August 25, 2012

Alton Brown's Fudge Cake

 
This is the best chocolate cake I have ever made, and it is my 'go to' chocolate cake recipe.  It comes from Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food, and I think it is one of the first recipes I tried from the book.  I don't even need to look up the page number for the recipe anymore because the book is so worn in that section, I can find it just by shuffling through the pages.
 
Alton Brown says that the cake is so good that it doesn't even need frosting.  While that may be true, the frosting almost steals the show.  He also compares the cake to Hostess Cupcakes.  Yeah, only 1000 times better (I did the math). 
 
The steps to make this cake and frosting (pulverizing chocolate, mixing the frosting over a bowl of ice) are a bit unconventional, but the end result is well worth it.  The cake is, for lack of a better word, meaty, but but not too dense or rich.  The chocolate flavor really shines and there are bits of chocolate speckled throughout that didn't get pulverized as much.  It is not too sweet, and leaves you begging for more.
 
The frosting is light, airy, and full of flavor.  I like to add a pinch of fine sea salt to the mix because I think it really compliments the chocolate.  The frosting is almost the consistency of dense whipped cream only with an intense chocolate flavor, and just melts in your mouth.  I'm not usually a fan of frosting, but this one is just as good as the cake.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go bake a cake...
 

Alton Brown's Fudge Cake
Printable recipe

3 oz unsweetened chocolate
10.75 oz (2 1/4 cups) plain flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 oz (1 stick) butter
13.5 oz (2 1/4 cups) brown sugar
8 oz (1 cup) full fat sour cream
8 oz (1 cup) boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 13 x 9 cake pan.

Pulverize chocolate in a food processor until fine, then add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and pulse to combine.  Combine the eggs and vanilla and lightly beat to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar.  Then add the egg and vanilla mixture.  Alternate adding three doses of the chocolate flour mixture and two doses of the sour cream.  Slowly add the boiling water and mix to combine, the batter will be loose.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, then 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Internal temperature should reach 175-180F. Cool for 15 minutes, then remove to rack and allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting
6.5 oz (1 cup) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
4 oz (1/2 cup) whipping cream
8 oz (2 sticks) butter
10 oz (2 1/2 cups) powdered sugar
Bowl of ice

Melt butter, chocolate and cream in a saucepan (preferably with curved edges) over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the powdered sugar with a hand mixer.  Once the sugar is dissolved, place the pan into a bowl of ice.  Continue to beat until the frosting lightens and holds its shape.

August 13, 2012

Cherry Pie


Sometimes the simplest recipes are also the tastiest.  With only four ingredients, this cherry pie filling is sensational.  Cherries have been on sale recently, and they looked so good, I couldn't pass them up.  With a bag full of cherries at my disposal, I immediately went to this recipe.

The most tedious part was removing the pits from all the cherries.  But once that was done, the rest of it was easy as pie.  Literally!  I changed a couple things on the card by making my own pie crust and I used tapioca flour as the thickening agent.  I also went with a lattice top crust because I am a sucker for that presentation.

The pie was absolutely delicious.  The limited ingredients really allowed for the cherries to shine.  They were tart, perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the sugar.  It was like canned cherry pie filling only 100 times better (I did the math).  This is what pie is supposed to be. 


Cherry Pie
Printable Recipe

Pie Crust Mix
2 1/2 cups sour, pitted cherries (fresh or canned)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour (or tapioca)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix cherries with sugar, flour and salt. If using canned cherries, drain the juice and decrease sugar to 1/3 cup. Pour over unbaked pastry, top with another pastry, bake in hot oven (425) until crust is browned and filling cooked. (About 35 minutes). Be sure to poke holes on top of pastry before baking.