Erythrosine's Sour Cream Fudge Cake

From The Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition
Makes 8 servings

This not-too-sweet chocolate cake has a tender, soft grain. Excellent gussied up with chocolate frosting or ganache; remarkably satisfying served plain with coffee.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8x8-inch pans or two 9x2 inch round pans or one 13x9-inch pan, or line the bottom(s) with wax or parchment paper.

Melt in the top of a double boiler or in a microwave oven on medium just until melted and smooth:

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

Sift together into a large bowl:

1 3/4 cups cake flour (that's 1.75 cups)
1.5 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Add and beat on high speed for exactly 2 minutes:
1 cup sour cream
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Add the melted chocolate along with:
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup hot water or coffee (0.25 cup)

Beat for exactly two minutes. Scrape the batter into the pan(s) and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes in square or round pans, 25 to 30 minutes in a 13x9 inch pan. Let cool in the pan(s) on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the pan(s). Invert the cake and peel off the paper liner(s), if using. Let cool right side up on the rack. If desired, frost with Chocolate Satin Frosting or ganache, or serve plain, sprinkled with powdered sugar, or accompanied with whipped cream.

Chocolate Ganache, also from The Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition
Makes about 1.5 cups

The sleek, rich chocolate coating on a European torte or an elegant restaurant dessert is apt to be chocolate ganache, as is the center of a rich chocolate truffle. Ganache is a French term that refers to any combination of chocolate and cream.....

Bring to a boil in a small saucepan:

3/4 cup heavy cream

Remove from the heat and add:

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Stir until most of the chocolate is melted. Cover and let stand for ten minutes. Stir or whisk very gently until completely smooth.

Stir in:

1 tablespoon liqueur, or more to taste (optional)

For a pourable glaze, let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until the mixture cools to 85° to 95°. For frosting, let stand until spreadable. If the frosting becomes too stiff, set the pan in a larger pan of hot water and stir until softened; or remelt and cool to 85° to 95° to use as a glaze. This keeps for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 1 week refrigerated. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Soften or melt before using.

Li's Good Reads

Just finished Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Absolutely heartbreaking. It's one of those books that really lingers in your mind--I even dreamed about it last night. What impressed me is that it's written in the first person and the narrator is a very limited person both in what she objectively knows about her situation and also in her emotional self-awareness, yet Ishiguro manages to let the reader know what's really going on. I will definitely give this a second read.

I also recently read Life of Pi, and while I enjoyed most of it, I hated the ending. It bugs me when writers set up a terrible tragedy and then wimp out at the last minute, not going through with the logical ending because they become too protective of their characters. (not a problem in Never Let Me Go).

Another one I finished recently was The Mysterious Case of the Dog in the Night-time. I enjoyed it when I read it but once I put it down I never thought of it again. Not sure why it didn't stay with me. I think the author reached for more than he could deliver.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies by Always Chaotic

3 Cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

(1 tbs instant coffee granules--optional. Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don't)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups pecans

Preheat oven to 350 (I usually do 375, though). Melt 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips, all the butter, and the unsweetened chocolate. Stire until smooth. Remove from heat.

Beat eggs, sugar, coffee granules, and vanilla together. Add melted chocolate mixture and stir.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into batter. Fold in the remaining 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and the pecans. Drop by tablespoonful onto baking sheets lined with parchment (or nonstick baking sheets). Bake 8 minutes until crackled and shiny on the outside and still soft inside.

This recipe is best when the weather is not humid. Usually I use semisweet chocolate chips for the melted chips, but bittersweet for the chocolate chips added at the end.