Peanut Butter Fudge

Oy. Somehow I have three papers due by the end of the week. So much stress! I need to not freak out. But I'm so good at it. I used to be better. Which is not a good thing, being a pro at anxiety. It's been a long time since I cried because I was so overwhelmed by work. And I am not about to let that happen again.

Do not trust them when they say it is American Style. It is not,

When I was younger, as young as like, nine years old, I always had something to worry about. if I wasn't worrying, that was also a cause for worry, because it might have meant that I was forgetting something that I was supposed to be worrying about. But as a consequence I always did really, really well in school. Because not being the best at everything was another reason to worry. I avoided competition and team activities because of how much I worried about losing. Relying on other people was too much of a risk, for them and for me. Yeah, I am aware that isn't a very healthy mentality to have.

Is it worth it to sacrifice my sanity? No way. I learn in college to let go of some of my control issues. Not all of them (it's a work in progress). So I have to figure out how to strike a balance between uh, happiness and having friends and being a normal, functioning human being without feeling like I'm neglecting my work. Sometimes I don't know how to do that. Sometimes stress baking helps, and it helps a lot when it's something you can make in five minutes. Sometimes boiling sugar makes you feel more alive. Hooray for peanut butter fudge! 

If all else fails, you can just listen to this guy over and over again. 

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter

 

Put sugar and milk in pan and bring to a boil. Boil two and a half minutes. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir just until mixed well.Pour into greased pan (the smaller the pan, the thicker the fudge will be. And 8x8 is pretty good). Cool and cut.
 

Chocolate Marshmallow Malt Cake

Sometimes I like to think that I am quite innovative. My childhood is recorded in notebooks outlining plans of creating an assembly line producing chocolate syrup and jelly snowballs (much more effective for the guerrilla snowball attack I would launch from my underground fort), in egg cartons filled with potion making supplies such as “newt eyes” and “unicorn horns”, in the tissue box and paper towel tube mansions created for my hamster. Heck, I made one of those pinhole eclipse watchers to look at the transit of Venus last week and I was pretty pleased with myself. 

My mess. My feet.

You've already heard about my love for Christina Tosi. But I can't get over her innovation. She has such a unique way of playing with flavor and presenting her desserts. I don't think I've ever seen a cake with exposed layers like hers. And I wanted to replicate one. Problem is....I didn't have a 6 inch cake ring. Or acetate strips. Sigh. Roadblocks.

 

I do believe that  as you get older you learn to improvise more, roll with the punches. So I worked with what I had. I thought my four inch cake pans would be a cute size, so I cut my layers using that. I built my own ring out of aluminum foil. And instead of acetate strips to build the cake up, I used those clear, report covers. Worked fine. This is definitely a multi-day cake, but it's delicious and fun to make. Well worth the effort. Like I did with the 8 texture tiramisu, I'll outline the order you should probably do things. Also, read all the instructions before attempting so you know what's going on. Give it a go! 

Chocolate Malt Cake

from the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook

DO THIS ANYTIME YOU PLEASE:

Malt Crumb Recipe

1/2 cup milk powder

1/4 cup flour

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup chocolate malt powder

3 oz. white chocolate, melted

Heat oven to 250F. Combine milk powder, flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Toss with your hands. Add melted butter and toss until it comes together into crumbs. Spread the clusters on a silpat or parchment lined sheet and bake for 20 minutes. When cooled, toss the crumbs with malt powder until they're covered. Pour white chocolate over crumbs until the clustered are covered. Crumbs will keep in the fridge in an airtight container or in the freezer for a month.

Malt Fudge Sauce 

2 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate

1 cup chocolate malt powder

1 tsp molasses

2 Tbsp corn syrup

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

Place first 4 ingredients in medium bowl; set aside. Combine cream, corn syrup, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour cream mixture over chocolate mixture in bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Whisk until sauce is glossy, about 1 minute. Can be kept in the fridge up to one week. 

Chocolate Cake Recipe

8 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 Tbsp Fudge Sauce (listed below) 

1 1/4 cups cake flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Fudge Sauce 

1 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 Tbsp corn syrup

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

Place first 4 ingredients in medium bowl; set aside. Combine cream, corn syrup, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour cream mixture over chocolate mixture in bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Whisk until sauce is glossy, about 1 minute.Can be kept in the fridge up to one week. 

Heat oven to 350F. Combine butter and sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and cream for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, add eggs and vanilla, and mix on medium high for 2-3 minutes. On low speed, add buttermilk and oil. Increase the mixer to medium high for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is very pale and fluffy. Add the fudge sauce and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in flour, cocoa, and baking powder and mix until it comes together. 

Spray a quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment. Spread the cake batter in the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cake can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic for up to 5 days. 

DAY OF ASSEMBLY:

Charred Marshmallows

Spread 2 3/4 cups mini marshmallows on an unlined sheet pan and char them with a blowtorch or under the broiler. Don't be afraid. Transfer to the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes then use immediately. 

Malt Soak
 

Whisk together 1/4 cup milk with 2 Tbsp chocolate malt powder until completely dissolved. Use immediately

LAYER ONE:

Clean the cake ring and place it on a silpat lined sheet pan. Use a strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. Stamp out three 4 inch rounds from your sheet cake (or two 6 inch rounds, gather up the scraps) and place one round in the ring, or tamp down your scraps into the bottom layer. Spread half the chocolate malt soak into the cake. Spread 1/5 of the warm malt sauce on the layer, then half of the malt crumbs and 1/3 of the charred marshmallows. Spread another 1/5 of the malt sauce over the marshmallows. 

LAYER TWO:

Gently tuck another strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top strip of acetate so there's a cake ring 5-6 inches tall. Set a cake round on top of the first layer and repeat the process for layer 1. 

LAYER THREE:

Nestle the remaining cake layer on the top of the malt sauce. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining sauce and marshmallows. Freeze the cake for 12 hours or up to 2 weeks. At least three hours  before serving the cake, pull out the sheet pan and gently pop the cake out of the ring and remove the acetate. Transfer to a plate and let it defrost in the fridge before eating. 

Nice job, you've finished! Now devour your work.

Aw fudge...

Sometimes I feel like it's difficult to write a blog post because my life is kind of boring. I mean, I left the house once today. To get chocolate. The rest of my day consisted of baking in a frilly apron intermingled with mindlessly consuming a giant bowl of guacamole while reading Cracked.com. I briefly donned some legwarmers and a hobo sweater to venture into the frigid (and creepy) basement. Thrilling, right? 

You have to find adventure in small things I suppose. A compatriot and I (words are fun ^_^) made fudge a few days ago. His overwhelming enthusiasm to do so was too amusing to resist, even though it was 9 p.m. And it was fun, running around weighing, mixing, thermometering...and it was definitely much easier with two people. But be prepared to soak some super sticky pans!

On a side note, does fudge remind anyone else of Arthur? Y'know, the episode when the librarian is trying to get Mr. Ratburn to sing about what he likes? Anyone? ...never mind, haha.

Easy Fudge

from Sugar Baby

Ingredients

2 1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 c. butter

5 oz evaporated milk

2 c. Seven Minute Frosting (recipe follows)

1 tsp vanilla (or half a bean)

2 c chopped bittersweet chocolate

In a large saucepan over medium low heat, combine the sugar, milk, salt and butter and simmer until the sugar has melted. With a damp pastry brush, wipe down the sides of the pan to prevent crystals from forming. Attach a candy thermometer and allow the mixture to reach 235 F.

Remove from heat and immediately stir in frosting, vanilla and chocolate. Keep stirring until chocolate is completely incorporated.

Pour the fudge into a greased 9 inch square pan, and allow it to set overnight. Can be stored for up to a week!

Seven Minute Frosting (This makes a lot, so I'd half it)

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. sugar, divided

1/4 c. corn syrup

1/3 cup water

6 egg whites

1/2 tsp salt

In a heavy saucepan, combine 1 1/4 cups of sugar, the corn syrup and water. Heat, stirring continuously, until the sugar has completely melted. Stop stirring, and heat the mixture to 235 F.

In the meantime, in a stand mixer, beat the egg whites and salt. Gradually pour in the remaining sugar until you get soft peaks.

Add the hot sugar in a steady stream down into the egg whites and beat until the mixture is thick and shiny, about 10 minutes. Use immediately.