STEMS & FORKS

Beautiful musings of flora and fare.

Chocolate

Mulled Wine Chocolate Cake with Mulled Wine Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Poached Pears

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This post was sponsored by Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Wines. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please enjoy wine responsibly.

Wine, chocolate and cake. My three Achilles heel, my guilty pleasures, my three best amigos. These three are my food soulmates. I know it sounds extreme but that’s how much I love wine, chocolate and cake. And interestingly all three came at different points in my life.

Cake.

As a child, I’d remember attending birthday parties and seeing my friends crowd around the gift table ogling all the colourfully wrapped gifts shaking, sniffing and guessing what was in each package. I however, would be in the kitchen ogling the cake. Wondering what flavour was inside. Praying the icing wasn’t that flavourless saccharin drenched grease from a can but a fluffy home made butter cream or cream cheese icing. I’d then cue myself up in the line of kids just so, to make sure I got the right piece. That is, the largest piece and the piece from the moist centre. And of course, I always had seconds and occasionally thirds. 

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Chocolate Cake with a Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Maple Glazed Walnuts

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On one of my recent blog posts, Orange Cardamom Cake with Blackberry Curd, a reader left a comment that left me scratching my head. She wrote, “I have tried to make this cake twice and the cake has fallen – severely – before taking it out of the oven. I have years of baking experience, and can’t get this to bake right.”

Of course, my heart sank. How could this be? I referred back to the cake recipe and scrutinized it line by line, and was still left baffled. I knew I had baked this cake several times and wondered what had gone amiss. After several conversations between the reader and myself, and I discovered exactly what went wrong. She had used a 6 inch pan the first time and an 8 inch pan the second time, when the recipe had called for a 9 inch pan. Using pans of another size, other than what the recipe calls for, (even a mere inch) can cause the cake to collapse in the middle and/or cause the excess to flow over the edge of the pan.

The fact that this particular reader was a seasoned baker, made me realize that although many home bakers out there may have decades of experience, it is probably in baking the same repertoire of recipes over and over. For instance, a simple pound cake or chocolate cake most likely won’t sink if substituting with a slightly different pan size. But for a genoise, sponge, angel, chiffon or any cake using egg whites and air to leaven (raise/suspend), the cake would definitely end up with a monumental crater. 

Chopping board provided by https://www.tshirtstudio.com

I’ve decided to do a quick checklist here with brief explanations on how to achieve that perfect cake. I’ll dedicate a more detailed blog post at a later time but for now I thought I’d share these quick tips to help you avoid any cake disasters.

-Check that your oven’s temperature is correct with an oven-safe thermometer.

-Always use the pan size indicated in the recipe. Using a smaller pan than what is called for in the recipe will cause the cake to collapse in the middle (and over flow on the sides). While baking, the cake expands and rises and has nowhere else to go. Thus, the flop and spillover. On the opposite spectrum, using a pan larger than what the recipe indicates may result in a flat and dry cake.

-Grease pan with butter and dust with flour on sides and line bottom of pan with parchment paper (that you’ve traced and cut out).

-Glass and dark-coloured pans usually bake things faster…reduce oven by about 25F or check up on cake a bit earlier. Normally recipes are based on aluminum/light-coloured pans.

-Always measure flour and most ingredients by weight. If you don’t have a scale, don’t scoop the flour directly with a measuring cup. Take a spoon and spoon it into the measuring cup and level off with a knife.

-Sift all your ingredients including sugar (especially brown sugar). Nothing like baking a gorgeous cake only to find a big air pocket inside after slicing into it. 

-Make sure you thoroughly whisk your flour and baking powders/sodas together

-Have all your ingredients come to room temperature (unless otherwise stated) – especially eggs, milk, creams, cheeses etc. This helps create a lighter texture and an even bake.

-If you’ve forgotten to bring your eggs to room temperature, soak them in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes. 

-Don’t stray too much from the recipe. If it says 2 cups of flour, don’t add another half cup. In baking, even the slightest variation in ingredient ratios can throw the entire recipe off.

-When testing with a toothpick, dont wait till it comes out perfectly clean. A few crumbs on the toothpick is the perfect time to take out of the oven as the cake will continue to cook when taken out

-Brush your cakes with a simple sugar syrup while still warm. Its simple to make- equal amounts of water to sugar…bring to boil and brush over cakes. This will make your cakes moist for days!

Now back to what this blog post was really about…chocolate cake. The recipe below was tested at least a dozen times with various ingredients…sour cream instead of yogurt, butter instead of oil, unsweetened chocolate rather than semi sweet, raspberry buttercream instead of coffee…etc. And the end result was a gorgeous, moist, crumb. Sweet but not overly sweet with a smooth silky coffee buttercream with a nutty crunch. The recipe below is for a double layer cake and is quite large. You can easily make this cake into a single layer by dividing all the ingredients by half. This makes a single nine inch cake. I hope you enjoy it. 

Bon app!

Chocolate Cake with Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Toasted Maple Syrup Walnuts
Serves 12
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Cook Time
20 min
Cook Time
20 min
FOR THE CAKE
  1. 390 or 3 cups all purpose flour sifted
  2. 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  3. 1 teaspoon baking soda
  4. 1 teaspoon salt
  5. 225 grams or 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
  6. 85 grams or 1 cup sifted cocoa powder
  7. 2 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso powder
  8. 2 1/2 cups boiling water
  9. 1 1/2 cups canola or vegetable oil
  10. 6 eggs room temperature
  11. 400 grams or 2 cups white granulated sugar
  12. 200 grams or 1 cup brown sugar
  13. 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  14. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
SUGAR SYRUP
  1. 1/4 cup water
  2. 50 grams or 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
  3. 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
INGREDIENTS FOR COFFEE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
  1. 6 egg whites
  2. 400 grams or 2 cups granulated white sugar
  3. 450 grams or 2 cups softened unsalted butter
  4. 2 tablespoons milk
  5. 2 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso powder
WALNUTS
  1. 100 grams or 1 cup walnuts
  2. 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  3. pinch of sea salt flakes
CAKE
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F and place oven rack in middle
  2. Grease sides of pan with butter and dust some flour then trace and cut out bottom of 9 inch pan with parchment paper and place inside pan. Set aside
  3. Chop semi sweet chocolate into small bits and put in large bowl and sift cocoa powder over chocolate, and add the 2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder or instant coffee
  4. Bring a pot or kettle of water to boil (at least 3 1/2 cups) But pour only 2 1/2 cups of boiling water over chocolate and whisk until it becomes smooth and silky. set aside
  5. In large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, whisk well and set aside
  6. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, put sugar in bowl and add egg in one at a time making sure each egg has been incorporated into sugar.
  7. Once egg and sugar have become thoroughly combined, add the vegetable oil in a slow steady stream stirring on low- scrape sides and mix again
  8. Stir in the yogurt and vanilla extract
  9. Reduce to lowest speed and stir in flour in three additions and chocolate mixture in two additions. Mix until flour streaks have dissolved. Do not over mix
  10. Divide the batter equally into pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out with just a few clean crumbs
  11. Allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Place wire cooling rack on pans and invert cakes removing the parchment paper. Generously brush SUGAR SYRUP (instructions just below) while cake is warm Allow to cool completely another 1 1/2 hours
SUGAR SYRUP
  1. While cake is baking, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil stirring until sugar has completely dissolved
  2. Add the Grand Marnier while syrup is just a touch warm.
  3. Generously slather on both cake layers about 5 minutes after cake has come out of oven
WALNUTS
  1. Leave oven on at 350 F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper
  2. Place the walnuts in centre of tray and drizzle with the maple syrup and mix with wooden spoon
  3. spread nuts out evenly and bake for about 15 minutes, turning once halfway at about 8 minutes
  4. after
  5. Let cool for about 3 minutes before separating the walnuts and sprinkling the sea salts
  6. Keep all the caramelized bits of maple syrup to dress cake with
COFFEE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
  1. In a medium saucepan filled with couple inches of water on medium heat, place the stand mixer bowl with the 6 egg whites and 2 cups of white sugar and bring water to a simmer
  2. Whisk constantly until candy thermometer reads 160 F- check by rubbing a bit between your thumb and finger that the sugar has completely dissolved and isn't gritty
  3. Fit the mixer bowl in the stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk until medium-stiff peaks form and the bowl returns to room temperature about 10 minutes
  4. Whisk together the instant espresso or coffee powder with the milk and Grand Marnier until all the powder has been dissolved
  5. Turn the mixer down and stir in the vanilla extract and the epresso/coffee milk/Grand Marnier mix
  6. Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment and start dropping in the room temperature butter in a couple table spoons at a time. Make sure the butter is fully incorporated before adding the next dollop of butter.
  7. Once all the butter has been added beat another 5 minutes on medium
  8. Buttercream may look a bit lumpy at times...be patient, it'll smooth out with a couple minutes of beating.
ASSEMBLING THE CAKE
  1. First...make sure cakes are completely cool. Refrigerating overnight or freezing for about 15 minutes makes icing easier.
  2. Place first cake layer on your cake stand and spread out about a quarter of the buttercream with an offset spatula
  3. Top with the next layer of cake and spread buttercream with offset spatula on top and on sides of cake
  4. Sprinkle the walnuts and the caramelized maple glass
Notes
  1. -This recipe can easily be made into a single layer chocolate cake. Just divide all ingredients by half and bake in one 9 inch pan
  2. -I've read that swiss meringue buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks...however consuming within a week is ideal. Make sure you bring to room temperature and beat again for about 3 minutes before icing onto cake...if it gets lumpy or appears like it's curdling, blast a hair dryer on the buttercream while its beating in the stand mixer or place on a double boiler for a couple minutes...just to get the butter to gel with the meringue again.
  3. -Store cake in fridge in a cake container for up to a week
STEMS & FORKS https://www.stemsandforks.com/

Chocolate and Orange Babka Wreath

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Babka or brioche? My husband Pierre insists on calling this a brioche wreath. Wikipedia says babkas are traditionally used for Easter holidays in eastern European countries. In fact babka comes from the Polish word Baba for grandmother. And some researchers believe babka goes as far back to the Greek period of Homer based on anecdotal texts that mention sweet, yeast leavened bread similar to Babka. Brioche is a pastry (viennoiserie) with a high butter and egg content which gives it that tender butter rich crumb.  It origins date back to the early 1400’s in France. In any case, I don’t want to bore you with a history lesson. You’re here for a guaranteed holiday showstopper that tastes amazing. 

I fully admit that this recipe requires time and patience. Which is why it’s perfect for a special holiday like Christmas or Easter. Theres not much hands on prep time as there is time to wait for the dough to rise. 3 hours warm room temp or overnight in the fridge. Then another hour for the second rise. So if you came here looking for a quick treat, wrong recipe. This babka needs to be prepared in advance. But trust me it’s totally worth the wait.

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Ricotta Cheesecake with White Chocolate and Pine Nuts

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My dear children Moineau and Georges have both been home sick for days up till yesterday with fevers, chills coughs… As any mother, I’ve had sleepless nights. Between checking their temperature, giving meds and hearing their poor coughing and cries, its been hard to have a good nights sleep for the whole family. It’s Friday December 1st now and I’m two blogs behind, Christmas shopping still not done, and now sick as a dog.

Yet I don’t feel stressed. At least not compared to when I had my flower shop. This time of year was hell for me in the past. It was non-stop starting November 1st until Christmas eve. It felt like the phone never stopped ringing, my inbox was always full and my fingers were permanently black from all the various evergreen saps. There was never enough hours in the day. I remember arranging client outdoor planters before the crack of dawn, using my truck head lights as makeshift lighting since the sun had not yet risen.

This year will be my third Christmas without the business. Being behind on a bit of shopping doesn’t concern me. But I have to admit, skipping a couple blogs does. So last night when the kids were sleeping, I began to bake. I decided ricotta cheesecake with white chocolate and pine nuts because its a cake that needs to be refrigerated for a few hours and still tastes great a few days later. Perfect for later when we’re all feeling better. 

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King Georges’ Granola Bars

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I fully admit I spoil my kids rotten when it comes to food. I’m often caught making fresh cut fries an hour before bedtime or whipping up cupcakes for breakfast. My husband and I always joke that we are our kids slaves. In a sense I suppose we are. Google’s definition of slave;  “a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them” and  “work excessively hard”. I’d have to say we are definitely slaves to our kids in that case.

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Banana Avocado Chocolate Cake

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I’m one of those out of sight, out of mind girls. I recently had scallops at a restaurant that was smothered in a tarragon brown butter. So so good- drooling now just thinking about it. But it reminded me of brown butter icing. And how it has been months since I made anything with brown butter. I had ripe bananas and avocados kicking around and decided a cream cheese brown butter frosting would pair wonderfully. As well, it’s been a while since I’ve played the sneaky mom of putting some sort of veg in a cake without telling the kids…

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Speculoos and Chocolate Mousse Tart

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I went about 5 months without speculoos cookies (spice cookies from Belgium) And i was felt lost and unstable without them. I searched online but with little success in Canada. I did try baking some myself from a recipe online but it really just tasted like cinnamon snaps (if anyone has a great speculoos recipe…please PLEASE share!) So of course when my mother in law asked if I needed anything from Belgium before coming to visit, I asked for a modest 5 kilos of speculoos cookies. Needless to say her eyeballs almost popped out over Skype. But she delivered…an entire carry on of speculoos. Yes she can be very useful…sometimes.

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Chocolate Ricotta Cake with Mascarpone Mocha Buttercream

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Since I started blogging, the friendships I’ve made with other fellow food bloggers and stylists has been incredible to say the least. 

Recently fellow instagrammer @rodica_godlewski and I organized a food styling gathering at my home with fellow food stylists M.Aimee from @milkofthykindness and Sarah from @sarah.boileau. We were 4 complete strangers…well strangers that conversed for several months prior to our meeting on Instagram but had never seen each other in the flesh or spoken to each other. It was so lovely to finally put a face larger than a blueberry and a voice to their names. To finally shed cyber palling two dimensionally and begin a real friendship in the flesh was incredible. The ideas and inspiration we shared with each other not to mention the great laughs was epic in porportions. 

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Fig and Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

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For the longest time I thought figs were a small, beige, chewy and slightly sticky giant raisin in the shape of a puck. I had no idea they were a plump mildly sweet aromatic blob shaped like Michelangelo’s centrepiece on David. Until at the embarrassing age of 16 when i was at a friends home and noticed the parents platter of fruits and cheese. Or rather what I thought at the time as a mini pear infested with maggots.

Well I’ve since grown. And fresh figs for me far out weigh beauty and taste than dried figs.  

Fresh figs back in the 70’s and 80’s were limited and scarce here in Toronto. I don’t think I can say I ever saw fresh figs before the 90’s in a grocery store. Mother would buy several packs of dry figs which cost 99 Cents a dozen at each grocery store visit. It was our go to snack. Instead of chewing on fig newtons like other normal kids,  I remember my sisters and eating heaps of dried figs while romping around in the playground in the hot summer sun. A dozen each to be exact. And it would last the entire playground duration as we’d be chewing the sweet figs like chewing tobacco. 

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