Evergreen Chocolate Cake
We have a rare four day break here in the UK for Christmas. Though hectic in parts (owing mainly to last minute dinner party cooking and frantic online shopping), it gave me the time to visit this space that has been ignored since June!
After a long hiatus, I have had the time to potter around in my kitchen and cook up a storm. Cook up a storm is entirely accurate here - I am a seasoned mess maker and cannot whip up anything edible without making a complete mess of my kitchen. The first recipe I want to write about is a failsafe chocolate cake recipe, which I have written about before, the recipe is available here: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/184/HERSHEY'S%20%22PERFECTLY%20CHOCOLATE%22%20Chocolate%20Cake.aspx.
This time, I went for a classic chocolate frosting (adapted from the recipe on the Hershey's website: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/184/HERSHEY'S%20%22PERFECTLY%20CHOCOLATE%22%20Chocolate%20Cake.aspx) and used little handmade sugar rosettes to decorate the cake.
Not long after, I attended a Christmas party at a friend's place. As usual, I volunteered to make dessert for the meal. On the day, I was torn between a lemon cake recipe which I had been itching to try out and my good ole chocolate cake recipe. In the end, chocolate won and I was whipping up another "perfectly chocolate" chocolate cake. This time, I decorated with some chopped pistachios and truffles that I had been gifted as a Christmas present. For the frosting, I substituted milk with chocolate liqueur for a more adult, alcohol inffused flavour. I also added a couple of teaspoons of concentrated black coffee as coffee tends to brings out the flavour of chocolate very well.
The coffee idea worked very well and ensured a very flavoursome frosting instead of a sugary sweet one. The chocolate liqueur flavour didn't come to the fore as strongly as I had hoped. Next time, I'll probably try with a stronger alcohol, whiskey maybe?
After a long hiatus, I have had the time to potter around in my kitchen and cook up a storm. Cook up a storm is entirely accurate here - I am a seasoned mess maker and cannot whip up anything edible without making a complete mess of my kitchen. The first recipe I want to write about is a failsafe chocolate cake recipe, which I have written about before, the recipe is available here: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/184/HERSHEY'S%20%22PERFECTLY%20CHOCOLATE%22%20Chocolate%20Cake.aspx.
This time, I went for a classic chocolate frosting (adapted from the recipe on the Hershey's website: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/184/HERSHEY'S%20%22PERFECTLY%20CHOCOLATE%22%20Chocolate%20Cake.aspx) and used little handmade sugar rosettes to decorate the cake.
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| "Perfectly chocolate" chocolate cake! |
Not long after, I attended a Christmas party at a friend's place. As usual, I volunteered to make dessert for the meal. On the day, I was torn between a lemon cake recipe which I had been itching to try out and my good ole chocolate cake recipe. In the end, chocolate won and I was whipping up another "perfectly chocolate" chocolate cake. This time, I decorated with some chopped pistachios and truffles that I had been gifted as a Christmas present. For the frosting, I substituted milk with chocolate liqueur for a more adult, alcohol inffused flavour. I also added a couple of teaspoons of concentrated black coffee as coffee tends to brings out the flavour of chocolate very well.
The coffee idea worked very well and ensured a very flavoursome frosting instead of a sugary sweet one. The chocolate liqueur flavour didn't come to the fore as strongly as I had hoped. Next time, I'll probably try with a stronger alcohol, whiskey maybe?
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| Dessert, Christmas eve 2011 |
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