My first truism of the week: Every celebration needs cake. Long being the ceremonial dessert of choice for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, and almost all other causes of worthy or personal celebration, cake has come to symbolize both love and significance. In her book "Cake: A Global History", Nicola Humble writes "Cakes are simultaneously utterly unnecessary and absolutely crucial. They are both an idea and incontrovertibly material: lusciously spongy or solid with fruit, sticky, creamy, loaded with sweetness, filled and iced and decorated: food layered on food." No matter the shape or kind, cakes have the ability to make us want to scream (hopefully with delight) or leave us speechless (hopefully in the best of ways). There are cakes from our childhood we still remember, we each seem to have a most favorite kind of cake, and the superstitious tradition of making a wish on the piece of wedding cake placed under your pillow is a terrible waste of cake.
My second, less universally acknowledged, truism of the week: A great many things can be resolved with kindness, even more with laughter, but there are some things that just require cake. Cakes have an uncanny, yet inherent ability to make someone feel special. Who does not get wide-eyed when presented with a cake? Sometimes we can be at a loss for words when trying to repair a friendship, to apologize for unintentionally causing someone to be hurt by our words or actions, to help someone cope with a loss, or to brighten someone's day. Could there be any better way to make someone feel valued or loved than by making or bringing them a cake? Possibly, but why not start with cake? The kind of cake may not matter, although the physiological and psychological effects of chocolate may just be enough for it to be considered the perfect cake.
So it is no wonder we can spend so much time fretting over which cake to make or serve for special occasions or for resolving conflicts. The choices of cake may be endless and the preferences may be traditional, but my short list almost always includes homemade and chocolate. Recently discovering the cakes from Momofuku, a bakery in NYC experienced virtually through their book Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook, I was inspired to make a chocolate cake that took 'homemade' to the limits of own baking sanity. The exposed layers of cake and icing style of Momufuku cakes make for an incredibly beautiful and deceivingly simple presentation.
As ambitious as my foray in the world of creating a cake in the Momofuku 'style' was, I decided to show some restraint and hold back from making one of their cake recipes. Instead I sought to create a very simple version of their look. (I have now used the word simple at least twice in this posting. Even I am beginning to wonder if I have been invaded by an alien bodysnatcher as the concept of simple is one rarely used to describe me). Imitation, as they say, is the highest form of flattery.
The cake and icing had to come from none other than Ina Garten. And they had to be chocolate. The recipes for Beatty's Chocolate Cake and chocolate frosting from Ina's Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook are wickedly chocolately. The cake is dense and moist while the icing is creamy and rich without being too sticky sweet. Paired together they are chocolate cake perfection.
We may forget some of the presents we receive for a special occasion and sometimes we might even forget the cake. However, if there is one cake you want to be permanently etched into everyone's memory, it is this Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing. Whether decorated simply (there is that word again) with chocolate covered espresso beans or chocolate sprinkles or topped only with a single candle, one look at and one taste of this cake will create one of those 'lasting for a lifetime' memories. And, if there was ever a cake 'style' that everyone will be talking about for days, weeks, months, and years, it quite possibly will be this one. There is no better cake to celebrate the 'unfinished' life of someone, than the playful twist of a cake that looks 'unfinished'.
By now some of you are probably wondering why I have not spent any time walking through the making of this cake, especially this one (maybe she really has been abducted by an alien bodysnatcher). Yes, this blog posting is a significant departure from all of the others, but sometimes one needs to be a little unpredictable. A 'thinking outside of the box' cake seemed to call for an out of box blog posting. However, if you are a visual learner like I am, then I would suggest you take a few minutes to watch the youtube video of Christina Tosi, Momofuku pastry chef extraordinaire, demonstrating the layering process of the cake. The recipe and directions below should be more than enough for you to create your own version of this cake. The following notes might be helpful as well as make more sense after you watch the video and read through the directions:
1. I found the six inch aluminum cake ring at SurLaTable. The rings come in an assortment of sizes so the sizes of cake you make are almost endless.
2. In an 11x17 baking pan, I was able to cut out two complete 6" and two halves of a 6" circle out of the sheet cake by carefully planning out where to make the cuts.
3. I created my own acetate sleeves by cutting and taping together two pieces of transparency sheets. The height of the sleeve was 7 inches. While it is probably less work to use an acetate sleeve, the homemade sleeve worked great.
4. I placed the completely assembled cake in the freezer for slightly more than an hour. This was enough time for the cake to set and for the cake ring and transparency sleeve to be removed while keeping the cake completely intact.
This Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing has only two layers: cake and icing. Depending on the occasion or reason for making another cake, in all likelihood I will probably 'add' more to this cake and/or vary the filings between the layers. I seriously doubt my obsession with this style of cake will begin and end with this chocolate cake.
No matter what kind of cake you choose to make for the next celebratory event in your life, I hope you will at least make one in the Momofuku style. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be.
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing, Momofuku Style (inspired by Ina Garten's recipe for Beatty's Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Frosting)
Ingredients
Cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup good quality cocoa powder (recommend Droste, a Dutch processed cocoa)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken before measured
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup freshly brewed coffee, allowed to cool slightly
Icing
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups confectionary sugar, sifted
1 Tablespoon instant espresso (or instant coffee) dissolved in 2 teaspoons of hot water
pinch of sea salt
Optional: Chocolate covered espresso beans for decoration
Directions
Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a quarter sheet pan (10"x13") baking sheet with parchment paper lightly buttered and floured. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
3. Adding the sugar to the sifted ingredients, turn the mixer on low to combine.
4. In a separate bowl or large glass measuring cup, combine the shaken buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.
5. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry until combined.
6. With the mixer on low, add the coffee, mixing until combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are full blended.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
8. Cool in pan until cake comes to room temperature. Note: Consider placing the cooled cake in the refrigerator to make cutting and assembly easier.
9. Carefully remove cooled cake from pan, cut into 2 six inch circles and 2 half circles (to create the third six inch circles. Set aside.
Icing
1. Place chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water. Stir until just melted. Set aside until cooled to room temperature.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until light yellow and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes).
3. Add egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes.
4. With the mixer on low, gradually add sifted confectionary sugar beating until smooth and creamy.
5. With mixer on low, add cooled chocolate, expresso/coffee, and a pinch of sea salt to the butter mixture. Mix until blended but do not beat.
6. Use to ice cake immediately.
Assembly
1. Clean the cake ring and place on a sheet of parchment paper on a flat firm surface (e.g., baking sheet).
2. Insert acetate sleeve inside of the cake ring.
3. Place the two 6 inch halves inside of the ring. Use any cake scraps to ensure the bottom layer is solid.
4. Spread 1/3 of the chocolate icing over the base layer.
5. Carefully drop in one of the 6 inch round cakes on top of the first icing layer. Press down slightly.
6. Spread another 1/3 of the chocolate icing over the second layer.
7. Carefully drop the second, final 6 inch round cake on top of the icing layer. Press down slightly.
8. Spread the final 1/3 of the icing over the top layer. (If adding espresso beans or sprinkles on top of the cake, add before proceeding.)
9. Freeze the cake for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours to set the cake and icing.
10. Before serving, remove cake from the freezer. Placing your hands on the bottom of the cake, remove the cake ring. Place the cake on a serving platter or cake stand.
11. Gently peel off acetate sleeve from the cake.
12. Place cake in the refrigerator to 'thaw'.
13. Serve cake chilled or remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.
We all think of making a birthday cake to celebrate the actual day of one's birth. Yet there are some who have a kind of 'second' birthday, a day marking a second chance at life. There are a myriad of reasons for these 'second' birthdays. They could be the day when one learns they are cancer-free or the day one survived a heart attack. While these second birthdays may not be celebrated with cake, they are sometimes celebrated with a day of deliberate reflection or a day of adventure. Whether any time is spent with thoughts ranging from appreciating the extra blessings they were given or wondering what more were they meant to do or who in their lives they wanted to keep until or beyond the age of 88, nothing may be as important as experiencing the sheer, simple joy that comes with waking up to and taking in all of the possibilities another day brings. And who knows, the proverbial 'icing on the cake' possibilities of the day just also might include having a piece of cake.
