I realize this blog has been a bit cake-heavy lately; apologies for that. As a result, I’ve been enjoying — and eating — more cake than usual.
There wasn’t much dinner-worthy cooking over the weekend because we were out and about. On Saturday we went to a paintball birthday party (I still have the bruises to prove it) and were served pizza and sushi. Sunday evening we had ham and scalloped potatoes at my mum’s. I did, however, bring a cake to the birthday celebration and wanted to share the story.
The request was simple: chocolate cake with chocolate sauce. I could have made a dense Chocolate Valentino cake, but birthdays feel like an opportunity to try something new. This time that gamble paid off.
I pulled a relatively new chocolate cookbook off the shelf — Trish Deseine’s Chocolate — and landed on a recipe called “Third-Month-of-the-Year Cake.” The concept was easy: a double-layer chocolate cake with each cake layer topped with baked meringue and the two layers sandwiched with whipped cream. Because there was no frosting, it made a perfect canvas for a pourable chocolate ganache.
For the ganache, heat heavy cream or half-and-half to a simmer, remove from heat, add roughly an equal amount of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, let it sit a few minutes, then whisk until smooth and glossy. We poured that over the assembled cake for a rich, shiny finish.
To add texture and a bit of crunch, I made a quick hazelnut praline to crumble on top. It’s simple: toast hazelnuts and rub some skins off, or substitute sliced almonds, pecans, walnuts, or seeds. On a baking sheet, melt about 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan (a splash of water helps get it started). Swirl the pan as the sugar caramelizes and brush down the sides with a damp pastry brush if necessary. When the sugar turns a deep golden color, pour it over the nuts, let it cool, then break it into pieces. The result is a crackly brittle that’s a lovely contrast to soft cake and cream.
I was excited — I love Pavlova-style textures and whipped cream — so I assembled the cake at the party, spreading whipped cream between the layers and sprinkling hazelnut brittle on top before serving. Guests were complimentary; party protocol being what it is, that’s not a perfect gauge, but overall it seemed well received.
Still, I left feeling a little underwhelmed. Part of that may have been because I was already full of Cheezies and pizza, but the cake itself turned out a touch flat. I suspect the recipe’s use of unsalted butter and the absence of a little salt dulled the chocolate flavor, and the baked meringue layers were somewhat lost against the ganache and whipped cream — the meringue middle softened and partially melted into the cream. (The photo above shows one layer before I left; the second layer looked the same.)
That said, the idea has a lot of potential. Next time I’ll probably tweak the cake batter by adding vanilla or coffee to the cocoa and a pinch of salt — those adjustments are included in the recipe notes below — or I might use a different cake base entirely, since the meringue element can be added to any cake. I’m also eager to try baking meringue onto white cake layers and serving them shortcake-style with fresh berries or peaches in season, plus plenty of whipped cream. Served individually so the meringue stays crisp, this would be a beautiful spring or summer dessert for a crowd.
One Year Ago: Big Salads and Hot Crossed Buns
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