Hungarian Seven-Layer Cake

Hungarian Seven-Layer Cake (Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 73.

This recipe caused me to use bad language. In the end though, it turned out nice and tasted great. I made this for a friend's birthday yesterday. My major gripe is that the recipe doesn't make enough batter or icing (a major pet peeve!).

First of all, seven 8" pans are needed. If you have that many, more power to you, and it will make life easier. I have four which wasn't too bad - I just had to clean them after the first go-around. 

Now, the cake layers are very thin and she instructs that you use only 1 cup of batter per pan. Have you ever tried to use 1 cup of batter for a cake layer? It is not easy as the batter must touch the sides of the pan. Mine turned out haphazardly at best and the sizes ended up all over the place. Thankfully, the cake is covered with icing to hide your errors. 

I made the cake layers a day ahead and I'm glad I did, especially after the icing debacle. I would have been in the kitchen all day had I not. The icing isn't really that difficult to make. The technique was different from any I'd made in the past. It is a beautiful dark icing but when I ended up short (and I only put a scant amount between the layers per her instructions), I wasn't a happy camper. I made a half batch to finish.

I was sure the cake was going to be a disaster so I made brownies to compensate. However, the cake was loved by all, even me. It is delicious with coffee and ice cream. 

It is a recipe that taught me a number of things and made me aware of what to expect - IF I ever attempt this again!

Cake Layers

6 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Line seven 8" cake pans (or you may use a few at a time if you don't have seven) with wax paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pans.

This is how I do it - use a marker to trace around the pan.

Fold the paper into fourths.

Cut along the lines.

Unfold 

Beat the egg yolks and about half of the sugar for 5 minutes until pale and thick. Lower the speed of the mixer and add the flour only until it is incorporated. The batter will be thick.

In a separate bowl (preferably one that is chilled), add the salt to the egg whites and beat until they hold a soft shape. Gradually add the remaining sugar on low speed, then increase the speed. Beat until the egg whites are firm.

Add 1/2 cup of the egg whites to the yolks and stir. Add additional 1/2 cup increments, leaving about 2 cups of the whites in the bowl. Now fold the yolks into the remaining whites.

Use about 1 cup of the batter for each pan, spreading the batter all the way to the edges of the pans. The layers will be thin.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes - if you have limited pans, it is okay for the batter to sit at room temperature while the others bake. (See notes above in the introduction)

Use a knife to cut around the perimeter of the pans and turn the cakes out onto a cotton or linen towel. After the layers are all done, allow them to cool completely and prepare the icing.

Bittersweet Chocolate Filling & Icing

(Note - This doesn't make a lot of icing so I would recommend making more (After making the first batch, I halved the ingredients for a second batch).

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 TBSP. dry instant coffee
4 egg yolks
1 stick sweet butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature

Melt the chocolate in top of a double boiler.

In a small saucepan, mix the water with the sugar and instant coffee. Place over medium heat and mix until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil.

Beat the egg yolks at high speed until they are pale in color.

Add the sugar and coffee mixture in a slow stream to the egg yolks.

Add the melted chocolate until smooth.

Add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, until the mixture is smooth.

Spread a thin layer over the first cake layer and continue to assemble, adding the icing between each layer. Complete by icing the sides. Refrigerate until the icing has set (several hours).

Helen McCully's French Chocolate Torte

Helen McCully's French Chocolate Torte (Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 19.

After a long, dry summer, we are finally getting some much needed rain here in the Pacific Northwest. It is also much cooler, with highs in the 50s. Time to get back in the kitchen!

Here is a nice after-dinner dessert that is great with coffee. With only a few ingredients, it is not that difficult. The filling is composed of chocolate and ground almonds and it has a very nutty texture. Very rich - a small slice goes a long way!

You can decorate the cake with toasted almonds or chocolate-covered orange rind. I decided to use some raspberries that I had on hand and I made another Maida recipe for a simple raspberry sauce.

Helen McCully was the food editor of House Beautiful.

4 oz. semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
1 cup (5 oz.) almonds
1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter (softened)
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
Finely grated rind of 1 large orange

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8-inch cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and butter the paper. Dust with fine, dry bread crumbs.

Break the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. (I have found the best way to do this is to bring the water to a boil and then turn off the heat. Cover the top of the boiler with a plate for a few minutes. Then remove the plate and stir the chocolate, which should be melted.) Set aside to cool slightly.

Place the bread crumbs and the almonds in a food processor and grind them together until fine (about 10-15 seconds). 

In a mixer, beat the butter slightly and gradually add the sugar. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well. The mixture will look curdled.

Add the melted chocolate, bread crumbs and almond mixture and beat until smooth.

Remove from the mixer and stir in the orange rind.

Transfer to the baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 25 minutes. The center of the cake will appear soft and moist. This is ok.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Then slide a sharp knife around the perimeter and use another wire rack to invert. Peel off the parchment paper. Allow the cake to cool completely. (You can speed up the cooling process by placing it in the freezer after it has partially cooled.)

Place strips of parchment or wax paper around the edges of the cake plate to avoid a mess when frosting.

Glaze

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 oz. semisweet chocolate
2 oz. (1/2 stick) butter
2 tsp. honey
Optional: 1/4 cup toasted, slivered almonds or 6 pieces of chocolate-covered candied orange rind)

Place the chocolates, butter and honey in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water and stir until melted. Replace the hot water in the pan with ice water and continue to stir until the glaze is slightly thick. Do not let it harden.

Slowly pour the glaze over the center top of the cake. Use a spatula and spread it outward and around the sides of the cake. Remove the paper strips. Decorate the top of the cake with slivered almonds or candied orange rinds if desired (or you can use a sauce, like I did).

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Whole Wheat Banana Bread (Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 256) 

I would be willing to bet that Banana Bread is one of the most popular recipes around. Here in the Pacific Northwest in late summer, zucchini bread is equally as popular when they begin to ripen. 

For a long time now, I've been using Flour's recipe for Banana Bread as so many people claim it to be the best. It is good, however, I have always found it to be really heavy and on more than one occasion, it did not bake properly (it does have 1/2 cup of oil). I've been on a King Arthur phase lately and I recently tried their Whole Wheat Banana Bread recipe and I think it was one of the best I've made. 

Now I've finally tried Maida's recipe which uses both whole wheat and white flour as well as buttermilk. It tastes a lot like the King Arthur recipe and is delicious. I do believe I like the King Arthur recipe the best.

And finally, here is an additional tip that I learned in the past but can't remember where I found it - Combine 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the cake before you put it in the oven. It makes a crunchy topping that brings it up a notch. Delicious!

1 cup sifted all-purpose whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. mace
1 1/3 cups mashed bananas (about 3-4 ripe bananas)
1/4 cup buttermilk
4 oz. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter or spray a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Sift together both flours, baking soda, salt and mace and set aside.

Combine the bananas and the buttermilk.

Cream the butter and add the vanilla and the sugar.

Add the egg and beat well.

On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the banana and milk mixture.

Stir in the lemon rind and the nuts.

Turn into the pan and smooth the top. (Add the sugar and cinnamon mixture I mentioned in the intro for added deliciousness).

Bake 50-55 minutes until a tester comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before removing from the pan.

Big Daddy's Cake

Big Daddy's Cake (Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 68) 

I think of Tennessee Williams every time I hear the name of this cake (or maybe Blanche DuBois!)

This a monster of a cake and a delicious one at that! You will need a 10-inch Bundt pan to hold it all. The cake tastes like a pound cake with a delicious ribbon of nutty chocolate running through it. The chocolate ribbon is initially places at the top of the batter but sinks to the bottom during the baking process.

Note - I forgot to toast the nuts first but I thought they were delicious anyway. I was also short one stick of butter and used shortening instead. 

The cake turned out delicious. It is very much like a pound cake but the layer of chocolate and nuts brings it to another level. This one is a keeper!

2 cups toasted pecans
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
6 oz. semisweet chocolate
3 TBS. hot water or black coffee
3 TBS. whipping cream
12 oz. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Thoroughly butter a 10-inch bundt pan or a pan with a 12-14 cup capacity.

Chop half of the pecans coarsely and chop the remaining half very fine.

Sprinkle the finely chopped nuts in the buttered pan and shake to distribute them evenly.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Add the water or coffee. Whisk in the whipping cream and set aside to cool.

Beat the butter until smooth. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in the sugar. Beat for 2 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl as necessary to fully incoroporate.

On low speed, add the flour mixture alternately with the milk.

Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth the top. Use a large spoon to create a 1/2 inch canal around the perimeter. Spoon the melted chocolate into the canal.

Sprinkle the remaining coarsely chopped pecans over the top of the batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, then cover the pan loosely with foil and continue to bake an additional 15-20 minutes (total baking time will be 1 hour and 5-15 minutes). Test doneness with a tester. 

Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Carefully invert onto a wire rack. Be careful as the cake is very heavy. Cool completely before applying the glaze.

Glaze

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces

2 tsp. vegetable shortening (I used butter-flavored shortening because that was the only thing I had on hand. It should not matter. You could use butter as well.)

Melt the ingredients in a double boiler. Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled cake, allowing it to run down the sides.