Baking | Sinful Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche … chocolate + toffee = heavenly!

“In today’s world, when many of yesterday’s fashionable habits are today’s misdemeanors, we should rejoice that a chocolate dessert can bring so much innocent pleasure.”
Marcel Desaulniers

hocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche 1Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche … a sweet beginning to 2014. Always fun to end a year decadently {Dark Chocolate Kumquat Amaranth Mousse Cakes}, and begin the next one on a clean slate. As in my case, maybe with a dose of some more decadence? Actually, it’s more of a ritual because the daughter was born on the 2nd of Jan. Every year begins with a baking frenzy, and of late, chocolate is being demanded more than ever before!

It was more frenzied when she was young as there had to be cookies, brownies, dips too. The works! As they grow up, the pressure here falls … increases everywhere else I have to add! This year was the big 18 and most of her day went with friends as expected. For me, it was a situation which reminded me of Driving Ms Daisy … I drove her up and down all day long! Since I love driving, I cannot complain!

The previous day was busier than I could manage. The cake became a rushed affair. I did have this fancy fondant cake in mind, the colours that she would have loved, with stuff on top which might have knocked her breath away etc… that remained in my dreams! Instead, between racing around like a headless chicken for two whole days, I threw in one genoise after another. Cakes baked, frosting was the next challenge. Thankfully I had a tin of dulce de leche made from an earlier batch when I did this Banoffee Pie.

Dulce de leche,” meaning candy of milk or milk jelly in Spanish, is a rich and decadent sauce or syrup, similar in flavor to caramel. Unlike caramel, however, which is made by heating sugar, dulce de leche is prepared by heating sweetened condensed milk. Dulce de leche is especially common in the desserts of various South American countries, including Argentina and Uruguay.

Might work I thought. Well it had to because I had cut it too fine. While she had a friend over to ring in her birthday at midnight, the poor mother stood in freezing January temperatures trying desperately to fill a chocolate genoise with a hair brained ‘toffee inspired‘ filling idea. Fast approaching the Cinderella hour, I ended up using an adjustable dessert ring  {one of my best buys in Sydney many years ago} and gelatin to stabilize the filling.
Thankfully it turned out fine and ‘set‘ overnight, else I might have wept copious tears. Chocolate and toffee are a wonderful combination. With less than an hour in hand, I did a quick dark chocolate ganache to frost the cake, and made some shards to garnish. There was just enough time to give it a dusting of powdered sugar, take a few snaps …

… and the rest is history! I didn’t get any shots of a slice as the cake went pretty quick after the 18 year old did the honours. I am however sure I will make this again soon. Maybe as soon as I get those cans of condensed milk into the pressure cooker again!

[print_this]Recipe: Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche 

Summary: Chocolate and toffee are a pairing made in Dulce de leche heaven. This Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche makes a fab special occasion cake. It needs a little advance planning though, like all good things in life do!

Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 2.5 hours plus setting time Ingredients:

  • Chocolate Genoise Cake {x 2; I made 2 cakes and cut them horizontally each to get 4 layers}
  • 4 eggs
  • 90g granulated vanilla sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 50g all-purpose flour
  • 45g dark cocoa powder
  •  20g butter, melted
  • Filling 
  • 3/4 thick portion dulce de leche from 1 tin condensed milk
  • 500ml low fat cream, chilled
  • 2 tsp gelatin powder
  • Frosting
  • 200g dark couverture chocolate
  • 200g low fat cream
  • 25g honey
  • Dulce de leche sauce
  • Remaining dulce de leche 1/4 portion from above
  • 15g salted butter
  • 100g low fat cream {or as required for pouring consistency}

Method:

  1. Chocolate Genoise Cake {I made 2}
  2. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line, grease & flour 2 X 8-inch round cake pan.
  3. Sift the flour and cocoa together three times; reserve.
  4. Bring some water to a boil in a large pan & reduce to simmer. Place eggs, vanilla & sugar in a large bowl. Place over pan of simmering water, and beat constantly until tripled in volume.
  5. Take off heat and continue to beat for another 3-4 minutes until the mixture cools a bit.
  6. Sift about one-third of the flour and cocoa over the whipped eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the mixture-quickly but gently-until combined. Fold in half the remaining flour and cocoa, then fold in the rest.
  7. Scoop about 1 cup of the batter into the bowl with the melted butter and fold together until completely combined. Use the large rubber spatula to fold the butter mixture completely into the remaining batter. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and level with a spatula.
  8. Bake until the cake beginning to shrink slightly around the edges and the top springs back when pressed with your finger, about 40 minutes. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a rack. Cut horizontally into 2.
  9. Repeat for second cake. Total 2 cakes and 4 layers.
  10. Filling
  11. Mix 50ml cream and gelatin in a bowl. Keep over simmering water to dissolve. Mix well.
  12. Whisk in 100 ml low fat cream into the 3/4 portion of the dulce de leche to loosen it
  13. Beat the remaining cream to medium stiff peaks. Fold in the dulce de leche mixture gently, followed by the gelatin.
  14. Assemble
  15. Place 1 layer of genoise on serving platter and place adjustable dessert ring around it. Top with 1/3 of the filling. {If the cake is dry, brush it with a simple sugar syrup first {1/3 cup sugar + 1/4 cup water + 1 tbsp liqueur if you like}
  16. Repeat with the next few layers and cover and allow to set overnight.
  17. Frosting
  18. Dark chocolate ganache
  19. Place chocolate and cream in a heat proof bowl. Microwave for 1 minute at a time. Stir and repeat as necessary. Once the chocolate has melted, add the honey and whisk well to combine until glossy and smooth. Cool before using.
  20. Unmold the cake and give it a slight crumb coat with a little ganache. Set in the fridge for 30 minutes, then use the remaining ganache to frost the cake.
  21. Dulce de leche sauce
  22. While the ganache is setting, gently simmer the ingredients in a heavy bottom small saucepan. {Begin with half the cream and add as required. The amount will depend on how thick the dulce de leche is. Mine was considerably thick}
  23. Reserve in serving jug and cool until the ganache sets.
  24. Pour along the sides of the cake, allowing drips over the sides.
  25. Finish
  26. Finish the border with dark chocolate shards and a dusting of powdered sugar.

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Irresistible Banoffee Pie from the Sood Family Cookbook … recipe & review

“At home I serve the kind of food I know the story behind.”
Michael Pollan

Banoffee Pie … it was the first ever banoffee I truly loved. Indulgent. Addictive. Impressive. More impressive as the recipe comes from 16 year old Oraya, the youngest baker in the Sood family. She’s firmly booked her spot in the ‘The Sood Family Cookbook‘ and her dessert sang out loud.

It was a winner at the lunch I will talk about in a bit. I had a slice. Then, guilt ridden after a virtual food marathon, I reached out for a second helping. I am not a banana person, but this was different. I got home and HAD to put one together for the family. Unfortunately, things got delayed. A lot.

Went to Mumbai for a cookshow shoot {it’s under wraps at the moment} for 2 days, stayed on for 4. It was a memorable experience. Met up with food blogger friends. Ate every bit of Mumbai street food we could find. Was part of a fantastic team. We eventually shot all night long, a’night duty‘ after a long 19 years as Mr PAB messaged. My years in the airlines came alive again…

Back home and I hit the ground running. The Sood Family Cookbook on my list of things to do {read cook from}. As I flew in, the husband flew out on work emergency. He somewhat managed to fly back just in time to take junior to Hongkong for a short vacation. This was dessert to celebrate!!

Rich, indulgent, addictive and made with simple pantry ingredients, Banoffee Pie comes together easily. I baked the biscuit crust as a matter of habit {read I bake everything; well almost!}, but it’s great sans baking. This  is one of the many recipes that makes Aparna’s ‘from the heart cookbook a star.

Condensed milk is the main {read finger licking good} ingredient here. You can make the toffee as in the recipe below. There is an alternative if you have a pressure cooker {which is pretty much standard in Indian kitchens}, and aren’t terrified of the thing exploding as I used to be at one time. It works well. 

Place the tin {I do 2-3 together to save time and energy} in a pressure cooker, cover with water and place on heat until the steam comes out. Put the weight on once the steam builds up. After whistle number 1, reduce heat to minimum and allow to cook for 30 minutes. {or 40 like me if you want it really thick}. Turn off heat, allow tin to cool. Use as required.

About the book now. A family cookbook is a celebration in itself, a concept as comforting as it is interesting. The value a community adds to a cookbook is huge; a family adds even more! The Sood Family Cookbook offers an absorbing mix {of recipes and food memories}, a potpourri as varied as the mind can envisage. I LOVE the design and layout.

Aparna writes it well, a connect runs through the book. Stories come alive as you read through it. It’s interesting how her life criss crosses with that of the audience in different situations. We’ve all been through the nostalgia, the missing ‘taste of home’, the calling family at odd hours for a recipe, the childhood taste that lingers forever …

With a post grad degree in hospitality, Aparna has literally had a finger in every pie. From Silicon Valley, to Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping, to the now somewhat clouded Tehelka, she has an intriguing background. Vibrant, warm and passionate,  she played the perfect host!

It was a delicious experience to be part of the launch that beautiful Sunday morning. The warmth and connect embraced you as you entered. With the whole family rallying behind the cookbook, it was difficult not to notice how food excites them.

Everyone had a food story to share, each one brimming with nostalgia about the journey of the book, proud to be part of the book. Recipes were discussed, ingredients shared, pahaadi khaana accorded its deserved status …

Lunch offered dishes straight out of the book cooked by the Sood family. The food was finger licking good food. Each recipe as different and special as the book promises is testimony to how good a cookbook it is. Some of my favourites … crispy bhindi, ghee roast, pahadi mutton {a winner}, pahaadi madra, pahaadi mani, pahaadi hara namak, shrimp biryani. And of course Oraya’s Banoffee Pie!

[print_this]Recipe:Banoffee Pie

Summary: Rich, indulgent, addictive, this simple Banoffee Pie {banana + toffee} will win your heart over.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes {plus toffee making time}
Ingredients:

  • 1 tin condensed milk {sweetened} 400g
  • 15 digestive biscuits {or Marie}
  • 6 tbsp butter, soft
  • 2 bananas, chopped
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1 cup cream {for whipping} or canned whipping cream

Method:

  1. In a large pan that has a tight lid, place the tin of condensed milk, and cover it with water. Ensure that the water covers it. Heat for 1 1/2 hours. {Refer David Lebovitz’s post}
  2. In the interim, crush the biscuits with the butter. Mix well.
  3. In an 8″ non stick pie pan, push the butter and digestive mixture down to the base of the pan to form a crust.
  4. Now cut the bananas into slices and layer the base completely with them.
  5. Once the condensed milk is ready, open the tin carefully after cooling. It should have turned into a beautiful caramelized toffee-coloured semi-solid mix called Dulce de Leche.
  6. Mix the salt in and spread over the bananas to form the topmost layer.
  7. Top with whipped cream.

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