Birthday Cake

I baked my own birthday cake. Some may call this heresy but I like to think of it as being the perfect time to make one hell of a cake. Besides the fact that it fell off of the stand and into my hand three quarters of the way through slicing it, I think that I succeeded in making a killer chocolate and passion fruit cake.

A little bit on passion fruit:

I love it. I love the sweet kind (granadilla) and the sour kind (maracuyá). As passion fruit does not grow anywhere near the US, it is close to impossible to find it unless you want to spend $3 on one piece of fruit. To make matters worse, it is also close to impossible to find passion fruit puree that isn't full of sugar. If you love it as much as I do, I highly recommend splurging on the products from Perfect Puree. They sell purees and concentrates of any fruit that you can think of: raspberry, strawberry, lemon...and any fruit that you may not think of: passion fruit, prickly pear, tamarind, lychee...

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Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting and Passion Fruit Curd
adapted from Ina Garten, King Arthur Flour

Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350. Spray or butter two 8" cake pans and line with parchment paper. Spray or butter the parchment paper, as well, and dust with flour. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium/high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Mix the buttermilk, sour cream and coffee in small bowl. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, alternating one third buttermilk then one third flour, ending with the flour. Mix only until blended.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans (I weigh them to ensure that the batter is even) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and they spring back when touched. Cool completely then remove from pans.

Make the frosting: Sift the cocoa, 6 oz. powdered sugar and espresso powder into a bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer on the stove and whisk into the cocoa mixture until smooth. Set aside to cool for about 10-15 minutes.

Beat the butter, salt, and 8 oz. powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.

With the mixer running on low, add the cocoa mixture one spoonful at a time until it is incorporated. Once the mixture is completely added, beat on high for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Make the curd: Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a glass bowl. Whisk in the passion fruit. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water (a double boiler) and stir with a wooden spoon (or whisk) for 7-10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and no longer falls in a quick stream back into the bowl.

Remove from the heat and strain through a sieve, if needed. Add the butter and stir until combined. Chill until room temperature. This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

Cake
1 3/4 cups AP flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 tbsp brewed coffee

Chocolate Frosting
5 1/4 oz. unsweetened baking cocoa
6 oz. powdered sugar
1 tsp espresso powder
8 oz. heavy cream
8 oz. butter, room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
8 oz. powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla extract

Passion Fruit Curd
4 egg yolks
3 oz. sugar
2 oz. passion fruit puree
2 oz. butter, room temperature, diced

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Salted Chocolate Cookies

Some of you may shun me for this but I took on Big Cookie last week. No, I did not head to the sate capitol and share my thoughts with the adult selling Girl Scout Cookies on behalf of her daughter. I took on Big Cookie by proclaiming that the cookie I baked was better that any Girl Scout Cookie on the market.

And I bet that my friends ate more of my cookies last week than they did of any thin mint or samoa.

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Salted Chocolate Cookies

Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350˚. Combine the 8 oz. of chocolate with the butter in a double boiler and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter is melted. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until the mixture is fully combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the melted chocolate, beating until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the rest of the chocolate. 

Using a size 100 scoop, scoop dough onto silicone or parchment-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt and bake for 10 minutes.

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
3 1/8 oz AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt (I use Maldon)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
6 1/8 oz light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz. 60-70% dark chocolate, chopped

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Filled with a caramel frosting

Chocolate Almond Torte

If it were socially acceptable, I would eat a pound of almond paste at each meal.  At the risk of being considered "crazy" by my friends and family, I have chosen to focus on baking almond desserts instead.  One of my favorite almond desserts is a chocolate almond torte that is made of layers of macaron and chocolate ganache.  One of the reasons that I like this recipe is that the ingredients are simple: no egg yolks, no flour, and very little dairy.  I also just love how this dessert looks...

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Chocolate Almond Torte
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Bon Appetit

Make the macaron layers: Preheat oven to 325°F. Using a ruler, draw two rectangles measuring 12" by 4" on each piece of parchment paper ensuring that there are two inches separating the two.  Flip the parchment paper over so that you can see the lines but so that the ink does not bake into the macaron layers.  Place on two separate baking sheets.  Mix the almond flour and 7 ounces of sugar in a bowl until combined.

Using a stand mixer and a completely clean and dry bowl, whisk the egg whites on medium/high until soft peaks form. Add vanilla extract and then slowly add the remaining 1 1/2 ounces of sugar.  Making sure to not overmix, beat on medium/high until stiff peaks form.  Carefully fold nut and sugar mixture into egg whites.  Using a spatula, evenly spread one quarter of the mixture within the lines of the parchment paper rectangles.

Bake macaron layers for 12 minutes and then reverse the baking sheets; continue to bake until golden  around the edges and slightly firm to the touch (~25 minutes).  Make sure to let the layers cool on the sheets on a cooling rack before removing. 

Make the ganache: Place chocolate and butter in a double boiler and stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

If the macaron layers spread too much in the oven, carefully trim with a sharp knife so that the layers stack nicely.  Place the first macaron layer on whatever tray you will be using. Spread an even layer of chocolate on top.  Continue with all four layers making sure that the top layer is flipped so that the flat side is facing up.  Spread the remaining chocolate on the top and on the sides of the torte and then cover with almonds.

Almond Macaron Layers
10 1/2 ounces almond flour
7 ounces sugar + 1 1/2 ounces sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 large egg whites, at room temperature

Chocolate Ganache
12 ounces (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate
8 tbsp butter, cut into chunks

+ sliced almonds and two sheets of parchment paper

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