Chocolate Krantz Cake - Yeasted Cake

It's so interesting when the first time reading this recipe, combination between cake and bread ! To me, the recipe is not complicated at all, but it requires time and patience, but that’s not very different from baking bread.  And don't be bother to cut a half of recipe, at the end you will find out that worth it to bake this recipe ... :)

Chocolate Krantz Cake Recipe
Source : Jerusalem Cook Book - Yotam Ottolenghi

 

Ingredients

530g plain flour

100g caster sugar

2 sachets (14g) dried yeast

zest of 1 orange

3 free-range eggs

120ml water

1/3 tsp salt

150g unsalted butter, softened

sunflower oil for greasing

Chocolate Filling

50g icing sugar

30g cocoa powder

130g dark chocolate (using the good quality chocolate only, - I used 'Giradelli' )

120g butter, melted

100g pecans, roughly chopped ( I used almond)

2 tbsp caster sugar


Syrup
260g caster sugar

160ml water

Preparation

In a bowl, add the flour, sugar, yeast and zest and mix together using your hands or a food processor with the dough hook. Add the eggs and water and mix for a few minutes until the dough comes together. Add salt and start adding the butter, a cube at a time, letting it all melt into the dough. Mix for five-ten minutes, until you obtain an elastic, smooth and sticky dough.

Grease a large bowl with sunflower oil, place the ball of dough into it, cover with cling film and leave to rise overnight or for at least half a day.

The next day, start by preparing the chocolate filling. Mix the icing sugar, cocoa powder, melted dark chocolate and melted butter. Beat until you get a smooth, spreadable paste.

　

Grease two 2lb loaf tins and line the bottom with parchment baking paper.

Divide the dough into two parts, work one part on a floured surface, leave the other part covered in the fridge.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough onto the surface, then trim the edges with a knife to obtain a 38cm x 28cm rectangle. Spread half of the chocolate filling over the dough, leaving a 2 cm border all around. Sprinkle half of the pecans and one tablespoon of caster sugar.

Brush a little of water over the long edge of the dough on your left. Using both hands, roll up the rectangle like a roulade, starting from the long side on your right, rolling towards the left side. Roll the dough completely into a perfect, thick log, sitting on its seam.

With a knife, trim off 2 cm of both ends. Gently, cut the roll into two, lenghtways, from the top to the bottom. Position the cut sides facing up, gently press the ends together. Lift the right half over the left half. Repeat with the left half over the right half and press the ends together to seal it. Carefully lift the loaf and place into the tin.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Then, cover the loaves with a wet tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1/1.2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 170 °C. After the cakes have risen, remove the tea towels and place them on the middle shelf for 30 minutes.

Make the syrup while the cakes are in the oven. Place the sugar and water into a saucepan over a medium heat. As soon as the sugar dissolves and the syrup starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.

When the cakes are baked and are out of the oven, brush them with the syrup. You may find that there is too much syrup, but the recipe recommends to use it all up.

Remove the cakes from the tins to cool down completely.

　

　

　

Brioche Au Chocolat

What a perfect breakfast ever ... brioche au chocolat !!  ** check my last page for basic brioche recipe before working on this page , believe me .. it's worth it ...

 

 

Brioche Au Chocolat

1 Recipe Basic Brioche Dough (see here )

1 Recipe Pastry Cream (check on the bottom of this page)

4 ounces (114 gram) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 egg

 

Directions :

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

I made a simple roll brioche just take some of the dough and roll into your palm, press in the middle, add about 2 tsp of pastry cream , than add the chocolate chopped. Roll it again.

Transfer brioche to the prepared baking sheet. Cover the pastries lightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for about 2 hours, or until the dough is puffy, pillowy and soft

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 F

In a small bowl, whisk the egg until blended. Shifted. Gently brush the tops of the pastries with the beaten egg.

Bake for 30-35 minute or until golden brown. Let it cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack, for 20-30 minutes.

The pastries are best served warm or within 4 hours of baking. They can be stored in an airthight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, and then warmed in a 300 F oven for 5 minutes before serving.

 

 

PASTRY CREAM

 

1 1/4 cups (300 gr) milk

1/2 cup (100 gr) sugar

1/4 cup (30 gr) cake flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

(make about 2 cups)

Directions :

In a medium saucepan, scald the milk over medium-high heat (bubbles start to form around the edge if the pan, but the milk is not boiling). While the milk is heating, in a small bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs yolks until blended, then slowly whisk in the flour mixture. The mixture will be thick and pasty.

Remove the milk from the heat and slowly add t to the egg flour mixture, a little at a time, whisking constanly. When all of the milk has been incorporater, return the contens to the bowl tp the saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk about 3 minutes. Boiling the mixture will thicken it and cook out the flour.

Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a small heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla, cover with plastic wrap, placing it directly on the surface of the cream. This will prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerated for at least 4 hours or until cold or up to 3 days.

Basic Brioche

I love brioche so much, I know when I decide to make my own brioche its going to be a long process - so why do I bother to make myself ? well .. should I tell you more, that I am curious person ? too many time I try new recipes, some failed .. some are nailed ..  so, when I put the recipe into my blog mean is the recipe work very well .. like this basic brioche - I will never to look to another recipe .. trust me ..

 

This page is for basic brioche , I in the process of making brioche au chocolate - so let's prepare the first process first since the dough need to proof for at least 6 hours..

 

 

 

BASIC BRIOCHE

Recipe by : Joanne Chang - from Boston's Flour Bakery

 

Ingredients :

2 1/4 cups (315 gram) unbleached all purpose flour

2 1/4 cup (340 gram) bread flour

1 1/2 package = (3 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar (82 gram)

1 tbsp kosher salt

1/2 cup (120 gr) cold water

6 eggs

1 cup plus 6 tbsp (310 gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 10-12 pieces

 

 

 

Directions :

In stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the all purpose flour, bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water and 5 off eggs. Beat on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes. or until the ingredients have come together, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the flour is incorporated into the wet ingredients.
 

On low speed, add the butter one at a time. Stopping the mixer occasionally to scrap the side of the bowl. Once the butter is completely incorporated, turn up the speed to medium and beat for another 15 minutes, or until the dough become sticky, soft . It will take sometime to come together.

 

 

Then turn the speed to medium-high and beat about 1 minute. Test the dough by pulling at it, it should stretch a bit . If it seems wet and loose and more like a batter than a dough, add a few tablespoon of flour and mix until it comes together. Its ready when you can gather it all together and pick it up in one piece.

Place the dough in a large bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the dough. Let the dough proof in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight. At this point you can freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
 

-- I will make brioche au chocolat so I will continue to another page --
 

For brioche loaves, line the bottom and side of two 9-by-5 inch loaf pan with parchment or butter the pans liberally. Divide the dough in half. Cover the loaves lightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 4 - 5 hours or until the loaves have nearly double the size.
 

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining eggs until blended and shifted . Than gently brush the tops of the loaves with the beaten egg.

 

 

Bake in pre-heated oven 350F for 30-35 minutes or until the top of the loaves are completely golden brown.
 

The bread can be stored lightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

French Apple Cake

 

Rain is pouring hard today, some has hail too.. typical of April , I think. But when I said, much .. mean too much ... come and go, wind blew 2 of my umbrella this morning... and I was soaked wet when I drop my daughter to school .. oh my, what a funny was as soon as I enter the car with wet cloth, the rain is stop ..  and again the same in the afternoon.

 

Now is time to bake, so I will have delicious cake waiting for 2 people to come home this afternoon.  I saw this recipe a week ago, my finger was busy change the TV channel too many time, until I saw the chef who ate the cake give a 'funny' expression ... like "eeemm" ,"yuuum" , "aaah"  LOL - indeed, those expression really 'get' me .  And I searching through internet for recipe, aah.. what an easy recipe no mixer require at all... and yes, it is so delicious ... by adding flour for top batter, really make this cake is different than regular apple pie.. ooh, should I said this is apple pie ? well.. anyway, let's try...

 

French Apple Cake

Source : America Test Kitchen

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 8 wedges, and sliced 1/8 inch thick crosswise

1 tablespoon Calvados or apple brandy or white rum (I skip this) 

1 teaspoon lemon juice (I use 1 tbsp. since I skip the calvados) 

1 cup (5 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 cup (7 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg plus 2 large yolks

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Confectioners' sugar 

 

Instructions

 

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 9-inch springform pan with vegetable oil spray. Place prepared pan on rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place apple slices into microwave-safe pie plate, cover, and microwave until apples are pliable and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Toss apple slices with Calvados and lemon juice and let cool for 15 minutes.
   
   
2. Whisk 1 cup flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Whisk egg, oil, milk, and vanilla together in second bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Transfer 1 cup batter to separate bowl and set aside.
3. Add egg yolks to remaining batter and whisk to combine. Using spatula, gently fold in cooled apples. Transfer batter to prepared pan; using offset spatula, spread batter evenly to pan edges, gently pressing on apples to create even, compact layer, and smooth surface.
4. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons flour into reserved batter. Pour over batter in pan and spread batter evenly to pan edges and smooth surface. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar evenly over cake.
5. Bake until center of cake is set, toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, and top is golden brown, about 1¼ hours. Transfer pan to wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of pan and let cool completely, 2 to 3 hours. Dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar, cut into wedges, and serve.