[Chocolate Baby Cake]
This is my first time partaking in any of the food blogging events and I am extremely excited. Clotilde from Chocolate & Zucchini has hosted the 13th edition of wine blogging Wednesday with the theme of Like Wine for Chocolate.
My contribution to the event was a family classic, Chocolate Baby Cake (Ollo). This recipe was made by my godmother each time a baby turned 1 in our French Canadian family. The cake was always placed in front of baby to do as they pleased. You can imagine the mess! One day I will have to post the picture of me at 1 with this cake on my face. When the recipe was handed down to me I was surprised to learn that coffee seemed to be the key ingredient. I could now trace back the early beginnings of my caffeine addiction as well as explain my hyperactivity as a child.
Ingredients:
2 ounces chocolate
hot coffee
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening or oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Put the chocolate in a 1 cup measure. Fill the cup with hot coffee. Let stand until the chocolate is soft. Beat the egg until light. Beat in sugar 1 tbsp. at a time, then beat in the shortening or oil and the vanilla. Pour the coffee into another cup and add the softened chocolate to the egg mixture. Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the flour mixture and the coffee to the egg mixture in five separate additions, starting and ending with the flour. Spread the cake batter in a 8 X 8 " buttered pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool before icing the cake.
The icing recipe is as follows (although I don't know who to credit for this one):
Grate in a saucepan, 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate. Add 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch. Mix well. Stir in 1/3 cup boiling water. Cook until thick and smooth. Add 1 tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. vanilla and a few grains of salt. Heat through.
This is a decadent cake with a glossy, sweet frosting. You can enjoy this dessert as it was meant to with your hands, no utensils and a nice glass of cold milk but since this is a sophisticated chocolate and wine pairing post, I carefully served myself a slice and enjoyed it with a fork and a glass of 10 years old Calem tawny port from the Haut Douro region of Portugal. Although it is an acquired taste for some, this dessert wine pairs nicely with my family's traditional cake. I could detect the hints of caramel and chocolate it is known for, an excellent compliment with the slight coffee tone of the cake.
I was very open to experiencing this luscious baked good in a new light and I am ecstatic that I did. While port is sweet on its own and can be sipped solely after a meal in place of a dessert, I was quite surprised to see how amicably these two (solid and liquid) intermingled on my tastebuds.
I almost prefer the sweet over the savory so for me this was the most indulgent combination. I could have been most satisfied eating this for supper.
[With a Glass of 10 Year Old Calem Tawny Port]
