Bethany Jean Clement
From Seattle Times
SEATTLE—I was making my own birthday cake. How did this happen!? It was very clearly wrong. You shouldn’t make your own birthday cake. It arrives by the magic of love, and is accompanied by a glowing candle in the air and a song sung in his honor. This was axiomatic. Also, it was hot (my birthday is his August). The old Magic Chef electric stove cranked up, making the apartment even hotter, even though all the windows were wide open.
All I wanted to do was go and dive into the lake. This was my clearly stated birthday wish. , started making in the spirit of exactly what was called Malicious Yaki. Admittedly, part of me wanted something more dire. Baking a cake is the opposite of jumping into a lake, especially in August.
The cake has two layers, a chocolate situation. I knew the cake was going to be amazing.The Mad Hatter’s tea from the Alice in Wonderland cookbook.In a state of innocent bliss after using her cake to create a childhood trauma. I took it home from the library. Somehow anti-rising as an inedible low-lying sludge out of the oven—I eventually recovered and gained some baking ability with the dawn of adulthood. I was. I could make a cake. I discovered I could even make pie crust, and have deployed this skill several times at quiche serving.
Like me, you baked your own birthday cake in a hot apartment. Ding! Time to test with a toothpick: clean, done. I chilled it as much as I could. The top will be a little bumpy, so I used a serrated knife to carefully level it. they were not Dryness is difficult to describe. “Dry” is one word. Any flavor is baked to a gritty texture. I looked at my birthday cake and two rounds looked back at me.
There was only one thing left to do. I picked up half of the cake and lifted it through the open window. to degas in the same way. I may have cried tears of self-pity on my birthday. I didn’t swim that day.
Even the raccoons don’t touch the cake. Someone drove the car more than halfway and saw no effect. Sitting there, refusing to take it apart, for several days, I finally went outside and dejectedly moved both layers to the trash.
This was many years ago. The relationship didn’t last long, but the fear of baking bread continued even after I finally realized it wasn’t my fault. Configuration. During that time, I was blaming myself for making bad choices and baking bread with a resentful mind that helped prevent real problem solving. Get a thermometer inside the oven and it will tell you what’s really going on. Loyal and true.
Still, today, when I bake, I stick to something very simple. Professional bakers do it with great skill and you pay them a pleasure. I’m not back to pie crust. I had Le Pichet for quiche and Mama for pie and was delighted in both cases.
When it comes to cakes, I pretty much only make one of the following. She is better at recipes for children than the person who wrote the Alice in Wonderland cookbook.) To make it even easier, it’s supposed to be mixed in the pot, but I found it to be a lot more troublesome than washing the bowl. ). On her website, Katzen tells the children/me: Because a real chocolate girlfriend cake will come out of that oven and feel like a miracle. ”
truth! Make sure your oven is adjusted correctly. This cake will not make you cry.
Incredibly easy, super delicious, not too big chocolate cake, and depending on the candy you roll out, it’s also vegan.
It’s worth getting really good cocoa powder, not just for this cake, but for life in general. Use whatever kind of candy you like: toffee candy bars, or leftover candy canes, chocolate bars, or vegan chocolate bars (or sub-chocolate or vegan chocolate chips). Skip if it’s going to be and make powdered sugar snow. it still looks clean. This cake serves about 6 people. — Bethany Jean Clement
material
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (get the good stuff!)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup coconut oil (melt if hard)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons of your favorite candy bar or other candy of your choice — finely chopped, crushed, or slightly crushed to about the size of a chocolate chip
- powdered sugar/powdered sugar
- A cut-out heart (or another design) from heavier paper that fits in an 8-inch or 9-inch pan
instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients except candy and stir until smooth.
- Pour the cake batter into a 9-inch round cake tin (an 8-inch-square glass or metal baking dish will also work) and use a spatula or large spoon to scrape everything off and smooth the top of the impending cake. increase.
- Sprinkle the candy over the cake batter.
- Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the toothpick stuck in the middle is almost clean.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn the plate over the pan so the cake is still on the plate. It can be served in a frying pan. Please continue.
- Place a paper heart or other design on top of the cake and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar through a sieve or fine sieve and let it snow. Carefully lift the paper design. Serve with a sense of accomplishment.
— Adapted from recipe from Mollie Katzen’s book Honest Pretzels
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