Is it time yet to have some chocolate? Or may be some chocolate cake?
Bleh, it's always the right time to have chocolate, as a bar or a cake. Even better when it's the Valentine week. Who doesn't know that a chocolate dessert is a Valentine essential, a Valentine custom?
I am no fan of this western celebration, nor do I expect you to be. I just wanted to call out to you and urge you to make this oh-so-dense, chocolate-y, dark and moist chocolate cake. MAKE IT NOW! *sorry for shouting!*
I got the basic recipe from a TV show and then made some changes here and there.
Surprisingly, when I look at it now I realise the basic ingredients are mostly still the same. But then aren't eggs, sugar and butter supposed to be the ingredients of *any* cake? And some chocolate is essential if I want to call it a chocolate cake?
Yes? Yes. Good!
That said and done, I'll tell you a bit more about all that'll go into your cake. This is specifically for all the baker nerds out there. Jump to the recipe if you so desire, but I'd suggest reading for some essential details.
The chocolate. It is the quintessential here. Please get your hands on some good quality cooking chocolate for this cake. I used semi sweet chocolate, means it has some sugar already added to it. If you use dark chocolate, you will have to add in more sugar to the batter.
The butter- Apart from providing the fat that softens the cake (cakes will be cardboards without it!), it also has moisture which gives some of those small little air holes to your cake. I used salted butter and testify that it balances the sugar really well. You could use unsalted/ homemade white butter if you wish.
The eggs- I used three normal sized eggs and one egg yolk. The extra egg yolk provides with the fat to make the cake dense and fudgy. All eggs were at room temperature because they emulsify better that way.
BUT, to separate the egg yolk easily, break a cold egg. Put the yolk into a glass/ metal bowl and let it come down to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Break in the rest of the room temperature eggs into it and beat to use. Simple!
Now the sugar! I used brown sugar, just because I feel it makes the cakes taste better. Because it has a deeper flavour and more moisture too! Feel free to use normal white granulated sugar.
Talking about the texture of the cake! Oh, the texture. *drooling*
Where I do like airy, light and fluffy cakes, this cake charmed me with its reasonably dense, slightly fudgy and melt in the mouth texture. It's the right balance of airy and dense, the perfect blend of chocolate and butter.
Think I missed something?
No! stop being worried. I know I didn't mention flour till now. That is simply because this cake is flour free, aka gluten free!
Yes, it has a bare minimum of 3 tablespoons of almond meal. To make the almond meal just finely powder 20-25 dry almonds in a mixer. No soaking, no blanching, no peeling! Easy as ever.
The almonds make my cake all the more dense and that gets you to taste chocolate in every bite.
Wouldn't it be a shame to eat a chocolate cake with subtle undertones of chocolate?
If you're anything like me you'll prefer going without it!
And I want you to eat a good, decadent and chocolate-y chocolate cake. Because I like you so, you're a reader of my blog right? :P
You're special. :)
Serve the special cake sprinkled with powdered sugar or with an orange compote or ganache or chocolate sauce or a strawberry sauce or some ice cream or some whipped cream or Nutella or some roasted almonds or....
Like I said in the announcement post, there are precisely 12341234 ways to devour it! :D
Only have it warm though. heavenly!
*Tip! Tip! You could also make small individual cakes in ramekins or muffin moulds.*
So go grab the ingredients and bake this lovely cake, for yourself and all the special people in your life.
I made it on the occasion of my Masi's wedding anniversary and a friend's birthday. And I shall make it again soon. Chocolate cake doesn't need a reason to be had. Just because. *wink*
For any queries you might have, email me at leo.kavya@gmail.com.
Or ping me on Facebook @KAVYA ARORA or Instagram @arora_kavya
Love,
Kavya
DECADENT, GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Serves 4-5
Ingredients-
100 grams butter, I used salted
150g semi sweet chocolate
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
3 tbsp ground almonds (or 2 tbsp all purpose flour)
Method-
Bleh, it's always the right time to have chocolate, as a bar or a cake. Even better when it's the Valentine week. Who doesn't know that a chocolate dessert is a Valentine essential, a Valentine custom?
I am no fan of this western celebration, nor do I expect you to be. I just wanted to call out to you and urge you to make this oh-so-dense, chocolate-y, dark and moist chocolate cake. MAKE IT NOW! *sorry for shouting!*
I got the basic recipe from a TV show and then made some changes here and there.
Surprisingly, when I look at it now I realise the basic ingredients are mostly still the same. But then aren't eggs, sugar and butter supposed to be the ingredients of *any* cake? And some chocolate is essential if I want to call it a chocolate cake?
Yes? Yes. Good!
That said and done, I'll tell you a bit more about all that'll go into your cake. This is specifically for all the baker nerds out there. Jump to the recipe if you so desire, but I'd suggest reading for some essential details.
The chocolate. It is the quintessential here. Please get your hands on some good quality cooking chocolate for this cake. I used semi sweet chocolate, means it has some sugar already added to it. If you use dark chocolate, you will have to add in more sugar to the batter.
The butter- Apart from providing the fat that softens the cake (cakes will be cardboards without it!), it also has moisture which gives some of those small little air holes to your cake. I used salted butter and testify that it balances the sugar really well. You could use unsalted/ homemade white butter if you wish.
The eggs- I used three normal sized eggs and one egg yolk. The extra egg yolk provides with the fat to make the cake dense and fudgy. All eggs were at room temperature because they emulsify better that way.
BUT, to separate the egg yolk easily, break a cold egg. Put the yolk into a glass/ metal bowl and let it come down to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Break in the rest of the room temperature eggs into it and beat to use. Simple!
Now the sugar! I used brown sugar, just because I feel it makes the cakes taste better. Because it has a deeper flavour and more moisture too! Feel free to use normal white granulated sugar.
Talking about the texture of the cake! Oh, the texture. *drooling*
Where I do like airy, light and fluffy cakes, this cake charmed me with its reasonably dense, slightly fudgy and melt in the mouth texture. It's the right balance of airy and dense, the perfect blend of chocolate and butter.
Think I missed something?
No! stop being worried. I know I didn't mention flour till now. That is simply because this cake is flour free, aka gluten free!
Yes, it has a bare minimum of 3 tablespoons of almond meal. To make the almond meal just finely powder 20-25 dry almonds in a mixer. No soaking, no blanching, no peeling! Easy as ever.
The almonds make my cake all the more dense and that gets you to taste chocolate in every bite.
Wouldn't it be a shame to eat a chocolate cake with subtle undertones of chocolate?
If you're anything like me you'll prefer going without it!
And I want you to eat a good, decadent and chocolate-y chocolate cake. Because I like you so, you're a reader of my blog right? :P
You're special. :)
Serve the special cake sprinkled with powdered sugar or with an orange compote or ganache or chocolate sauce or a strawberry sauce or some ice cream or some whipped cream or Nutella or some roasted almonds or....
Like I said in the announcement post, there are precisely 12341234 ways to devour it! :D
Only have it warm though. heavenly!
*Tip! Tip! You could also make small individual cakes in ramekins or muffin moulds.*
So go grab the ingredients and bake this lovely cake, for yourself and all the special people in your life.
I made it on the occasion of my Masi's wedding anniversary and a friend's birthday. And I shall make it again soon. Chocolate cake doesn't need a reason to be had. Just because. *wink*
For any queries you might have, email me at leo.kavya@gmail.com.
Or ping me on Facebook @KAVYA ARORA or Instagram @arora_kavya
Love,
Kavya
DECADENT, GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Serves 4-5
Ingredients-
100 grams butter, I used salted
150g semi sweet chocolate
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
3 tbsp ground almonds (or 2 tbsp all purpose flour)
Method-
- Grease a 7" circular baking pan with oil/ butter. Lightly flour if desired.
- Break the chocolate into pieces and cut the butter into cubes.
- Put the butter and chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and microwave 3-4 times in 20 second intervals, until completely melted. Stir in the meanwhile so the mixture doesn't burn. You could also melt the chocolate in a double boiler, like this set-up.
- Let the mixture cool a bit.
- Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
- In another glass bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks with the sugar, till thick and pale, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the chocolate-butter mixture to the beaten eggs. Make sure the mixture is WARM. If cold, it'll solidify as soon as you add it to the eggs and you won't get a smooth batter.
- Mix gently, trying not to deflate the eggs. Run your spoon/ spatula along the edges of the bowl for the purpose. Work gently for a beautiful cake.
- Sprinkle the almond meal over the batter and gently mix in.
- Pour batter into the greased baking pan. (The recipe makes an approx 1.5" thick cake in a 7" round pan.)
- Tap pan twice on the shelf, gently.
- Bake in the lower third rack of the oven for 18-22 minutes, checking at the centre for doneness after 15 minutes.
- Serve warm with ice cream, syrup, orange/ strawberry compote, Nutella or as it is.
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