I am in need of a recipe for a very rich chocolate cake to be baked in a two-sided mold. It is for a Christmas contest/dinner and can contain alcohol. I have found several vanilla style recipes, but nothing in chocolate. Thanks in advance for any help (at least it's not a last-minute request!)
I need a cake recipe for a MOLD
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
The "contest" part is the idea for the dinner, which I've already come up with. The recipe request was because I HAVE researched it, as I said, and cannot find anything, which leads me to believe that there is something inherent in chocolate that makes it unsuitable for my proposal. And...I asked here, not because of any gratification issues, but because this is a list billed as "a food lover's link to professional chefs" and I was hoping that the least I would get would be a professional response.
Joined
·
99 Posts
@Pat Pat gave you a very professional response imo... Any f&b professional who has knowledge and skills worth sharing has worked incredibly, incredibly hard to earn that knowledge and those skills. To you, your question is just about a recipe for cake - to me, my answer is about all the holidays and family events I've missed so that I could work in the best possible restaurant I could get into, the years I've spent reading/researching/spending my own money/practicing/making mistakes/washing dishes/cleaning ovens so that I could be better at my craft, the chef who's bullshit temper tantrums I dealt with for way too long because I knew I could learn something from being in his kitchen... etc. etc. And I have 1/4 of the experience of many of the people who post here on a regular basis. So if you present a question with no helpful details (a pic of the mold you're using, a link to some of the recipes you've found, a more detailed description of what you're trying to achieve, some sort of indication that you've read something about cake in general) then I'm less inclined to want to help and more inclined to want to snark.
That said, I'm assuming you're talking about something like this? http://www.midcenturymenu.com/2012/03/10-tips-for-the-perfect-retro-easter-lamb-lambie-cake/
I've never used one, but... I'd try experimenting with chocolate bundt cake recipes - search for a recipe by picture and look for something with a tight crumb and then use some sort of internal support as explained in the link. The reason you're having a hard time finding anything is because "very rich" = higher fat = more tender crumb = less structural stability and more difficulty getting sharp decorative details without sticking to the pan. Cocoa also often = less structure. Other options: play with subbing ap or bread flour in for cake flour in a recipe that is otherwise too tender, or modify some sort of hot water based spice cake (the honey cake in Baking Chez Moi comes to mind since it's very sturdy) with some cocoa and then chocolate/nut/dried fruit add ins.
That said, I'm assuming you're talking about something like this? http://www.midcenturymenu.com/2012/03/10-tips-for-the-perfect-retro-easter-lamb-lambie-cake/
I've never used one, but... I'd try experimenting with chocolate bundt cake recipes - search for a recipe by picture and look for something with a tight crumb and then use some sort of internal support as explained in the link. The reason you're having a hard time finding anything is because "very rich" = higher fat = more tender crumb = less structural stability and more difficulty getting sharp decorative details without sticking to the pan. Cocoa also often = less structure. Other options: play with subbing ap or bread flour in for cake flour in a recipe that is otherwise too tender, or modify some sort of hot water based spice cake (the honey cake in Baking Chez Moi comes to mind since it's very sturdy) with some cocoa and then chocolate/nut/dried fruit add ins.
Yes, thank you, that is exactly the mold I am planning to use, and I have referred to that website frequently. FWIW, none of the recipes that follow that use chocolate were satisfactory, hence my query. However, your explanation for my difficulty is extremely helpful...really what I was looking for, so Thanks.
I am not a professional baker or anyone remotely related to culinary arts, and probably picked the wrong website to post my inquiry. I had a "feeling" that it was more of a chemical question (what's with this chocolate???) so I appreciate your suggestion of a bundt cake recipe. And now that I am pointed in the right direction, so to speak, I don't mind at all experimenting.
I am not a professional baker or anyone remotely related to culinary arts, and probably picked the wrong website to post my inquiry. I had a "feeling" that it was more of a chemical question (what's with this chocolate???) so I appreciate your suggestion of a bundt cake recipe. And now that I am pointed in the right direction, so to speak, I don't mind at all experimenting.
. 
Joined
·
3,447 Posts
I clicked on the link and saw lamb molds. I have two cast iron ones....antiques....they work great
LIGHTBULB!!!!!
I made lamb cakes by the hundreds in my career.
This is going to sound silly, but why can't you simply add chocolate to a vanilla lamb cake recipe?
....and if you make them too moist, they will not unmold.....lots of experience with that. Pound cake recipe works well in the molds too, but they may be too dry for you.
LIGHTBULB!!!!!
I made lamb cakes by the hundreds in my career.
This is going to sound silly, but why can't you simply add chocolate to a vanilla lamb cake recipe?
....and if you make them too moist, they will not unmold.....lots of experience with that. Pound cake recipe works well in the molds too, but they may be too dry for you.
Joined
·
4,468 Posts
Kudos for @azenjoys for spelling out why (in a gentle manner) we get our backs up when asked to hand out trade secrets.
As for your question....
I am thinking a pound cake with a good dutched cocoa will fit your needs.
The mold shown will be easier to work with as it has gentle curves (will release with the deco intact better than one with deep sharp angles).
You may have to test drive a few different formulas before you find one that has a good fat to flour and cocoa ratio.
Too much fat and the crumb will collapse while not enuf will leave you with a dry crumbly product.
Altho since booze is ok maybe a sponge with a tasty liqueur brushed on would fit into the festivities as well?
Lots of options.
mimi
As for your question....
I am thinking a pound cake with a good dutched cocoa will fit your needs.
The mold shown will be easier to work with as it has gentle curves (will release with the deco intact better than one with deep sharp angles).
You may have to test drive a few different formulas before you find one that has a good fat to flour and cocoa ratio.
Too much fat and the crumb will collapse while not enuf will leave you with a dry crumbly product.
Altho since booze is ok maybe a sponge with a tasty liqueur brushed on would fit into the festivities as well?
Lots of options.
mimi
OK, the contest is to match a Christmas Dinner to "A Classic." We decided we weren't a Goose and Plum-pudding type team a la Charles Dickens, and as one of us has sung The Messiah every year for the past 40, we picked Handel's "All we like Sheep" chorus as our inspiration, with rack of lamb being the centerpiece. And I, being the keeper of the antique lamb mold, was appointed Mistress of the Dessert. I have tried many times to do something in chocolate for various family Easter celebrations, and have never been successful. Azenjoy's suggestion of "...... or modify some sort of hot water based spice cake (the honey cake in Baking Chez Moi comes to mind since it's very sturdy) with some cocoa and then chocolate/nut/dried fruit add ins...." seems perfect. Not only is it something that a novice baker can work with, but the nuts and dried fruit seem more in keeping with the 18th century than a kid's chocolate lambie cake. And I really like flipflopgirl's idea of brushing on a liqueur to finish the Beast.
Thanks to everyone who had suggestions, and may all your Holidays be Bright!
Thanks to everyone who had suggestions, and may all your Holidays be Bright!
Joined
·
4,468 Posts
If you will be adding fruits and nuts it helps to line the mold with the batter then continue to fill the rest of the mold.
A hunk of walnut on the edge of an ear can be a huge PITA if it falls off during unmolding.
Altho it can be fixed by sticking it back in place with a dab of corn syrup.
mimi
A hunk of walnut on the edge of an ear can be a huge PITA if it falls off during unmolding.
Altho it can be fixed by sticking it back in place with a dab of corn syrup.
mimi
Joined
·
4,468 Posts
...and who doesn't love pound cake....
mimi
mimi
Joined
·
1 Posts
My mother made many of those lamb cakes, they came out perfectly. Wilton has recipes, because they sell the molds. Try looking there Diz. I wish you the best of luck and hope you win the contest.
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
