4-Layered Chocolate Cake Haven vs. Back to School

No doubt about it, 4-layered chocolate cake wins. It's like a competition between Harry Potter and Twilight-- we have a clear winner.

So it is back to school we go. 2nd semester of 3rd year. Taking 5 courses instead of 6, cooking instead of studying, watching movies instead of sleeping. For the first time since the 1st semester of 1st year, I am finding myself doing absolutely no work towards this semester as of yet. Although I did write a biochemistry final and make a 4-layered chocolate cake all in the same day, so still a rather productive weekend. I also changed my room around. Complete 360. BAM! It's like a whole new place. I think I need another poster though. This one wall I am currently staring at looks rather empty.

Erin's parchment paper smiley face. She ated it after.

Anyway... let's get to it. So where did this crazy idea of 4-layered chocolate cake come from? Preston. Preston is a very good friend who also loves to bake. Him and another friend of mine, Liam, made dinner rolls, croissants, french loafs and apple pie all in a day. They love their food, and they're good at making it too! Love them! So Preston and I decided to make something together. Since I was busy studying for that biochem final, Preston looked up the recipe. He chose a double-chocolate layer cake from Food&Wine. Well, at first it was another 4-layered cake recipe but it had to sit for 3 days. This girl is not going to wait 3 days for chocolate cake. Adapting this current recipe, we came up with our magnificent creation, with the help of our good friends Erin and Zoe=)

This cake was moist and rich and just the right amount of sweetness. I blundered up for the first two layers by adding 1tsp of baking soda instead of 2 like the recipe called for, but turns out, the only difference it made was how puffy it looked immediately after it came out of the oven. All the layers turned out the exact same once completely cool. And please oh please I beg you, if you make this recipe, go distract yourself with something while the cake layers COMPLETELY cool, otherwise, it'd just be a mess of melting whipped cream and kajumble of chocolate cake. We wouldn't want kajumble now would we? No, no we wouldn't.

Chocolatey goodness is orgasmic!

Just one more thing before we get to the actual recipe. After the cake was finished, we decided to make this our friend's birthday cake. His birthday is on January 20th but it's never too early for a 21st birthday celebration. People came over, we had cake, we played hangman (yes, we are that cool). One really special thing happened though. It also happens to be our friend James' birthday on the 9th (today!) but, unfortunately, he was unable to return to school this year. Good news is, he will be back and he will kick that music school's bottom! My point is... we called him, lit the candle for the cake and all sang happy birthday to James on the phone. And Karn. Karn got a happy birthday too. It was really special. It is moments like these that makes being away from home and studying so so soooooo much less hellish. And other funny moments too, many unmentionable ones...

Get on with the recipe already!

Here it is! Adapted from Food&Wine Double-Chocolate Layer Cake.

Need!-- 9" cake pans- multiple ones if possible
Oven temp: 350F

CAKE:

3 1/2 cup flour
4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 cup buttermilk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cup hot brewed coffee

1. Line cake pans with parchment paper, grease, then dust with flour.
2. Get going on that coffee making!
3. Mix flour with sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one very large mixing bowl.
4. Whisk eggs, then whisk in buttermilk, oil and vanilla.
5. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture in 4-5 separate batches, slowly incorporating (doesn't need to be completely) wet into dry.
6. Slowly mix coffee into the mixture until you see no lumps, no bumps. Just a silky smooth batter.
*Note: it was fairly liquidy, but it's ok, it will turn out!
7. Pour 1/4 of the batter into each cake pan. If you have 1, then do it one at a time. If you have 2, then 2. Whatever works for you. Just make sure you wash, line, grease and dust the cake pans after it's been used if you are using it again.
8. Bake for 35 min!



While the layers are baking, or cooling...

FROSTING!

8 ounces chocolate
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 to 2 cups icing sugar (taste dependent)
1 tbsp instant coffee in 2 tsp of water
milk- enough for frosting consistency

1. Melt chocolate in microwave until melted-- I suggest doing 1 minute at a time at medium power. Please avoid burning chocolate. Burning chocolate will make your day sad.
2. Let chocolate cool to room temperature
3. Beat butter until pale and fluffy-- we used a spatula, and a spoon. And a lot of beating. Feel free to use an electric beater if you have one.
4. Add egg yolk and vanilla then beat some more!
5. Slowly beat in icing sugar. About 1/4 cup at a time to make sure it gets fully incorporated. Add about 1 1/2 cup to begin with.
6. Beat in coffee and chocolate and it will look something like this:

7. Add more icing sugar if you want it to be sweeter.
8. Add milk one splash at a time until frosting is smooth and thick-- like the stuff that comes in a jar.



WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup icing sugar

1. Whip that cream until it begins to thicken.
2. Add vanilla and icing sugar.
3. Slowly beat the mixture to start with. When it really starts to thicken up, go to town with that whipping. I like to hand whip. It's the best.
At the end, the whipped cream should be thick and stiff. Stiffer than usual. Then you know you've really put some hand power into it.




ASSEMBLY

Maraschino cherries if you'd like to decorate it!

Layering like a ninja!

1. Once all layers are cooled, then you may start to assemble.
2. Lay first layer bottom bottom. Trim top if the cake top is not flat.
3. Spread a generous layer of whipped cream onto cake. About half a centimeter thick.
4. Lay on second layer bottom bottom. Trim if needed.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all other layers-- just no whipped cream on the top layer.
6. Spread chocolate frosting onto the sides of the cake using a rubber spatula, sealing all the edges. As such:

Slap it on then smooth, slap then smooth.

7. Spread frosting onto the top. Again, making sure the cake layers are not seen.
8. Decorate the top of the cake however you like!










P.S. We wanted to lay strawberries in between the layers as well after the whipped cream application but the grocery store didn't have any the day of making. The day after though, they had pints and pints of them for 2 for $5.

And VOILA! We had ourselves a decadent, 4-layered chocolate cake. SCHAZAM! It was amazing to say the least. Managed to feed 16 people with this cake, and most people didn't even finish their slice because it's so rich. But so good. Yet so bad for your health. But sin is good for a person once in a while. Commit this sin. This sin will make you feel so good. Then hit the gym. Worry about the latter part after. Indulgence is key.

Liam: It's damn good cake!

Photo credits to Zoe!

First baking of the year- Pseudo Black Forest Cake Roll

Ok, so the photo isn't that great. I blame it on the fact that I don't have my DSLR with me on holiday, and I didn't bother editing the photo. And maybe the fact that I didn't follow the recipe exactly. Lesson number one of 2012: follow the damn recipe! Well, sometimes. This recipe was inspired by my craving for cake roll. I grew up on it in Hong Kong. LOVE IT! The spongy cake and the delectable whipped cream all around the center. Who can say no to that? Mind you I can't say no to food. But still, that does not say anything about the deliciousness of this cake. The verdict was: my dad ate two 1 inch slices... on two separate occasions, in one day. This means daddy is ready for some bigger pants, and that it was pretty good.

The cake itself was just the right texture and sponginess. Along with the whipped cream and strawberry jam layer, making it not really a black forest cake but close enough (hence pseudo). It did taste like a black forest cake, I swear! There were 2 mistakes I made. Number one: not rolling the cake when it came right out of the oven like the recipe said. That is why it's all crackalackin' and not so roll shape. Number two: sprinkled on too much cocoa on the rolling parchment paper-- it made the outside of the cake a bit too powdery.

So here is the, what I think, would be improved version of the recipe I used:
(original recipe from foodismylife.wordpress.com under chocolate swiss roll)

1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry jam

Oven temp: 375F
Baking time: 12-15 minutes depending on the oven
Total working time: 45 minutes
Total time until cake eating: 2.5 hours

THE CAKE:
1. Line a cookie sheet or 9x15 inch sheet pan with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.
2. Sift flour and cocoa together 3 times (I'm never much of a sifter, but in a cake like this, you need to sift!). Set aside.
3. Whisk together eggs and sugar until well combined. Put whisked mixture over a double-boiler. Continue to whisk until mixture is frothy and warm to touch (original recipe said baby's milk temperature-- I'm 20, I don't know what baby's milk temperature is)
4. Take egg mixture off the heat. Beat with electric beater until 3x the size. Basically until you can draw a temporary smiley face- one that last about 3 seconds.
5. Fold flour into eggs in 3 separate batches. *Note- it was rather resistant to mix. Be patient, don't worry about completely incorporating each batch until the very last batch. Just be sure to not over mix, or else you will get a flat cake.
6. Mix some of the cake batter with the melted butter until just about incorporate, then mix it into the big batch.
7. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan.
8. Bake at 375F for 12-15 minutes. (Mine took 12 and it was in a convection)-- Meanwhile, prepare another sheet of parchment paper- sprinkle with some icing sugar.
9. Once the cake comes out, flip onto new parchment paper and roll the puppy up. Careful, it will be steamy hot!
10. Let the cake cool.


WHIPPING CREAM AND ASSEMBLE:
1. While the cake cools, whip up the whipped cream- Whip the cream until slightly frothy, then add icing sugar and vanilla. Whip at slow speed until icing sugar is incorporate- if you go fast, you'll end up with icing sugar everywhere.
2. Whip the cream until stiff.
3. Once the cake is cool, carefully unroll.
4. Spread a layer of strawberry jam on the rolled up side of the cake- as thin or as thick as you like.
5. Spread the whipped cream on top of the jam. (The cream will kind of mix with the jam, I tried to avoid it, it just wouldn't stay clean... dirty dirty whipped cream)
6. Roll the cake back up using the parchment paper. Make sure you roll it tight enough so that it comes together, but not so tight that you get whipped cream coming out on the ends.
7. Keep the cake in the parchment paper. Put it in the fridge. LEAVE IT ALONE FOR AN HOUR OR TWO! Or you'll have not so nice cake.


Those are the slices. You can see the cracks in the cake from me not rolling it right away. You can also see the over-coverage of cocoa. But otherwise, the swirl of whipped cream and chocolate cake= AMAZING!

Enjoy! And again... HAPPY NEW YEAR!