freddurf

Those fans are so beautiful, I know mine won't come out looking as good. I think I'll stick with the glaze and add some chocolate shavings.

Ling, I made your cake yesterday and it was so good. Very moist with lots of chocolate flavor! Is this one still your favorite or have you found a better one within this thread?

Thanks for all the input! I think I like the idea of adding lemon juice or vinegar to milk, it doesn't get any easier than that. Snowangel, when you freeze buttermilk, does it get funky after it thaws? rlibkind said that most of the recipes using baking soda need the acid in buttermilk, does it lose it potency by freezing it?

Thanks Ruth, I think I'll give it a try. I have a birthday cake to make and wanted to try a new chocolate recipe.

I was thinking of making the Tribute Cake. Has anyone tried it?

I often have recipes that call for buttermilk, but I usually only use a little bit and the rest goes to waste. Has anyone tried the powdered buttermilk that you add water to? Does it change the quality of the cake? I'm wondering if it would be the equivalent of substituting Hershey's chocolate for Valrhona.

For anyone who hasn't ordered his books yet, you can get both of his books for about $27.00 PLUS free shipping. What a deal! I finally ordered both for myself. Here's the link http://www.ecookbooks.com/index.html

I received this cookbook for Christmas and was hoping that anyone who has tried some of her recipes could list a few of their favorites. Thank you!

I made a batch tonight and tried dusting it with fine nuts before adding the chocolate. I still had problems with it separating. But I think I found a solution. After pouring on the chocolate, I always throw the tray in the fridge so the chocolate can set up. I usually cut it up the next day. Well, as I did this, it started to separate. So I left it on the counter and waited for it to come to room temp and then I tried cutting it. Success! No separation! Maybe this will help someone else too.

I have the same problem with the chocolate separating from the toffee. Thanks for the suggestions.

passion fruit + banana passion fruit + macadamia nut passion fruit + mac. nut + coconut

If you used bittersweet chocolate instead of semi sweet, that's going to make a big differance in taste. I made this cake this weekend for the first time and the flavor was great. Mine was a little dry, but I know I over baked it, I just had too many things going at once!

Can anyone give me a chocolate to candy cane ratio?

Have you considered making your own mold? http://www.culinart.net/silicone.html

I might have to try these, they sound so easy. What kind of chocolate goes best with the candy canes, milk or dark?

Thanks for typing the updated version! I've been wanting to try the tweaked version, but didn't have time to go through the thread and decipher all the tweaks.

Hazelnut prailine goes great with chocolate cake!!!

I think this thread should be renamed "What did Ling eat for dessert tonight"! I've been following it for a few weeks now, and each time I click on it I always wonder what she ate today. You crack me up Ling!

Ling, I was curious if you had tried the tweaked version of the recipe you posted. If so, which one did you like best?

Lumas, when I made her banana cake the first time, I made it with the sour cream ganache. I'm not sure if it was the choc. I used, it was just some cheap stuff I picked up, but I didn't care for it either. I made the cake again but this time I used a lilikoi IMBC and it was awesome.

Sorry! I couldn't help myself!

The best online site for learning is this one: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=72

I used to use as much organic and natural food products I could for DD. When I first started making cakes, I didn't like the idea of all the artifical coloring, but I figured If I was cautious about everything else, I didn't have to worry about a few cupcakes here and there.

I second that!

Thanks! I'm such an idiot!