What to do when your city floods and you have nothing to do.... White Chocolate Mudcake - Dark Chocolate Mudcake

The last few days have been so surreal. With increasing feelings of powerlessness, we have sat at home watching the some of the worst floods to ever hit Brisbane and many other parts of Australia, carve their path of destruction. We are on a hill and in our area; you wouldn't know anything bad was going on at all. We joined every volunteer organisation we could so that we would be able to help with the clean up, made sure that every person we knew was safe and that both them and their belongings were above the expected peak water level..... and then we waited. House after house went under.

This picture of a house in Milton was taken by Michael McQueen, retrieved from The Courier Mail website.

This picture of the Brisbane River was taken by Marc Homan, retrieved from The Courier Mail website

Apparently the world doesn't stop turning in events such as these and things like birthday and assignments continue to exist!!! My partner’s nephew turned 2 the other day and I had already agreed to bake him a cake. Although I felt rotten baking a cake while others were losing their homes... it was a relief to turn off the TV and to stop the 24/7 dialogue of despair and destruction.

And so here is the resulting cake. (Sorry about the shite pictures - I only have my phone and the light in our kitchen is even worse!)

I know the cake is for a 2 year old, but given that he was the only person under the age of 26 at the party I thought that a rich chocolate cake was still an appropriate choice. I ended up doing a half dark chocolate mud, half white chocolate mud cake to get the height I was after and because I was afraid the dark chocolate part was too dark and rich.

So, as you can see - a REALLY rich and dense cake. I used a butte icing and had scoped out jus the right icing tip I needed to do the grass, but then the flood came and I was unable to get to the shop to buy it; so I settled for spaghetti grass instead.

I had also wanted to put a fence around it, but again with all the shops closed, I didn't have enough ingredients to make the fondant. On the day of the birthday party a few shops had opened, but even if I bought readymade fondant, it wasn't going to set in time. So I decided I'd make it out of white chocolate - which also failed. I used white chocolate drops, which were apparently meant for cookies and cupcakes because they hold their form when baked. That meant that my 'melted chocolate' looked dryer than cookie dough..... That sort of chocolate only has one home in my kitchen - the bin!!

Below are the recipe and some pictures I took throughout the process. Both recipes are from Womens Weekly: Celebration Cakes.

Dark Chocolate Mud Cake: (for a 17cm round, 15cm square, 17cm octagonal)

360g    Dark Chocolate (I used 70% Lindt dark chocolate, so unless you’re making it for dark chocolate lovers I'd used a lower %, or just a generic dark chocolate that is unlikely to be as bitter as this was)

225g    Butter

1tbsp   Dry Instant Coffee

3/4cup Water

3/4cup Brown Sugar (packed firmly)

1cup    Plain Flour

1/4cup Self Raising Flour

2          Eggs

1/4cup Coffee Liqueur

           

Baking time: 2 hours

Moderate Slow oven (approx. 160 C)

1. Grease and line baking tin, ensuring that paper extends 5cm above the side of the tin

2. Combine chopped chocolate, chopped butter, coffee, water and sugar in a heat proof bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water.

Melted mix, before adding four etc.

Use a metal of plastic spoon or scraper for this, as anything porous, like wood, will absorb the water from    the melting chocolate

And continuously remove from the heat and stir, then replace and stir etc. The bowl and the mixture will hold its own heat and will continue to melt the chocolate etc while off the stove. This will ensure you don't over heat your chocolate which will make it split (once its split, it won't come back) and it also ensures that you mixture isn't too hot and you can continue with step 3 without having to wait for it to cool.

3. Stir in sifted flours, lightly beaten egg and liqueur. (I use Muscat instead because that was all I had - still works really well). Pour into prepared pan.

With everything mixed in - doesn't look much different from previous step

 4. Bake in a moderately slow oven for approx 2 hours, or until skewer comes out clean. If getting too dark and crusty, cover with foil halfway through

5. Cool in the pan before turning out. If trimming the cake, wait until completely cooked before trimming.



Cooked cake :) I greased and floured my tin rather than using baking paper (as we didn't have any)



White Chocolate Mud Cake (17cm round, 15cm square, 17cm octagonal)

165g        Unsalted Butter

100g        White Chocolate

1 1/3cup  Caster Sugar 

2/3cup     Milk

1cup        Plain Flour

1/3cup     Self Raising Flour

1/2 tsp     Vanilla Essence

1             Egg

Baking time: 1 3/4 hours

Moderately Slow oven (approx 160 C)

1. Grease and line tin, ensuring that the paper extends 5 cm above the edge of the tin

2. Combine chopped butter, chopped chocolate, sugar and milk in a heat proof pan above a saucepan of simmering water until chocolate and sugar are melted

3. Sift in flours, essence and lightly beaten eggs. Pour mixture into pan.

4. Bake in moderately slow oven, cover with foil half way through if it is browning up too quickly. Test with skewer to see if it is ready

5. Cool in tin before turning out and ensure the cake is completely cooled before trimming.

Happy Birthday Coops!!

New Year, New Blog and No Idea Where I'm Heading...

"The measuring and mixing always smoothed out her thinking processes - nothing was as calming as creaming butter - and when the kitchen was warm from the oven overheating and the smell of baking chocolate, she took final stock of where she'd been and where she was going. Everything was fine."

 — Jennifer Crusie (Maybe This Time)

It has been 10 years since I was first told by my mother (who teaches Hospitality) that there is no such thing as a career in cooking..... I feel like I have finally found my way home - and that home is the kitchen and I am at peace when I'm baking.

I realise that she was only trying to save me from the unforgiving hours, and emotional intensity that the industry inflicts on its passionate and dedicated victims - but I know now that there is nothing else I can do - or perhaps, that I would never feel complete unless I was baking.

I have been baking "seriously" from home for only 3ish years and I'm starting this blog to document various paths I will walk (and no doubt stumble down!) in my quest to feed the souls of everyone I can, with love and flour.

My biggest challenge at this stage is money and time though. I am doing my masters in hospitality, full time and in desperate need of a job - which also presents an opportunity, one which I am terrified of taking: starting a baking apprenticeship.

I learnt long ago that when my heart starts beating and my spirit feels like it is vibrating that these were not indications to run away from what I was facing, but to run towards it. But the fear and uncertainty is driving me crazy and knowing that it is all bullshit doesn't help!

I have worked in all areas of the restaurant, done countless event (small and large), I have worked renovating homes, sewing, as a tutor, and as a tax accountant (?!?) and yet I'm scared of stepping into a commercial bakery. I'm not scared of not knowing anything - that is a total given - I guess I'm scared of stuffing up something that is so important to me. What if I go through everything and find out I'm mediocre!

Ok, I know I just make myself sound like a total knob but I believe that we were born, perfectly provided for. That we can no longer feed our soul with the energy and nutrition it deserves living in a modern world and that we focus far too much on professional development, and far too little on personal and interpersonal relationships, our garden and our family. I cook with whole foods - preferably from my garden, where I can - and I put as much love, support and energy into the food I bake when I'm making it.

It’s a little bit like having a hand dyed, hand woven quilt that your mother made, ensuring that every stitch made was done so with her thoughts on nothing but your happiness - NOTHING would be so nice to wrap yourself up in! And I guess that’s how I feel about my food.

I don't want a thankyou, I don't want acknowledgement, but I do want to change the world one mouthful at a time.

Small things DO count - If I can make every person that walks through my (metaphysical) doors a little happier by the time they leave, they will take that happiness and infect the people they come into contact with.

Coffee and service are as important to me as cooking - but I now feel as though I have rambled on enough, and if anyone has managed to make it to the end of this page (you deserve an award!!) then they certainly deserve a break from my nonsense.

So here is to the New Year, this new blog, and the excitement of possible successes and almost certain failures of what the universe decides to throw at me over the next few years!

Just so long as I don't go back to being an accountant.............

Flaxseed Loaf