DARK CHOCOLATE CHIFFON CAKE

I seem to almost always come across tempting little seductresses like this online. And I've decided to make this a regular occurrence, and thus now dubbing my Thursdays; "Food Porn Thursday's" 

This bad boy, right here is definitely food porn! And who doesn't like food anyway? And this way we can enjoy this guilty pleasures by simply drooling over our keyboards - but heck who am I kidding! I'll probably be making this over the weekend LOL!

Images via: Sweetapolita

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar

1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (60g) dark unsweetened cocoa powder 

2 teaspoons (10 mL) baking powder

1 teaspoon (5 mL) baking soda

1/4 teaspoon (1.5g) salt

4 eggs, separated, and room temperature

1/2 cup (125 mL) vegetable oil 

1/2 cup (125 mL) water (warm)

1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract

2 egg whites, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350° F (180°C).

Butter and flour (I use cocoa powder for this process when baking chocolate cake) the entire inside surface of a 10-12 cup (2.5 L) bundt tin. Just a note that typically, you wouldn’t grease the pan for a chiffon cake, but this recipe comes from the book Baking With Julia, and greasing the pan is directed. They refer to this cake base as a bundt cake, for which you would grease the pan, but all other elements of this recipe are typical of chiffon cake. If you feel you may lose sleep over greasing a pan for a chiffon cake, please go ahead and give it a whirl ungreased with a chiffon cake pan with removable bottom.

Sift 1 cup (200g) of the sugar, flour, cocoa  powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, oil, water, and vanilla until blended. Gradually whisk in all of the dry ingredients until combined and smooth. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and a mixer bowl wiped clean with lemon juice, whip the 6 egg whites on medium speed until foamy.

Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup (100g) of the sugar to the foamy egg whites, and continue to whip on medium speed until the meringue reaches stiff peaks, and is glossy and thick.

Gently fold in 1/3 of the meringue into the chocolate mixture with a silicone spatula, then gently fold in the remaining meringue until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until top bounces back when gently touched (approximately 35-40 minutes), cake begins to shrink from sides of pan, and skewer comes clean when inserted. Be sure to not over-bake.

Let cake cool in pan on cooling rack for 25 minutes before gently inverting onto wire rack.

Fluffy Rosewater Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (114g, 1/4 lb) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups (250g) icing sugar 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup whipping cream 

1/8 teaspoon rosewater, or more to taste (but use sparingly)

pinch of salt

Few drops pink food colour 

In mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine icing sugar and butter on low speed, for about 2 minutes.

Add vanilla, and mix on low speed for about 2 minutes.

Add whipping cream and salt, and mix on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.

Add rosewater and pink gel colour, and whip until blended.

Assembly of the Dark Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Fluffy Rosewater Frosting

Gently place the cooled chiffon cake on a pedestal or plate.

Smother the top of the cake with Fluffy Rosewater Frosting using a small offset palette knife.

Store in a cake-keeper at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For more information, including lust worthy photographs click here.

ex oh ex oh,