Food Porn and Discussion.

[anitram]

Usually I've been able to fix a too-dry chocolate cake in one of two ways:

1. Add sour cream to the recipe.
2. Don't overbake. Somebody once told me that all recipes with eggs in them continue to cook after you've taken them out of the oven so if it's fully done in the oven and you take it out it will turn out dryer than you want it to be. Not sure if this is actually true or not but I tend to let it bake like 90-95% and then take it out.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

ugh, yes. my cakes always end up being so freaking dry. i've just given up trying to make cakes and cupcakes from scratch. they always suck.

i think i'm going to make some broccoli soup tonight. yummy.

 

[Tiger Edge]

Well I couldn't find a picture, but I did find the recipe, and it does have a picture:

chocolate peanut butter cake | Sugarlaws

How much sour cream do I add? I've only ever used it in that Guinness Choc cake I saw in the previous pages. I made it twice like two years ago and it was also a bit dry. I had to make a raspberry coulis to sort of cover for it.

And as a consolation prize, my award winning* Butterbeer:

it is beyond delicious.

The exact recipe is only known to me, however. I've pulled bits off different blogs and comments within blogs until I came up with something that was as close to the Wizarding World's butterbeer as possible.
I'll start the bidding at $5...

 

[arw]

Just use simple syrup....equal parts of water and sugar. Boil until it's a syrup. Use a brush or pour the syrup in a squeeze bottle and apply to you cakes.

Also I just looked at your recipe. There's a lot of liquid so it shouldn't be dry. I'm guessing you are over baking it. You could try adding sour cream but you need to make sure it's blended in with your dry ingredients well or it's just going to be big chunks of sour cream in you cake if you add it after the liquid is added. So looking at the mixing method for this cake, I would add it before the eggs....maybe just 1/2 cup to a cup. I've never added sour cream to a chocolate recipe for moisture, just vanilla cakes. But I'd say simple syrup is really your best bet. I use it on all of my cakes no matter what except for carrot because that's naturally a moist cake. You can even add liquor to the syrup once it's done to add extra flavor to your cake. If you're going to cut down the baking time make sure you skewer the center of the cake so you know it's done in the middle.

 

[mama cass]

I don't have a picture handy, but I made this chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting covered thing for my coworker's birthday. She absolutely loved it, but the cake was just a little dry. Everyone said it would be amazing with a glass of milk.
I'm personally not a fan of the "moist" style cakes (the sort where you can squeeze it and some diabetes milk oozes from it), but I do agree it could have been moister.

Does anyone have any tips on how to do this? My mom has commissioned me to make it again for Christmas. I've got the recipe (and pictures) at home and I think I pulled it off a blog. I can post the details later tonight if that helps.

if you don't want to tweak the recipe, you could cut the baking time by a few minutes (5/10 minutes maybe) and test with a skewer - don't wait for the skewer to be dry, it's fine if there are a few crumbs on it...

also, after you take it out of the oven, turn it out of the cake tin while still hot (using oven gloves), keep the greaseproof paper on, and wrap in aluminium foil immediately, allow to cool completely then place in the fridge... that will trap the moisture in nicely... i always do that with my chocolate cake...

 

[Tiger Edge]

Just use simple syrup....equal parts of water and sugar. Boil until it's a syrup. Use a brush or pour the syrup in a squeeze bottle and apply to you cakes.

Also I just looked at your recipe. There's a lot of liquid so it shouldn't be dry. I'm guessing you are over baking it. You could try adding sour cream but you need to make sure it's blended in with your dry ingredients well or it's just going to be big chunks of sour cream in you cake if you add it after the liquid is added. So looking at the mixing method for this cake, I would add it before the eggs....maybe just 1/2 cup to a cup. I've never added sour cream to a chocolate recipe for moisture, just vanilla cakes. But I'd say simple syrup is really your best bet. I use it on all of my cakes no matter what except for carrot because that's naturally a moist cake. You can even add liquor to the syrup once it's done to add extra flavor to your cake. If you're going to cut down the baking time make sure you skewer the center of the cake so you know it's done in the middle.

It's possible. I've only recently learned how long to beat a batter before I ruin it with overbeating.
I'll try and keep a closer eye on it this time and report on the result after Christmas.

 

[Tiger Edge]

if you don't want to tweak the recipe, you could cut the baking time by a few minutes (5/10 minutes maybe) and test with a skewer - don't wait for the skewer to be dry, it's fine if there are a few crumbs on it...

also, after you take it out of the oven, turn it out of the cake tin while still hot (using oven gloves), keep the greaseproof paper on, and wrap in aluminium foil immediately, allow to cool completely then place in the fridge... that will trap the moisture in nicely... i always do that with my chocolate cake...

I'm such a noob. Is greaseproof paper the same as parchment paper?

 

[mama cass]

I'm such a noob. Is greaseproof paper the same as parchment paper?

yes, it's the paper you line the tin with...

when you turn the cake out, keep this paper on the cake, and wrap the whole thing in foil, that should help keep it moist - even if it's over-baked slightly, cooling it while it's wrapped will cause condensation, which will moisten the cake...

 

[Sicy]

I'm on my peppermint bark kick yeeeeahh making more tonight too.

 

[bonocomet]

I'm on my peppermint bark kick yeeeeahh making more tonight too.

Ooh you made that?!

 

[Tiger Edge]

Cavity central

But I don't care for candy canes...

Me and the moms will be making some cookies tonight and hand decorating them. I wonder how long it will take for it to become a humanitarian disaster.

 

[Sicy]

Yeah I'm not a huge candy can fan but paired up with the chocolate I really like it.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i hate mint.

there, i said it. but it looks gorgeous.

 

[the tourist]

I should have taken pictures. I made my homemade stuffing, coffee cake, and cheeseball for Christmas.

 

[mama cass]

^sounds good!

i'm desperate to see/hear about everyone's Christmas foodie exploits!

 

[bonocomet]

I made these They were super yummy.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Speaking of which...

Made that. That's a marble cake with... brown cinnamon sugar butter cream icing.

 

[arw]

catering a party for my parents tonight. I'm almost done. Pics to come later on once everything is plated. Done so far mini salmon wellingtons and dill sauce, anitpasto skewers, shrimp cocktail, mini reuben sandwiches, mint cookies and a chocolate strawberry mouse cake. Just need to garnish the cake, dip some strawberries in chocolate, and make a vegetable galette. Everyone is bringing stuff as well, thank god, so there will also be meatballs, garlic green beans, fruit, truffles, brie....

 

[Rachel D.]

It's time to start throwing away what's left of the Christmas leftovers.

 

[arw]

 

[bonocomet]

Ooh!

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

:eats it all:

 

[mama cass]

wow guys, that all looks amazing!!

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

question: would greek yoghurt be a good substitute for mayonnaise in a dip? there's going to be loads of other goodies going into it (assuming i ever get around to making it), it's only there for a binder, it's not a main ingredient. but i loathe mayonnaise, and the amount i need is so small it's not worth buying a bottle anyway. but a small cup of greek yoghurt i can buy.

 

[mama cass]

question: would greek yoghurt be a good substitute for mayonnaise in a dip? there's going to be loads of other goodies going into it (assuming i ever get around to making it), it's only there for a binder, it's not a main ingredient. but i loathe mayonnaise, and the amount i need is so small it's not worth buying a bottle anyway. but a small cup of greek yoghurt i can buy.

i don't see why not... i use greek yogurt, natural yogurt and creme fraiche for all kinds of dips... the only dip i use mayo for is for pink seafood sauce actually for prawn cocktails, or plain mayonnaise (homemade) with or without garlic to go with seafood, like fresh spider crab... otherwise for plain garlic dip, for example, i use creme fraiche... i use natural yogurt to make tzatziki too... what kind of dip is it?

 

[corianderstem]

arw, that spread looks amaaaaaaaazing.

 

[Rachel D.]

question: would greek yoghurt be a good substitute for mayonnaise in a dip? there's going to be loads of other goodies going into it (assuming i ever get around to making it), it's only there for a binder, it's not a main ingredient. but i loathe mayonnaise, and the amount i need is so small it's not worth buying a bottle anyway. but a small cup of greek yoghurt i can buy.

Use sour cream. I never use mayonnaise in a dip because it's nasty that way and seems to spoil pretty fast.

 

[arw]

thanks everyone! It was a lot of work but kind of fun to do something other than pastries.

and Khan...yes you can replace mayo with yogurt for the type of recipe you're using. Probably a little healthier too.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

thanks everyone it's a crab dip, and the recipe actually calls for sour cream as well which i am not a fan of either but if i can ignore it in my cheesecake recipe, i'm hoping i won't be able to taste it in this either. so i'm not too keen on upping the amount of sour cream, but if the yoghurt's really expensive, the cheapskate in me might win out.

 

[mama cass]

thanks everyone it's a crab dip, and the recipe actually calls for sour cream as well which i am not a fan of either but if i can ignore it in my cheesecake recipe, i'm hoping i won't be able to taste it in this either. so i'm not too keen on upping the amount of sour cream, but if the yoghurt's really expensive, the cheapskate in me might win out.

if you don't like sour cream, how about a little blob of mascarpone (beaten well to loosen)? that's lovely and creamy with a more neutral taste than sour cream i reckon... but very rich though...