So, it is week 2 of my self-directed study of the fine art of cake-making, and I've decided to take a 180 degree turn from last week's butter-on-butter-on-butter combination, and go to the dark arts: the chocolate cake. Again, taking my recipe from Rose Levy's Cake Bible, I made a chocolate fudge cake with chocolate ganache frosting. The cake came out fine, if a bit dense - it was a bit like eating fudge, and most of the testers - my intrepid band of co-workers - agreed that it would have benefitted from a side of whipped cream or a glass of milk. The frosting, however, was luxurious. A simple combination of bittersweet chocolate, orange liqueur, and cream makes for a frosting that is rich, easy to work with, and not overly sweet.
I also had a great chance to work with my piping decorations - the denseness of ganache makes decorations a bit sturdier, and I piped a nice border around the cake. Unfortunately, you will never get to see it, because as I was taking the cake out of the refrigerator to photograph it, I dropped it. Through some miracle (perhaps the undesired density), the cake dropped straight to the floor, and remained on the stand where I had placed it, albeit a bit shaken up. The frosting decorations were not so durable, and landed throughout the small galley kitchen I've been using. I hastily scooped the cake back up and took a serrated knife to it, smoothing out edges as best I could before I went into work. This accounts for the "misshapenness" of the cake:
In case you were wondering what happened to the posts from this weekend, it was a bit of a bust. My first attempt at merriment was a bike ride down to Old San Juan; this was to be a trial run for a possible commuting route and a way to enjoy a beautiful day by the sea. Unfortunately, Puerto Rico has failed to invest a sufficient amount of money in road maintenance, and I ended up with a flat tire shortly after I left:
Then, I figured I'd invite a friend and his wife over for dinner and spend the afternoon making some tasty vietnamese food. After a half hour of straightening up the apartment, I decided to plop myself onto my nice comfy futon for a quick break. It was not meant to be, and the futon fell apart, the screws having basically been rusted through.
In any case, my friend ended up inviting me over to his house for dinner after I explained that he would have nowhere to sit at my house, and I spent the next day examining screws at Home Depot to determine how to best fix the futon, which, I am happy to report, has been restored to its former glory. To say the least, it was not a particularly fascinating weekend - Valerie has me beat this time!
Next on "The Intriguing Life . . . ": Adam and Valerie take a brief respite in San Francisco; the doog is left to her own devices at home - will Valerie's apartment be there when she returns? Tune in next time!
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1 comment:
That icing sounds AMAZING!!!!
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