"chocolatecake" news and stories

As the resident cake baker in my circle of friends, I'm always trying to find something new and funky to make. I've been in a groove of no-cook fondant and marzipan figures, but this summer I got a challenge -- chocolate. Not being the biggest fan of chocolate cakes, I mostly stick to the many other flavors. However, my friend, she loves the dark and sinful treat. If she wanted chocolate, she was really going to get chocolate. Since she's also a skier, it would be served in a smooth, snowy package.

Death by Chocolate Cake, straight out of The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Chocolate, with white fondant, a marzipan skier, and some candles for wishing. Check out the gallery, peruse the recipe after the jump, and stay tuned for more information on the fondant and marzipan.

This time of year, I much prefer eating fruit-based desserts to ones involving chocolate or lots of cake. Give me a nice crisp or cobbler and I'm a happy girl. Despite those seasonal preferences, I saw this cake and immediately started salivating. There's no recipe link along with the picture, but I believe that it's the one from Nigella Lawson's gorgeous, slightly tongue-in-cheek cookbook, How to be a Domestic Goddess. It's a cake I've always intended to make, but have never gotten around to it. I think it's moving to the top of the list now, having seen this tasty reminder.

Thanks to Jonathan for adding this picture to the Slashfood Flickr pool!

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Okay, I'm taking a big risk here. In addition to showing off my unattractive, massively egotistical side, I'm also going to put myself in danger of a little self-incrimination. Here goes:

When I'm sober and clear-headed, I'm a pretty decent cook, but when I'm seriously impaired, I am a culinary god. In all honesty, imagine Drunken Master with a baking sheet. I'm that good.

I've allowed my skills to deteriorate since I left grad school, but, once upon a time, my addled forays into the kitchen were widely regarded as moments of pure magic. Admittedly, impaired kitchen godhood wasn't a quick process: after mastering the beer-and-cabbage ramen dish that my friend Julie was famous for, I played with various crudite, cheese, and dip combinations before moving on to seriously impaired baking.

While I won't endorse BWI (baking while intoxicated) on the grounds that it is incredibly stupid, I have to admit that the biscotti that I produced at 3:00 in the morning with a houseful of goofy friends were truly amazing. Perfectly crisped, with just the slightest touch of anise, they were a great late-night snack, and the perfect accompaniment to the coffee that I would inevitably be guzzling the next morning.

Admittedly, my forays into the world of BWI were not without their dangers: piles of filthy bowls and measuring tools were common, as were flour-covered counters. More important, although I never burned a biscotti, there were a couple of times when it got pretty close. With that in mind, I was particularly impressed by Dizzy Dee's Five-Minute Chocolate Cake. A mix of six simple ingredients, the recipe uses a mug as both the mixing bowl and cooking vessel, which makes clean-up a lot easier. Also, the cake cooks in the microwave, so you don't have to worry about torching your dessert!

• Stephanie Shapiro takes a look at classic Baltimore fare and digs a little deeper to reveal that much of the food that is associated with the city isn't actually produced there anymore.
• One thing that is still growing in Maryland is tomatoes, ugly, gnarled, juicy and tasty tomatoes. Get 'em while they're ripe!
• In the Cooking 101 column, they're whipping up Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut Semifreddo, for an easy dessert that will impress the neighbors.
  
• Krystina Castella's book, Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone has been making the blog and newspaper rounds recently and this week, she's in the Balitmore Sun!
• We know that Elvis was a fan of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but did you know that he was also fond of meatloaf? Well, according to this recipe for his cook's meatloaf recipe, he way.
• Forgo the tuna sandwich and stir up these Summer Shrimp-Salad Sandwiches instead.
• Streuseled Fruit can be made quickly in the microwave out of all the ripe summer fruit. Sounds like the perfect quick summer dessert (as long as you are cool with cooking in the microwave).

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