Real Cajun's German Chocolate Cake

My method for buying cookbooks goes something like this: First I check them out at the library. Then if there at 12 or 15 pages I've marked with those page keeper sticky things, then I know I should buy the cookbook. That's what happened with Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking from Donald Link's Louisiana.

And the first recipe I had to try was the German Chocolate Cake. The photos totally sold me. Sugary, oozy frosting dripping all over luscious layers of dark, dark chocolate cake. I couldn't imagine how this cake couldn't be anything but decadent and mouth-watering.

But I warn you, this cake is a project, not only in terms of making the cake, but for the sheer amount of ingredients. 17 eggs! 4-1/2 sticks of butter! 3 cups of condensed milk! I guess a lot of people would say this is a special occasion kind of cake, but as a friend of mine said, 'Every day is a special occasion in Brooke's kitchen". Seriously, why wait for a special occasion? Why doesn't an ordinary day deserve a great cake? The answer is, it absolutely does. So maybe this isn't a cake you make spur of the moment on a weeknight, but on a thoughtfully planned Saturday or Sunday. Ooh how about on Saturday and then you can serve it for Sunday lunch or dinner? Just make sure each guest has easy access to at least 2 glasses of milk because they're going to need it!

I also have to say that I will be making just the cake from the recipe and leaving off the frosting, the German bit. This cake reminds me so much of my Nana's chocolate cake. Unfortunately, like so many of her amazing dishes, she didn't leave behind the recipe. I can't remember the last time I had a slice of her cake but it's impossible for me to ever forget it. I have searched for years for a recipe that comes even close to the feel and flavor of hers. We knew it had to be butter that made it good, but how much? Also this cake is just as dark as hers. I used the pricey Valrhona cocoa powder for this cake. Look at the photos, you'll see what amazing color this cocoa has. Really unbelievable stuff. However, I recommend the Ghirardelli brand for cocoa if you don't feel like a splurge.

The Great Biscuit Experiment 04: The Winner! Angel Biscuits!

*Method:
Yeast, freezing, lard and butter

Oh Lord, this biscuit is exactly what I was looking for. It does take more time to execute, but is it ever worth it! A little crunch on the outside gives way to a moist and tender interior. Light, fluffy, buttery, great for re-heating, you can add more butter or leave it as it is, you can use jam or nutella or cinnamon sugar. Whatever you like!
I found this recipe all over the web and the variety of amounts for the ingredients was all over the place, especially when it came to the amount of fat. I finally decided to go with King Arthur's version of the recipe because they provided a great step by step photo guide. They also suggested freezing the biscuits after they've had a chance to rise to let the butter and lard chill up again for extra rise. I was a little worried about putting frozen biscuits in the hot oven, but it worked like a charm.

Although, I'm fairly certain I won't find a better biscuit recipe, I am going to try another using a Southern flour to see if the softer wheat and lower gluten content does indeed live up to the biscuit-hype.

Angel Biscuits or Bride Biscuits adapted from the King Arthur website.

1/2 cup (4 ounces) lukewarm water
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup (1 5/8 ounces) lard
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup (4 ounces) buttermilk (room temp, well-shaken)

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast and 1/4 cup of the flour. Set the mixture aside for 30 minutes. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, the sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the shortening and the butter, mixing until everything's rough and crumbly. Add the milk to the yeast mixture, and pour this all at once into the dry ingredients. Fold together gently until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl and becomes cohesive. Sprinkle with an additional tablespoon of water only if necessary to make the dough hold together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat it gently into an 8 x 10-inch rectangle; it'll be about 3/4-inch thick. Cut the dough into fifteen 2-inch round biscuits. Gather, re-roll and cut the scraps, if desired; the resulting biscuits will probably be a bit tougher. Place the biscuits on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover them lightly, and allow them to rise for 1 hour, or until they've increased in size by about a third. (The biscuits may be refrigerated for several hours or overnight at this point, or frozen for later use.)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Uncover the biscuits, and place the pan in the top third of the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The biscuits are done when golden brown on the top and bottom. Yield: about fifteen 2-inch biscuits.

The Great Biscuit Experiment 03: Using Lard, Cake Flour & the Fold-Over Method

Well, folks. I'm happy with the results of this experiment. How pretty are these? They're itty bitty biscuits, about 1 1/2" in diameter. I used the lard I made last week and I have to say, that was very, very satisfying. You don't get a pork taste at all. All you get is a lovely, layered rise! The only thing I'd change about these is the amount of sugar. They were a tad too sweet for even me, the Sweet Tooth Queen.
I think the fold-over method (patting the dough out and then folding the dough onto itself several times) is interesting, but I don't think it's necessary. I got about the same amount of rise in my first buttermilk recipe that simply called for rolling out the dough. Also, I could not perceive any difference between using Cake flour and All-Purpose flour, so save your money, and just use what you have. It would be interesting to see if there is any difference when using King Arthur Flour (widely available out here on the West Coast) and White Lily Flour, the traditional "Southern" flour. I would certainly do this experiment, but White Lily is not what it used to be after Smuckers bought them out, or so I hear.


The Lee Brothers, the authors of this recipe, give additional recipe tips for making Lemon, Herbed, and Vanilla Buttermilk Biscuits. They all sound so good! I think I'll have to do the Vanilla ones. 

Lee Bros. Bird-head Buttermilk Biscuits

- makes about sixteen 2-inch round biscuits -

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour or 2 cups sifted bleached all-purpose flour, plus more for your work surface and hands *I used King Arthur unbleached cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar *I would use less sugar next time, maybe half.

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into several pieces

2 tablespoons cold lard or vegetable shortening, cut into several pieces

3/4 cup cold whole or lowfat buttermilk (preferably whole)

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients thoroughly with a fork. Transfer to a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Add the butter and lard and pulse the mixture in 2-second increments until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces, about 5 pulses. (If you don't have a food processor, cut the fats into the dry ingredients in a bowl by mashing with a fork, a whisk, or a pastry blender; it will take about 3 minutes.)

3. Transfer the mixture back to the bowl, pour the buttermilk over it, and mix with the fork for about 1 minute, until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured board, knead with floured fingers once or twice, and pat it into a rectangle about 6 x 10 inches and 1 inch thick.

4. Fold the rightmost third of the rectangle over the center third and fold the left third on top. Turn the dough a quarter turn, pat it into a 6-x-10-inch rectangle, and fold it upon itself in thirds again. Repeat one more time, then pat the dough into a 6-x-10-inch rectangle about 1 inch thick.

5. Using a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter (or an upside-down shot glass), cut the biscuits from the dough and place them about I'll inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops just begin to brown.

6. Serve the biscuits warm, with butter or eggs and bacon.