Daring Bakers Flour-less Chocolate Cake

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Note on recipe - the recipe consists of 3 simple ingredients and how you interpret them is part of the challenge. The simplicity of this recipe gives credit to the ingredients much in the same way of French baguette.

-This recipe comes together very quickly with a hand mixer.

-This is a very decadent cake that will sink a little as it cools but will still hold its shape.

-Very dense and fudgy cake that tastes divine.

-The top forms a light crust kind of like a brownie

Chocolate Valentino

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter

5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.

8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C

9. Bake for 25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.

Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.

10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

I followed these instructions to the letter. I even used the thermometer. The instructions were quite specific in stating not to over cook it. When mine reached 143 degrees I took it out of the oven. I waited patiently for it to cool for a while before I unmolded it. Well, what a mess; there was goo all over the counter as it oozed everywhere. It was undercooked by at least 15 minutes. Help! It just flowed all over the counter. I couldn't even snap a photo, since I was afraid it would flow onto the floor. I had to hurry and salvage what I could. I scooped up most of it and put it in a pyrex dish and re-baked it for a few more minutes.

I do admit it tasted pretty darn good. I think it could have been saved if I had chilled the molded cake solid, then un-molded it.

The hosts of this month's challenge also asked us to prepare an ice cream (sorry...too cold in Utah to do this) to go with this and to think about how to garnish it with a bit of thought.

So, I made a simply awesome Lime Mousse from my favorite cookbook, The Silver Palate, by Sheila Lukins and Julie Russo.

This recipe had lots of butter and heavy cream in it, so you know it was good.

I also took careful consideration of the garnish. I candied some lime peel. As instructed by Chef Emeril.
Yes, this was a really easy recipe. If I find some good chocolate at a good price, I might make it again; and bake it longer.

Daring Bakers Tuiles-y Fun

Look at Allrecipes.com I have a Photo of the Day there.
On the front page is my cake.

This month's Daring Baker's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux. Please look at Karen's blog to see what a stunner this challenge really was and for the recipe.


I feel sort of bad. I had huge plans for this challenge; for Inauguration Day I was going to make Obama head cookies. Then I got sick, and the plans fell by the wayside. So I ended up making stupid spirals. I really did try to do my best. It was tough! I had mostly failures.

We were supposed to incorporate fruit in some way. Luck would have it I had fresh strawberries in the fridge. My favorite way to eat strawberries is in cream.

Sugared

Then Crushed

Then Creamed.

Buche de Noel ===Entrements

Daring Bakers is in the House....
This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.
They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand

Different Strokes......

Can I just say not everyone has the same idea of fun in the kitchen? Sorry Hilda, there was no perception of this recipe taking too much time. This recipe actually took 7 hours to make; that is about 4 hours too many during the Holidays. And can I say there was in my opinion, more cooking than baking. There was also a screw up with the mousse element's original instructions they were not highlighted or brought to note for several days after the gauntlet was thrown ( At least not on my computer). And the perceived expense....nuts for the fuilette, 5.dollars, whipped cream for the mousse and creme bruele, 7 dollars, chocolate for the whole thing...11.dollars, free range eggs for the whole thing, 6 dollars. You do the math. Speaking of math....continue reading...

This recipe caused me to loose my enthusiasm the minute it mentioned going out and buying plastic overhead projector films (Acetate); you know the ones that teachers in the 70's used to teach you math with? It was suposed to help you form a smooth tube like mold for the Buche. Nonsense.

It is comprised of 6 French Elements:This was such an exhausting recipe to thumb through that I got stressed just looking at it. It was not fun, nor was it challenging, it was just PERCEIVED by some, as those two things. An office worker might relate if I compared it to paperwork,,, but for the kitchen.

There were Six Elements involved in this molded and layered cream dessert

1. Dacquoise--nut meringue- I liked this one. I ate all the trimmings.
   
2. Mousse- the dog of the group for me. And dog...not in a good way.
3. Creme Brulee--insert-- and Another bower.. I just ended up spreading mine on instead of making another even smaller mold out of the accursed Acetate, like suggested.
   
4. Ganache--insert
5. Praline Feuillete--another insert kinda like a Krackle or Crunch bar (yawn) I used Cocoa Pebbles and a Heath Bar!!! genius of me. I got your Praline paste right here. Can you tell I am seeing red?
   
6. icing to go over the whole thing.

You can link a version of the recipe here: Buche de Noel in the Entrements or Creme dessert style.

Okay enough whining. People were encouraged to come up with their own rendition of the flavors for this. I elected (thank Heaven) to stick with the main flavors for this one. My only creative touch was the the addition of the Cocoa Pebbles and the Heath Bar to the Feuillete. I don't think even Jacques Torres would have thought of that substitution. Ummm we were instucted to buy or make Gavottes, a lacey unavailable ingredient in the USA, let alone Provo. Most of us substituted cereal of some sort.

Click on the link above for more details.

I have come to the conclusion that I, me, Cindy, really dislike recipes that require 5 or 6 other recipes be created before even attempting to think about creating the final product. I prefer recipes that start at step one and progress and end at step 15 or 20. Kind of like bread or a cake.

I do appreciate the time and effort our hosts and all the D. Bakers put into this. It wasn't hard, just, in the words of Carrie Bradshaw..."a little bit too much".

Caramel Cake, Daring Bakers Style

Caramel Cake with Caramelized Brown Butter Frosting
Cynthia's Daring Baker Challenge number 6

Shuna Fish Lydon adapted this recipe from a Flo Braker recipe. You can link to the Shuna Fish Lydon recipe from HERE. Shuna is a noted chef from the Bay Area who is also a Daring Baker, and we are thrilled and honored to have her expertise with this month's challenge.

Helping with co-host duties are Delores , Alex and Jenny who were key contributors while Shuna was moving to London during this challenge, Natalie also helped with the gluten free versions.

We also had the option of making Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich, Artisan Press, Copyright 2007, ISBN: 978-1579652111

There.... the housekeeping business is out of the way, now I can get down to the nitty gritty of this recipe. I give this cake 2 forks up..Even though only one fork is in the photo.

Why?
Two Big Reasons....
I did NOT need to go to the store for exotic ingredients,
and It was REALLY good.We made an awesome caramel syrup with 2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup water. Then we stopped the caramelization process when the sugar became a dark amber color, by adding 1 cup of water to the dangerously hot caramel, (We were cautioned to wear long sleeves and keep ice water handy as first aid. I however had an incredible Home Ec. teacher in high school who was a master confectioner, and we did a candy making unit, so I knew this already. Thanks, Mrs. Lemmon;-) The mixture was beaten and reduced to a syrup, shown in the forefront of the picture below.

Take your time and make a nice batter as shown below. We used the caramel syrup to flavor the cake. The instructions were very clear on how to add the ingredients, dry,wet,dry,wet,dry. Kids, there is logical, chemical, scientific reason for this method...if you care about that...link to the recipe.

Shuna's recipe was a really tender crumbed cake that relied on the bakers knowledge of fat, liquid, dry ingredients, and how to make this cake rise. Because I live in high altitude, I added 1/4 cup extra flour, and a pinch of extra baking powder. I did not have a problem with a fallen cake as you can clearly see. Because of the caramel, it baked into a glorious color.

The frosting was a simple buttercream using browned butter, and more of the caramel syrup. I found it very flavorful, but a bit too sweet for my taste. But that's just me, as I vastly prefer savory flavors. My family loved it. Yes, I will make this again.

My local grocer Smith's is stocking these jeweled plastic plates for 1 dollar each! In gold and green too. I will be running back for more of those now that I can see they photograph like a dream.

Daring Bakers Do Pizza

Challenge 5

Once again, the due date for this challenge crept up on me. I was waiting for Thursday, then I noticed Jen at Use Real Butter mentioned that she was going to post her Daring Bakers challenge in a few hours. It is not like I haven't been on the website reading and getting prepared or anything. I have been thinking about how to proceed, but the darn date came too fast! I am anything but a slacker too. I know how to prioritize, plan, delegate, prepare...I am a bonafide Mormon woman for Pete's sake! So rather than whine about what didn't happen on time, let me relate what did happen, when I had some time. But first let me say....

THIS IS THE BEST PIZZA I HAVE EVER EATEN....EVER...ANYWHERE!!!!

Thanks to Rosa at Rosa's Yummy-yums for choosing this challenge and being our fearless leader.
Here is some stunning dough. I really liked the way the dough was prepared. Using instant yeast of which I am a big fan of. Regular items like salt, oil, sugar, and one irregular item like ice cold water. My dough was stiff at first and I did have to add a couple of teaspoons of water to mine, but it came out smooth and soft. You can see it is cut into 6 pieces. It rested in the fridge overnight and was brought out 2 hours before cooking. It was so rested that it only need a couple of tosses. I love the way my face looks in this toss.I provided various items for the my family to build their own pizzas. I have limited each person 4 topping items, including sauces, and cheese, because less is more. These are gourmet delights. I didn't want them defiled by burdening them with too many toppings.They could choose from the following:

• Sun Dried Tomatoes (I grew them and dehydrated them myself)
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
• Herbes de Provance (I grew and made myself)
• Parmesean Cheese
• Assorted Italian meats, Calabrese, Salame, Capocollo
• Pesto and Tomato Sauces
• Mushrooms, onions etc.
  

I have a nifty pizza stone and a peel. The created pizza went into a 500 degree oven and only need about 6 minutes to bake.

The crust came out crisp, but not hard. And where I didn't use the Mozzarella, it was caramalized with parmesean and pesto goodness. It remained thin and tender. Ooh it was just incredible. My husband loved it. It was fun for the whole family to make and everyone had what they wanted on it.

I think this has been my favorite Daring Baker's Challenge so far. I had so much fun doing this, and the family adored it.

FYI

One of my recipes was featured here at FoodieView Blog.
Thanks to Lisa at La Mia Cucina for the shout out! I am sorta flattered, since Lisa is one of the founding mother's of the internet food world's most popular baking groups, Daring Bakers. Just wait till you see what we will have baked up for you this month!

Cindy's Posh Lavash

I got on the Internet at about 2:00 and noticed everyone was blogging about the Daring Baker's challenge today! I thought WTH??? It isn't the end of the month yet. These bakers shouldn't be blogging until the 30'th!!!!. We'll the joke's on me. I fiber optically ran over to the website and notice the date was today.

I have been so stinking busy today. I had the Activity Day Girls from my church over at 9:00. Then I had to run to the Provo Art's Council, because I am entering some art in an art contest. Yes, I am an arteest. I have been out of the game for a year and and craving some new challenges, so I ran over to the art store today to get supplies for my next project. And then I had to run home to take some art over to the church for an art exhibit. Then that is when I took a breather and looked on line and saw all the drama!!! I got my fanny into the kitchen post haste!

So yes, I have been thinking about the challenge. I have been wanting to make the:

Avocado and Green Pea Hummus from Nigella Express
to put atop my lavash

Nothing but good in this book. Especially page 201

I did make one change to the recipe though.
I used Edemame peas in place of processed canned peas.

So here are the seasonings I chose for my lavash.
This is from McCormick's steak house seasonings
bold and spicy. It is an item I use almost daily. Look at all the goodies in this spice.

Then I used kosher salt and black sesame. This was my least favorite.
I used too much salt. I didn't press the seeds in enough and lots of them fell off. But the toasty sesame flavor was really nice.

Thank you so much to Shellyfish for choosing such an easy yet different recipe for our challenge. Look at the delightful color of this cracker!

I cut my crackers into concentric circles. I thought they would look really interesting as a Canape'.

You can see I had some fun in the presentation of this fun challenge.

They turned out nice and crispy!

The Avocado and Green Pea Hummus recipe is as follows:
1 ripe avocado
2 T. lime juice
1/2 clove garlic, minced
10 ounces edemame peas, un-thawed or lightly steamed if fresh.
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Mix in a food processor. How easy!!!

It was really fun to knead this recipe. 10 minutes knead time in total. My posh oven has a bread proof setting so this cut the rise time down by one third. From start to finish including blog time and photography time 4 hours. I will make this again and take it to a holiday buffet if anyone ever asks me to their home. You can link to the recipe here at Shellyfish and there are some cute ideas for you to see too!

Eclairs Extraordinaire!!

Tony Tahhan and Meeta K. were in charge of this month's Daring Bakers Challenge. My third challenge, thank you very much.

From the acclaimed pastry chef Pierre Hermé I proudly present my interpretation of Chocolate Éclairs!!
We were allowed to change the fillings as we pleased as long as we incorporated Chocolate! No problems there right?

I decided to make a strawberry filling. I pureed fresh strawberries to create a coulis, or thick sauce. Then I added the strained mixture into some whipped cream until it was the color and flavor I liked.This version also had a really nice almond flavored glaze that I made. The secret is to mix in about 1 tablespoon of very soft butter into the powdered sugar, then add milk to desired consistency, and almond extract. This really imparts a nice flavor.
You can see I also made a lovely chocolate version too. Here below.
Éclairs Elements I learned:

• French pâte à choux
• Pastry Cream--a mixture of milk, egg yolks, bittersweet chocolate. This recipe I will make again.
• Chocolate glaze. I will use this on ice cream. But I think I have a better recipe in my own collection that would have worked better here.
  

This recipe took me only a couple hours to put together. It was positively a joy to make. I asked myself why I had not attempted to make these before? Compared to last months challenge , the Filbert Gateau; which was extremely difficult, expensive and time consuming, this was a walk in the park, a walk I will take any day of the week!!