New workshop dates in September 2009

While I'll be teaching Ultimate Fudge Cake Workshop, a hands-on class, at Shermay's Cooking School in August (on 7, 8 & 9 August 2009 and 21, 22 & 23 August 2009), I understand from the school that availability for these dates has become pretty limited.

As such, an additional round of these workshops - the final round of this class for 2009 - has been scheduled for September 2009. Bookings are currently open and being taken for these last three dates: 4 September 2009 (Friday), 5 September 2009 (Saturday) and 6 September 2009 (Sunday). The September schedule has all the details; for all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

I like to think of the recipe pack for this class as a collection of recipes that you can mix-and-match as you fancy by tweaking the cake flavour/finish/filling/frosting/soaking syrup. That way, you get greater mileage from playing with permutations and combinations of these component recipes.

Following up on this, here's a bit more on the Bonus Section with Extra Recipes & Ideas for Other Chocolate Layer Cakes included within the recipe pack. This section includes:

Chocolate Cake Variations such as:
*Chocolate Orange Cake
*Chocolate Lemon Cake
*Chocolate Coffee Cake

*White Chocolate Buttercream using Valrhona Ivoire 35% White Chocolate. A rich and luxurious buttercream that’s the perfect foil to an intense chocolate cake. Variations on this include:
*Orange & White Chocolate Buttercream
*Lemon & White Chocolate Buttercream
*Raspberry & White Chocolate Buttercream

*Milk Chocolate Frosting using Valrhona Jivara Lactée 40% Milk Chocolate. A creamy and comforting chocolate frosting. Variation on this is:
*Mocha Frosting

*Dark Chocolate Glaze using Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate. A dark chocolate glaze if you prefer a silky and shiny finish

The basic cake recipe can easily be turned into individual portions with the help of small-ish cutters. My favourite application of the Dark Chocolate Glaze is for these miniatures.

While the recipe pack is designed to encourage free play, some complete layer cake ideas have been suggested. These include:

*Framboise Chocolate Cake Layers Soaked in Framboise Syrup with Fresh Raspberries and Raspberry & White Chocolate Buttercream (picture at beginning of this post)

*Orange Grove Chocolate Cake Chocolate Orange Cake Layers Soaked in Cointreau Syrup with Orange Marmalade and Orange & White Chocolate Buttercream

*Lemon Surprise Chocolate Cake Chocolate Lemon Cake Layers Soaked in Limoncello Syrup with Lemon Curd and Lemon & White Chocolate Buttercream

*Mocha Madness Chocolate Coffee Cake Layers Soaked in Espresso & Kahlua Syrup with Mocha Frosting

Ultimate Fudge Cake Workshop

I'll be teaching Ultimate Fudge Cake Workshop, a hands-on class, at Shermay's Cooking School on 15 May 2009 (Friday), 16 May 2009 (Saturday), 17 May 2009 (Sunday), 29 May 2009 (Friday), 30 May 2009 (Saturday) and 31 May 2009 (Sunday) - the May schedule has all the necessary details. For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

The idea behind this class was to showcase what I like to think of as a "go-to chocolate cake" - a fabulous chocolate fudge cake one can trot out time and again for every occasion and celebration. Birthday bashes, dinner parties, pot luck, teatime snack, picnics in the park...this do-it-all crowd-pleaser has it covered. A cake equally irresistible to kid and adult alike. The kind of cake fondly remembered by all who've ever tasted it and is oft-requested for said occasions and celebrations, thus making your baking life as easy breezy as could be.

That's the big idea. As for the bonus recipes (see right at the end of this post), that's a constellation of many little ideas, so if the mood should strike or the moment should call for, you can easily ring the changes by changing the finish or the filling or the frosting or the soaking syrup or the (you-get-my-drift). Having grasped the master recipes and the fundamental techniques, it's a matter of playing around with the component parts to present a - as far as your eating audience is concerned - bold and brand new chocolate cake eating experience.

For the whole idea - and I sincerely hope it sounds as empowering and liberating to you as it does to me - to have authentic value and practical application, it was decided the class lent itself best to a hands-on format.

As this is a hands-on class, each participant will be making from scratch their very own Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake. This comprises of 2 master recipes:

Ultra Moist & Tender Chocolate Cake An easy chocolate cake recipe with guaranteed delicious results, using a unique technique/format to ensure the most tender possible texture. The recipe features a combination of both Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% and Valrhona Cocoa for a full-bodied and intense chocolate flavour.

Creamy Chocolate Fudge Frosting A deep, dark & decadent chocolate fudge frosting

Each participant will then split, fill, frost and finish their handcrafted cake for taking away.

Key areas covered during class include:

Mastering Mise-en-Place Meticulous, accurate preparation and measuring is the key to success; learn how

Layer Cake 101 How to effortlessly split, fill & frost a layer cake with professional results

In addition, I will demonstrate some of the various alternative finishes described in detail within the comprehensive recipe pack, such as:

Stippling/Swirling Using a spoon or offset palette knife to create a casual chic finish

Combing Using a fork or cake decorator’s comb to draw straight or wavy decorative lines

Gold Leaf Gilding for a luxurious finish

Writing Using chocolate to pipe a message

Chocolate Curls How to make these easy yet stunning decorations

Toasted Nuts How to finish a cake’s sides using flaked or chopped toasted nuts

Piping Using tips to pipe decorative borders and accents

Small is Beautiful Crafting miniature chocolate cakes


I'll put up a separate post about the Bonus Section with Extra Recipes & Ideas for Other Chocolate Layer Cakes included within the recipe pack. This section covers:

Chocolate Cake Variations:
*Chocolate Orange Cake
*Chocolate Lemon Cake
*Chocolate Coffee Cake

*White Chocolate Buttercream using Valrhona Ivoire 35% White Chocolate. A rich and luxurious buttercream that’s the perfect foil to an intense chocolate cake. Variations on this include:
*Orange & White Chocolate Buttercream
*Lemon & White Chocolate Buttercream
*Raspberry & White Chocolate Buttercream

*Milk Chocolate Frosting using Valrhona Jivara Lactée 40% Milk Chocolate. A creamy and comforting chocolate frosting. Variation on this is:
*Mocha Frosting

*Dark Chocolate Glaze using Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55% Dark Chocolate. A dark chocolate glaze if you prefer a silky and shiny finish

Some complete layer cake ideas given include:

*Orange Grove Chocolate Cake Chocolate Orange Cake Layers Soaked in Cointreau Syrup with Orange Marmalade and Orange & White Chocolate Buttercream

*Lemon Surprise Chocolate Cake Chocolate Lemon Cake Layers Soaked in Limoncello Syrup with Lemon Curd and Lemon & White Chocolate Buttercream

*Framboise Chocolate Cake Layers Soaked in Framboise Syrup with Fresh Raspberries and Raspberry & White Chocolate Buttercream

*Mocha Madness Chocolate Coffee Cake Layers Soaked in Espresso & Kahlua Syrup with Mocha Frosting

Easter Egg-tras

With Easter weekend just round the corner, and coinciding with this upcoming round of chocolate-centric sessions, I simply couldn't resist gussying up some Nutella Cupcakes to holiday-appropriate effect for an Easter basket. Snug in straw nests lining a ceramic egg carton, nestled up against some blown, dyed and hand-painted eggs, I think the whole thing works nicely either as a table centrepiece or hostess gift. It just occurred to me that another treat, if individually wrapped in pretty metallic candy foil, that would work really well in these gift baskets would be some Truffles.

Aside from springtime floral themes for decorating the Nutella Cupcakes, the other approach would be more chick/bunny/egg heavy (see this old Easter post for some ideas along these lines) - I think this latter approach is perfect if you're crafting baskets intended for little ones.

To everyone who will be celebrating, Happy Easter!

PS: Both the Nutella Cupcakes and truffes au chocolat are some of the recipes being taught during Ultimate Chocolate Treats II, a demo class held at Shermay's Cooking School on 11 April 2009, 12 April 2009, 25 April 2009 and 26 April 2009 . For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

The Tricked-Out Truffle

Back when I'd first become fascinated with chocolate, but was still scared stiff by the very mention of the word "temper", I came across an extremely old-fashioned technique for fashioning those extremely intense morsels of bittersweet chocolate heaven otherwise known as truffles. Luckily, the technique was as ridiculously easy as the results were spectacularly delicious.

I've since conquered those irrational fears of tempering, and have come to relax sufficiently to actually enjoy the process. Tempering, as therapeutic as it may be, is also a process that's best applied to relatively large quantities of chocolate. And it cannot be hurried along. So relish it as I may, I still call upon this perfectly simple (and simply perfect) formula - Look, Ma, no tempering! - time and again when I need to produce a small batch of truffles or need to produce them in a jiffy.

No need to wade through thickets of technical tempering information. No need to keep in mind the three narrow temperature ranges for melting, crystallization, and working respectively.

The absence of a crisp, prim and proper, tempered chocolate dipped coat amplifies the aspect of larger-than-life, unabashedly sensual, melt-in-the-mouthiness to these truffes au chocolat. If you're partial to this, you'll know exactly the mouthfeel and sensation I had just attempted to describe in words.

These beguiling truffes au chocolat, based on Valrhona Manjari 64%, are what I will be demonstrating at an upcoming class. Ultimate Chocolate Treats II will be held at Shermay's Cooking School on 11 April 2009 (Saturday), 12 April 2009 (Sunday), 25 April 2009 (Saturday) and 26 April 2009 (Sunday) - the April schedule has all the necessary details. For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg

The master recipe also happens to be a versatile one. Variations include:

Espresso Truffles Valrhona Manjari 64% Dark Chocolate Truffles infused with Illy Espresso and Pure Coffee Extract

Tea Infused Truffles Valrhona Manjari 64% Dark Chocolate Truffles infused with Jasmine Tea or Earl Grey Tea

Orange Truffles Valrhona Manjari 64% Dark Chocolate Truffles infused with Fresh Orange and Pure Orange Extract

Peppermint Truffles Valrhona Manjari 64% Dark Chocolate Truffles infused with Mint Tea and Pure Peppermint Extract

PS: Dear S & D, if you are reading this, thank you again for the lovely gift. While it's not exactly difficult to figure out my weakness for tableware, how on earth you managed to figure out my fondness of anemones, and not just any anemones but belle epoque inspired ones, is beyond thoughtful! xoxo

Bake a Batch of Bars

I suspect the lovely people who've attended more than one of my classes here are more than familiar with a recurring theme - that learning just one master recipe or technique opens the door to many other variations. This is the reason for the inclusion of a bonus section in the recipe pack, which details all the extra recipes, ideas and serving suggestions that build upon the fundamentals demonstrated at class.

For instance, the rich and buttery shortbread base used for the Chocolate "Pecan Pie" Bar Cookies here can easily form the basis for many other bar cookies.

To make “Bounty” Bar Cookies (the picture at the top of this post), the shortbread layer is topped with a coconut candy filling and a milk chocolate glaze (using Valrhona Jivara Lactée 40%). If you love that addictive blue-wrapped candy, this is the bar cookie after your heart.

As for the Millionaire’s Shortbread Bar Cookies, purportedly named for its richness, it's truly an affordable luxury in a bear market. Here, the shortbread base is topped with sticky chewy caramel and a dark chocolate glaze (using Valrhona Equatoriale Noire 55%).

The above will feature in Ultimate Chocolate Treats II, a demo class I'll be teaching at Shermay's Cooking School on 11 April 2009 (Saturday), 12 April 2009 (Sunday), 25 April 2009 (Saturday) and 26 April 2009 (Sunday) - the April schedule has all the necessary details. For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or email shermaycs@yahoo.com.sg