june is roaring in like a ferocious
Dragon.
as though it knows its time is
limited,
Summer is raising the
temperature,
washing over the streets
and sidewalks,
over us, and tossing up
heat like insult.
and so on the hottest
day of the season
thus far, i cranked on
the Oven
and baked for
Movita Beaucoup’s graduation
from baking school.
this is a celebration
for finishing school,
for the burn scars,
for the calories consumed.
and in true fashion, movita is hosting
another Cake-Off.
last year i made little
chocolate cakes
and lost.
this year i made little
cakes again.
i better effing
WIN.
pb + chocolate cakelettes
cakes adapted from tartelette
filling adapted from angry asian creations
*note: if you go to tartelette’s recipe it does have one piece missing in the method that caused me some minor anxiety. google is your best friend.
tulip paste:
4 oz coconut oil, right on the cusp of solid & liquid, tho leaning more twds solid, obvi.
4 oz powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature, approx 4 egg or 122 oz
4 oz all purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 TBL cocoa powder
*note: this will make a buttload of tulip paste, i only made two sheets and the rest were turned into cookies.
cream the coconut oil + powdered sugar. i kept the coconut oil in the fridge and let it sit at room temp for a few minutes. work quickly because it has such low temp melt rate/threshold. add in the egg whites (*this was the piece that was missing). sift the cocoa + flour and then add to the mixture, don’t over mix. incorporate it just enough. pour into piping bag that’s been fitted with small plain tip. at this point, use right away or keep in fridge. remember, the properties of coconut oil is different from butter, it will get hard in the fridge quickly, but handle it for too long at room temp with your body temp hands and it will liquefy. (i learned this the hard way).
on parchment paper, in the actual baking sheet you’re going to bake the cake in, pipe design to your liking (delectable deliciousness has a great tutorial). i kept it simple, with just dots and lines. freeze, and keep frozen until ready to pour cake batter on top.
cake batter:
4 oz almond meal/flour
3 ozpowdered sugar
1 oz organic AP flour
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 egg whites
1 oz organic sugar
1 oz melted coconut oil
preheat oven to 450F
in stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat both flours, powdered sugar and 4 eggs until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom. add yolk and mix until combined. set aside.
in another bowl, whip up egg whites until foamy and add the sugar in a steady stream, whip until glossy and peaks appear. fold meringue mixture into other bowl. stir in melted coconut oil and fold until well incorporated but careful to not deflate the meringue base.
remove baking sheet of tulip paste and pour batter on top. aim for as thin a cake as possible.
bake for 6 minutes. remove from oven, allow to cool for a few minutes and invert sheet onto platter or counter and peel away the parchment paper. (can be kept wrapped in fridge for up to a week or in freezer for a month)
using either pastry rings or cut up acetate strips (like when i used them to make dw’s mint chocolate cake) into 12″ strips and taped to make 5″ rings. cut strips of cake and fit into the makeshift molds/rings. fill with filling of your choice, allow to set in fridge for a few hours or overnight before removing from rings.
peanut butter cashew cream filling:
1 cup/5 oz organic raw cashews, soaked in warm water for 3-4 hours
5 generous TB organic peanut butter
1 TBL raw honey
splashes of non-dairy milk, i used so delicious coconut creamer to thin out
in cuisinart or food processor mix all ingredients until smooth and reaches desired consistency.
morestomach 