A Birthday Treat

It being my brother's birthday today,I decided to do the sisterly thing and make him a cake. (No, not the cookie above, that,s from the splendid Dixie Lee Bakery in Keansburg New Jersey) I had no desire of firing up the oven on a hot summer's day, so I went for the alternative a homemade ice cream cake.

I first bought a small silicone cake mold from Amazon. As for the ice cream my brother is a vegan so I bought Soy Good coconut milk ice cream in chocolate and mocha almond.

Non dairy ice cream doesn't melt as fast as regular dairy base so they were left out for twenty minues.The first layer was mocha. Then was the crunchy chocolate middle.

IT was grinding up Nabisco chocolate wafers

Then add in  a tablespoon of melted margarine e or butter.I went for I Can't Believe It's N not Butter.Mix quickly and spoon over the first layer.I should have given the crumb mix time to cool down.I didn,t.

Next came the chocolate layer and another layer of the crumbs.Again I used about ten crumbled wafers and more spread.It was then placed in the fridge overnight. 

 

The next day it was unmolded.

Hershey Hard Shell was poured over it to give it a glossy icing, then a crown of whipped cream.

This is the cross section.You can see the layers.

The chocolate was harder to work with yet both together worked.

Will I do this again. Yes. This was my recipe.It has to be adjusted and tweaked.

As for the taste - amazingly good!

Red Velvet Overload?

Like fashion and technology food has trends.Foodie's and even gourmets go mad for the latest tidbit.This is happening with red velvet cake.Has it peaked? Are we ready to move on to something new or fall back on good old chocolate and vanilla? It was the subject of an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. Kim Severson questioned and researched this.Red velvet cake is a Southern specialty,originally made by adding vinegar to scratch chocolate cake.Even this theory is debatable.Velvet cakes came about in the 1800s.Almond flour, cocoa or cornstarch were added to soften the protein in flour and make finer crumbed cakes also known as velvets.This led to mahogany cake which is a blended batter of buttermilk, vinegar and cocoa.It also is the recipe for devils food cake.Adding the highly acidic and volatile vinegar could be the reason for the brownish red color.However it could also come from the added brown sugar once called red sugar.Another is that it also is just a chocolate cake with red food coloring added.Many believe that cake mix magnate John Adams and his wife ,Betty, created it for mass consumption in the Forties trying the cake at the famed Waldorf Astoria in New York City.After September 11th, people wanted comfort food and childhood favorites to deal with the sadness and fear .Red velvet cake filled that need and then it and it's, variations,from Pop Tarts to even fried chicken coating proliferated. Ms. Severson includes two recipes.One involves using red beets for the coloring.The other calls for two tablespoons of red food coloring.To be honest I would go with the more natural recipe.The beets are pureed and add more nutrients to a decadent recipe.If you want icing , go for a light fluffy one.The first one with the article is called ermine icing, a buttercream that has a white roux as a base.It requires some cooking, namely heating up the milk and flour together on a saucepan.It has to cool overnight and have a Saran wrap covering to prevent a skin from forming.You could make the ubiquitous cream cheese one that all red velvets had.This came about from the carrot cake craze of the 1970,s.One is also included and is easier to make than the ermine one.The cake can also be just dusted with plain confectioner's sugar.This is a nice way of letting the deep ,rich chocolate flavors shine through.You could also serve it plain with a homemade cream cheese ice cream( check the Web for the recipe). Red velvet cake is classic ,as well as being a trend.Hiptsers and foodie's may become tired of it but it will still be around.Enjoy it, not for that reason.Enjoy it because it is a delicious chocolate cake, perfect for dessert,even better for a snack.