I entered this cake my competitors first cooking contest thekitchn.com's bittersweet baking and was delighted when selected by the editors as a finalist! Dori Greenspan, James Beard award-winning author of books on the legends as Julia Child, Daniel Boulud, Pierre Herme, etc., were among the judges. Since it was not impressive in itself, I was ecstatic when I read his comment:
"I never set out to make anything specifically vegan, but this recipe is so well done that I wanted to try, that convincingly demonstrates a delicious cake of multiple textures, a bond may be vegan, but not the only virtue of the cake. My guess is that the components of the appearance of chocolate cake in three parts and polished capture the imagination of more ambitious bakers. "
Speaking of writers, revolutionaries pasty chef Fran Costigan, whose vegan cooking class I took last year at the ICE and the cake recipe I used as the basis for this cake, also had this to say "... thank you for taking what you have learned and create a masterpiece that reflects your creativity and skill. "
It is indeed a great leap in the style of my previous cakes, but I tried to take steps towards a healthier life, including exploring alternative cake recipes. I am not a vegetarian by any means, but I think vegan cooking techniques using their lack of cholesterol containing ingredients such as butter, eggs and milk. I also wanted to make aesthetically pleasing that I know many people may be wary of vegan baking. I shared the cake with co-workers / neighbors, and they could not believe it was a vegan cake, even after having tasted!
The recipe is an experimental collage drawn from various culinary pictures and recipes. The assembly process is vaguely that the French-style cakes, inspired by the appearance and components will epicurious.com, the cake recipe is adapted from the class I took with Fran Costigan. Includes chocolate cake in three layers and layers: cake filling, mousse and ganache. It has a touch of flavor coffee, espresso powder with the ingredient, and is laced with hazelnuts and orange zest. This is a rather involved cake, but can by all means can be simplified. Both the mousse or the cake frosted with ganache can be eaten alone.
Chocolate Mousse2 cans 12 oz firm tofu (like Mori Nu)
10 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons agave (or maple syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate cake1 / 2 cup whole wheat pastry
1 / 2 cup flour
1 / 3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 / 4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 / 2 teaspoon salt
1 / 4 cup canola oil
1 / 2 cup maple syrup, Grade A amber, brown
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon coffee powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 1 / 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon orange zest
1.2 toasted hazelnuts, skins removed, chopped
Ganache Glaze8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup soy cream
2 c. teaspoon Grand Marnier
FurnitureChocolate chipsCandied orange peel
Hazelnuts, roasted, skin off
Chocolate transfer sheet
Prepare the mousse:Melt chocolate 10 ounces chocolate in a bain-marie. Drain water from tofu. Place tofu, agave / maple syrup and melted chocolate in a food processor and mix until well blended and smooth. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to firm. (It turned out to be very rich and dense. I think I would like to add some soy milk next time).
Prepare candied orange zest, if making your own:
I do not end up doing mine, and it was worth it to end. The cleric added a nice crunch and the element of citrus, not to mention a sharp color contrasts in dark chocolate. I adapted a recipe
1 / 2 cup sugar
Water 1 / 4 cup
peel of one orange
Using a vegetable peeler, orange peel strips, avoiding the white part. Julienne the orange peel into matchstick-size pieces. Put the peel in a saucepan, add water and bring to a boil. Drain and repeat. Yes, the other - should reduce the bitterness. Remove water and dry on paper towels. Put sugar and 1 / 4 cup water in a saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes (let alone - do not have to fuss at all). Add ribbons and watch closely until the strips are transparent (probably my leaving the heat for longer than I should, but still tasted good). Remove strips with a fork and cool on parchment paper or wax. Although I have nothing, can be stored in an airtight container up to one week. In addition, to keep it stored in the container, and decorate just before serving. If you leave the bottom of the pie with sugar during the night, the sugar absorbs moisture and loses some of its weak level.
Prepare the cake:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil 9 x 3 "cake tin with baking paper, and is responsible. Toast hazelnuts for 8-10 minutes (Look carefully) and wipe with a damp towel to remove the skin. Chop and set aside.
Sift dry ingredients in a bowl and stir with a whisk. Add the chocolate, orange zest and hazelnuts. Mix the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour wet into dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester / toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Pan on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Invert pan on grill, remove the parchment paper, invert and let cool completely.
Prepare the ganache:Bring cream just until boiling soybeans. Pour the chopped chocolate and let stand for one minute. Stir slowly until chocolate is melted.
Assemble the cake:I used a bottom of 8 x 2-inch ring mold cake like. I'm sure there are alternative ways that the configuration (for example, using the spring form PAN), but this method is what I came at that time. I have to cut a cake to fit the tire using the tire as a guide.
So I filled with foam. Make sure you press the foam at the edges (I did not). I left a little space on top for the ganache. Pour the ganache cake and move to float on the sides to cover the surface of the upper part. Let the ganache in the refrigerator. Once installed, remove the cake from the ring (you must have a support in the cake, as a circle of cardboard).
Garnish with chocolate shavings, candied orange zest and hazelnuts. Now you can stop here and finish off the exposed sides of the cake, mousse and ganache, but since I did not press the foam all the way to the edge, and had a few holes where the cake and mousse met I spread the ganache on the sides, so well. I thought it was something else, so I used some chocolate transfer sheets I had on hand to decorate the pages. A chocolate transfer sheet is a plastic film embossed with a pattern-based cocoa butter (which I think is a byproduct of the cocoa bean and therefore still vegan [Fran Costigan did confirm that the transfer sheet vegan was - thank you]). I melted chocolate and spread it over the leaves in a thin layer with offset spatula. Before the chocolate fully set, I cut triangular shapes in chocolate. Once set, I peeled the chocolate from the sheet and was left with triangular shards of chocolate etched with the design of cocoa.
I'll be experimenting with this cake a bit (I have been asked to do this again for an upcoming event). It was indeed a great job, but I had fun and learned a little at each step of the road. For more information on vegetarian cooking, PPK has some essential information on substitutes for eggs, dairy products, butter, etc. Fran Costigan More Great Good Desserts Naturally dairy free and vegan Moscowitz s / Romero Cupcakes take over the world are also excellent sources of baking vegan recipes and inspiration.
So I arranged my chocolate triangles on the sides of the cake and finally called to!
Chocolate Brownie,
Chocolate Cake,
Chocolate Recipes,
Chocolate Sweet,
Hot chocolate,
white Chocolate Cake ,
Chocolate Mug Cake
