MangiaMore: all-in-ONE chocolate cake

RER 5.11.15

Another day, another cake. Well, not just any day, it was Mother’s Day. Early last week, I got a brief and to the point email with a link and “How about this for Mother's Day?” Perfect.

RER 5.11.15

Mommie wanted a chocolate cake, so Mommie was going to get a chocolate cake. And the Nigella Lawson no-nonsense recipe she found would do the trick for a Mother’s Day cake.

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

The All-In-One Chocolate Cake could not have been easier. Some quick measuring, pulse, pulse, pulse, and the batter is done. The frosting was just as easy, albeit it multi-stage, but it ended up being a little runny because of the loose sour cream (I ended up lightening up the frosting with more powdered sugar and sour cream for the outside of the cake, leaving the middle dark as prescribed by the recipe). The name of the recipe explains it all. Nice and easy.

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

This chocolate cake is very different from the chocolate cake I usually make. My classic cake is chocolaty and moist, tall and kind of fudgy; it reeks of children birthday parties and hot fudge sundaes—delicious but not the most sophisticated.

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

Lawson’s cake puts a different spin on chocolate cake for a very adult twist. The cake has a fine crumb to it, springy, but it is also dense with chocolate notes, not relying on texture. Sour cream in the frosting, made glossy with corn syrup, added a tang and another distinctive level of maturity. It is sweet, tart but also light and rich, lacking the heaviness of a cream cheese frosting. The two elements combine for subtle sweetness and layered flavors, a very grown-up and refined experience.

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.9.15

RER 5.11.15

Make mum anything special for the holiday? Breakfast in bed? Spring savories or seasonal sweets? Would love to hear how you celebrated and follow foodie ventures on instagram, twitter, and facebook!

RER

5.10.15

RER 5.11.15

MangiaMore: COCONUT layer cake

RER 4.5.15

Coconut cake means Easter (or maybe it’s the other way around). But somehow, coconut cake frequently makes an appearance after our family’s fresh Easter dinner. I always associate this kind of cake with Easter, white patented leather shoes for Easter mass, fragrant lilies and warmer weather.

RER 4.5.15

RER 4.5.15

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RER 4.6.15

There’s no way around it; cake is sweet and coconut cake can be super sweet. It’s that too good batter, dense with flaked coconut and sometimes pudding mix, and the creamy butter cream frosting, made with all that butter and powdered sugar, and a liberal coating of sweet flaked coconut.

RER 4.5.15

RER 4.5.15

RER 4.5.15

RER 4.5.15

This year, we opted for Melissa Clark’s recipe for Coconut Layer Cake adapted from a Telepan favorite. My mother and I stalk cooking.nytimes.com and read Wednesday’s edition of the Food Section, and this recipe immediately grabbed our attention. Clark implies that this version of the classic coconut cake is less cloying and less sweet in her piece “A Sugar Rush, Not Crush,” making it even more desirable for our Easter treat.

RER 4.5.15

RER 4.5.15

RER 4.5.15

RER 4.6.15

Even though the cake ended up tasting less shockingly sweet, this coconut cake was super rich with butter and eggs. It was moist and dense, but fluffy and almost savory at the same time. Unlike the recipe, we mixed sweetened and unsweetened coconut flakes into the batter, which added texture and life. The rum and orange juice added a mature flare, while the smooth and light cream cheese frosting continued in that vein. Toasted sweetened coconut added more complexity with nutty caramel tones and a crunchy crust. 

RER 4.5.15

RER 4.5.15

The coconut Easter cake turned out to be a beautiful confection—gorgeous to look at and lovely to taste.

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4.5.15

RER 4.5.15