BIRTHDAY CAKE

It was my birthday last week.  The big 50.

My neighbor also had a birthday (in the mountains, this neighbor lives about two miles away - down the hill, up a hill, down another hill).  I made her/us a real chocolate cake - a traditional, American-style, full of wheat and dairy chocolate layer cake.  A chocolate-orange cake, with a dark chocolate filling and a milk chocolate frosting, with bittersweet chocolate flakes on top. My daughter, the artist, did the frosting and decorating.  We had a few friends over, and indulged.

I've modified the recipe from an old Fine Cooking issue...it's not something I would make often, but it is fun for a special occasion.  This recipe assumes some basic cooking techniques: make sure the butter is soft-ish, take the eggs out of the fridge and bring to room temperature ahead of time (or, if you're like me and forget, put them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes); sift the flour before measuring (I use organic white flour, not whole wheat pastry; cake flour is in the original recipe, but I avoid it as it has too many additives).  The cake is not difficult, but does have a lot of steps - I've divided them up.

The frosting uses a lot of chocolate - use the best-tasting variety you can find/afford!

The original recipe is for three 9" layers, but I make it in four 8" layers.  I line the bottom with parchment paper - it makes it SO much easier to get the cakes out - and grease them.  Preheat the oven to 350, and have the rack in the lower part of the oven (my oven is big enough for all four pans, but you could do them on two racks if needed, one slightly above the middle, one slightly below).

CHOCOLATE ORANGE LAYER CAKE

3 C sifted flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Combine the dry ingredients, and sift three times.

1 C boiling water
3/4 C + 2 T natural cocoa (not dutch/alkalized)

Put the cocoa in a bowl and pour boiling water over.  Cool in the fridge to lukewarm.


1/2 C yogurt
3/4 C buttermilk
1 T orange extract, orange liquer such as Grand Marnier, or vanilla
zest of one orange

Stir the above ingredients into the cocoa liquid, and continue to cool.


12 T/6 oz butter
2 2/3 C sugar
3 eggs

Break the eggs into a small bowl, whisk lightly with a fork and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar - 6-7 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer.
Add the eggs slowly, beating at low speed or by hand.


Time to combine the egg/butter/sugar, the flour/dry, and the wet ingredients.  You can do this by hand (with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula) or on low speed with the mixer.  Don't over mix.

Put 1/3 of the dry mix into the egg/butter/sugar mix, and mix gently until only just combined.  Add 1/2 the liquid and mix.  Add another 1/3 of dry and mix.  Then second 1/2 of the liquid.  Then the last 1/3 of the dry.


Divide the batter between the four pans.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.  Cool in the pans for 5 minutes on a rack, then remove from the pans and continue to cool.  You can frost when completely cool.


DARK CHOCOLATE FILLING (a la Julia Child)

3 oz semisweet chocolate
1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3T orange liquer
4-5 T unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

 Melt the chocolate and liquer in a double boiler.  Beat in the butter piece by piece.


MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

18 oz milk chocolate, copped into matchstick pieces
5T unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 t orange extract or liquer
pinch of salt
3/4 C heavy cream

Put the chocolate, butter and salt in a large bowl.  Heat the cream - when it just begins to boil, pour it over the chocolate mixture.  Beat quickly and hard with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Add the orange flavoring.  Cool in the fridge until firm.  When it's time to frost, beat it with a hand-held mixture until light.


I used the dark chocolate for a middle filling layer, and the milk for the other layers and the outside.

Have fun indulging!