Cake and Cats

Yesterday was Ian's birthday, and though it remains to be seen whether or not it was perfect, as I went home around 10 or so and two hours can make a world of difference with this kind of thing. It started off well, though - I was at a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with the linguistics people (which was super amusing - I fit with those people, despite being dramatically younger than most of them. This is the joy of being practically 20; you're enough of an adult that people still treat you as one, but you're still young enough that you can get away with being kinda silly and play baby dragons) and didn't get back until 2, and then at 7:30 I got up, groggy, and spent three hours listening to Jeremiah and Ian go on about white crown sparrows and ruby crowned kinglets and warblers and this variety and that, and the sun took its sweet time heating up the air, and so everyone was a little more than chilly. By eleven, we were hungry and exhausted and strange-feeling, but we staggered over to Jeremiah's for a party, where there was delicious food, and where we were given a large cabinet that will be perfect in the kitchen, for free, thank you very much. By the time we got home, everyone was happy, and it was only 2 in the afternoon.

Naturally, I made Ian a cake. Chocolate. What other kind is there? I used a recipe from David Lebovitz, who is a pastry chef living in Paris and a genius. Certified, I'm sure. This was easily one of most delicious cakes ever, and it was also very, very easy. So easy that I'm thinking of making another half batch sometime, just cause. Unfortunately, the icing was all my doing - and I've never made icing before - and so it was kinda odd. Like, I made it too runny at first, and it blooped everywhere, and I had to scrape it off and add more powdered sugar. But it still turned out well, and got very good reviews from everyone who ate it. Sadly, I have no pictures, though I wish I did. I garnished it with some fresh mint leaves, and the vanilla icing wound up flecked with cake, because I'm talented like that.

And true to my gift-giving abilities, I literally bought Ian's present less than an hour before handing it to him. But that was okay, because it consisted of two amazing books: To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis, and Thief of Time, by Terry Pratchett. If you haven't, you must read these books. If you have, you know why I say this. He and his family and I went for Japanese, which I'd never had before. Something about the taste of wasabi and soy sauce stuck with me most of the evening, and reminded me of the sharp tinniness of blood. That said, it was quite good.

Sometime this evening, after his final, I'll check back in with him and maybe eat some cake. For now, though, I'm trying to get through some studying, but I'm constantly distracted, first by the fine weather, then by food blogs, and then by the news that my cat Fred, who has been having some digestive problems for the past three weeks, has lymphoma and is going to die, probably before I get to see him. Somehow, knowing that, the function of the anterior belly of the digastric is significantly less meaningful to me.

Anyway, I've posted the recipe, yoinked from David Lebovitz, below. Make it and feel better about the world.

Kate

Devil's Food Cake

For the cake:
9 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup strong coffee (or water)
½ cup whole or low-fat milk

For the ganache frosting:
10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup water (or cream)
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter

1. Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Butter two 9″ x 2″ cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

3. To make the cake layers, sift together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.

4. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. (If using a standing electric mixer, stop the mixer as necessary to scrape down the sides to be sure everything is getting mixed in.)

5. Mix together the coffee and milk. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, the add the coffee and milk. Finally stir in the other half of the dry ingredients.

6. Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

7. To make the frosting, melt the chopped chocolate with the water (or cream) in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

8. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk them into the chocolate until completely melted and the ganache is smooth. Cool until spreadable, which may take about 1 hour at room temperature.

To frost the cake:

Run a knife around the inside of each of the cakes which will help release them from the pans. Tilt one cake out of the pan, remove the parchment paper from the bottom and invert it back onto a cake plate. Spread a good-sized layer of icing over the top. Top with the second cake layer and spread the top and sides with the remaining icing as decoratively as you want.

Storage: Cake is best the day it is made, although it’s fine the next day. Store at room temperature under a cake dome. Just be sure to keep cake out of the sun in the meantime.