Spent most of the week trying to look for jobs. =.= Stupidstupidstupidhardstuff. AND I HAVEN'T GOTTEN MY STUPID SERVSAFE PAPERS YET SO I CAN'T PUT THAT I'M CERTIFIED ON MY APPS B/C I CAN'T PROVE IT YET! Uhg. Seriously, it's starting to piss me off. I should've gotten them in the mail already.
Whatever. :| Besides that uh... I managed to figure out how to make an icing that tastes EXACTLY like nutter butters. (That stuff isn't normal peanut butter, so it took some adjusting.) Tasted pretty good though.
Then... I'm gonna go visit Arron on Saturday and Amy on Sunday. Then back to looking for work and I'm going to try to get to go over to Grandma Dianne's house eventually.
Oh btw! I'm too lazy to transcribe all of the recipes from chocolate class all at once, so I've decided I'll just include some kind of recipe at the bottom of each of my posts from now on! :D
Chocolate Mousse Spongecake Recipe (with detailed, easy instructions)STEP ONE: Chocolate Sponge Cake
INGREDIENTS
8oz cake flour
14oz granulated sugar
2oz cocoa powder
1pinch salt
1/3oz baking powder
1pinch baking soda
4oz Unsalted Butter (@room temp)
1pinch cinnamon
1 1/2 cup milk
6oz whole eggs
PROCEDURE
Preheat your oven to 300F (for convection ovens). Put the cake flour, sugar, cocoa powder,
salt, baking powder, baking soda, butter, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Slowly add the milk
as you begin to cream all of these ingredients together for approximately 10 minutes. (It is
recommended that you use a mechanical mixer instead of a handheld one.) Add the eggs one at
a time and emulsify for about 5-10 minutes. Take a round cake pan and place wax paper at the
bottom (fit it)-- do not grease the sides. This will prevent the cake from getting a "hump." Pour
the batter into the pan and place the pan in the center of the oven. The cake os ready when the
sides come away from the pan and, when checked with a small knife, the blade comes out
warm and clean. After removing from the oven, allow it to cool to room temperature, then
place it in the freezer to temporarily stiffen the cake to make cutting easier.
-----------
STEP TWO: Simple Syrup
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
PROCEDURE
Heat water and sugar on stove top. As soon as the water and sugar begin to boil, turn the heat
off. You do not want the water to evaporate (otherwise you'll end up with caramel). Cool.
------------
STEP THREE: Slice and level cake.
When your cake is cooled sufficiently, remove it from the freezer and evenly divide the cake
into three layers using a serrated knife on its side, rotating the cake while cutting around the
edge in order to make certain that the layers are each even. You MUST hold the knife steady
so that it is parallel with your working surface (table, counter, etc.) Shave any "hump" on the
cake that may have formed off. Set the three layers of the cake aside for now. (Do not stack
them, they need to defrost evenly.)\
-------------
STEP FOUR: No-Egg Dark Chocolate Mousse
INGREDIENTS
5oz dark chocolate
3oz sugar
2cups heavy cream
PROCEDURE
In a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate. While you do this, put the sugar and heavy cream
into a separate mixing bowl and emulsify. The whisk will be able to stand up in the bowl when
the sugar/cream mix is ready. Gently, but quickly, fold the warm chocolate into the cream/sugar
mixture until well-combined. Make sure that you fold the chocolate in as quickly as possible or
it will create small "chips" in your mousse. While this will still taste good, it will not give you the
soft and fluffy texture that you are aiming for. Set aside.
-------------
STEP FIVE: Stacking and Frosting the Cake
After your simple syrup and cake are both cooled to room temperature and your mousse is
ready, it is time to stack the cake. Chances are that at least one of the levels of the sliced cake
are uneven, so take the thickest level to use as the base. Place it on a fit cake board. Now,
take a pastry brush and begin to cover the top of that layer (not the sides, just the top) with the
simple syrup. Do not drown the cake, you only want a coat enough to increase the moisture in
the cake and give it a hint of flavor. Once the top is coated, place a little less than 1/3 of the
chocolate mousse in the center of the cake and spread it evenly over the layer. It is alright if it
goes a little bit over, but you want about 1 centimeter's thick worth of mousse.
Once the mousse is even, place the second layer (this may be either of the cake layers, the base
is the only one you need to be picky about) on top of the mousse and adjust it so that it is lined
up with the first layer and level. Repeat the same syrup-coat and mousse process on this layer,
then add the top layer.
At this point, you will have all three layers and filling together on the cake and it will be time to
'frost' it. You will be doing the frosting with the mousse as well for this recipe. The easiest way
to frost this cake with the mousse is to physically pick it up with one hand and spread the
mousse around with an icing knife in your other hand (for the sides). The top may be done
before or after this, then rotate it to smooth the mousse alongside the cake and create an even
surface.
--------------
STEP SIX: Chocolate Shavings
INGREDIENT
Large, flat block of chocolate
Non-serrated Knife with a length similar to the width to the aforementioned block of chocolate
Parchment paper larger than the block of chocolate (needs at least 2 inches extra on each side)
PROCEDURE
Place the block of chocolate in the center of the parchment paper at the edge of the table or
counter. Move your hip to connect with the edge of the table at one end, then center the
chocolate in alignment with your hip. Pull the parchment paper up against your hip and follow
with the chocolate. Make sure that the parchment is between your clothing and the chocolate
so that you do not cross-contaminate the food or get your clothes dirty. Place the knife at
approximately a 60 degree angle at the side of the chocolate opposite your body and hold it at
that angle while scraping the top of the chocolate bar toward your body with the edge of the
knife.
*Different parts of the knife will give you different types of shavings. Using the edge of the knife
will give you a fine and somewhat jagged shaving. Using the middle of the knife will give you
long, curled shavings that look similar to cinnamon sticks. Using the base of the knife near the
handle will give you a shorter version of the base shavings. It's up to you what kind to use or to
use a mix.
After your shavings are created, sprinkle them onto the sides and top of the cake in a random
fashion. The more you use, the fuller your cake will look, but if you use too many it will look
crowded so watch carefully as you place the shavings.
--------------
STEP SEVEN: Setting and Cutting the Cake
After your cake is put together, it is recommended that you allow the cake to sit for a few
hours. This will allow the flavors to really blend into a whole flavor and make it possible to
properly cut the cake without it falling apart. (Cutting it immediately after making it will result in
messy cutting.)
Once your cake is ready to be eaten, place a large knife (your choice in type of knife) into a
pot of extremely hot water (the water should be steaming) and retrieve a clean kitchen towel.
Allow the knife to sit in the water for a few moments, then remove it and wipe it with the towel
and immediately cut through the cake. After each slice into the cake, the knife should be
redipped and wiped again in order to prevent the mousse from making a mess on the next slice
and making your cake look fantastic even after it's sliced! You're done and can now enjoy your
delicious cake!
