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merstar

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Posts posted by merstar

    Finding the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe (Part 1)

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I love the Black Magic Cake also, especially with a few tweaks. I decrease the sugar significantly (instead of 2 cups, I use 1 1/3), I use half the amount of salt, nonfat plain yogurt instead of buttermilk, and brewed espresso instead of coffee.

    My tweak to the original Black Magic cake recipe is to melt about 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate in the coffee before adding it to the cake batter. It rounds out and deepens the chocolate flavour.

    Sounds good. Do you use the original sugar and salt amounts? Do you use espresso or strong coffee?

    Finding the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe (Part 1)

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I tried the Susan B cake back in September, and thought it was ok. But I prefer the similar oil-based Hershey's cake recipe.

    I haven't tried the cakes on this thread, but over the last several years, have tried many, MANY different chocolate cakes and always went back to the Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate cake on the back of the cocoa can. So, I started just tweaking that recipe to make it even better. One day I came accross the mention of Hershey's Black Magic Cake and looked it up. It's almost exactly my tweaked Perfectly Chocolate cake recipe! (Great minds think alike :laugh: ). So, I'd have to say that of the probably 20 different chocolate cakes I've tried, the Hershey's Black Magic cake is my favorite.

    I happen to agree with you. I love the black magic cake. Everyone who I bake it for raves about it. I have tried to bake it with out cocoa's but its just not the same, ( Hershey's cocoa isnt availble in Ontario) . I usually stock up on Hershey's when I go to the states. I even won first prize with this cake at my town's Fall Fair.

    I usually bake it off in a bundt and top it with powdered sugar. If I'm making it for a special occasion, I make the one bowl buttercream icing.

    I love the Black Magic Cake also, especially with a few tweaks. I decrease the sugar significantly (instead of 2 cups, I use 1 1/3), I use half the amount of salt, nonfat plain yogurt instead of buttermilk, and brewed espresso instead of coffee.

    San Marzano Tomatoes DOP

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    Thanks from me also.  The La Bella are low sodium also, 20 mg/serving.  Some of the good quality canned tomatoes I've run across have been as high as 400 mg/serving, too much for my tastes.
    Question for pennbrew or calipoutine:

    What's the salt content on the La Valle tomatoes?  I like them not too salty.  Hoping someone can read a can label for me!  Thanks.

    Lots of discussion about San Marzanos here:

    Discussion of San Marzanos

    To the OP, I've found the best place to order DOP San Marzanos (LaValle brand) here:

    Best and most economical DOP San Marzanos

    ---Guy

    Good question - I was wondering the same thing, but assumed (and hoped) they were low-sodium, which seems to be typical of authentic San Marzano tomatoes.

    Ok, I made the trek down to the basement to grab a can. This is what the can says

    Serving size 3 piece( spelled peice) servings per container about 6

    calories 20

    fat 0

    sodium 15mg, so basically a can would have 75mg of sodium.

    btw, these are not DOP, but I was still happy with them.

    Thanks a lot for the info.

    I think La Bella San Marzanos were the first ones I ever tried and I really liked them. I bought them for a long time, then the store changed to another brand, which was also good. Recently, I moved to NC, where I cannot find them at all, so I have to order them. Now I have to decide which ones to order, the La Valle or La Bella!

    San Marzano Tomatoes DOP

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    Question for pennbrew or calipoutine:

    What's the salt content on the La Valle tomatoes?  I like them not too salty.  Hoping someone can read a can label for me!  Thanks.

    Lots of discussion about San Marzanos here:

    Discussion of San Marzanos

    To the OP, I've found the best place to order DOP San Marzanos (LaValle brand) here:

    Best and most economical DOP San Marzanos

    ---Guy

    Good question - I was wondering the same thing, but assumed (and hoped) they were low-sodium, which seems to be typical of authentic San Marzano tomatoes.

    Ok, I made the trek down to the basement to grab a can. This is what the can says

    Serving size 3 piece( spelled peice) servings per container about 6

    calories 20

    fat 0

    sodium 15mg, so basically a can would have 75mg of sodium.

    btw, these are not DOP, but I was still happy with them.

    Thanks a lot for the info.

    San Marzano Tomatoes DOP

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    Question for pennbrew or calipoutine:

    What's the salt content on the La Valle tomatoes?  I like them not too salty.  Hoping someone can read a can label for me!  Thanks.

    Lots of discussion about San Marzanos here:

    Discussion of San Marzanos

    To the OP, I've found the best place to order DOP San Marzanos (LaValle brand) here:

    Best and most economical DOP San Marzanos

    ---Guy

    Good question - I was wondering the same thing, but assumed (and hoped) they were low-sodium, which seems to be typical of authentic San Marzano tomatoes.

    San Marzano Tomatoes DOP

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    I've had good luck ordering from here:  http://www.sanmarzanoimports.com/

    The on line form is cumbersome, better to call in your order.  Another plus, they don't mark up the shipping.  Got 2 large cases (almost 50 lbs total) shipped for $12, UPS cost.

    Been very satisfied wuth the product.

    I've had La Bella before, and I agree, they're very good. And the shipping is very reasonable. I assume that was $12 total for 2 cases, not $12 per case? BTW, are those 28 oz cans? Thanks.

    That was $12 total for both. I got one case of 3 kilo chopped (6 BIG cans)and one case of 1/2 kilo peeled (24 small cans). I called and left a message and a very nice Italian guy (Nick, I presume) called me back a few minutes later. He said, helpfully, you sure you want 3 kilo cans? I usually sell them to restaurants! I assured him I make large batches of sauce. Need to order more, actually.

    Sounds good. Thanks a lot!

    San Marzano Tomatoes DOP

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I've had good luck ordering from here:  http://www.sanmarzanoimports.com/

    The on line form is cumbersome, better to call in your order.  Another plus, they don't mark up the shipping.  Got 2 large cases (almost 50 lbs total) shipped for $12, UPS cost.

    Been very satisfied wuth the product.

    I've had La Bella before, and I agree, they're very good. And the shipping is very reasonable. I assume that was $12 total for 2 cases, not $12 per case? BTW, are those 28 oz cans? Thanks.

    Couscous

    in Middle East & Africa: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Have you ever tried whole wheat couscous? I prefer it over the white, but I've never experienced a stale taste from either. I agree with the others - I never boil couscous. The simplest way to make it is to boil 1 1/2 cups salted water or broth for every cup of couscous (some people add a little butter to the liquid). Once the water boils, remove from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

    Light fluffy cakes

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Hello Samaki,

    Although, most say to thaw cakes wrapped, I've thawed them both wrapped and unwrapped, and haven't noticed much of a difference. An important note: I'm referring to cake slices here, not a whole cake - there may be less of a texture loss if it's a whole cake, since there would be no exposed surfaces. Let me know your results.

    chewy chocolate cookies

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    You're right - they're not exactly chewy, more decadently truffley on the inside and crispy on the edges. But, I do find them both mocha-ey and chocolatey - the chocolatey part comes from the 1 cup semi-sweet chips/chunks, which create the truffle-like centers.

    chewy chocolate cookies

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    These are unreal - Ignore the fact they come from BHG - they're amazing.

    Here's the original intro, which is now missing from their site:

    Mocha Truffle Cookies: "These double-chocolate cookies have a soft trufflelike center, a crispy outside, and a delectable coffee flavor."

    Note: For the second ingredient listed, I use 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped instead of "chocolate pieces" I also use instant espresso instead of coffee.

    BHG's instructions suck, so just ignore them. For example, they say to melt the chocolate and butter in a pan instead of a double boiler, etc. Another note: Cookies should remain very soft, almost raw to the touch in the centers; the edges will get crunchy as they cool).

    http://www.bhg.com/recipe/recipedetail.jhtml?recipeId=5949

    Light fluffy cakes

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    frozen? It's happened many times and happened again a few nights ago when I made a "coffee cake," which was more like a 2 1/2 inch tall butter cake. (Chocolate Swirl Sour Cream Coffee Cake). The taste was great and the texture equally great, light and fluffy. I put two leftover wrapped slices on the counter, just to test the results, then froze the rest of the leftover slices, wrapped in plastic wrap, then in foil, then in ziplock bags. The slices left on the counter had definitely changed overnight - they became slightly denser, but were still good. I subsequently tried a thawed frozen slice, and there was a big difference, much denser. It's as if the air pockets in the cake had totally closed up and condensed.

    I've noticed this a lot with "white" or "yellow" cakes, but it never seems to affect my chocolate cakes. They can be left on the counter overnight or frozen for a long time, and the texture is the same as the day I made them. Some are made with cocoa, some with dark chocolate, and some with both. I just don't understand this. Is there some mysterious property in cocoa/chocolate that keeps the texture as it originally was?

    It's just a real drag to make a fantastic cake with a perfect texture, and then have it change overnight. I just want the cake to retain its original texture. Anyone have a clue to what's going on here?

    Vegan Desserts

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Crazy Chocolate Cake is a cake which many people made during WWII, since there was a scarcity of eggs, butter, and milk. I haven't tried it myself, but have always heard good things about it. Personally, I would substitute some brewed espresso for one of the two cups of water, and lower the sugar, but I happen to like my chocolate bittersweet. I would also lower the salt, but again, that's my personal taste. Here's a link to one version of the recipe, along with ratings and reviews:

    http://www.recipezaar.com/53524

    Here's a vegan site to check out - scroll down and look on the right side of the page for Desserts. Tofu Chocolate Mousse Pie sounds good.

    http://www.veganconnection.com/recipes/

    Low Fat Baking

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I second the recommendation for Alice Medrich's "Chocolate And the Art Of Lowfat Desserts." It's excellent. Check out her "Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Cake." It's an almost- flourless, very deep chocolatey cake, which you'd never know was lowfat!

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