*crispy waffle*

This month's theme for Sugar High Friday is Chocolate by Brand. Initially I thought I would participate by making something with one of my favorite dark chocolates, Scharffen-Berger or Valrhona (since I can't get Scharffen-Berger here in Europe. Or, at least I don't know where to get it.) Here in Holland, it seems even the most common chocolate is really good. Even the local grocery store chain, Albert Heijn, has their generic house brand of chocolate produced by Callebaut, the prominent Belgian company. That said, the secret is that the French win in the chocolate department. All the worthwhile chocolate shops here seem to make their bon bons with Valrhona, a French chocolate. The Belgians may know their bon bons, but the French know their chocolate.

But the winners when it comes to cocoa are the Dutch. Know the term "Dutch cocoa"? Yep, that's right, it was actually invented here, in the 19th century by one Coenraad J. van Houten. 'Dutching' is a method in which the cocoa is processed to create a more alkaline product. (Cocoa has a naturally high level of acidity. with a pH of about 5.4.) This creates cocoa that is darker, milder and less bitter. To 'Dutch' cocoa, cocoa nibs are soaked in an alkaline solution that raises the pH level to 7. In the process, it becomes darker as well, as opposed to the 'grayer' color of non-Dutched cocoa. (Non-Dutch-processed cocoa is also referred to as 'non-alkalized'.)

The most famous of the Dutch cocoa brands is Droste. It also has the most famous branding, the nun/nurse (all I know is she is described in Dutch as verpleegster, which is nurse. I've never seen a nurse like that, but whatever.) She stands on the box, staring at you with her steely, cold blue eyes. The box on her tray also stares at you with the box's nurse's steely cold blue eyes. And on and on. (In Dutch, this visual 'infinity' effect is even known as 'The Droste effect'. Sorry, I'm a graphic designer, so I couldn't resist this piece of visual history.) I guess she's trying to hypnotize you with her chocolate drink.

But she doesn't need to hypnotize us because Droste is excellent cocoa. In my mind, it makes the best darkest, tastiest chocolate cake. Don't bother with actual chocolate in your basic American-style chocolate cake; cocoa is the way to go. (Save the good chocolate for where it'll matter, such as a flourless chocolate cake or a souffle.) Chocolate does weird stuff to the consistency and never seems to actually make a basic cake taste the most chocolatey. Cocoa on the other hand, gives intense chocolate flavor in cake without compromising the texture.

This cake I made for my son's daycare class. It's fantastic with chocolate buttercream, but for a group of 3-year-olds, I skipped the frosting and just dusted it with powdered sugar. I then filled it with a thin layer of vanilla bean buttercream. The whole thing is not too sweet-- which is just the way I like desserts. The leftovers were great with tea that afternoon.

Dark Chocolate Cake made with Droste Cocoa
adapted from The Best Recipe

For the cake:
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup Droste cocoa
2 teaspoons espresso powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut out 2 parchment rounds that will fit in the bottoms of your two 8-inch cake pans. Grease the pans with butter. Place the parchment rounds in the bottoms of the pans, and grease them. Dust the pans with flour and tap out the excess.
Mix the cocoa and espresso powder and pour the boiling water and mix until smooth. When it's cooled to room temperature, add the vanilla.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter in electric mixer set to medium-high speed about 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar and beat until the mixture is fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating one minute after each addition. Scrape down the bowl.
With mixer on the lowest speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed immediately by 1/3 of the cocoa mixture; mix until the ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter. Repeat process twice more. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another 30 seconds.
Pour the batter evenly divided into the cake pans. Bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool in the pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Run knife to loosen cake from pans and invert cakes, peeling off parchment paper. Turn the cakes right side up and cool entirely. Prepare the frosting.

Vanilla bean buttercream:
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 8 pieces

Bring a pan of water to a simmer. Combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla bean contents and salt in bowl of standing mixer and set over the simmering water. Whisk constantly to keep the eggs from curdling. Continue whisking until the mixture is foamy and is 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
Set the bowl in the stand mixer and beat with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and airy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add butter one piece at a time until each piece is incorporated. (Keep adding the butter, even if it starts looking curdled; it'll correct itself once all the butter is added.)
Frost the inside layer of the cake. You can freeze the rest of the buttercream for another recipe. (To thaw, set at room temperature until softened.)
Use a paper doily or cut paper into shapes for dusting powdered sugar on the top of the cake.

Links:
SHF 27: Chocolate by Brand
Wikipedia: Droste effect

Labels: recipes, the chocolatey, the sweet

posted by sheryl | 7:30 PM |

Wow...I never knew about the Droste Effect. Thanks for sharing, and the chocolate cake looks fabulous...glad you're a part of the round-up!
By

David 1/19/07 10:34 PM

That cake looks awesome - love the powdered sugar decoration!
By

Ash 1/22/07 7:08 PM