Ann's Cake Lorraine

                  Ann's Cake Lorraine

                                   


Ok, like all these recipes, in the times we are living in right now, you make do with what you have. Let me start out by saying I'm not a sweets baker!  But I made this cake!

If you don't have raspberries but you have strawberries, use them.  If you don't have either, just make the chocolate, or flavor one of them with something else, like banana or maraschino cherries or even better Luxardo Cherries (I know a lot of you have a jar of them in your cupboard!!)

I wanted a small cake. Most recipes are for 8 or 9" pans.  I looked for one that was for a 7" pan (I only had one of these and it was a spring form pan and it worked great!  I just baked one layer at a time!  And by the way, a 7" cake is still huge! It would feed at least 12 people.  So freeze it in quarters for eating pleasure later, when you may not have the ingredients.

If you only have 8" or 9" pans, make two layers. Check cooking time at 15 mins since it might be thinner.  But it's done when crumbs come out on the tester you stick in the cake.

Or half the recipe if you only have a small brownie pan or sheet pan.  Get creative.  The batter will fit into anything!  A bundt pan! The key is that is it a good cake recipe with not too many eggs, vegetable oil and plain yogurt (or buttermilk which is milk with a spoon of vinegar in it)

Halve the recipe for just a little cake if you are low on provisions.  The one thing you will need is cocoa powder.  Order some on Amazon.  Or if you are still going to the store or getting stuff delivered, I'm sure they will have some. 

You might try melting some unsweetened chocolate or semi sweet chocolate and adding it to the batter and compensate by adding a little less sugar and a little more flour. 

If you have a scale, it's easier measuring in grams, especially when measuring batter for each layer.

Ok, here goes: 

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups 285 grams all-purpose flour
• 2 1/3 cups 470 grams superfine sugar

  to make superfine sugar, take regular sugar, same measurement and put in a cuisinart and pulse, maybe only three times, let the dust settle before taking off the top. Don't have a cuisinart, put in a blender or use a stick blender.  Superfine sugar is just finer version of our regular sugar.

• 3/4 cup 90 grams dark Dutch-process cocoa powder (I use Cacao Barry Extra Brute)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons 12 grams baking soda
• 2 teaspoons 10 grams baking powder
• 1 teaspoon 8 grams salt
• 300g plain yogurt
• 3/4 cup 180 ml brewed coffee or espresso
• 2/3 cup 160 ml vegetable oil
• 3 eggs room temperature
• 1 tablespoon 15 ml pure vanilla
  
  IF YOU HAVE FRESH RASPBERRIES, PRESS THEM INTO THE RASPBERRY BUTTER CREAM LAYER AND ADD THEM TO THE TOP OF YOUR CAKE!
  YOU WILL NEED ABOUT 1.5 CONTAINERS, THE REMAINING HALF USE FOR YOUR RASPBERRY PUREE (SEE BELOW)
  
  

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare three 7-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray and parchment rounds. (if you don't have parchment, butter the pan and with either cocoa powder or last resort flour, dust the pans after buttering or spraying and knock out any flour or cocoa that doesn't stick.

In bowl of electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, sift all dry ingredients, including sugar. 

       If you don't have a sifter, put them in a mesh strainer and shake gently into the bowl.

       If you don't have a stand mixer, use a hand mixer

Combine eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla in a measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork.

Add milk mixture to the dry ingredients mix for  a few seconds on low, then slowly move to medium and mix there for 1 minute. Don't over mix.  Cake batter should not be beaten! Divide batter evenly among prepared pans--each pan should contain about 500 grams of batter for each layer.

Bake the first 2 layers for 20 minutes and rotate pans after 10 minutes in oven. 

Continue to bake another 5 mins, until toothpick or skewer comes almost clean (a few crumbs). Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes. Repeat with remaining layer if 7" cake, and then gently invert onto racks until completely cool.

        

Eggless Buttercream(s)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Buttercream

1 Stick Salted Butter softened

256g Powdered Sugar

48g of Cocoa Powder 

1.5 teaspoons of vanilla

1.5 tablespoons of milk 

Raspberry Buttercream

1 Stick Salted Butter softened

1.5 teaspoons of vanilla

256g Powdered Sugar

20g raspberry puree 

Half container of raspberries well mashed and put through a sieve to remove seeds

Instructions:

For the Chocolate:

In a bowl, add the butter and the vanilla.

Cream together with hand mixer, on low speed until they are completely combined.

In a separate bowl, stir with a wire whisk till the Cocoa Powder and the Powdered Sugar are combined.

Add the powdered sugar mixture one cup at a time  to butter mixture and continue to beat on medium speed until the frosting is creamy.

For the Raspberry:

Using a hand mixer, cream butter and vanilla

Add sugar one cup at a time, mix till all sugar is absorbed

Add Raspberry and beat till just combined.  

note: If this frosting separates, add a splash of HOT water to it and beat till it comes together.

Assemble with frosting of choice:

Put a dollop of frosting on a 7-inch round cake board (or cake plate) or 8-inch scalloped cake board.

Put your first layer top-up on the cake board or plate, and spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly across layer. Put the second cake layer on top and repeat with another layer of frosting. Put the final cake layer top-down. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and wiggle the layers into place. (I DIDN'T DO THIS AND MY CAKE LEANED A LITTLE AND I FORGOT TO TURN THE TOP LAYER UPSIDE DOWN, HENCE THE ROUNDED TOP!)

YOU CAN SMOOTH THE FROSTING WITH A LITTLE WARM WATER ON YOUR CLEAN FINGERTIPS AND RUN THEM GENTLY OVER THE ICING.

A