The Queen of Procrastination (and Chocolate Cake)

Banana Layer Cake with fresh Banana and Chocolate Ganache Frosting
One of Martin's birthday cakes a week ago. The recipe is from Baking by Flavor, and here you go:

2 1/3 c plus 3 tablespoons unsifted bleached cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 pound + 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons or one + a quarter stick) unsalted butter, softened (the original recipe calls for 2 tabelspoons shortening, but I never have that around)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana (I food processed mine for a smooth consistency)
½ cup buttermilk

2 bananas for between the layers

Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Grease and line, then grease the paper again and flour it, two 9-inch round cake pans.

Sift flour, nutmeg, salt, baking powder and baking soda together.

Cream butter and half the sugar in the bowl of a freestanding mixer, for about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the sugar, beat for another 2 minutes. Blend in the eggs, one at the time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla and mashed bananas.

Alternately add the sifted flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

For the frosting, I used Cheryl's Chocolate ganache recipe (using regular salt and whatever chocolate's lying around) - it's fast becoming the golden standard around our home.

Make up a batch of frosting, and assemble - I used a little of the frosting between the layers, together with the banana. It was a treat, this - but let me warn you, even though the cake layers themselves are described as soft-textured and somewhat light, this is one heavy cake - small slices are plenty!

Chocolate Meringue Truffle Cake
From Nigella's Feast. I've made this a couple times now, last time was for my Mom's birthday. I've tried both doubling the meringue part because I wanted to feel more of the crunch, and I've also halved the recipe with no problems. The only complaint I have about the recipe is that it tells you to stir vanilla and your chosen spirit (the original calls for rum, I've used both Bailey's and Amaretto instead) into the melted chocolate - DON'T DO IT!! It will seize - at least that's what it did the first time I did it like instructed. Grrrr. Just stir it in with the cream. Other than that, it's a fabulous, dense chocolate mousse-like cake, more of a dessert than cake, but you'll love it. what's there not to love about cream and chocolate?

Remember this is one of those you have to start a day in advance!

I'll be lazy and point you to the recipe here - just double or maybe even triple the merengue layer - you won't be sorry!

Nigella's Dense Chocolate Loaf
You haven't made this yet? Boy, you're missing out - get to it! A perfect, dense, soothing, caramelly loaf that whips up fast and last long - if you haven't eaten it already. Recipe to be had here, in case you don't have Domestic Goddess already (in which case you really are behind, aren't you?;))

Marbled Chocolate & Sweet Cheese Cake
It's been a while since I made this, but I remember it oh so well. And yes, it's Baking by Flavor, once more. Ever made a brownie with cream cheese and enjoyed that slightly salty, savory kick? Well, this works on the same principle, only the chocolate part is more cake-y and really, really good. Give it a go - I know I'll have to mae it soon again.

The original calls for coconut to be added to the chocolate part, and walnuts in the cheese part, but as I'm not a fan of either, I left it out. If you'd like, add 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut to the chocolate batter after you've added the flour. For the walnuts, add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts to the cheese mixture in the end.

For the chocolate part:
1 cup unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) unsalted butter + 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted together and cooled a bit
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the sweet cheese part:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cake flour
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit. Butter a 9 inch springform pan.

The chocolate part:
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk the eggs into the cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Add vanilla extract. Add sugar, mixing until just combined. Add sifted ingredients and whisk.

Set aside.

The sweet cheese part:
Beat together cream cheese, butter and sugar, using a handheld mixer, until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract, cake flour and eggs.

Assembly:
Scrape the chocolate batter into the prepared pan. Dot the chocolate batter with big spoonfuls of the sweet cheese mixture. Swirl the two together, taking care not to mix - it's an art, you know?

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Leave in the pan to cool, then unmold. The recipe then says to chill in the fridge for three hours before slicing and serving, but I never got that far...

Mars Bar Cake - or the more sophisticated Chocolate Nougat Squares
Last, but definitely not least - from ChocolateChocolate. What, you thought I'd bake anything not from either Lisa Yockelson or Nigella Lawson??? Nooooooo :)

So basically, this is a brownie with the added benefit of Mars Bars (or Milky Way Midnight Bars, as the recipe calls for, but I figured Mars Bars was about the same here in DK). Let me run that by you again: Brownies. With Mars Bars. That's just crazy! Bordering on Daim-cake frenzy crazy!

And let me tell you, it's good. Caramel sticks to your teeth as you plow your way through brownie and chocolate and... Here - make!

About 7 oz. worth of Midnight Milky Way Bars or Mars Bars, chopped into ½ inch chunks and chilled in the fridge for 20 minutes
1 1/4 cups unsifted bleached cake flour
1/4 cups unsweetend cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter + 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled together
4 large eggs, beaten together
2 cups granulated sugar
2½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit. Butter a 9 by 9 inch brownie pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt.

Mix the eggs with the sugar. Blend in the vanilla and butter/chocolate mixture. Sift the flour-mixture over and stir to form a batter. Carefully stir in 2/3 of of the candy chunks.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and dot with the rest of the candy, pressing it down in the batter somewhat.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 2 hours, then unmould and refrigerate for one hour. Cut up and gobble up!

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