Double Choc Cake

This is one of my long overdued post on the double choc cake that I baked on 14 Nov 10. Trying to play catch up you see. I really enjoyed making this cake, the process may be a tad long but just methodically go through the steps and you will get there. Best of all, the resutls are fantabulous! My frens and family simply loved it. Plus it keeps well for about 1 week in the fridge so no worries about baking in advance! *wink*

The recipe is gotten from my beloved Rose's Heavenly Cakes.

Recipe
A
42g Unsweetened (alkanized) cocoa powder - I used Varlhona
118g boiling water

B
74g large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 tbsp water
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

C
156g cake flour or unbleached all-purpose flour - I used plain flour
200g superfine sugar - I used 180g caster sugar from SIS
2.5tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

128g unsalted butter softened at room temperature

Heart shaped pan was stipulated. But I substituted with a 21cm round aluminium pan. Butter, cover with parchment paper cut to shape, butter and flour it.

1. At the start, preheat the oven at 175 deg C.
2. Mix A till smooth. Cover with cling wrap (I bought mine, bulk volume from Phoon Huat which comes with a great cutting edge) and put in fridge for about half hour. I find that using a pot is helpful as it is easier to pour and scrap into the batter later. To bring to room temperature before using.
3. In a bowl, whisk B till combined.
4. Using your mixer fitted with K beater, mix dry ingredients, i.e. C at low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and A. Continue to mix at low speed till incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1.5 minutes. Scrap down.
5. Add in egg mixture B in 2 parts to item 4 mixing well after each addition for about 30 seconds each time on medium-low speed. For steps 4 and 5, I mixed by hand using a whisk so it was a good workout!
6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Mine was smelling lovely from 25 minutes and I took it out at the 30th minute so test to make sure your skewer comes out cleanly and watch carefully.
7. While baking, prepare the ganache glaze.

Ganache Glaze
85g dark chocolate,chopped - I used Varlhona 58% cocoa and serrated  knife to chop
174g heavy cream - I used 200ml President's Whipping Cream

1. Over low heat, heat the whipping cream in a saucepan will bubbling at the sides. Off the heat and sprinkle the dark chocolate over. Cover and wait for 5 minutes before mixing thoroughly.
2. Poke holes with cake in the mould with wooden skewer. Patiently (and I mean it to have optimal results.), using a pastry brush, paint about half the ganache over the surface till absorbed into the holes. Turn the cake over and unmould the cake onto a plate covered with cling wrap and poke holes all over with. Be careful that it does not break! Mine broke as you can see from the photos below. But still delicious! Repeat and paint for the other side. Set aside 10 to 15 minutes per side. I know, I know, it sounds like a lot of work. But trust me, the results are worth it!
3. Chuck the whole thing into the fridge overnight and when the next day comes, you will have a delicous cake waiting!
4. Enjoy!

New Manicure & Pedicure

Well, being a true blue gu-niang, though a feisty one at that, haha, I jumped at the chance to go for mani pedi, short for manicure and pedicure with my gal fren S yesterday at Far East Plaza. The colour chosen is the colour to be seen in, well at least from the magazines I have browsed through so far - turquoise and such a lovely shade too! :) The only thing is my feet as I felt that the effect of black tips are less contrasting compared to white tips. In any case, I had a good, break last night so no major complaints! :)

My First Standard Chartered Run!

It had been a long, ling wait for the marathon which finally occurred on Sun, 5 Dec 10. I woke up early in the morning and ventured to the site with trepidation. My surer and gal friend are with me so there's commadarie in groups, I must say. Still, the nervousness of going for a 10km remains and I console myself that it is human to feel fear for things that are new and when I am unprepared for it! Haha. Somehow my training plans got derailed when I came down with bouts of flu, holiday in between and getting sick again (!) after my trip. Anyhow, us gals had an implicit agreement to just try our best. We support each other and look out or each other whenever one of us felt unwell or had aches. So kudos to sisterhood! I love you both! :)

The experience of completing a race is always great and funnily, I felt that things ain't that bad after all, though I would baulk at upgrading to half marathon. 10km is ok for me, thank you very much folks! So medal in my hand, cold drink on the other, it was off to a sumptuous breakfast at Macdonalds thereafter. This experience taught me a lot an I feel thankful and blessed to have had the chance yo go through it. Thanks too to all the well wishes from friends. You are the best!

Till the next FUN activity then! ;)