Making birthday cakes for Lucas and Dave are two of the highlights of my baking year.  It’s really important to me that everyone has just the right birthday cake, whether it’s a complete surprise or an begged for cake.  I remember Mum making the birthday cakes of our dreams every year, so I happily carry on that tradition with Lucas.

Last week Lucas turned three and as he is a dinosaur-obsessed little boy, he asked for a dinosaur cake.  A few days later he said that he wanted a bouncy dinosaur cake, sending me into hysterical visions of carving a cake out of jelly and buttercreaming the whole thing!  Thankfully he eventually settled on a non-bouncy Triceratops cake.

I carved two double-chocolate pound cakes (1kg loaf, 1.5kg loaf) into the requisite shape, leaving a ledge all around the base to add grass, giving the impression that Triceratops was walking along happily.  The bulk of the detail was in the face, so I spent quite a lot of time making sure everything was symmetrical.  Little sausages of fondant glued on with buttercream were really helpful for making the face more realistic—that’s how I made the ridge above the eyes and added a bit more shape to the face.  The horns were made from cream flowerpaste that I allowed to harden before attaching.  The frill was really important to get right so I measured around the neck and cut out a strip of fondant/flowerpaste (50/50 blend) and pinched it into the right shape. After it had dried for a while I glued it in place and propped it with some wadded up kitchen paper.  The finishing touch was to pipe some tufts of grass all the way around Triceratops and randomly across the board.

Judging from Lucas’s reaction, it was a total hit!  I added the baby T-rex from his favourite bedtime book “Say Hello to the Dinosaurs” to the board and made a dinosaur nest  to complete the Cretaceous Period look.  (I love to decorate the cake board to set off the cake, it makes such a difference.)

This cake was such fun to put together and much easier than I’d anticipated!  It’s by no means perfect but I’m improving all the time and Lucas loved it which is all that really matters.  Speaking of the birthday boy, here he is in his alter ego of Batman!

Happy birthday, wee man. Mummy loves you!

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When Ivonne and Lis first asked me to host August’s Daring Bakers’ challenge, I was thrilled. Then intimidated.  And then the fun megalomania kicked in.   I could choose anything!  I could be as nice or as evil as I wanted to be!  Bwahahahaha!

Ahem.

I’ve always had a long list of things that I’ve wanted to bake.  Well, things I want to eat, really—so this seemed the perfect time to knock something off that list.  But choosing something that would be appropriate for the Daring Bakers turned out to be harder than I expected.  I was quite gung-ho about strudel, but then the next challenge turned out to be strudel!  And then I thought of making a Fraisier but that particular cake cannot be chilled because of the marzipan on top.  Same problem with the amazing Triumph of Gluttony from Sicily!   I was beginning to run out of ideas—crocquembouche? No, we’d already done eclairs and general fun with choux last year—when I came across a beautifully layered cake with stripes that a zebra would be proud of.  The Dobos Torta.

Whisper-thin layers of sponge, a decadent chocolate buttercream and crisp wedges of caramel on top… this was my kind of cake!  And best of all, it fit with all the very sensible criteria for a Daring Bakers recipe, as well as being daring and thoroughly challenging.

Once I’d settled on what I wanted to make, and quickly checked with Ivonne that no one else was planning to challenge us with it, I started thinking about a co-host.  Very little thought was needed before I asked the lovely Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella if she would like to join me.  Thankfully she said yes, and the rest is (now) history.

I have loved looking at all the wonderful Dobos Torta that the very Daring Bakers have created through August.  Looking at cake upon cake while dieting probably isn’t the best idea, but it’s just been so much fun to see so many different shapes, colours and designs.  I feel like a proud mama when I see another new work of culinary art appear on the DB Forum and I am so, so pleased that everyone has taken on this cake with such gusto.  I really think that The Daring Bakers have outdone themselves this month!  Bravo to you all!

The full recipe is below, and please check out all the amazing Dobos Torta via the Daring Bakers’ blogroll.

Dobos Torta

Recipe adapted from Kaffehauss by Rick Rodgers and Cafe Chocolada.

Sponge cake layers

• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner’s (icing) sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
• pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
• 4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping

• 1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
• 12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
• 8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Finishing touches

• a 7” cardboard round
• 12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
• ½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions for the sponge layers:

NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).
2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9″ (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn’t touch the cake batter.)
3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner’s (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don’t have a mixer.)

4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner’s (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8″ springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.
3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.
4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.
5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Lorraine’s note: If you’re in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Male sure the butter is of a very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you’ll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.
2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.
3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn’t just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Angela’s note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.

Assembling the Dobos

1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.
2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.
3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.
4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

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You know how it is, I’m sure.  You resolve, hand on heart, to cut back on buying cookbooks.  (Not stop, because that would be utterly ridiculous.  Me, stop buying cookbooks?  Crazy talk!)  But yes… you resolve to cut back and then, along comes a review of a cookbook that sends you scurrying to Amazon faster than Usagni Bolt.

The review in question is Ivonne’s—of Cream Puffs In Venice fame—review of Giada’s Kitchen.  I resisted for a good 24 hours before placing the order.  I even checked the library catalogue in case they had it; I was all prepared to submit a request for the book, but I couldn’t see any option to do so (are you listening, South Glos libraries?)  So, I succumbed and ordered it.  And I’m really glad that I did.

In the UK, we’re slowly starting to get more North American food shows.  So far, no Rachel Ray or Paula Deene who I think we can live without, but we have been getting The Barefoot Contessa for a couple of years—is it me, or does almost every recipe begin with a stick of butter?—Ellie of A Healthy Appetite and last year we had the first season of Giada de Laurentis’s Everyday Italian which I really enjoyed.  Giada’s hallmark is light and fresh Italian cookery with big flavours. She doesn’t shy away from butter but this particular cookbook is her healthiest yet, something that always appeals to me.

When flicking through the book plenty of recipes caught my eye, but I absolutely had to try out her salmon recipe.  I am not a fan of fish soups or stews, but serving the salmon with a citrus broth looked absolutely perfect for the few days of summer we were experiencing.  With a little bit of tweaking—I used much less olive oil—this dish is perfect for Phase Two of the South Beach Diet, and it would be perfect for any time of the year when you need some freshness or a delicious taste of summer.

Salmon in Lemon Brodetto with Pea Puree

Source: Giada’s Kitchen
Serves 4

Lemon Brodetto

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 lemons, one zested and both juiced
• 500ml chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Pea Puree

• 2 cups (250g) frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (125ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salmon

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 (4-6oz) skinless boneless salmon fillets
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the lemon brodetto, warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium to low heat.  Add the shallot and saute until tender, about 7 minutes.  Add the lemon zest and juice and the broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and keep warm over a low heat.

To make the pea puree, combine the peas, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor and puree.  With the machine running, add the extra-virgin olive oil in a steady drizzle. Transfer the pea puree to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Set aside.

To make the salmon, warm the olive oil in a large, heavy frying pan over high heat.  Season the salmon pieces with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon on one side until a golden crust forms, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the fish and continue cooking until medium-rare about 2 minutes.

To assemble the dish, stir the chopped mint into the lemon brodetto and divide between four serving bowls.  Place a large spoonful of pea puree in the centre of each bowl and top with a piece of salmon. Garnish with some extra mint if desired. Serve immediately.

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Whoops, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?  All is fine, Chez Ang, I’ve just been lazing on the beach.  The South Beach Diet, that is.  Yup, after years of getting on (and falling off) the Weight Watchers wagon, I have defected to the sunny shores of the South Beach Diet.

It’s still early days, but I think this is the diet for me.  I think I need more ‘rules’ about eating and a definite absence of cakes and sugar as once I start eating cakes, I find it very hard to stop.  I’m still in Phase One of the plan (low-carbing) and  I must admit that I’m looking forward to a bowl of porridge as soon as Phase Two starts.  (I am also slightly fed up of eggs.  I fear I will be reincarnated as a chicken.)

Thankfully I can still eat some very familiar meals, and pre-SB, one of my new favourite easy dinners was from Bill Granger’s Every Day: seared steak with cannellini beans and tomatoes, all drizzled with some aged balsamic vinegar.  It’s an absolutely delicious meal and I’m so pleased that it fits in perfectly with the South Beach lifestyle. These days I do add extra tomatoes and some red pepper and also serve it with some steamed broccoli to up the veggies, but that just makes it even better. (Especially if the broccoli is stirfried with plenty of garlic.  Mmmm… garlic.)

Steak with Cherry Tomatoes and Cannelini Beans

Source: Every Day by Bill Granger, Murdoch Books
Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 1 small red onion, sliced into thin wedges
• 250g cherry tomatoes
• 4 x 180g strip loin (New York cut) steaks
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

To serve

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano seeds

Preheat the oven to 200C. Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the beans, garlic, chilli flakes, onion and tomatoes into a small baking dish and stir together well.  Loosly cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the onion is tender and the tomatoes starting to pucker.

Meanwhile, brush the steaks with the remaining olive oil and season well.  Heat a chargrill pan over high heat and cook the steaks for 3-4 minutes each side (for medium). Leave the steaks to rest for 5 mins, covered loosely with foil.

When ready to serve, slice each steak into five or six pieces. Serve with the beans and tomatoes topped with a little balsamic and a sprinkling of oregano.

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Well, here I am.  A day late, but hopefully not a dollar short.  I totally spaced on this month’s Daring Cooks challenge.  I managed to convince myself that the posting date was the 17th and it was only when I saw dumplings popping up on my Google Reader, like a bloom of jellyfish, that it dawned on me that I was late.

“I’m late, I’m late!  For a very important date!” said I, channelling the White Rabbit, and promptly scurried off to the supermarket for supplies.

This month’s Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by the lovely Jen from Use Real Butter and is Chinese dumplings.

Chinese dumplings can be boiled, steamed, or fried.  I am a big fan of frying them to create potstickers as you get the best of two worlds: a gorgeous golden crispy base and a softly steamed upper half.  Mmm… magical.

So after practically throwing Lucas into bed, I got into the kitchen and started chopping.  And chopping.  And chopping.  Half-way through the ingredients list for the pork filling I found myself coming up with bad puns about chopping sprees.  (According to Jen, you have to chop by hand as a food processor creates either mush or irregularly chopped pieces of vegetable.  My knife callus bears testament to my determination to have finely minced veggies in my filling.)

Making the dough was easy enough since I happily used the food procesor for that.  Rolling the dough into decently thin circles was the hardest part for me.  Try as I might, I just couldn’t turn out a perfect circle which then had a knock-on effect with my pleating.  And as we all know, the real art of Chinese dumplings comes from the pleats that give them their trademark crescent shape.  *sigh*  Still, the later ones looked much prettier than my first attempts, so at least I improved.

I actually finished making a batch of the dumplings last night, but managed to burn them all.  I don’t mean a few blackened speckles… I mean solid black bottoms.  I was so dispirited that I (a) didn’t want to take a photo of such tragic dumplings and (b) couldn’t be bothered rolling and filling the other half of the dough so I left that for this morning and attempted to make some with Lucas.  Suffice to say that my dreams of having a dumpling production line in my kitchen have been dashed.  He did have great fun squidging the pork filling and poking at the already shaped dumplings, though!

When I finally finished filling all the dumplings, I shoved two-thirds of them into the freezer for Dave and very, very carefully fried the rest for lunch.  Lucas loved the huge plume of steam that shot out of the pan when I poured in the cold water and couldn’t wait to try the potstickers.  Heck, neither could I.  They smelled so good!

As good as they smelled, the potstickers tasted even better!  I knew I was on to a winner when I flipped one over and it was gorgeously golden brown with an audibly crispy base.  Mmmm… crunchy.  The filling was smooth, fresh and very fragrant with beautifully chopped vegetables, even if I do say so myself!  The best thing is that Lucas loved them, and he’s been a little fussy in his eating habits lately, except where chocolate is concerned of course.  He’s not stupid!  At any rate, he demolished a plateful of potstickers with plenty of “dip-dip” and tried to steal some of mine!   I suspect that my near-future involves making lots of dumplings…

For the recipe and fabulous step-by-step photographs, see Jen’s post here.  Thanks for a great challenge, Jen!

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