One cake plus one cake is a whole lot of cake

And good food there was. Brunch for dinner, fresh fish, Moroccan feasts, Vietnamese stir-fries and sushi bowls paired with long conversations about all kinds of things, roast chicken shared with family, and plenty of cakes. A wedding cake even. And two birthday cakes, to my delight (and not just mine, thankfully).

My mum requested a cheesecake for her birthday. No problem, I love cheesecakes. A while back I had made the German-style cheesecake from Breakfast, Lunch, Tea – lovely, but more a modest afternoon snack to offer an unexpected passer-by than the kind of cake that turns a birthday into a real celebration. I settled on the New York cheesecake I came across at Smitten Kitchen. Go look at her photos. You’ll know why.

For my dad (who gave me pretty much free reign by saying he’d like chocolate, “or fruit, or something else”) I baked a chocolate ganache cake known as Kate’s Winning-Hearts-and-Minds cake, which actually took the wedding cake tally to two, in a way. (Do go and read about that here, or even better, in her book; it’s a wonderful story.) An indulgent cake if there ever was one, and perfect in small slices paired with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream or some boozy whipped cream. A cake with attitude, too, rising and falling and stamping its feet, but after doing double duty in the oven it came out perfect, gooey in the middle and with a gorgeous crispy top. As I was melting the chocolate and butter (very carefully over a direct heat, not recommended, but certainly less hassle) I couldn’t resist adding a couple teaspoons of cinnamon, and even though it’s surely blasphemy, I loved the result. Rich and warm and spicy. I think it did win its share of Dutch hearts and minds.

* UPDATE *
I made the chocolate cake a second time this week, and with a few small changes it came out completely differently – still delicious, but different. First, I didn’t have an 8-inch (20cm) springform pan, so I used a 24cm (about 9.5 inch) one, ingredients unchanged. Second, I was using a fan-assisted oven again, but unlike two weeks ago, this time I sensibly adjusted the oven temperature from 190°C (375°F) (which I even cracked up to 200°C for 10 minutes after the cake had been in for 30 and was still wobbly) to 170°C (340°F). The result of the former was, obviously, less height and a larger circumference. The result of the second was a cake that was all of a sudden very well-behaved: done in the advertised 20 minutes, no cracks, a smooth, uniform texture, and almost no falling at all. Together, they made for a very different kind of cake; less rustic, more sophisticated. A bit like a tarte au citron in chocolate form. I really can’t say I liked the one more than the other, but even though the flavour was almost identical, these cakes had (if you can tolerate the metaphor) very different personalities. So contemplate the hearts and mind you wish to win, and take your pick!

- Naomi

what to say about chocolate cherry cupcakes

it's hard to know what to say about these cupcakes, really. they're the little guys in the upper corner on the left. mini chocolate cherry cupcakes.

it's the difficulty with writing about food, I guess. it's not just that it's hard not to get lost in adjectives - tasty, dense yet light, crumbly yet moist, chocolate-y, dark, melting... all of which apply to these cupcakes, by the way. sometimes something is so good, it's hard to know what to say about it. I just kind of wish you could taste them. just by looking at these pictures.

I made them for a party last weekend (my parents both have/had a big birthday this year), but to test-bake them first, I made them in their original form, i.e. non-mini:

oh, yes.

the fortunate truth is, these cupcakes are ridiculously easy to make. you basically just shake a wooden spoon at some chocolate. the recipe is from nigella lawson's how to be a domestic goddess, I only tweaked it slightly by adding less sugar. but nigella said I could, ok! if you'd like these to be really sweet, or if you're using a very non-sweet cherry jam, you can crank up the sugar to 150 gr. I'll give you the recipe for the non-mini cupcakes.

heat the oven to 180 degrees, and line a 12-bun muffin tin with papers. in a big pan with a heavy bottom (teeheehee) (sorry), melt 125 gr. butter. when it's almost completely melted, add 100 gr. of the darkest chocolate you can find, broken up in pieces. give them some time to start melting, then turn off the heat, and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. then, add 100 gr. sugar, a pinch of salt, 300 gr. cherry jam, and 2 eggs (already beaten) (or not, I tried both ways, and both ways worked fine). stir again until everything's combined, then add 150 gr. flour, and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. fold it into the mixture. poor the mixture into the tins, and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. after 15 minutes, check to see if they're not burning. if the cupcakes look like they're getting a little too dark, cover them with a protective blanket of tin foil.

take the cupcakes out of the oven, and let them cool down in their tins for about ten minutes. then let them cool further on a rack. after about an hour, they'll be cool enough for their ganache. to make that, melt 100 ml. cream in a small pan, and when it's hot, add another 100 gr. chopped up dark chocolate. stir until it's all glossy and smooth and sexy. with a spoon, ice the cupcakes with the ganache. if you want, you can put a whole cherry (or even a glacé cherry) on top. 'tis the season, after all!

(did I really give you two recipes including cream in two weeks? I'm not trying to give you guys heart-attacks, I swear!)

- anne