I made a cake. It turned out to be the worse cake ever due to some mechanical malfunction (or my own fault). I will not post the picture here to avoid your eyes being damaged forever. If you’re still interested, email me and I will send you the picture privately. This is all I will talk about that cake.
Onto happier thoughts, like me winning amazing chocolate from Scharffen Berger! They host a weekly trivia on Fridays at noon and ask a question. If you are the first to answer correctly, you get chocolate! Definitely wishing the rest of life was like that: Answer a question, win some chocolate!
Scharffen Berger sent me two cans of their natural cocoa powder as my prize: unsweetened and sweetened. The unsweetened version is not Dutch* processed and is 20-22% cocoa butter. In my opinion, it was a perfect addition to hot cocoa and to my cake balls, because it balances out the sweetness perfectly. The sweetened version is exactly like the previous one, with just the addition of pure cane sugar. I love the fact that they make emphasis on only having these two ingredients and not adding powdered milk or it being Dutch-processed.
I made cake. I wanted a lovely cake, a gorgeous cake. I whisked, creamed, added. Like a good little baker, I followed instructions. But sometimes, the world doesn’t want you to eat cake and forces you to swiftly change gears. The inside crumb structure of that cake was horrible, terrible and unappealing.
After staring at the “cake” in awe and wondering what went wrong, emailing friends and asking around, I decided to not get mad. Ask around, I can get really mad. I had already made Nutella Italian Meringue Cream, so I had that. I threw the cake in pieces back in the mixer, added the Nutella Cream, pure Nutella, and Brandy. I scooped it into balls, rolled and placed in fridge. I re-rolled to make lovely rounds and then rolled in sweetened cocoa powder.
I popped one in my mouth and smiled. I popped a second one. I grabbed a dessert plate and placed 3 more on there. I walked away…content. Sometimes, God has other plans for your baked goods. Let them flow!
Italian Meringue-Nutella Cream Recipe
Make my Italian Meringue recipe, which I guest posted over at Elephant’s Trunk. When done, add 1/4 cup of Nutella. This will completely deflate your meringue, thus why I call it a cream. This is not something you can coat a cake with, it’s more of a filling for cakes or a layered dessert. It’s amazing, delicious and you will probably eat half of it. I did.
What is Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder?
Cocoa Powder can either be Natural or Dutch Processed. Dutch Processed cocoa has an alkali added to neutralize its naturally occurring acids. It has a very light chocolate flavor and preferred among European pastries. Should be used in recipes using baking powder, because it will not react against baking soda. Natural Cocoa Powder has nothing added to it and has a rich, deep bitter taste that is great for cakes, brownies and cookies. Since this natural cocoa is an acid, it should be used in recipes calling for baking soda (an alkali), to create a leavening action and cause your cake to rise.
Love Chocolate as much as I do? Check out these other Chocolate posts:
My friends love Chocolate as much as I do, and this proves it:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches with Chocolate Malt Frosting. -Gingerbreadbagels
Chocolate Nutella Alfajores. -6 Bittersweets
Guiness Chocolate Bread Pudding. -Okie Dokie Artichokie
White Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Nut Cookies.– Mis Pensamientos
I am going to have to try cake balls. I’ve been putting it off for ages but now is the time to enter the 21st century. 🙂
Oh wow. I love when you can turn a recipe around and still make it delicious. These cake balls sound sinfully good.
I am with you too! I love chocolate!! Too bad about the cake incident, although the cake balls look very appealing, I would also eat…MANY!
Have a fantastic weekend 🙂
I love this post! To make that terrible cake into what it truly was meant to be…perfect. that’s what it’s all about, in my opinion. way to go!
wow, this is soo interesting!!! i didn’t know that there was a difference between Dutch and natural in terms of acidic content! figured it was just flavoring! i think cooking/baking is an art! it’s all about adapting whatever we have to make something new. hehe “one recipe’s scraps can be another recipe’s treasure” :).
and thanks for the blog link querida. you rock.