cake bible. It was overwhelming to receive this book and I carry this book around my house these days like it's my first gift from Santa. I have never felt so happy to have received a book ever in my life. So I went ahead and made a cake from Beranbaum's recipe on the perfect American chocolate pound cake. This is the softest cake I ever baked it just melts in your mouth. The recipe was intended for two cakes and so I had a lot of cake on my table. And since I am not a lover of cakes and my hubby was having trouble finishing it on his own, I decided to revamp the cake. I guess the momma instinct is getting onto me because I see no reason to make cake pops and distribute it to my neighborhood kids if not for these momma hormones. Tis indeed the season to be jolly :) So here's something you can try for Xmas- give it to your kids in the neigbourhood, serve it to your carol singers, it's fun to make and I am sure the sight of these will melt your heart.
Now I know these pops look funny on a cabbage but I loved the experience of rummaging for a sponge to hold these onto and stumbling on a cabbage to settle the issue. However, these pops turned out awesome and I have some kiddie fans in my neighborhood :)
For the cake ( this recipe makes two 9 inch round cakes)
Unsweetened cocoa powder- 63 gms
Boiling water- 236 gms
3 large eggs- 150 gms ( minus the shells)
Vanilla- 9 gms
All purpose flour- 235 gms
Sugar- 300 gms
Baking powder- 15 gms
Salt- 5 gms
Unsalted butter- 227 gms
For the Frosting and Pop making
Melted chocolate- 150 gm
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Decorations like colorful balls/ vermicelli
Pop sticks
A thermocol block or Oasis ( one used for decorating flowers)
Directions
For the cake
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. In a bowl whisk the cocoa powder and boiling water and let it cool to room temperature. In another bowl combine the eggs along with vanilla and 1/4th of the cocoa mixture. In a large mixing bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining cocoa mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened Increase to medium speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate the cake. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape the batter into two 9 inch pans and bake for 25- 35 minutes. Once baked let the cakes cool on rack for 10 minutes.
For the Pops
Crumble the cake completely. Heat 50 gm chocolate and add the vanilla essence to it. I melted the chocolate in the microwave by heating it for 2 minutes. Once the chocolate mixture cools add it to the crumbled cake and mix well. Now shape the cake balls and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. Get the sticks for the pop ready. Holding the decorated pops while they dry is a very important process something I was not prepared for. So I had to make use of a piece of cabbage onto which I held my pops to dry. This was not easy so I recommend you to have a block if thermocol or oasis ready. Melt the remaining 100 gms of chocolate. Dip the pop stick in this melted chocolate and pierce the cake balls. See that you do not insert it all the way to the tip this might cause the ball to slide down the pop stick. Once the stick has been inserted properly, dip the cake ball into the melted chocolate and sprinkle the decorations. Hold the pop for a second or two and then let it dry on the thermocol block.
If you are serving this for a party, cool it in the refrigerator and thaw it for 5 minutes before serving.
More recipes awaiting the Xmas week !! Stay tuned!!
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