…or maybe not.  There is supposed to be a Daring Bakers challenge here, but it just didn’t work out this month.  Life’s just like that sometimes.

In the meantime, be sure to check out everyone’s work.

Just popping in to share another apron…

I went on a little apron binge.  I think I am finally friends with my sewing machine too.  I even mastered button holes which is great because up until now, I have avoided any pattern that required them. 

This is one of my favorites.  It’s a reverible apron with extra long ties so you can tie it in the front or the back.

view a

view b

Then I made the most hideous apron ever to grace the earth.  It looked so cute on the model, but I look like I’m overdue for a trip the delivery room.  When I modeled the reversible one for the spouse I got a vavavoom, with this one, he avoided eye contact.  I don’t blame him.  I can’t look myself in the eye when I’m wearing it either. 

All jokes aside, I learned a lot about working with biased tape, so it wasn’t a total loss.

For the longest time I assumed that all those black out cakes were covered with chocolate cookie crumbs.  Then one day I actually looked at a recipe and discovered they were coated with cake crumbs.  That was the moment I realized, I needed to make this cake. 

This white-out cake is a Dorie Greenspan recipe, with alternating layers of rich chocolate cake and marshmallow filling.  I love it straight from the fridge.

devil’s food white-out cake

the cake

1 1/3 cups AP flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 sticks butter softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1/2 buttermilk or whole milk at room temperature

1/2 cup boiling water

4 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate finely chopped

the filling and frosting

1/2 cup egg whites (about 4)

1 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup water

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and line two 8″ x 2″ round cake pans then butter again and dust with flour.

the cake

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Cream butter then add sugars and mix for 3 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Add vanilla.  Reduce speed to low and add melted chocolate.  When fully incorporated, slowly add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with milk.  Scrape down sides and mix only until ingredients disappear into the batter.  With mixer on low, slowly add boiling water.  Switch to rubber spatula and scrape down bowl and stir in chocolate.  Divide batter evenly between the two pans. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating pans half way through baking.  Transfer to rack to cool for 5 minutes, then run knife around sides of cake and unmoldand peel papers.  Cool on rack to room temperature.  When ready to fill and frost, slice each layer horizontally in half.  Set 3 layers aside and crumble the fourth layer, setting the crumbs aside.

the filling and frosting

Put egg whites in clean, dry mixer bowl.  Put sugar, cream of tartar and water in a small saucepan and stir to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, cover the pan and boil for 3 minutes.  Uncover and allow the syrup to boil until it reaches 242 degrees F on a candy thermometer.  While the syrup is cooking, start beating the egg whites.

Then the syrup is at about 235 degrees, begin beating egg whites on medium speed with the whisk attachment.  If the whites form firm, shiny peaks before the syrup reaches temperature, reduce the speed to low and keep mixing the whites until the syrup catches up.  With the mixer at medium and standing back slightly, carefully pour in the hot syrup, pouring it between the whisk and the side of the bowl.  Splatters are inevitable, don’t try to scrap them down, just carry on.  Add the vanilla and keep beating the whites at medium speed until they reach room temperature, about 5 minutes.  You should have a smooth, shiny, marshmallowy frosting.  Although you could keep it in the fridge in a pinch, it’s really best to use it right away.

assembly

Put a bottom layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment.  Using a long metal icing spatula, cover the layer generously with frosting.  Top the a second layer, cut side up, and frost it.  Finish with the third layer, cut side down, and frost the sides and top of the cake.  Don’t worry about smoothing the frosting – it should be swirly.  Now, cover the entire cake with the chocolate cake crumbs, gently pressing the crumbs into the filling with our fingers.

Refrigerate the cake for about 1 hour before serving.  Can be chilled for 8 hours or more; cover it loosely and keep it away from foods with strong odors.

Fanny at foodbeam makes beautiful things. When I saw this I couldn’t help but give it a shot. Fanny not only makes beautiful things, she makes delicious things. I adore this tart and will make it again and again.

Here’s mine…

I don’t have sweet little tart pans like hers so I made one big tart. I wrestled with the caramel, but after 5 (yes, 5) attempts I got it and it was worth it. I made the marshmallows, but forgot to take a picture so maybe I’ll just have to make them again. Wouldn’t that just be a shame?

I completely and whole heartedly adore meringues.  Most of all, I love the ones that crunch under the bite, but instantly melt on the tongue.

I needed a little something to start off a dinner party and created these.

Crunchy meringue cups filled with a chocolate pastry cream and dusted with shavings of dark chocolate,

and

cups filled with lemon curd.

meringue cups

makes about 4 dozen cups and can be made up to 2 days ahead if stored air tight

4 egg whites

1 cup sugar

pinch of cream of tartar

Line baking sheets with parchment and set aside

Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in heat proof bowl of electric mixer.  Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch (3 minutes).

Heat oven to 200 degrees.  Transfer bowl to mixer and whip.  Start on low and gradually increase to high, until glossy stiff peaks form (10 – 12 minutes)

Fit a pasty bag with a small star tip and pipe cups starting with the base then come up the sides, making them about 1 inch high.  Bake 20 minutes, reduce heat to 175 degrees and until dried, but still white (about 40 minutes).  Transfer to wire rack to cool.

A few hours before serving use a pastry bag to fill cups.

chocolate pastry cream

3 egg yolks

1.5 ounces sugar

1 ounce flour

Whisk these together in a bowl and set aside

In small saucepan put

1.5 ounces sugar

1 cup whole milk

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Place over low heat until the first bubble appears then remove from heat.  Whisk 1/3 of the milk in the egg mixture, then slowly add the remaining milk and stir.

Strain mixture back into the saucepan and put back on med heat.  Bring to boil and simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn on the bottom.  Pour into dish to cool.

Can be made a day ahead if chilled.

lemon curd

I have been playing with a reversible tote pattern and think I may have adapted it to exactly what I was hoping for. 

The brown is my favorite, but here are some others that I made in the process. 

There is also one with a grey geometric that flips to a pale yellow and grey floral.