In looking at the “Mom’s” cake recipe, some things strike me:
1) There is a huge amount of liquid in the cake compared with Rose’s.
2) There is much less fat.
3) There is slightly less chocolate
4) There is a lot more sugar.
To me, that implies a lighter cake, both in texture and in richness, a bit less chocolate intensity, and a lot sweeter. How does the cake sensory experience square with that prediction?
I also wonder if the extra sugar contributes to the moistness of the cake.
In looking at the “Mom’s” cake recipe, some things strike me:
1) There is a huge amount of liquid in the cake compared with Rose’s.
2) There is much less fat.
3) There is slightly less chocolate
4) There is a lot more sugar.
To me, that implies a lighter cake, both in texture and in richness, a bit less chocolate intensity, and a lot sweeter. How does the cake sensory experience square with that prediction?
I also wonder if the extra sugar contributes to the moistness of the cake.
I do not know…. I just like that it is moist. There is a lot of sugar but that is likely due to the 99% chocolate. I do not like dry choc cake. I just know I like it better than any other chocolate cake except one. I never recall thinking that the cake is too sweet. I do also like the deep choc passion. The one cake I like as much was a chocolate cake I had in Thailand had a restaurant that I know used spelt flour in the cake and had a menu geared toward blood type. I really do intend to go through the rest of Rose’s chocolate cakes and some of the others I see on Food and Wine.
Which one. I looked at a few and did not find it yet. I will be baking choc cakes forever!
It’s a little bit confusing because they call it “Old Fashioned Layer Cake”, but the recipe provided for it seems to vary. The one in the “Best Recipes” cookbook doesn’t make a big deal of the pudding, not even sure it mentions it, but the recipe in the “Spring Entertaining 2010” goes into great detail. And this one includes buttermilk, whereas the the one in the Best Recipes only includes milk, and the accompanying article bashes the idea of buttermilk in a chocolate cake. I think the original recipe for this cake appeared in 2006, which is before I started getting the magazine. In some ways, the pudding resembles the syrup in the cake you like, but the butter isn’t melted into it.
i can send you a PDF of the recipe if you’re interested, although the “salesmanship” of the recipe isn’t part of the recipe itself. If you were to devote the rest of your life to baking chocolate cakes, well, there are worse ways to spend your time here on earth.
Which one. I looked at a few and did not find it yet. I will be baking choc cakes forever!
It’s a little bit confusing because they call it “Old Fashioned Layer Cake”, but the recipe provided for it seems to vary. The one in the “Best Recipes” cookbook doesn’t make a big deal of the pudding, not even sure it mentions it, but the recipe in the “Spring Entertaining 2010” goes into great detail. And this one includes buttermilk, whereas the the one in the Best Recipes only includes milk, and the accompanying article bashes the idea of buttermilk in a chocolate cake. I think the original recipe for this cake appeared in 2006, which is before I started getting the magazine. In some ways, the pudding resembles the syrup in the cake you like, but the butter isn’t melted into it.
i can send you a PDF of the recipe if you’re interested, although the “salesmanship” of the recipe isn’t part of the recipe itself. If you were to devote the rest of your life to baking chocolate cakes, well, there are worse ways to spend your time here on earth.
Thank you, I found it… I do not get mags but I have online subscription.
Thank you, I found it… I do not get mags but I have online subscription.
The online version corresponds to the original recipe…i.e., it contains buttermilk. I wonder if they changed the recipe later when they discovered that buttermilk suppresses the chocolate flavor?
Thank you, I found it… I do not get mags but I have online subscription.
The online version corresponds to the original recipe…i.e., it contains buttermilk. I wonder if they changed the recipe later when they discovered that buttermilk suppresses the chocolate flavor?
re: boiled sugar syrups in cakes- boiling creates invert sugars which attract moisture better than regular sugar. I remember Shirley Corriher saying in Bakewise that the dissolved sugar method of mixing a cake was her favorite- I don’t have the book here, but I wonder now if a sugar syrup is a part of that method.
re: moist chocolate cakes, one factor is the type of fat. Oil is liquid at eating temp and has a more moist mouth feel, but also produces a more open crumb. Cocoa butter is highly saturated and has a firm mouthfeel, which to me seems drier, though it produces a finer crumb. You may prefer cakes like the deep choc passion that have some oil over those like the pavarotti which have higher cocoa butter content. Maybe that will help you narrow down your choices!
re: boiled sugar syrups in cakes- boiling creates invert sugars which attract moisture better than regular sugar. I remember Shirley Corriher saying in Bakewise that the dissolved sugar method of mixing a cake was her favorite- I don’t have the book here, but I wonder now if a sugar syrup is a part of that method.
re: moist chocolate cakes, one factor is the type of fat. Oil is liquid at eating temp and has a more moist mouth feel, but also produces a more open crumb. Cocoa butter is highly saturated and has a firm mouthfeel, which to me seems drier, though it produces a finer crumb. You may prefer cakes like the deep choc passion that have some oil over those like the pavarotti which have higher cocoa butter content. Maybe that will help you narrow down your choices!
Thank you, Julie, this does help narrow down the choices. Of course, the Rose RHC and TCB recipes I have not tried will receive priority.
re: boiled sugar syrups in cakes- boiling creates invert sugars which attract moisture better than regular sugar.
Thank you Julie. It does open up some interesting ideas. I wonder how far this can be taken? Can one add some acid to the sugar syrup to increase the percentage of invert sugar? I also wonder if this method could be adapted to Rose’s cakes. When blooming the cocoa, one might could add the sugar to that instead of the dry ingredients.
Brown sugar would probably also increase the moistness of the cake, with its liquid and more invert sugars. I’m also pondering potato flakes (not starch), which works well in bread.
I made a version of Mom’s Chocolate Cake. I made a lot of changes, so this comment really shouldn’t apply to the original recipe but the cake flavor seemed a bit…watery. Can a cake be too moist?
