Brazo de Mercedes

Moving is hard. I've never actually picked up my life and moved, at least not in this way. I've lived in a dorm and a different country, but I've never had to pay bills, set up internet, or set up a piece of IKEA furniture (it SUCKS). This is more...permanent. Real. It can be scary, and a little bit lonely (I'm so glad I have my roommate), but I have people who really care about me in my life. Transitions will never stop being difficult. So I just have to wait and let time settle things down. 

That up there is my kitchen. It's not the biggest or flashiest, but it belongs to me. I can put whatever I want in the cabinets, I can make sure it stays clean. So I think it's wonderful. I didn't get a chance to bake in it until last night, since I've been running around crazy like a headless chicken, trying to get my life in order. I went straight home and packed immediately after graduation, and made the drive up here after a week. 2 SUVs full of stuff, 5 hours on the road, and 3 trips to IKEA later, things are finally resembling normal. 

Before I left, I wanted to give myself a baking challenge. I'd never made a rolled dessert before, and had a bunch of eggs that needed to be used, so I found this recipe for Brazo de Mercedes on Jun-blog (check him out, he takes great photos!). Brazo de Mercedes is a Filipino dessert comprised of a layer of sticky sweet meringue rolled around vanilla custard. I was so pleased that nothing went horribly wrong--rolling cakes isn't so bad! I especially enjoyed my slice cold, straight from the freezer.

Keep your eyes peeled for posts from my new kitchen! 

Brazo de Mercedes 
from Jun-blog

For the custard
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
8 egg yolks
 
For the meringue
10 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the condensed milk, butter, vanilla extract and water in a saucepan and simmer over low heat until well combined, about 5 minutes. Beat the egg yolks in a small mixing bowl. Place the mixing bowl over a double boiler over low heat. Gradually pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the yolks, stirring to prevent curdling over low heat until the mixture has the consistency of a custard. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Line a 14 x 16 in cookie sheet with greased parchment paper and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. make the meringue by beating the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the meringue forms stiff peaks. It is important not to overmix the meringue. Then gently fold in the vanilla extract.
Spread the meringue evenly on the lined cookie sheet to form a 1/4-in thick layer. Tread a cake decorating comb lightly on the surface of the meringue to create a ridge pattern. Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 20 minutes or until the meringue has set.
Remove the meringue from the oven and invert it onto another sheet of greased parchment paper. Peel away the parchment paper on the top and spread the custard evenly on top of the cooked meringue. Roll it carefully to form a log. Brush the top of the log with softened butter and brown again in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the log from the oven and slice thinly.

Daring Bakers! Pão de Queijo

I am a college graduate now. I can no longer call this a blog about messing around in a dorm kitchen, because in a few days I'll be moving into an apartment with my own kitchen. College was wonderful, and helped me to discover what kind of person I am, and who I want to be. That process doesn't ever stop, but these four years have been some of the most formative of my life. 

That would be me.

I don't really do goodbyes, and I'm trying not to be sad. The people that matter most in my life will stay in my life. Yes, I'll miss not being able to walk next door or down the street just to stop by and say hello to my friends. That will be hard. And no matter how many times I return to campus, nothing will ever be the same as when I was a student. But that can't be a cause for sorrow. It's time to keep moving forward. And I'll be able to have experiences I never did in school. Dinner parties and movie nights in my apartment, concerts and farmer's markets...

I promise I will keep you updated on my life. The blog is not going to stop. Now on to business...Pão de Queijo. I love saying this. It basically means cheese bread in Portuguese, and is enjoyed in Brazil. I've actually had something like it before, from a mix my sister bought. These are gluten free, crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The secret is tapioca flour, which is actually pretty cheap. Check out the Asian food aisles of your grocery store for a bag that looks like this. Try them out if you please.

This month's Daring Bakers' Challenge took us on a trip to beautiful Brazil! Renata of "Testado, Provado & Aprovado!" taught us how to make Pao De Queijo, tasty cheese buns that make the perfect snack or treat, and that will make your taste buds samba!

Pão de Queijo

250 gm (2 cups) tapioca starch (If you have access to sour tapioca, you can use 250gm (2 cups) of each)
1/2 cup (125 ml) whole milk
1.5 tablespoons (20 gm) butter
1/2 teaspoon  salt (or to taste depending on how salty your cheese is)
1 1/2 cups (125gm) Monterey Jack Cheese (I used a mix of mozzarella and parmesan), coarsely grated
2 large eggs


Heat milk, butter, and salt in a small sauce pan until it comes to a boil. Watch closely as it may boil over. Remove from heat and set aside.
Sift tapioca starch into a large bowl.
Pour the boiled (hot) mixture over the tapioca and start stirring with a fork. The milk mixture will not be enough to form a dough yet. You will have a lumpy mixture, that's what it is supposed to be.
Keep stirring with the fork, breaking down the lumps as much as you can, until the mixture cools down to warm.
At this point, preheat your oven to moderately hot 400° F/200° C/gs mark 6
Add the grated cheese to the tapioca mixture and mix well, now using your hands.
Add one egg at a time, mix with your hands until dough comes together. I suggest you lightly beat the egg with a fork and add little bits until the dough comes together into a soft but pliable dough. You only have to knead it a bit, not as much as you knead a yeasted bread. It's OK if it is slightly sticky.
Form balls with the dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon mat or lightly greased with vegetable oil. If necessary, you can oil your hands to make shaping easier. The size of the balls may vary from small bite-sized balls to the size of ping pong balls. They will puff up quite a bit after baking.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until they just start to brown on the bottom. You may have golden spots of cheese on the crust. Don't over-bake as they will get hard and bitter.
 Serve hot or warm. If you don't want to eat them all immediately, form the rest of the dough into balls and freeze it. 

(Sort of) Chocolate Pavé

Sometimes something that seems like it could potentially turn out to be a disaster ends up okay. Or better than okay. I'm not sure I'd call myself cynical, but I try to be realistic about the world around me. I've probably talked about this, but I distance myself from others when I first meet them due in part to general introversion but also because I just want to...observe so I can figure out what to do. When I first met some of the people who are now my closest friend, they thought I was uppity and didn't like them and I thought they were weird or didn't like me. So what I originally imagined would be a series of uncomfortable encounters turned out to be some of my most important memories. 

Jack Daniel's awkward cousin, Zackariah Harris. He doesn't get out much. 

So I was making my (gluten free) sister a cake for her birthday. I had been eyeing up BraveTart's Chocolate Pavé for a while, and had just purchased some actually high quality chocolate (for once), so I gave it a go. Something went weird in the middle of baking...the from the center bubbled a clear, odorless liquid while the rest was completely baked. In a panic, I tweeted (yeah, I have a twitter, it's pretty inane, but feel free to follow me) to Stella to ask for advice. Cups or scales? She asked me. Aw, crap. That would do it. Volume is way (weigh, harharhar) different from weight. I almost cried at the thought of all my chocolate going to waste, so I soldiered on, living with my mistake.

And you know what? It tasted great! I still have no idea what Chocolate Pavé is supposed to taste like, but what I ended up with was kind of like a giant, nuanced chocolate truffle. And my sister loved it. So I can live with that.

Rebecca's Chocolate Pavé
unintentionally adapted from BraveTart

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup bourbon
1/2 cup honey
1 cup corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp kosher salt
10 ounces dark chocolate
1/2 cup cocoa
6 eggs

1 cup cream
1 cup dark chocolate 

In a medium pot, melt the butter together with the bourbon, honey, corn syrup and vanilla. When the butter has melted, turn the heat up so the mixture simmers very gently. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Shut off the heat and steep for at least 30 minutes, or as long as you like, honestly.

Meanwhile, prepare a 9” x 13” metal baking pan by lining it with two sheets of tin foil, and greasing it lightly with pan spray or melted butter.

Preheat the oven to 300°

When you’re ready to proceed with the recipe, return the mixture to a simmer. Whisk in the chocolate and cocoa powder. Once you’ve whisked in the cocoa and chocolate, shut off the heat. Let this mixture cool slightly, about five minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Set a strainer over the chocolate mixture and pour the eggs in, whisking until they pass through. Discard any eggy bits that remain. Gently stir the eggs into the chocolate, just until homogeneous.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and rap it against the counter once or twice to release any air bubbles. Bake for about 30ish minutes, or just until the cake becomes slightly firm to the touch. Remove and cool, in the pan, for about an hour.

When you’re ready to glaze the torte, bring the cream  to a simmer and whisk in the chocolate
Pour the warm ganache over the torte, use an offset spatula to make sure the ganache spreads to all of the corners. Refrigerate until the ganache firms.
To remove the torte from the pan, run a knife around the sides to loosen it and gently tug at the foil. When the torte moves freely away from the sides, use the foil to gently lift it out and onto a cutting board.
Tip the torte over so it stands up on its side, then peel off and discard the foil. Cut the torte into even portions using a clean, sharp knife. I like to dip the knife into a pitcher of very hot water and dry the blade briefly on a towel before slicing. The warm knife slices the torte into beautiful, clean portions.

Japanese Cheesecake

Hey everyone! I'm in the middle of finals week right now, which I always find to be a surprising calming time of the semester. There's no homework, extracurriculars have ended, so all that's left to do is study for four tests scattered over the course of a week. And if you've been going to class and paying attention, they're really not that bad. But that's just my opinion, feel free to disagree with me. 

Unfortunately, going home for break means I have to defrost my fridge. Always a pain. Since I don't want to throw anything away, I have to figure out how to use the odd ingredients hanging around. I'll probably end up making a bunch of pancakes later to finish off the milk and eggs. 

I'd been holding on to a block of cream cheese for quite some time, waiting and never coming across the right recipe. But now, it's crunch time! I decided to make a Japanese cheesecake. This is probably not like the cheesecake you are used to–it's closer to a cake called Castella. Though Castella (Kasutera/カステラ is now a special of Nagasaki, the cake was originally introduced to Japan by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. I'm not sure if the terms Castella and Japanese cheesecake are interchangeable, but if you do, let me know! Anyway, this cheesecake is really simple, super light and fluffy, and gluten free! Give it a try :) 

Japanese Cheesecake 

7 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup superfine sugar (I used normal granulated, it was fine)
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup cornstarch (DON'T use flour)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9-inch cake tin with cooking spray. I used 3, 3" heart springform pans. I recommend a springform pan if you have one.

Make sure your beaters and bowl are really clean for this. Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add remaining sugar and cream of tartar, beating on high speed until soft peaks form, about 8-10 minutes.

 In another bowl, beat cream cheese with milk to soften. Add half of the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch and lemon juice. Beat until smooth. Gradually fold beaten egg whites into the cream cheese mixture, stirring gently.

Pour into cake pan and smooth the surface. Place cake pan into a larger roasting pan and place in lower rack of oven. Pour enough water into the roasting pan to come half way up the side of the cake pan. Bake 35-40 minutes, until a pick inserted in the middle of the center comes out clean.

If the surface becomes too dark while baking cover with a piece of tin foil, but be careful not to open the oven door until it has been in the oven for at least 20 minutes.

Chocolate Quinoa Cake

I am in such a bizarre mood. Restless. Stir crazy. There are things at home that need to be done, that I should be doing, but I can't stand to stay there. I want something. What it is, I'm not exactly sure. I can't explain it anymore than it's this feeling that I want to be found. 

So I venture out, dragging a crate of unwanted books with me to Half Price Books , where I sit in the corner next to Art Under Stalin, scribbling the skeleton of this post of the backs of old gas station receipts. Ridiculous emotions flash through my mind, regret at not getting to know certain people in high school better, longing for friendships I never had. I stop at World Market and pick up an egg cuber just for the heck of it. I listen to the radio and feel like every song, no matter the subject matter, is relevant to me. 

Weird mood calls for weird cake. Quinoa freaks me out a little, with its little wormy things all over it. I can eat a little, but never too much. But my sister is eating gluten free, and everyone deserves cake. Holy buckets, it's so good. There's this denseness that I've never experienced in a gluten cake before. It's almost like a moister version of La Bête Noire. You can't taste the quinoa at all. I'm not just saying that. It's not a "gluten free version of chocolate cake". It stands on its own. No modifiers. 

On a side note, if anyone has a recipe for a smooth, fluffy chocolate frosting, I'd love to have it. Mine is tasty (I used this one but cut the servings down to 12), but kind of thick and ugly, haha. 

Chocolate Quinoa Cake 

from Quinoa 365

 (Note: I used a bit of black cocoa mixed in with my regular cocoa, that's why the cake is so dark. I love that, but if you'd prefer something milder, use "normal" cocoa)

2/3 cup white or golden quinoa
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round or square cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.

Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Add 2 cups cooked quinoa and the butter and continue to blend until smooth.

Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the contents of the blender and mix well. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake on the center oven rack for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the pan before serving. Frost if desired. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month. Serves 8-16.

La Bête Noire

Happy Father's Day! Or, if you prefer, Happy Falker Satherhood. Do something nice with your dad or that father figure in your life. I think we're doing yardwork and then going to the pool to relax. Perhaps I will prepare a nice meal later!

We're having some interesting dietary challenges in my family at the moment. For health reasons, my dad can have basically no sodium at all. Which makes a lot of baking a challenge. You don't really realize that a bit of salt can really add complexities to the flavor of many baked good, even if you can't actually taste the salt. It's like espresso powder heightening the richness of a chocolate cake. Additionally, my sister is eating a gluten free and largely dairy free diet, also for health reasons. She misses bread and cakes a lot. I would die, I think.

 

I wanted to make a universally enjoyable dessert that any member of my family could eat without having to worry. A flourless chocolate cake was the obvious answer. Now, I've made that on here before (You probably don't remember because the picture was ugly and the post was kind of dumb). But I've since learned that there are so many opportunities for failure in that recipe, and it often got stuck to the pan. I discovered this recipe last year and there is no going back (sorry Williams Sonoma). It's called La Bête Noire, or, in English, The Black Beast. And it is a beast. 18 ounces of chocolate in the cake itself, topped with 8 ounces in the ganache. Swoon. And there's no egg separating, no mixer, no nothing crazy. So sit back, relax, and enjoy. 

La Bête Noire 

from Bon Appétit

Cake

1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar

9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, diced
18 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs

Ganache

1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round; butter parchment. Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim. Combine 1 cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.

Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan.

For ganache:
Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours.

Yatsuhashi

Yesterday felt...lucky. I sipped Mexican hot chocolate in a coffee shop with a friend, went on an amazing, overwhelming asian grocery store adventure with my sister (You don't even know how many things I'm going to be crossing off my ingredients list) and caught up with another friend I hadn't seen in a while over pizza bagels. Mm. It's the buildup of small things that bring me joy. 

 

Pictured above is one of the exciting things I bought: roasted soybean powder, also known as kinako. It has a nutty flavor and aroma which some say is similar to peanut butter, but I think it has a special, unique flavor. I'm not exactly sure if there's a specific, traditional thing kinako is used for, but I hear it's good for sprinkling on buttered toast, whipping into frosting, and even made into a beverage. Possibilities! 

Nama Yatsuhashi

The recipe I decided on was Yatsuhashi, a Japanese souvenir sweet famous in Kyoto. It's mochi based, made with cinnamon and sugar and think rolled in a kinako cinnamon mixture. It can either be eaten "raw" with filling (nama yatsuhashi) or baked into a puffy cookie (yaki yatsuhashi). I think I preferred the baked kind, they were really crispy and delicious, whereas the raw variety was a biiiit gummy. Try and roll out the dough as thin as you can, even though it's a pain. Try these out, expand your horizons! 

Yaki Yatsuhashi

Yatsuhashi

by Just Hungry

100 grams mochiko rice flour

60 grams brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

85 grams water

3 Tbs. kinako powder

2 Tbs. Ground cinnamon

peanut butter, nutella, anko, whatever, for filling

Procedure:

1. In a microwavable bowl, mix stir mochiko flour, sugar, cinnamon, and water

2. Microwave on High for 1 minute. Mix well. Microwave for an additional 1 minute 30 seconds. Mix well again

3. Wrap the dough in plastic (will be very sticky! I dusted the plastic with kinako before so it would be easier to remove)

4. Knead dough until smooth and comes together

5. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and kinako

6. Dust a cutting board with the kinako-cinnamon mixture and roll out the dough until thin

7. Cut into squares (mine were about 2 inches x 2 inches

8. Wet two adjacent sides with water, and place 1/2 teaspoon of tsubuan or filling inside.

9. Fold the square into a triangle. Enjoy!

*Variation:

For yaki yatsuhashi instead of cutting in to squares, use a cookie cutter (or knife) to cut the dough into cute shapes (or non-cute shapes). Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave in the oven for 15 more minutes.

Secret Recipe Club - Chocolate Almond Risotto

 (Don't forget to enter my cookie giveaway, which closes tonight! I really want to make you something )

Hi everyone! By the time this is posted, I'll almost be done with finals. And what a sweet, sweet day that will be. Though I must admit, college finals seem much less stressful this semester than they did last year, and definitely less than high school. Oh high school, I do not miss thee at all. 

So for this month's Secret Recipe Club I was assigned the blog From My Sweet Heart. Anne has so many awesome ideas, I really want to try some of her frozen desserts recipes. And I love that she always includes a quotation with her post. I would highly encourage all of you to take a peek and see what's happening over there ^_^

I decided to try out her recipe for Chocolate Risotto, just because it was such a novel idea. I love savory risotto, but I never thought to make it into a dessert. I modified it a little and used chocolate almond milk instead of normal milk. So now it's gluten free AND practically vegan, if you use something besides butter to melt in the pan. Woo!

Chocolate Almond Risotto
 adapted from From My Sweet Heart

2 TBSP unsalted butter

3/4 c arborio rice

3-4 c almond milk (warmed in the microwave)

1 c mini chocolate chips

slivered almonds for sprinkling

As is similar to the regular risotto making process, melt the butter in a hot pan.  Add the rice and stir for a minute or so, until the rice is translucent.  Pour 1 cup of milk into the pan and stir until the milk reduces.   As the milk evaporates, add more milk, 1/2 c at a time.  Continue stirring on med heat.  Continue to repeat, adding milk 1/2 c at a time until you have used all the milk and the rice reaches the al dente stage.

Add the chocolate to the rice, and stir until all the chocolate has melted.  Continue to stir until the milk the mixture is blended and creamy.   Garnish with slivered almonds.  Serve immediately.

Chocolate Macarons

Summer seems to be winding down. The colors of my backyard, bright pink bee balm and verdant peppers, are fading. As I sit outside writing this, a gentle breeze tousles my hair and the sun warms (but not burns) my skin. Not exactly summer weather, rather, something transitional. Fall's coming.

With fall comes a return to school. As much as I can't wait to go back, I'm also faced with the reality that my baking abilities will once again be greatly reduced. So I have to take advantage of these last weeks to experiment in the kitchen, create elaborate desserts and family dinners.

Maybe that's why I had the uncontrollable urge to make macarons yesterday. They're something I will definitely not be able to make at school, due to their delicate and finicky nature. In general, I enjoy making macarons much more than I do eating them, which is true of a lot of things I make, but these especially. But chocolate macarons are different. Up until now, I've only made macs with a citrus flavor, and they never really did much for me. Chocolate macarons are rich and gooey and taste like brownies, but fancier and infinitely more adorable. If you've never tried tried making macs before but are interested, I'd encourage to try out this recipe. Enjoy your last weeks of summer!

Chocolate Macarons with Nutella Ganache

adapted from Desserts Magazine

Ingredients

3 egg whites, aged in the fridge

25 g granulated sugar

225 g powdered sugar

125 g almond meal

15 g cocoa powder

 Line cookie sheets with parchment or silpats.

 Mix together almond meal, powdered sugar and cocoa, set aside (if you want to make sure it's mixed thoroughly, give it a quick pulse in the food processor).

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites into a foam, then gradually add granulated sugar, until you obtain a glossy meringue.

Add the dry mixture to the meringue. With a rubber spatula, use quick strokes at first to break down the mass, then slow down until everything is incorporated. This should not take more than 50 strokes. To test, spoon a small amount onto a plate. If the tops flatten, you're good. If a small beak remains, give it a few more strokes.

Fill a pastry bag with a small round tip and pipe small rounds onto the cookie sheets. Preheat oven to 300 F. Let cookies sit and harden for an hour before placing in the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, let cool completely before filling.

Nutella Ganache

from Cake and Allie

Ingredients

 ½ cup of heavy cream

2 oz bittersweet chocolate

3 Tbs Nutella

Place chocolate and Nutella in a medium sized heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and Nutella and let sit for 20 seconds. Stir to combine until smooth. Place ganache in the refrigerator until thickened, but still pourable. Make sure to stir a few times during the process so the ganache is a uniform consistency throughout. Using an electric mixer, whip ganache until it is a pipeable consistency and light in color. Place ganache into a piping bag and pipe a small circle onto one macaron shell. Top it with a similar sized shell and squeeze together carefully.

I'm here!

Having a house guest can sure throw off a blogging schedule. I've been too busy out in the real world to update here on my little ol' blog! Rest assured, I have still been making things (graduation desserts among them ^_^ ) Want proof?  

Rest assured...they were all delicious. This is kind of mean of me isn't it? I'm going to give you my flourless chocolate cake recipe (the last picture here), which I've been meaning to do for months. Resist pressure to eat this beauty right away, cause it'll just turn out as a molten chocolate cake (also good, but not what you're going for here). In college, this was definitely easier said than done, when there were hungry teenagers hovering everywhere, eager at the prospect of cake. 

Stick around, cause next time, I'll hopefully have something really cool to show you. 

Flourless Chocolate Cake 

from Williams Sonoma 

• Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
• 10 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, plus extra for greasing
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon dark rum or brewed espresso (optional) (I used 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 300. Grease the bottom of an 8 inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan, then dust with cocoa powder.

In the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate and the 3/4 cup butter. Set over barely simmering water and melt, then whisk until well blended. Set aside to cool slightly.

In large bowl, with a mixer set on medium high speed, beat together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, dark rum (if using), vanilla, and salt until pale and very thick. Gradually pour in the chocolate mixture and continue beating until well blended.

In deep, clean bowl, using a mixer on medium high speed, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue to beat until medium-firm peaks form. Scoop half of the egg whites onto the chocolate mixture and fold them in gently. Fold in the remaining whites just until no streaks remain.

(A Note About Egg Whites: Have you ever heard it said that there's something magical about whipping egg whites in a copper bowl? As silly as it may sound, it's true. Copper ions from the bowl bond with proteins in the whites, creating more stability. Investing in a copper bowl would be a good idea if you're going to be doing this sort of thing a lot, but a glass or stainless steel bowl won't hurt the whites. Do not use a plastic bowl. The surface of plastic is kinda oily, and it'll mess up the stability. Carry on.)

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake the torte until it puffs slightly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out very moist but not liquid, about 35 minutes. Do not overcook. Let cool on a rack for 30 minutes.

Run a small knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake, then invert the pan onto a flat plate. Lift off the pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Glaze the cake with the chocolate glaze (below), then refrigerate again until firm, at least 2 hours. Transfer to a flat serving plate. Using a thin-bladed knife, cut the cake into small slices, dipping the knife into hot water and wiping it dry before each cut.

Chocolate Glaze

• 1/2 cup butter
• 8 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

To make the glaze, combine butter, cut into 4 pieces, and chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Set over barely simmering water and melt, then whisk until blended. Remove from the heat and whisk in the corn syrup until smooth and glossy. Set the cold cake on a wire rack over a large plate or baking sheet. Slowly pour the warm glaze over the center of the cake. The glaze should cover the surface evenly, spilling over the edges and running down the sides, the excess falling onto the plate below.

Flourless chocolate cookies + dreams becoming reality

"Don't make any sharp turns," I warned my mother, lowered myself into the back of the car, cake balancing on my legs. I was on my way to deliver my first cake order: a request that from me elicited surprise - then elation. I had always dreamed of being adept enough at creating desserts that people would want my services. And now it's happening. 

It's weird, I just realized this year that cooking is something I really want to incorporate into my career. When I was in elementary school I wanted to be a baker, but as I got older I kind of abandoned that idea and was set on becoming a writer. I now realize I can do both. I'm not exactly sure where it will take me, but I'm not worried. Just enjoying what I have now. 

I wanted to make something homey and easy as a way to unwind. These rather strange looking cookies are safe for people with Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. They'd be just as good with nuts instead of chocolate chips, or peppermint extract and those stripy mints all crushed up.

Oh, and if you're Wisconsin local and interested (or perhaps just wanting to see my offerings) check out my brand new ordering page !

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

3 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

a pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

4 egg whites

1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and spray lightly with cooking spray. Or use silicone baking mats. 

If you have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to mix the sugar, cocoa, salt and chips together. Otherwise just whisk it up. 

With the mixer on low, slowly add the egg whites and almond until the mixture is slightly thick. It should be like a brownie batter, not runny. 

Scoop large tablespoons of batter onto the sheets, making sure they're far enough apart (I only had like, 6 cookies on a sheet) 

Bake for 14 minutes, or until tops are glossy and slightly cracked.