When life hands you chocolate cake crumbles...
make a trifle.
When you can't make a proper trifle because you don't have a trifle/large clear bowl, use wine glasses.
When you don't have any fruit or whipping cream to make the trifle, use gelato, toffee and ganache.
Well, I don't know if it's a trifle anymore but it sure tastes good.
So have I mentioned I hate baking? I don't know. I guess it is the precision that scares me, and the fact that if something doesn't taste right, it can't exactly be doctored up like you can with, say, a spaghetti sauce or a soup.
I had good intentions of making a German chocolate cake for Tom tonight. I had my recipes ready to go. I was a little worried about the coconut pecan topping because I tend to be pretty terrible when it comes to tempering eggs. I wondered if my chocolate frosting would turn out the consistency I wanted. I feared the whole decorating/piping of the frosting process. Never did I even bother to think that the cake itself would not turn out.
Actually the cake tasted delicious but the problem came when it was time to invert it onto the cooling rack. The first one did not work at all. I thought I might be able to salvage it if the second one came out great. I mean, just use some extra frosting to cover it up, right? The second one came out looking even worse. Basically both cakes looked like this:
To add insult to injury, I happened to be watching Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee at the time. I cannot stand that show, but I always find myself drawn to it because it's just such a train wreck. Well don't you know that Aunt Sandy, despite most likely being half in the bag, inverted two perfectly shaped cakes onto a platter. Oh man, I was totally shown up by FN's biggest joke.
Luckily I hadn't started the frosting, so I just decided to layer the cake crumbles with vanilla gelato and English toffee. I topped it with some chocolate ganache, and it was delicious.
In case you want it here is the cake recipe. I promise the cake itself works. The problem is with the person who made it :)
Chocolate Cake, adapted from Bakers
- 4 ounces baking chocolate (I used semisweet), melted and cooled
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 11 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter with sugar and vanilla until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs in one at a time, beating until just incorporated. Stir in melted and cooled chocolate.
With the mixer on a low speed, alternatively add the flour mixture and the buttermilk until you have used them all: add 1/3 of the flour mixture and incorporate, add half cup of butter milk incorporate, etc.
Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in pans on rack for 20 minutes. Remove and cool completely on racks.
Do not screw up last step, if possible :)
Comments
Why I love this dessert and post:
1) it is inventive and uses what you have - gets the big thumbs up from me.
2) it has gelato in it
3) I am intimidated by baking too - which is why I joined the Daring Bakers to exorcise this fear
4) it has gelato in it
5) I love the presentation
6) it has gelato in it