The Chocolate Factory

Greetings! 
One of my favorite movies, for it's message, it's acting, it's French villageness, it's ability to make you taste the chocolate goodness through your screen and it's Johnny Deppness, is Chocolat. I absolutely love this movie, for all reasons already stated and many more. The first time I saw it, I think it was with my mom and afterward I was dreaming of how to start a Chocolaterie. We'll see if that becomes a reality, however, I totally love making chocolate anything. These past two weeks I made a French Silk Pie for a friend's 40th birthday and I also made one of my traditional favorite chocolate cakes, but this time I made orange butter cream frosting to enhance it even more. The French Silk pies were easy as pi, but took a bit of time, since each egg needs 5 minutes of beating and doing a double batch, it meant 20 minutes alone of just egg beating. In the end it's worth all that beating and taste divine to my taste buds. Seriously I think this is one thing I could eat by the spoonful and if I wasn't so freaking disciplined and know the end will result in utter despair, I would sit with this in a large bowl and savor every rich bite. Together with it's pastry shell, whipped cream top and sprinkled with chocolate shavings, this desert is sure to have your guests requesting you bake for every social event.
The chocolate cake, which I made yesterday, was a bit trickier this time. I don't know, but all I can say is that the "force" was definitely not with me. While not a total disaster, the first two ended in a crumbled mess, which I had to somehow try and figure out how I was going to cover the blasted thing. That's where the orange butter cream frosting came in. My original plan, which I have done with this cake before, was to drizzle the icing on top, this gives it a real classy look. However, when you have cakes that are falling apart and no possibility to remake them, you just have to improvise. In the end, the crumbles got mixed with the icing, one side was lopsided and to try to make it better I sliced orange pieces and put them around the top and sides of the cake. Honestly...this was the ugliest cake I have ever made. The taste was okay, but the site was a mess. Fortunately the second cake turned out much better, with no crumbling and the frosting was perfectly spread evenly. In the feedback from those that ate these cakes, they couldn't tell much of a difference between these two, but I know from a baker's view that I wouldn't have put that first cake on display. They were satisfied though and in the end that is what counts.

Until my next post...be a bit creative with fixing your mistakes!

Barefoot and Baking in the Kitchen
(pics below of these chocolate ordeals)

Recipe for French Silk Pie:
Pie crusts:
1 C flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 C butter (cut into pieces)
2 tbsp. ice water

Mix flour, salt and butter pieces, work into a dough, add water. Might be a little dry, so add more water, but not too much. Form a ball. Cut in two and using a rolling pin flatten and lay in pie dishes. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown at 400F 200C.

Mousse:
1/2 C butter (softened)
3/4 C sugar
3 tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Cream butter and sugar, add cocoa and vanilla, beat until smooth. Beat 1 egg for 5 mins. into the mixture. Pour over baked, cooled pie crusts, and chill. Add whipped cream and chocolate shavings if you desire.

Recipe for the Dark Chocolate Cake:

2 cups boiling water
1 cup cocoa powder
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp.baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter (softened)
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp.vanilla

In a medium bowl pour the boiling water over the cocoa and whisk until smooth. Let cool. (could be up to 20 minutes)In another bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately. Put in round pan and bake for up to one hour at 175 C or 300 F
For frosting I mix powdered sugar, butter and a little milk. I drizzle it on top, so my measurements are not always the same. You don't want to make it too thick or too runny...just in the middle somewhere.

Beating the eggs for the French Silk Pie

It starts to become nice and smooth...silky! 

Nice, rich and dark pie

Whipped cream to top it off













Two pies

A little coconut sprinkles to enhance the goodness

Chocolate sprinkles and chocolate pieces to give more
flare!

 

Beginning process of the chocolate cake. These swirls
are lovely!













This is the prettier cake of the two. 

And here comes the ugliest cake ever. I changed it in
the end and put on whole orange slices on the sides,
because frankly this just looks really awful. I don't know
what I was thinking...my brain and gorgeous creative
factors were gone for that afternoon. The shame of it
all is too much for me to bear.