Note for Mr. Joe Wilson - #37th in the world! I bet this just makes you soooo proud. Who's the real liar, Mr. Heckler?!
I always say, if they won't shut-up, shove some cake in their mouths! And you know what, even though I would bake the cake for our President, he would willingly share the cake with everyone, because he's just that nice a guy :-)
After watching PRESIDENT Obama's speech yesterday ( on 09-09-09!) inspiring us to actually do something radically constructive about the health (insurance) care delivery in the U.S. I wanted to bake him a cake!
How about... the Best Chocolate Huckleberry Cake in the World?
Start with 2 Buttermilk Dark Chocolate layers:
Make the Fluffy Ganache (using a pound of dark dark chocolate!)
sprinkle handfuls of fresh-picked Huckleberries in between the layers!!!
finish frosting the cake- and Here it is!
Chocolate-Huckleberry Cake
adapted, with glee, from Cooks Magazine
For the Cake:
1 1/2 sticks butter - softened, + extra for greasing the pans
1 3/4 c. flour (I use a whole grain soft-white flour grown here "Wheat Montana")
4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate
1/4 c. heaped, dark coca powder
1/2 c. hot water
1 3/4 c. raw cane sugar
1 tsp., more or less, salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs, + 2 lg. egg yolks
Pre-heat the oven to 350.
Using sof butter, grease 2 9 inch cake pans, and dust them with some cocoa powder (this helps avoid unsightly white spots on your cake when you make chocolate cakes!). Set aside. Combine the chocolate squares, cocoa powder and hot water in heat proof bowl and either microwave for 15-20 seconds or place over simmering pot of water for 2 minutes or so, to melt. Add 1/2 c. sugar and stir until glossy, then set aside to cool a bit.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In another small bowl (or measuring cup!) combine buttermilk and vanilla. Using the mixer, whisk eggs & yolks to combine, add 1 1/4 c. sugar and whisk on high until light yellow and fluffy - 2-3 minutes (I never used to take the time to get to the "light and fluffy" stage - but when you do take the time, it perceptibly lightens the cake!)
Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg/sugar mixture, and mix on medium until thouroughly incorporated. Add softened butter, 1 tbs. at a time, and mix after each addition.. again, it's time that helps create the glorious nature of this cake! Finally, add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 the buttermilk, mixing after each addition... again with the flour and again with the buttermilk. When all is well mixturated, take a spatula and fold it over a few times, then pour it into the 2 cake pans, and smooth the tops.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely ( an hour or so) before frosting.
For the Frosting:
Grate 16 ounces (yes, 1 pound!) of dark semi- or bitter-sweet chocolate. I used Guittard for this cake, but the giant Trader Joes' bar can work well here!
8 tbs. (1 stick) butter
1/3 c. sugar
2 tbs. organic corn syrup (no GMOs for us!) or alternately, organic (sugar) cane syrup
pinch of good salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. heavy ("whipping") cream
Heat butter in a bowl set over a small sauce pan of simmering water (or in the microwave for 10-15 seconds). Add sugar, syrup, vanilla, salt and stir until sugar is dissolved. (If using the microwave, you may need to heat it for another 10-15 seconds to melt the sugar) Add the grated chocolate and stir until incorporated.
In a clean mixer bowl, pour chocolate mixture, add cream and stir again. Set bowl over ice bath (larger bowl with ice cubes and cold water) and stir to cool until frosting begins to harden against side of the bowl (about 70 degrees if you want to take its temperature). Take the bowl off the ice bath, and using mixer, beat on med-high until light and fluffy, and smooth (1 -2 minutes).
This frosting is melt-in-your-mouht wonderful, but will harden up in the fridge later - almost like the center of a truffle!
I just threw in huckleberries between the layers- about a cup or so. Next time, if I had extra, I would consider putting another cup or so in the cake batter before baking.
I always say, if they won't shut-up, shove some cake in their mouths! And you know what, even though I would bake the cake for our President, he would willingly share the cake with everyone, because he's just that nice a guy :-)
After watching PRESIDENT Obama's speech yesterday ( on 09-09-09!) inspiring us to actually do something radically constructive about the health (insurance) care delivery in the U.S. I wanted to bake him a cake!
How about... the Best Chocolate Huckleberry Cake in the World?
Start with 2 Buttermilk Dark Chocolate layers:
Make the Fluffy Ganache (using a pound of dark dark chocolate!)
sprinkle handfuls of fresh-picked Huckleberries in between the layers!!!
finish frosting the cake- and Here it is!
Chocolate-Huckleberry Cake
adapted, with glee, from Cooks Magazine
For the Cake:
1 1/2 sticks butter - softened, + extra for greasing the pans
1 3/4 c. flour (I use a whole grain soft-white flour grown here "Wheat Montana")
4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate
1/4 c. heaped, dark coca powder
1/2 c. hot water
1 3/4 c. raw cane sugar
1 tsp., more or less, salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs, + 2 lg. egg yolks
Pre-heat the oven to 350.
Using sof butter, grease 2 9 inch cake pans, and dust them with some cocoa powder (this helps avoid unsightly white spots on your cake when you make chocolate cakes!). Set aside. Combine the chocolate squares, cocoa powder and hot water in heat proof bowl and either microwave for 15-20 seconds or place over simmering pot of water for 2 minutes or so, to melt. Add 1/2 c. sugar and stir until glossy, then set aside to cool a bit.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In another small bowl (or measuring cup!) combine buttermilk and vanilla. Using the mixer, whisk eggs & yolks to combine, add 1 1/4 c. sugar and whisk on high until light yellow and fluffy - 2-3 minutes (I never used to take the time to get to the "light and fluffy" stage - but when you do take the time, it perceptibly lightens the cake!)
Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg/sugar mixture, and mix on medium until thouroughly incorporated. Add softened butter, 1 tbs. at a time, and mix after each addition.. again, it's time that helps create the glorious nature of this cake! Finally, add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 the buttermilk, mixing after each addition... again with the flour and again with the buttermilk. When all is well mixturated, take a spatula and fold it over a few times, then pour it into the 2 cake pans, and smooth the tops.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely ( an hour or so) before frosting.
For the Frosting:
Grate 16 ounces (yes, 1 pound!) of dark semi- or bitter-sweet chocolate. I used Guittard for this cake, but the giant Trader Joes' bar can work well here!
8 tbs. (1 stick) butter
1/3 c. sugar
2 tbs. organic corn syrup (no GMOs for us!) or alternately, organic (sugar) cane syrup
pinch of good salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. heavy ("whipping") cream
Heat butter in a bowl set over a small sauce pan of simmering water (or in the microwave for 10-15 seconds). Add sugar, syrup, vanilla, salt and stir until sugar is dissolved. (If using the microwave, you may need to heat it for another 10-15 seconds to melt the sugar) Add the grated chocolate and stir until incorporated.
In a clean mixer bowl, pour chocolate mixture, add cream and stir again. Set bowl over ice bath (larger bowl with ice cubes and cold water) and stir to cool until frosting begins to harden against side of the bowl (about 70 degrees if you want to take its temperature). Take the bowl off the ice bath, and using mixer, beat on med-high until light and fluffy, and smooth (1 -2 minutes).
This frosting is melt-in-your-mouht wonderful, but will harden up in the fridge later - almost like the center of a truffle!
I just threw in huckleberries between the layers- about a cup or so. Next time, if I had extra, I would consider putting another cup or so in the cake batter before baking.
Comments