They Say It's Your Birthday

GYM is a lucky guy. He has an avid baker for a girlfriend. However, he wanted Smitten Kitchen's Espresso Chiffon Cake with Fudge Frosting. And I had never made a layer cake before. Here's how it went down:

Espresso Chiffon Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Coffee. Chocolate. Rum. Deliciousness.
Despite how it might sound, this cake is not overly sweet. The chocolate is unsweetened and the coffee balances the rum and confectioner's sugar. The layers are nearly soggy, but in a good way--no dryness to be found in this cake.

Makes an 8- or 9-inch triple-layer cake

1/4 cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed.
6 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons freshly brewed espresso, cooled to room temperature (All hail Carrmat's espresso maker!)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups cake flour (I used pastry flour)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Apparently you should own three cake pans and have them lined with parchment paper but not greased. I, not having money nor storage space, picked up a cheap Sur la Table 9 inch pan and buttered it up. However, I will state that it is very difficult to pour out 1/3 of the batter, so if you want even layers, go with the three pans.

In a medium bowl, combine the oil, egg yolks, espresso and vanilla; whisk lightly to blend. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.

In a large mixer bowl with an electric mixture, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-low speed until frothy. Raising the mixer speed to medium-high and gradually add the remaining half cup of sugar. Continue to beat until soft peaks form; do not whip until stiff or the cake will shirk excessively upon cooling.

Add the espresso-egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together just enough to combine. Add one-fourth of the beaten egg whites and fold them in to lighten the batter. Fold in the remainder of the whites just until no streaks remain. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans.

Bake the cakes for about 18 minutes each, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool enough that you can get the layer on to a wire rack, then grease up your pan again. Repeat twice.

To assemble the cake, place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Soak the cake with 1/3 cup of the Espresso Syrup (below).



Spread about 1 1/3 cups of the Instant Fudge Frosting (below) evenly over the top of the layer.


Repeat with the next layer, more syrup and more frosting. Finally, top with the third layer. Soak it with the remaining syrup and frost the tops and sides with the remaining frosting.










Espresso Syrup
Makes one cup

1/3 cup hot, freshly brewed espresso (I'm sure decaf would work as well)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark rum, such as Meyer’s or whichever type you take off Carrmat's shevles.

In a bowl, stir together the espresso and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the rum and let cool to room temperature.

Instant Fudge Frosting

Makes about 5 cups

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled--I used the microwave and kept an eye on it
4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar (no need to sift)
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons half-and-half or whole milk (I actually forgot this step and it was still yummy)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Place all of the ingredients in the Kitchen Aid and whip up til it's fluffy. Then hand the beater to the birthday boy.


If you want to write on the cake, modify the frosting by adding all ingredients to the Kitchen Aid except the chocolate. Whip it up and then stuff a frosting tube with the white (or add food coloring if you're the type that owns it). Add the chocolate, then frost the cake with the dark stuff and write a sweet happy birthday message with the tube of the white.

Nutmeg and Easy-Peasy Make Each Week Cake

Nutmeg! I'd never been a fan of its powdered form, believing it overpowering and useful only in fall-based dishes, a la pumpkin pie. But then I splurged a hard earned six dollars on a nutmeg grinder, and trust me, it is a worthy splurge. Rather than overpowering the dish, it just adds a background of warmth.

Nutmeg is a spice native to Indonesia, and one of the spices along the famous Silk Road. It was one of the many that drove 15th century explorers to seek new routes, trying to find a way around Africa in order to reach the exotic goods of Asia. Today, of course, nutmeg is much easier to obtain, with the Caribbean or your local Whole Foods being an excellent source. According to On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, the chemical components of nutmeg create fresh, pine, citrus, floral, woody, and warm notes. As noted above, it is a necessary component of pumpkin pie, as well as eggnog, Béchamel sauce, and spiced cider. It's handy added to pie crust, mashed potatoes, baked butternut squash and chocolate chip cookies. And it's downright delicious in this cake, which is a danger to me because I believe the wheat flour makes it healthy and therefore ok as a breakfast option.

I took this one from Molly, who borrowed from Edna Lewis.

1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
A few generous gratings of nutmeg, or to taste
½ cup whole milk at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter

In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. One by one, add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, and beat to blend.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.

Add about ¼ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat on low speed to incorporate. Add 1/3 of the milk or yogurt, and beat again. Add the remaining flour mixture in three more doses, alternating each time with a bit of milk or yogurt, and beating to just combine. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir to incorporate any flour not yet absorbed.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly across the top. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (This cake seems to want to brown quickly on top, so after about 20 minutes, you might want to peek into the oven and tent the cake with aluminum foil, if necessary.) Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes; then remove the sides of the pan and continue to cool.

Serve at room temperature. Or slightly warm, if you want. Me, I can't wait for room temperature.