It’s an odd little book. Ten basic cake recipes and 17 additional cakes with toppings. And then there’s the issue of pan size. The author gives many options for pan size, but many are hard to find. Consider the 6-inch spring form pan or the 10 by 3-inch deep round cake pan–not the usual pan sizes. But forget about finding a loaf pan that measures 12 inches long, 4 inches wide and 3 inches deep, otherwise known as a pullman loaf pan. Leroux Kitchen had a 9 by 4 by 3-inch version. But make a cake in the wrong size pan and you’re headed for disaster. Exact measuring and using the proper vessel for baking are vital elements of successful baking.
My baking odyssey in this book stemmed from a food article in the Saturday “Off-Duty” section of the Wall Street Journal called, “This Chocolate Cake Recipe Is So Good, It Needs No Frosting.”
The newspaper’s adapted recipe called for a 10 by 3 inch round cake pan or the unusual 12 by 4 by 3 inch loaf pan. I liked the idea of a loaf pan cake of this size. I tried everywhere to find it online and at our various kitchen stores. No luck. So I settled for the 10-inch round cake pan, which I found at Leroux Kitchen, and it was the only one on the shelf.
I made the cake, and it turned 0ut beautifully. Great texture, with an unbelievably tender crumb and deep chocolate flavor. I didn’t do the icing, a chocolate butter meringue, and the cake stood up well without a topping other than confectioner’s sugar. The recipe in the newspaper was adapted from the book. I ordered it from Amazon to arrive in two days.
I turned to the recipe labeled Number 1, Chocolatey Chocolate Cake. But there was a glaring difference between the recipe printed in the newspaper and the one in the book. In the article (see link) it called for the dreaded loaf pan or the round cake pan. But the book didn’t’ mention the loaf pan at all but instead suggested a 12 by 8 cake pan or the more usual 9 by 13. There were two photos of the cake in the Journal article: one showing a cake slice from a rectangular pan and the other were slices from a loaf pan.
The last slice of chocolate cake from the chocolatey chocolate cake
Very vanilla cake with creamy icing (confectioner’s sugar with heavy cream)
Unfortunately I didn’t photograph the chocolate cake until there was only 1 piece left. It was devoured quickly in my household. I also prepared #2 Very Vanilla Cake. Great texture and flavor. This time I clothed it in the Creamy Icing (confectioner’s sugar with heavy cream).
Vanilla cake and leftovers from chocolate cake
Besides the excellent recipes the best thing in the book are the options to choose different pan sides from loaf pans, rectangular pans, round cake pans and springform pans. But be warned: the size options are really difficult to find at your average kitchen store.
Ingredients
- 225 grams all purpose flour
- 45 grams unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder (Hershey's)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- Pinch salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 10 by 3-inch round cake pan or 8- or 9 by 12 inch cake pan with butter or baker's spray. Line the the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper; grease or spray the paper. Or for easier preparation just line the bottom with greased parchment paper, making sure the sides are well greased.
- Place a sifter over a large bowl and add the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift until well combined.
- Add the sugar and whisk until combined.
- In another large bowl whisk the eggs, milk. oil and vanilla together.
- Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until there are no lumps and the batter is smooth.
- Carefully pour in the boiling water and stir until combined
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for approximately 50 minutes or until a wooden skewer or butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake bounces back when lightly pressed. If it's not done completely, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the cake stand for10 minutes on a cooling rack. Run a butter knife around the cake to gently release. Peel off the parchment paper from the sides. Invert the cake, peel off the bottom piece of parchment and cool on a wire rack.
