 David Rubel'sWhat's For Dinner?6/14/06
The Cake 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. Prepare three nine-inch round cake pans by buttering and flouring them. 3. In a small saucepan, beat one of the eggs with 1/2 cup of the milk and 2/3 cup of the sugar. Heat over a low flame, stirring regularly, until the consistency becomes smooth and the milk becomes hot enough to melt chocolate, about 5 minutes. 4. Add the chocolate and continue stirring until completely melted, about 5 minutes. At this point, begin watching the custard carefully. It’s done when it thickens a little, about another 5 minutes. In the meantime, if you spot any bits of cooked egg (they’ll show up white against the dark brown of the chocolate), remove them. When the custard is done, remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. 5. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. 6. Using a stand mixer and its whisk attachment, cream the butter at medium-high speed until fluffy. While the mixer is still running, add the remaining cup of sugar gradually. Then add the vanilla and the remaining two eggs, continuing to beat well. 7. Reduce the mixing speed to low and add the sifted dry ingredients slowly, alternating them with the remaining cup of milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. When all the flour has been incorporated, add the cooled custard and mix just to combine. The batter should turn an even light brown. Do not overmix. 8. Pour equal amounts into each of the three prepared pans, and bake until the top of each cake layer springs back when pressed (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean), about 25-30 minutes. Cool in the pan before frosting. Chocolate Whipped-Cream Frosting 1. Using the metal blade, process the chocolate chips in a food processor until the particles become rather fine. 2. Meanwhile, heat the cream in a saucepan until it becomes very hot but not yet boiling. 3. With the food processor blade spinning, pour the hot cream into the chocolate through the machine’s feed tube. Continue processing until the frosting becomes smooth and glossy, about 1 minute. 4. Refrigerate the frosting until it thickens enough to stick to the cake. Alternatively, refrigerate the frosting overnight and then let it come to room temperature before spreading. Tips * To make the layers especially easy to remove from the pans, I add a circle of parchment paper to the bottom of each. It’s really very easy: Place the pan on top of a sheet of parchment and use a pencil to trace its outside edge; then cut just inside that line. After you’ve slipped the circle into the buttered pan, butter the parchment and then flour the whole thing.
If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future. David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Story of America (DK, 2002). |
