MangiaMore: almond ANNIVERSARY cake

RER 4.24.15

If I could, I would bake a cake everyday — a cake to suit my mood, a cake to satiate my cravings, a different cake to share with my nearest and dearest. If I could I would bake cakes all of the time.

If only cake didn’t have calories. Le sigh.

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RER 4.24.15

RER 4.24.15

RER 4.24.15

This time, my cake had a reason, a worthy occasion: to celebrate my parents’ 33^rd wedding anniversary (!!). It had to be delicious, something super tasty for my parents who deserve so much more.

I had no desire to play it safe, so I turned to Molly Yeh, whose beautiful cakes and treats inspire envy and admiration.  And once I remembered her Valentine’s Day Almond Cake, I knew it was the one.

RER 4.24.15

RER 4.24.15

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This was another egg heavy recipe, but separating yolks and whipping whites was felt more natural, and every other aspect of the cake was fun and easy. 

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RER 4.24.15

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RER 4.24.15

I strayed from the recipe when it came to frosting. My father (and frankly, I) was uninterested in a whipped cream frosting, so I opted for my buttercream mainstay. I completely understand why the recipe offers a light almond whipped cream frosting. All those glossy stiff egg whites made for an airy and bubbly cake that was sweet but not dense at all. A lighter frosting would have complimented the bouncy cake, creating a lovely cake pillow.

But buttercream…

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RER 4.24.15

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My icing choice set up delicious contrasting textures while heightening the almond flavor and upping the decadence factor (it was a special occasion, duh). The tang of cream cheese toned down the sweet saturation and made for easy spreading. A celebration calls for an adult twist, so a little Kahlua and much more Disaronno went a long way in my slightly chocolate frosting.

Once again, Happy Anniversary parentals!!

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4.24.15

RER 4.24.15

MangiaMore: CHOCOLATE mint cookies

RER 12.23.14

Christmastime is a big deal in our house. It may take us a while to get a tree, put up the lights and decorate it, but the holiday season is always on our mind. We are all about Christmas cookies. I have memories baking with my mom and sister—battling it out with the spritz machine, scrapping batches of over- browned cookies (euphemism), and getting powdered sugar icing and colorful sprinkles all over the kitchen on decorating days.

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Now, it’s a little different. Same mess, same fun, but we have perfected the recipes that we have been making for ages (cut-out, drop, and bar). This year, we decided to make many of our staples and add a few new recipes into the mix.

The first new recipe we tried was for a chocolate cookie. Our mother always complains that our Christmases do not have enough chocolate despite the fudge. A colleague of mine mentioned a while back that he has an excellent recipe for chocolate mint cookies and was generous to share it.

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Chocolate-Mint Cookies

recipe by Peter Ziebel

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp espresso powder (optional)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. Peppermint extract
confectioner's sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar. Add the butter in small pieces and pulse 30 or so times until the mixture is well combined and powdery/crumbly. Pour it into a large bowl.

Add eggs and vanilla and mint and mix by hand until the dough comes together. The dough will be fairly dry – it will seem at first that there isn’t enough moisture, but if you keep working it, eventually it will come together.

Place a few heaping spoonfuls of confectioner's sugar into a shallow dish. Roll dough into 1 1/2” balls and roll the balls in confectioner's sugar to coat. Place them an inch or two apart on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a silpat or sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until just set around the edges but still soft in the middle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 20 cookies. 

RER 12.19.14

RER 12.19.14

Because some of us have a mild aversion to mint and chocolate, we adjusted the recipe a little. We replaced the peppermint extract with about a teaspoon of Kahlua, which really complimented the espresso and highlighted the chocolate of the cookie. Instead of just rolling the cookies in powdered sugar, we tried out a method we saw with the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from Cook’s Illustrated, which involved an extra step. They recommend rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar first, followed by the powdered sugar before baking—more crinkles.

These cookies turned out phenomenal and they might even be the unanimous favorite this year. The outside of the cookie is crunchy, sweet, and textured on the tongue, while the inside is soft, chewy and intensely chocolaty. I think Santa would love to have these guys on his plate this year. There’s still time before he comes down that chimney!

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12.19.14

RER 12.19.14

MangiaMore: CHOCOLATE Cavity Maker Cake

RER 12.5.14

Now, about that Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake. I mentioned this cake amongst others on our list of sweets for our Thanksgiving dessert spread. And yes, it was on our list, but it did not, unfortunately, make it to the table.

RER 11.25.14

RER 11.25.14

You see, we made it, easy as 1-2-3, but too bad it didn’t turn out of its pretty silicone decorative bunt pan that easy. To our chagrin, the deeply sweet and chocolaty cake was practically immutable. With patience and struggle, the cake was de-panned, but it was lopsided and not super cute—edible but unattractive, and not good enough for our guests (probably was but…more cake).

 

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So we made this other tasty chocolate cake instead! And put the Cavity Maker in the freezer for the very near future (we have some birthdays to celebrate this month!).

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12.4.14

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