Wednesday, May 2, 2012

German Choclate Cake (My Current Go-To Cake)

Easy to make, even easier to eat.

Ever since I was a kid, my favorite kind of cake has always been German Chocolate Cake. I don't know. There's something special about this cake, something magical. First off the frosting isn't really frosting, not in the typical sense. And as someone who loves nuts, the candy-like concoction that covers this cake is basically a sugary mess of pecans and coconut. What's not to love? And then there is the cake it's self. Chocolate. But not just any kind of chocolate. German chocolate. As a child it sounded exotic. As an adult I would purchase the green wrapped bar of German Sweet Chocolate by Baker's. But now I go for something else. And here's why.

German Chocolate Cake isn’t really German at all. Nope. In fact it’s named for it's creator Samuel German, the man who created the original cake recipe’s star ingredient back in 1957 for Baker’s Chocolate Company. German’s chocolate contains only 46% cacao, which makes for a subtly flavored cake. This recipe for German Chocolate Cake from  Fine Cooking Magazine uses a moderate amount of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate—up to 70%—for deeper flavor. You can use any semisweet or bittersweet chocolate you like, as long as it contains 70% cacao or less. Any more than that could adversely affect the cake’s texture.

Serves 16


For the cakes
4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened; more for the pans
4 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (up to 70% cacao), coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)*
1/2 cup boiling water
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature**

For the coconut-pecan filling
7 oz. (about 2 cups) sweetened, shredded dried coconut
4 large egg yolks
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. table salt
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1-1/2 cups pecan halves, toasted and coarsely chopped


Make the cakes
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Grease the sides of three 9x2-inch round cake pans with butter and line the bottoms with parchment circles.
Put the chocolate in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Let stand for several seconds and then whisk until the chocolate is dissolved. Set aside until cool to the touch before mixing the batter.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Whisk the eggs in a small measuring cup.

Beat the butter for a few seconds in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed. Add the sugar in a steady stream and then beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl as necessary, until the mixture is lightened in color and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Still on medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time, taking a full 1-1/2 minutes to add them all. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and beat just until blended. With the mixer turned off, add a quarter of the flour mixture.

Mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated. Add a third of the buttermilk and mix until blended. Repeat, each time adding another quarter of the flour, then a third of the buttermilk, until the last of the flour is added. Scrape the bowl as necessary and mix each addition only until it is incorporated.

Divide the batter among the pans and spread it evenly. Bake, rotating the pans and swapping their positions, until the cakes just start to pull away from the sides of the pans and spring back when very gently pressed with a finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in their pans on a rack for 10 minutes.

Run a knife or small spatula around the edges to separate the cakes from the pans. Turn the cakes out onto the rack and peel off the parchment. Cool completely.

Make the filling
Spread the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350°F, stirring every 2 minutes, until golden-brown, about 10 minutes. Scrape the toasted coconut onto a sheet of waxed paper and let cool completely.

Whisk the egg yolks with the evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a heavy-duty, nonreactive 4-quart saucepan. Add the butter. Set over medium heat and stir constantly with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom and corners of the pot. When the mixture starts to boil, adjust the heat so that it boils actively but not furiously, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the coconut and pecans. Let cool completely.

Assemble the Cake
Put one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread a third of the filling over the top of the cake, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Top with a second cake layer. Spread with half of the remaining filling. Put the third cake layer on top and cover it with the remaining filling. Leave the sides of the cake exposed. Serve at room temperature.

From Fine Cooking  #114 , pp. 82-87
October 10, 2011

*I like to use Ghirardelli's Bittersweet chocolate, found in the baking aisle.

**If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own, like I do. In a 1 cup measuring cup add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. To this add whole milk to the 1 cup mark.Stir and let sit for several minutes before using.  You may also substitute lemon juice for the white vinegar.

Saffron...It's What's For Dinner!

Just how many containers do I have to get dirty to make a "one pot meal"???

Tonight for dinner Tim and I are going to make a semi-old favorite. It is Chicken and Rice with Saffron and Almonds. I'd say it was a one-pot meal but that would be a misnomer. We've just started and already I've use 4 containers! Well, I could have shortened that to 2, but come on.

2 cups of rice
1/2 teaspoon of saffron
Warm Water

2-3 Chicken Breasts broken down in to 1/2" cubes
Salt
Pepper

Olive Oil (or your go-to cooking oil)
1/2 cup slivered almonds

4 tablespoons of butter

4 cups chicken broth

Step 1:
Put the rice into something that will accommodate it being covered with warm water such as a pot or a 4-cup measuring cup. In a small container put the saffron and add 1/3 cup warm water. Let both of these soak for 20 minutes. (I use Mexican Saffron, which is a lot cheaper. If you use "real" saffron decrease the amount by 1/2)

Step 2:
If you haven't yet, break down the chicken and season with salt and pepper.

Step 3:
Into a large skillet (which you'll cook everything else in later) add 1/3 cup oil of choice and almonds. Fry them up until brown over medium-high heat (3-5 minutes). Drain almonds on paper towel and set aside.

Step 4:
Wipe out the pan (if needed), add more oil and heat it slightly before adding the chicken. Get some yummy brown on the chicken. [You don't need to cook the chicken all the way through because it will cook more in a bit.] Set chicken aside.

Step 5:
Give the pan a quick wipe out with a paper towel.
Drain the rice.

Step 6:
Add the butter and saute the rice the big pan. Add the saffron and water mixture to the rice. Add the chicken broth and season rice with salt and pepper. Add the chicken.

Step 7:
Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the liquid should be absorbed and holes should appear on surface. Remove from heat.

Step 8:
Place a layer of paper towels on top of the rice and cover with lid. Let sit 10 more minutes.

Step 9:
Add the almonds in and serve!