July | 2014 | piping dreams

Chocolate cake. Inspiring all kinds of “whoa” since forever.

Father’s Day deserved a special cake for the best father. Don’t mind my cliché-edness. It’s just a blog.

It called for deep chocolate. It also called for relatively complicated technique (this is most definitely a multi-bowl affair), but that is beside the point. The technique resulted in deep chocolate, which is really what matters in this life besides Jesus.

Chocolate sliced and thriced. For some reason, when I mixed the melted chocolate and cocoa mixture, the chocolate seized a little. It turned out all right. I had to be thorough about folding it into the eggs, but I have no idea why it happened, which is annoying.

Layered with care. The chocolate in the middle made for a near-molten center. It wasn’t ultra sweet because the recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate. Less sweet, more rich.

But because we love sweet, I served it with a Malibu butterscotch sauce. Next time, I will make the sauce thicker and add enough liquor so that you will actually be able to taste the coconut. With vanilla ice cream of the “super premium” variety, no one was calling foul on the sauce.

Thanks to Mum for helping me bake!

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake with Malibu Butterscotch

Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques via Second Shelf

5 oz bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped, plus 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into small slivers (I used Ghiradelli)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into cubes

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Use something decent)

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly butter a Bundt pan.

Place the 5 oz of the coarsely chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave for an additional 30 seconds, stirring until smooth. Set aside.

Whisk together 3/4 cup water and the cocoa powder in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly to avoid burning the cocoa. It will thicken up a bit. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir in the salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and yolks together for a few seconds to combine. Pour in the sugar and whip at high speed 5 to 6 minutes, until very pale yellow and thick enough to hold a ribbon when you lift the whisk away from the bowl. The ribbon should rest on the top of the mixture for about five seconds–that’s how you know it’s done.

Meanwhile, add the coca powder mixture to the melted chocolate (using a rubber spatula to be sure to get all of the cocoa). For some reason, the chocolate seized at this point for me–not sure why, but it turned out fine. Gently fold in the melted chocolate and then the sour cream to the egg mixture.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the batter in thirds, being careful not to deflate it, but making sure to combine them well.

Pour half the batter into the Bundt pan and sprinkle the chocolate slivers on top. Pour in the remaining batter and bake 25 minutes, until the cake is just set but still very moist. Cool for 30 minutes, and invert onto a plate. Serve with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce (recipe follows).

Malibu Butterscotch Sauce

Adapted from Baker by Nature

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 tablespoons Malibu Rum

Place butter, cream, and sugar in a small sauce pan. Place pan over a medium flame and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow mixture to boil for an additional 5-7 minutes after sugar is dissolved, stirring only once or twice, and cooking until mixture is quite thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and Malibu. Let the sauce cool for 2 or 3 minutes, then carefully pour over top the cake. Keep refrigerated.