Espresso Chiffon Layer Cake with Chocolate Ganache Buttercream and Salted Caramel

Every year, I ask Martin what kind of cake he wants for his birthday and every year he replies with one word— “fluffy”. It drives me crazy! He never cares about flavor or frosting or fillings, but fluffiness is his peak concern. Maybe, sometime soon, I will learn to stop asking. In the meantime, he will get the fluffiest cake I know—chiffon cake.

What is exactly is a chiffon cake, you ask? Excellent question, one I wish I could give a definitive answer to. In my cakes class in pastry school, our chef taught us that chiffon cakes are similar to angel food cakes in that they rely on egg whites for their leavening. The key difference, she said, was that chiffon cakes also include some sort of carbonated ingredient like club soda, seltzer, or even champagne. When I began testing this recipe, I embarked on my own chiffon cake research and could find absolutely nothing on the internet about carbonation being a mark of a chiffon cake. So who knows? What I can tell you, is that a chiffon cake does rely on the use of egg whites for it’s lift, includes some fat (angel food cake does not), and is endlessly fluffy. Also, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to start incorporating more champagne in cakes.

This espresso chiffon cake is layered with the silkiest ganache buttercream and enough salted caramel for it to ooze out the sides. It feels sultry (is that a word I can use to describe cake??) and romantic and like a messy bun updo, it’s just the right amount approachable and elegant. I highly recommend doubling the ganache buttercream and keeping the leftovers in your fridge for all the leftover cake scraps.

Espresso Chiffon Layer Cake with Chocolate Ganache Buttercream

Yield: 1 8” 4-layer cake or two 5” 3-layer cakes

Ingredients: 

for the cake: 

7 eggs, separated 

1 tbsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup + 2 tbsp (8 oz; 230 g) granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (4 oz) neutral oil

2/3 cup (5 oz) strong brewed espresso

1 1/2 cup (9 oz; 260 g) all purpose flour 

for the chocolate ganache buttercream: 

recipe from Tartine

8 oz (225 g) dark chocolate, chopped 

1 cup (240 g) heavy cream

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

10 T (140 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature 

for the salted caramel: 

recipe from Bobby Flay via NYTimes Cooking 

1 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup heavy cream 

2 T unsalted butter

1 tsp kosher salt 

Procedure: 

to make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. 

2. In a small bowl, stir together granulated sugar and baking powder.

3. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Whip on medium-low speed until whites are frothy then, with the mixer running, stream in granulated sugar and baking powder. When all of the sugar is added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip until a loose, silky meringue forms. When you pull the whisk out of the meringue, it should leave a ribbon mark that somewhat holds it’s shape. 

4. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, oil, and espresso. Add flour, and continue to whisk. This should be a thick paste-like batter. 

5. Using a rubber spatula, add a small amount (one scoop, about 1/2 cup) of the meringue to the batter. Mix this vigorously until fully combined. (Doing this lightens up the batter and makes it easier for the meringue to be folded in.)

6. Gently fold the remaining meringue into the batter in 3 batches, adding more only when the previous amount is combined. 

7. When everything is mixed together, the batter should be light and fluffy, a light-tan in color, and there should be no meringue streaks left. 

8. Divide batter evenly into 2, ungreased and unlined 8” cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cake is set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. 

9. Immediately flip the cakes over onto a wire cooling rack, but do not remove the pans. Allow cakes to cool upside-down in the pans for at least 30 minutes, until cooled throughly. When cool, you can remove the cakes from the pans and set aside until you are ready to assemble.

to make the ganache buttercream:

1. Place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof glass bowl set over a double boiler. Heat, stirring occasionally until chocolate is completely melted and set aside. 

2. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine heavy cream and sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved and small bubbles begin to appear around the edges of the pot. Pour half of the cream mixture into the melted chocolate and whisk to combine. Add the remaining cream to the chocolate and whisk until the mixture is completely emulsified. 

3. Add the butter, a couple of cubes at a time, and whisk until completely melted and homogenized and then whisk a minute longer. 

4. Cover the frosting with plastic wrap and let sit to cool at room temperature for at least 6 hours until thickened slightly. 

to make the salted caramel:

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine sugar and 1/4 cup water. Without stirring, cook sugar until a deep amber color.

2. While the sugar is cooking, heat cream in the microwave or a small saucepan until slightly warm to the touch, just to remove the chill. Remove caramel from the heat and slowly whisk in heavy cream. (Caramel will bubble up, this is normal.)

3. Return to the heat, and cook another minute or two. Add butter, whisking until combined, followed by salt. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Red Wine Flourless Chocolate Cake with Goat Cheese Whipped Cream and Roasted Strawberries

As I was planning my February “month of chocolate” recipes, I knew that I wanted whatever recipe I shared this week to feel Valentine’s-y. As I started brainstorming recipes and ideas, I started thinking about just what Valentine’s Day actually feels like—is it fancy dinners at high-end steakhouses or pizza ordered in while watching movies on the couch? Is Valentine’s only meant for couples or for singles with great friends? I couldn’t develop a recipe that felt perfect for the holiday of love until I figured out what exactly this holiday is to me. As I thought through it, I think it’s all of these things and maybe more.

This year, Martin and I are celebrating 7 years of marriage and 10 years of dating (neither of which I feel old enough for, but that’s besides the point). We’ve never been ones to save fancy date nights for special holidays, and honestly, most of our favorite dinners have been shared with friends. Our first Valentine’s Day together, Martin packed a cute little picnic and we sat by a lake for an entire afternoon, talking and munching on Cape Cod chips. We’ve had grand plans of making gnocchi for Valentine’s Day, only for them to turn out mediocre at best, and most years, we end up celebrating Valentine’s Day on a day other than the 14th. This past year has been my favorite year of marriage. Work was the busiest as its ever been for Martin and I moved to Tennessee for four months to work in a restaurant, and even though being apart doesn’t sound super romantic, it was because it meant that we were pushing each other to pursue our dreams. We had the opportunity to walk alongside each other as we explored new challenges and opportunities. As I think about Valentine’s Day, I think that’s what we really celebrate. We celebrate those consistent relationships in our life, the ones that push us into new adventures, and the ones that walk beside us in the day to day. We celebrate the people that we love spending time with, at fancy dinners or in sweats on the couch. And when I think about a dessert fitting of the holiday, I think it should be something that sums all of that up—something as rich and special as those people in our lives, while still feeling comfortable and everyday.

In my opinion, flourless chocolate cake is the best dessert around. It’s thick and fudgy, and feels indulgent and decadent, but it’s fairly easy to put together and bakes up in one little layer—super approachable. I added red wine to the batter for an extra splash of luxury, roasted a bunch of strawberries and heaped mounds of goat cheese whipped cream on top. So however you celebrate (or don’t celebrate) Valentine’s Day this year, leave some room for cake.

Yield: makes one 9" round cake

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Red Wine Flourless Chocolate Cake

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

A rich, decadent flourless chocolate cake with red wine, topped with goat cheese whipped cream and roasted strawberries.

Ingredients

for the cake

• 12 oz (340 g) dark chocolate pieces
• 1 1/2 sticks (165 g) unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 cup (120 grams) granulated sugar

for the roasted berries

• 1 lb fresh strawberries, green tops removed
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp red wine

for the goat cheese whipped cream

• 2.25 oz (65 g) goat cheese, softened
• 1 cup (8 oz) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
• splash of vanilla extract

Instructions

to make the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Grease a 9” springform pan and line the bottom with a parchment paper round.
2. Fill a medium-large saucepan with about 2” of water. Place chocolate and butter in a large, heatproof bowl that fits snugly on top of the saucepan. Turn to medium-hight heat and melt chocolate and butter until smooth and homogenous. When completely melted, remove from heat.
3. While the chocolate and butter mixture is still hot, whisk in brown sugar. Let cool until temperature reaches a warm, room temp.
4. When mixture is slightly cooled, add egg yolks, vanilla, salt, and red wine. Whisk to combine. Sift in cocoa powder and whisk once more until mixture is homogenous. Set aside.
5. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and begin mixing on medium-low speed until whites become frothy. Increase mixer speed to medium and stream in granulated sugar. When all of the sugar is added, increase mixer speed to high and whip until a medium-soft, silky meringue forms. The meringue is ready when you can pull the whip attachment from the bowl and the peak holds it’s general shape, but the top falls over on itself.
6. Place half of the meringue into the bowl with the chocolate and gently fold to combine. When mostly combined, add the rest of the meringue and continue folding until the mixture is all one color and no meringue streaks remain.
7. Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until top is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and all to cool in the pan for at least an hour.
8. To yield the cleanest slices, remove ring after 1 hour and transfer cake to the fridge for a bit, preferably overnight, until cake is completely set up.

to make the roasted strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Cut strawberries into halves or quarters, depending on the size of your berries. You want the pieces to be fairly large because they will get smaller as they roast. I did a mixture of halved and quartered berries. Place berries in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together syrup, olive oil, and salt. Pour mixture over the berries and toss to coat.
4. Spread berries into an even layer on the baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until soft and fragrant.
5. Remove from oven and return to mixing bowl. Pour red wine over the warm berries and fold gently with a rubber spatula to coat. Set aside until you are ready to use.

to make the goat cheese whipped cream

1. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-speed for 30 seconds or so, until goat cheese is soft and broken up.
2. Add heavy cream to the goat cheese and continue to mix on medium-low speed until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. (Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl regularly to ensure that all the goat cheese gets combined and isn’t clumpy).
3. When the cream begins to thicken slightly, add powdered sugar and vanilla and increase mixer speed to medium-high. Whip until soft peaks form.

Notes:

to assemble: Spread fresh whipped cream over the top of the cooled cake. Spoon roasted berries and wine sauce on top. This is definitely best enjoyed with a big glass of a bold and jammy glass of red wine.

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Blood Orange and Rosemary Snack Cake

January in Florida is simply the best. Yes, Florida has it’s drawbacks. We have to suffer through 100% humidity and 90°F weather most of the year. We have to deal with hurricanes. We don’t get anything that remotely resembles “fall”. We spend an inordinate amount of time unsticking our thighs from leather seats. But when late winter rolls around, there is no where else I would rather be. The months of January and February are just perfect. While the rest of the country is hunkered down against snow and biting winds, we are sipping our iced beverages on a patio in a perfectly mild, always sunny 75°F. But the real highlight is that Florida citrus. Farmers market stands and grocery stores shelves are lined with citrus of every shape and size and if you drive through an orange grove with your windows down, wafts of that bright, freshly peeled aroma chase you down the highway. It’s a wonderful time to be in the Sunshine State.

[Side note: I wrote this first paragraph a little over a week ago in an effort to be proactive and work ahead a bit. Since I’ve written this, our perfect Florida temperatures dropped into the 30s and frozen iguanas began to fall from the sky. Such is life in Florida. At least our citrus is still really great.]

The fruit bowl on my counter is overflowing with satsumas, grapefruits, and Florida honeybelles, but my absolute favorite is the blood orange. Their deep, vibrant reds are startling when you first slice into them, staining your hands a luscious fuchsia color. They also impart a sharp citrus flavor, without overwhelming your taste buds with tartness and making your lips pucker. Each year, at the first sight of blood oranges, my mind starts racing at all of the possibilities and bag after bag come home for recipe development. This year’s blood orange haul made it into this simple and unassuming snack cake. I love a good snack cake. There is no worry about layering or filling, you don’t have to deal with an enormous birthday cake sized monstrosity taking up space in your fridge, and the cake to frosting ratio is always spot on. This snack cake uses semolina flour for added texture, and subs out some of the sugar for honey, complementing the citrus and rosemary nicely and dialing down the sweetness a bit so you can get away with eating a slice in the morning and calling it breakfast. You’re welcome.

I’ve used blood oranges because they are my favorite, but feel free to substitute another citrus if that is what is fresh where you live. Grapefruit or navel oranges would work really in this cake as well.

Blood Orange and Rosemary Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

Yield: 1 9” round cake

Ingredients:

For the cake

2 cups (265 g) cake flour 

1 cup (160 g) semolina flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Zest of 3 blood oranges 

1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (from about 2 sprigs)

1 cup (225 g) granulated sugar 

1/2 cup (160 g) honey

11 T (160 g) butter, at room temperature 

3 eggs, at room temperature 

1/4 cup blood orange juice (from about 3 blood oranges)

3/4 cup (165 g) plain whole milk yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract 

for the syrup soak: 

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup water

1 sprig fresh rosemary 

3 blood orange halves 

for the cream cheese whipped cream: 

2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

pinch of salt

splash of vanilla extract

Procedure:

to make the cake: 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9” springform pan and line the bottom with a parchment paper round. Set aside. 

2. In a medium bowl, combine cake flour, semolina flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar, and honey. Cream together until thoroughly combined and mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Add orange zest, rosemary, and vanilla and beat for another 20-30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 

4. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. 

5. Meanwhile, juice the oranges into a glass measuring cup. Add yogurt to orange juice mixture and whisk to combine. (Place 3 halves of your zested, juiced oranges in a small saucepan for your syrup.)

6. With the mixture on low speed, add one-third of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Then add half of the yogurt/orange juice mixture, followed by another third of the dry ingredients. Continue to mix on low speed, adding the remaining yogurt mixture and ending with the last third of the dry ingredients. Mix for another 30 seconds or so, until no flour streaks remain. 

7. Remove from mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold the batter a few times to ensure that everything is well mixed and then transfer to your prepared pan. 

8. Bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and let cake cool in the pan for at least 30-45 minutes. 

to make the syrup: 

1. While the cake is baking, combine sugar, water, orange peels, and rosemary in a small saucepan. 

2. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer about 10 minutes. 

3. Remove from heat and let mixture cool before straining out orange peels and rosemary spring. 

4. Brush syrup over the top of the cake immediately after removing the cake from the oven. 

*Note: You will not use all of the syrup. I like to brush it once or twice, let the syrup absorb and then brush once or twice more. I was left with about 1/4 cup of syrup which conveniently makes a great cocktail base when mixed with sparkling water and gin. Cheers!

to make the cream cheese whipped cream: 

1. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-speed for 30 seconds or so, until cream cheese is soft and broken up. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

2. Add heavy cream to the cream cheese and continue to mix on medium-low speed until the mixture begins to thicken slightly. (Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl regularly to ensure that all the cream cheese gets combined and isn’t clumpy. If you notice small clumps of cream cheese before the cream begins to thicken, you can transfer to the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for a minute to help break up the cream cheese. Then switch back to the whisk to continue whipping.)

3. When the cream begins to thicken slightly, add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt and increase mixer speed to medium-high. Whip until soft peaks form.