USA! Did you see that goal? You have to see that goal! If you didn’t, turn on ESPN and look at the highlights. Five minutes were added to the game and after 2 attempts by the USA team to strike, Landon Donovan was in the right place at the right team and he cinched it. We qualify!
The sounds of soccer dominate our house as of late as well as most bars around the world. It is great to have two teams in the World Cup that I would gladly dance in the streets if they win. USA and Spain are my top choices of course, but when the USA wins I am happy not only for the win but also for the new fans of soccer brought to the dark side by the USA team’s success.
Landon Donovan is the man of course. This win instantly brightened up my day. If I didn’t have so much work to be done and deadlines to make I’d be in the kitchen mixing and baking something up. That’s normally what I do in a good mood. Since I can’t start baking today I decided to post this recipe I’ve been sitting on. It is a cake I made for my good friend’s going away party. She loves chocolate so naturally there was a table full of chocolate dessert from her admiring guests. The cake is a Julia Child recipe that may take a few tries to get down, or rise I should say. One tip, don’t over fold in the egg whites. If you do your cake will fall.
Chocolate Spongecake with Chocolate Butter Cream
Adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Ingredients
A round cake pan, 8 inches in diameter and 1½ inches deep
3 1/2 ounces or squares of semisweet baking chocolate
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
3 1/2 tablespoons softened butter
3 egg yolks
A 3-quart mixing bowl
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour (sifted)
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour the cake pan. Measure out the ingredients. Place the chocolate and coffee in the small pan over a larger pan of simmering water. Remove pans from heat and let the chocolate melt for 5 minute. Then beat in the butter.
Beat the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and gradually add sugar (1/2 cup). When ready, mixture should turn thick, pale yellow, and forms ribbons.
In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and salt together until soft peaks form. Sprinkle on the tablespoon of sugar and then beat until stiff peaks are formed.
When the chocolate cools down a bit you can fold the chocolate and butter into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in one fourth of the egg whites. When partially blended, sift on one forth of the flour and continue folding, alternating rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until egg whites and flour are incorporated.
Immediately turn the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the middle level of your preheated oven for 25 minutes or until cake has puffed up to the tin and the top cracks. A toothpick should come out clean with only some specks of chocolate clinging on when you poke the cake.
You can serve the cake with a little bit of powdered sugar or chocolate ganache. I decided to use a chocolate butter cream frosting instead and it came out delicious.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Elena,
Thanx for visiting my space and appreciating it!
Prerna
Thanks Prerna. I want to try your chickpea curry recipe very soon.