(via reluceo)
Budapest was more than just a job.
(Source: street-of-mercy, via goddesspharo)
“We’ll never be as young as we are tonight.” — Chuck Palahniuk
(Source: vitall, via loveyourchaos)
“I think of the chimp, the one with the talking hands.
In the course of the experiment, that chimp had a baby. Imagine how her trainers must have thrilled when the mother, without prompting, began to sign to her newborn.
Baby, drink milk.
Baby, play ball.
And when the baby died, the mother stood over the body, her wrinkled hands moving with animal grace, forming again and again the words: Baby, come hug, Baby, come hug, fluent now in the language of grief.”
— In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried, Amy Hempel
(Source: lucy-vanpelt, via lucy-vanpelt)
Two-Layer Decorated Chocolate Cake
There are times in my baking when I experience a hit of inspiration and I am suddenly on the verge of decorating cakes as if I am running my own patisserie. Two nights ago, Peter Gilmore presented to the Masterchef contestants an eight textured chocolate cake, and that had inspired me to design and create my own textured chocolate cake.
Of course mine is nowhere near as professional and complicated as the stunning chocolate dessert, but I could say that decorating and creating this cake was a fun experience to explore different techniques of construction and styling. The cake is compiled of two layers, a crumbly chocolate cake and a dense fondant layer, covered in a thin chocolate glaze and decorated with white and dark chocolate patterned squares. All the more reason to surprise your chocoholic friend with this recipe!
Double this recipe to create a large cake for a group of people (I made enough to serve four people). This cake might look complicated and have plenty going on, but once broken down, I can guarantee you’ll find this a pleasure to recreate.
Two-Layer Decorated Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Fondant layer
- 125g dark chocolate
- 1/2 tbs glucose syrup
- 30g unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp plain flour
Cake layer
- 25g unsalted butter, softened
- 25g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup self-raising flour
- 1/4 cup milk
Chocolate glaze
- 75g milk chocolate
- 75g thickened cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
Chocolate squares
- 50g white chocolate
- 50g dark chocolate
Method
- To make fondant layer: Preheat oven to 150C. Line and grease a loaf tin with baking paper. Combine chocolate, glucose syrup and butter in a heat-proof bowl and place over a double boiler on medium heat. Stir until ingredients are combined and chocolate has melted through. Set aside. In another bowl, beat egg with an electric mixer on low-medium speed for 5 minutes until pale and aerated. Gradually add caster sugar and continuously beat for another 3 minutes. Gently fold in flour, followed by chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared loaf tin, then place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes (it’s okay if the middle isn’t completely cooked through) then refrigerate for 1 hour to set.
- To make the cake layer: Preheat oven to 150C. Line and grease another loaf tin with baking paper. Whisk together butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually add in egg, continuously whisking to combine. Fold in cocoa powder, then half the flour and milk. Mix together to combine, then fold in the remaining flour and milk. Pour batter into prepared loaf tin and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make chocolate glaze: place chocolate, cream and icing sugar into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until chocolate has completely melted and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat and allow to thicken and cool for 10 minutes, continuously stirring every now and then to remove heat.
- To make chocolate squares: place white chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl and place over a double boiler. Stir until half the chocolate is melted, remove from heat and continue mixing until all chocolate is melted. Pour chocolate over a sheet of baking paper, and working quickly, use a palette knife to spread chocolate evenly over sheet until it is 1mm thick. Using a fork, create swirly patterns in the chocolate, then set aside cool. Once set, repeat melting process with dark chocolate, and pour the dark chocolate over the white chocolate. Spread dark chocolate evenly to fill spaces in the white chocolate. Score chocolate into 16 rectangles. Set aside to cool completely in room temperature.
- To assemble: Carefully place fondant layer on top of cake layer and gently press down. Cut off edges to straighten, then cut cake into 4 even pieces. Pour glaze over cakes, covering the top and sides. Dust cake with a little cocoa powder, then place chocolate squares along sides of cake. If there is any left over glaze, refrigerate until it resembles spreadable consistency, then pipe onto cake and finish with a broken piece of chocolate. Serve.
ENJOY! :D
[video]
The original cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, all grow’d up, 40 years after the Oompah Loompahs oomped their way into our hearts.
(via ilovecharts)
(Source: astrolungs)
