Chocolate Cakes for Giving
Our 10th recipe to review from A Baking Day with Anna Olson is found on page 127; Chocolate Loaf Cake with White Chocolate Chunks.
Instead of one large loaf I decided to make small mini loaves. A slice from one of these mini loaves was the perfect chocolate treat.
Ingredients
Raspberry Flavour Adjustment
- added 1 tablespoon of raspberry powder (intense concentrated flavour)
- added 1/4 teaspoon of espresso powder ( brings out the chocolate flavour)
- added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
- decreased the white chocolate to 150 grams
- added 90 grams of ruby- raspberry chocolate
Mise En Place
Mise en place (French pronunciation: [mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "gather". It refers to the setup required before cooking, and is often used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients.
This was the very first lesson I learned at school. It literally changed the way I cooked and baked.
How to Properly Use Mise En Place
Applying the practice of mise en place is a lot easier than the name may make it sound. To properly use mise en place, follow these simple guidelines.
- Have your recipe handy and develop a plan.
- Gather all of your ingredients, utensils, and equipment needed.
- One by one, wash, cut, dice, chop, and measure all of your ingredients.
- Place them into appropriately sized dishes, bowls, and containers for easy grabbing.
- Set your ingredients around your cooking station for better accessibility.
The Batter
The Results
My rating of this recipe is 4 out of 5. The cake was a little dense for my liking. The raspberry flavour was a nice addition. The ruby chocolate with its slight sourness, balanced the sweetness of the white chocolate.
I choose to ice with a raspberry cream cheese frosting. Adding some chocolate rocks and raspberry chunks made for a nice presentation.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese (1 block) at room temperature 227g
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature 113g
- 4 cups confectioners sugar 454g
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam 98g
- ½ tsp raspberry extract optional
- ½ tbsp milk or cream
Instructions
- In the bowl of a hand or stand mixer, add the 1 block cream cheese and the 1/2 cup unsalted butter and mix on low- medium speed for 2-3 minutes until fully creamed.
- Stop and scrape down the mixer. Add in the 4 cups of confectioners sugar. Mix on low speed working your way up to medium speed as the sugar mixes in. Mix for 2-3 mins more until fully mixed.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the 1/2 cup raspberry jam, ½ tsp raspberry extract (if using) and 1/2 tbsp milk. Mix again on medium speed for 2-3 more minutes until super light and fluffy.
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