Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

Yield: about 2 cups Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2/3 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 oz quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, and half of the chocolate. Bring the mixture to a boil. stirring until the chocolate pieces are completely melted. 2. Reduce heat and cook at a low boil, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add in butter, vanilla, and remaining chocolate and stirring until smooth. Allow the sauce to cool down before serving.

Notes:
- This recipe can be easily adapted to create new flavors. I added in 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract which yielded a subtle, smooth, minty flavor. I think orange extract would also be excellent. - To store, cool sauce completely and chill in an airtight container within the refrigerator for up to one week. Recipe from Gourmet, February 2004 via Epicurious

Black Magic Cake

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Servings: 24

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups white sugar 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup strong brewed coffee 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans or one 9x13 inch pan. 2. In large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center. 3. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pans. 4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack. Fill and frost as desired.

The Art of Baking - a dry heat method of cooking

Definition of Baking
Baking is defined as cooking food in an oven using dry heat. Thats all well and good, but since baking is one of the primary ways in which we cook food, lets take a minute to look at baking, in depth. When we think of the term baking we are generally talking about cakes, breads, and pastries. We will discuss oven roasting of meat and vegetables in the Roasting section.

History of Baking
Baking was originally accomplished in the coals of a fire, or on a hearth. The Italian peasant bread, focaccia, comes from the Italian word for hearth. Notice that it is the same root as the word focus. The hearth was, literally and figuratively, the center, or focus, of the home. From the earliest, unleavened breads from the Middle East and the Americas to risen breads to elaborate cakes and pastries, history leaves us record of baking in many ancient civilizations, including Babylon, Egypt, Rome and Greece.

Types of Ovens
Several free-standing brick ovens have been uncovered in the ruins of Pompeii. Other ovens of the ancient world include clay and even mud ovens, and later, in the 1600s, cast metal ovens, such as the Dutch oven. Although brick and clay ovens are still in wide use all over the world as well as in America, most home bakers will have access to a conventional oven, a convection oven and/or a microwave oven. Conventional ovens consist of a metal box with several racks and upper and lower thermostatically controlled heating elements of some sort (gas or electric). Preheating a conventional oven first heats the air in the oven and then the metal box itself. Cooking is primarily done through means of radiant heat. Heat is transferred from the walls of the oven to the food through the air in the oven. Some conduction occurs, as well. Conduction is the transfer of heat through direct contact. For example, cakes are baked with radiant heat from the oven itself, and heat is also conducted from the cake pan (which of course has heated up) directly to the batter. This is why baked goods are generally darker at the edges where they meet the pan: the food is being cooked through two heat transfer processes at once.

Convection ovens are similar to conventional ovens, but they also have a fan inside that creates an
air current inside the oven. Regular convection ovens have a fan that blows air, but true convection ovens also have a third heating element, located right behind the fan, so the fan blows heated air. In general, convection ovens speed the cooking process, harnessing radiant heat energy, conductive heat energy as well as convective heat energy. If you have a convection oven, your baking times will be shorter, and you will most likely have to set the thermostat anywhere from 25 to 50 degrees lower than your recipes call for, unless they were developed using a convection oven.

Microwave ovens send energy into food in the form of waves that excite lopsided molecules,
namely: water. Microwave ovens can heat quickly, but since water boils at 212 degrees, food will never get hot enough to brown. For that reason, most home cooks eschew the microwave for cooking, but they are very useful and efficient when it comes to reheating foods.

Baking V. Roasting
The age old question of which came first, baking or roasting. No I have that confused with something else. Seriously, I get asked what's the difference between baking and roasting all the time. People want to know why we bake bread but roast chicken since they are both essentially the same dry heat cooking method. You have baked clams but roasted bruschetta. To make matters even more confusing, there are baked potatoes and oven roasted potatoes.

Mixing Methods:
Since we have pretty well established that baking starts with dough or a batter, let us take a moment to examine the different methods we have for making a batter or dough. Well discuss methods for making bread dough elsewhere. Many of these methods outline the manner in which fats are incorporated into the batter or dough.

Creaming
In the creaming method, fats are mixed with sugar to form a mixture that is either smooth and creamy (cookie dough) or light and fluffy (cakes). Then, eggs are added one at a time, followed by adding dry ingredients (flours + salt + spices + chemical leaveners) alternately with wet ingredients (milk/water + liquid flavorings). The resultant batter can be very thick, as in cookie dough, or spoonable, like cake batter. Rarely does the creaming method produce a batter that is truly pourable. So why combine ingredients this way? The initial creaming of the fat with the sugar creates lots of little air bubbles (fewer for cookies, many more for cakes). The sharp edges of the sugar actually cut into the butter and create a bunch of little air pockets. Upon heating, the air in the pockets expands, helping the dough/batter to rise. Beating the eggs in early allows even more air to be whipped in (think of meringue) in the initial mixing stages. In the creaming method, it is very important that you do not skimp on the creaming of the fats/sugar/eggs. The more air pockets you have to begin with, the more rise you will get, regardless of how much baking powder or baking soda you add to the batter. When adding the flour and liquid, it is important to mix as little as possible while still getting the ingredients well combined. The less you mix, the less gluten is developed, resulting in a more tender final product. Adding flour before adding the liquid helps to coat the flour with fat, further inhibiting gluten production. If you add liquid first, and then add flour, you will end up with a chewier final product since more gluten will be activated.

Muffin
The muffin method is the method by which we make muffins, scones, pancake and waffle batter and other quick breads. Its a pretty easy method, but like many easy things, it must be done correctly to be successful. In the muffin method, all dry ingredients are combined (flour + salt + sugar + chemical leaveners + spices). All wet ingredients are combined (milk/water + liquid fats + eggs + liquid flavorings). Then, the wet ingredients are poured onto the dry ingredients and gently mixed. Lumps are okay in this methodthey will settle out on their own. Since youre not taking the extra step of coating the flour with fat, it is extra important that you mix gently so you dont activate the gluten. When incorporating the wet with the dry, dont think mix, think fold. You want to gently fold the ingredients together to make a batter. This folding shouldnt take any longer than about ten to fifteen seconds. Then, even if its lumpy, as Alton Brown says, Just walk away. In reality, you want to get your batter into tins and into the oven (or on the griddle) relatively quickly so the chemical leavening can do its job.

Biscuit
The biscuit method is the method used to make biscuits, scones and many pie doughs. In the mixing method, dry ingredients are combined (flour + sugar + salt + chemical leaveners + dry flavorings). Then, chunks of cold, solid fat (butter, lard, shortening or a mixture) is cut into the dry ingredients) with either forks or another mechanical helper or by hand), until the fat is about the size of peas. This method allows some of the flour to be coated with fat, adding to tenderness while leaving enough fat in large pieces to melt during the baking process and create steam. This adds texture and leavening to the final product. Once the cold fat is cut in, cold liquids are added (ice water/milk/buttermilk/cream). It is important to keep the fats very cold in this method. If the fats begin to soften before you are finished, put your bowl in the freezer for a few minutes so they firm up. Once the liquid is incorporated, mix minimally, shape and bake.

Two-Stage
The two stage mixing method was originally applied to high ratio cakes. The term high ratio refers to a high ratio of water to flour held together by the emulsifiers in the new fangled solid shortenings. Since the emulsifiers could hold more water, the batter could also hold more sugar, since sugar dissolves in water. This helped to increase shelf life and moistness in cakes. Since we have become more health conscious about the effect of trans fats, solid shortenings have fallen out of favor somewhat. The two-stage mixing method, however, is an effective method for creating a meltingly tender, fine crumbed cake. In the two-stage method, you mix all dry ingredients in the mixing bowl (flour + sugar + salt + chemical leaveners + dry spices). Then, mix the eggs with about of the liquid ingredients (milk/water + wet flavorings). Make sure that all dry ingredients are well mixed in the bowl, and then add butter at cool room temperature plus the egg mixture. Mix on low to moisten all the ingredients, and then beat on medium for a couple of minutes to develop the structure of the batter. The batter will get light and fluffy. Next, add the rest of the milk in three additions, scraping the bowl and mixing for a few seconds between additions. Batter made using this method is generally a bit thinner that batter made with the creaming method. Since dry + wet + eggs are mixed in at the same time, you will not get the same amount of air bubbles that you will with the creaming method. Your final product will have a tighter, more velvety crumb and have a very melting mouth feel.

Egg Foam
The egg foam method is the method we use for making genoise, angel food cake, and meringue-type cookies. In this mixing method, most (if not all) of the leavening comes from an extended beating of either egg whites or whole eggs with sugar. Then, the dry ingredients are gently folded in. Batter made with the egg foam method of mixing are generally very thick and light. It is best to bake them immediately and let them cool in the pan upside down, as the structure of these cakes is very delicate until cool. There are also some hybrid mixing methods where eggs are separated, the yolks are added according to the creaming method or the muffin method, then the whites are beaten to medium peaks and folded in before baking. This creates a batter with extra liftfrom chemical leaveners, air bubbles created during creaming and air bubbles in the egg foamand a drier end product. Now that you know the major mixing methods, the world is your oyster. You can take almost any cake recipe that calls for the creaming method and apply the two-stage method. Note the results, and then use the method that you like best. Read a recipe, name the general mixing method, based on the instructions, and then adapt it how you see fit. Not all mixing methods are interchangeable, but you can usually use choose between creaming or two-stage, creaming or muffin or even adapting a recipe with whole eggs to the hybrid method described above. It all depends on the final texture you seek: tender, chewy, light and dry or moist and velvety.

Black Tie Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons of instant espresso granules dissolved into 3/4 cup warm water 3/4 cup buttermilk 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Ganache

3 tablespoons corn syrup 5 ounces heavy cream 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting

16 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening 6 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature 2 pounds confectioners sugar, sifted 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract*

Directions:
For the Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. 2. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. 3. Add eggs, espresso/water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth, taking care to scrape down the side of the bowl to fully incorporate all ingredients. 4. Using a large scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells, filling each well 2/3 full. 5. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until tops spring back when touched. 6. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. 7. Once cupcakes have cooled, hollow out a small circle in the center of each cupcake; I use an apple corer because I am anal and obsessed with symmetry.

For the Ganache

In a small saucepan combine the corn syrup and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and add the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Allow to cool at room temperature for a 1/2 hour before filling cupcakes

For the Frosting

1. In a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together, cream cheese, shortening, and butter until well combined. 2. With the mixer of low, gradually add the confectioners sugar until thoroughly incorporated and smooth. Add vanilla and mix to combine.

Notes:
- Store cupcakes in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Remove to room temperature 30-45 minutes before serving. - Clear vanilla extract was used in the cream cheese frosting recipe to maintain a bright white color. Feel free to substitute pure vanilla extract in its place. - Not a fan of shortening? Simply omit it. I find it adds a bit of stability to cream cheese frosting. - Brown liners were purchased at Bake It Pretty. - I used the large round tip from Bake it Pretty to frost the cupcakes. You can view my piping video tutorial within this post. - Cake recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's One Bowl Chocolate Cupcake, the ganache is from Alton Brown.

The Best Chocolate Cake

Yield: 8 servings Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons King Arthur Flour Black Cocoa, optional 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup strong black coffee (I used Green Mountain Coffees Vermont Country Blend) 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Set aside. 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa(s), baking soda, baking powder. Mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes; the batter will be thin. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. 3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 4. Frost as desired. I used a simple and delicious Chocolate Buttercream Frosting from Savory Sweet Life. One batch was perfect for this layered chocolate cake.

Notes:
- The Black Cocoa from King Arthur Flour is optional - it simply provides a great depth of flavor and color to the chocolate cake. - This cake also pairs beautifully with a simple chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Prep time: 2 mins Cook time: 3 mins Total time: 5 mins Serves: 3 cups

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted!) 3 1/2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon table salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Instructions
Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.