It’s baking season! Here are two of our all-time, never-gets-old dessert favorites. A must. Essential. Arguably vital to one’s happiness. What are you doing this weekend? Scroll down, hit the shops, oven on, bowls out, dig in.
Ovens On - It's Baking Season
In The Kitchen
Recipe:
The River Café, London — Chocolate Nemesis
Ingredients:
10 eggs
2 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (575g) granulated sugar
24 ounce (675g) best-quality bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into small pieces
1 pound (450g) unsalted butter, softened
Crème fraîche, for serving
To make:
Preheat the oven to 250°F (130°C). Butter a 12-inch (30cm) round cake pan, about 3 inches (7.5cm) deep, and line the base with parchment.
In a stand mixer, whisk the eggs with one-third of the sugar until pale, thick, and quadrupled in volume — this will take 10 minutes or more.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Once melted, remove from the heat.
In a small saucepan, combine the remaining sugar with 250ml (9 fl oz) water. Warm gently until the sugar dissolves completely, creating a clear syrup. Stir occasionally, then pour the syrup into the melted chocolate mixture, stirring gently to combine.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly stream the warm chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs. Once incorporated, increase the speed briefly to fully blend. The batter will lose some of its volume — that’s expected.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Set the pan inside a deep roasting tray, placing a dish towel underneath to keep it steady. Fill the tray with hot water, reaching about two-thirds up the side of the cake pan.
Bake for 1½ to 2 hours, until the top feels just set when lightly pressed with your hand.
Carefully remove the pan from the water bath and let the cake cool completely in the pan before unmolding. Do not refrigerate.
Serve in generous slices with a spoonful of crème fraîche.
Recipe:
L’Artusi, NYC — Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients:
2 Eggs
410 grams Sugar
250 ml Extra Virgin Olive oil
165 ml Whole Milk
80 ml Marsala
410 grams Plain flour
1/2 tsp. Bicarbonate of Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
Icing sugar
To make:
Line the base of a 23cm cake tin with baking parchment, then lightly butter the sides.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale and slightly thickened. Gradually pour in the olive oil, milk, and Marsala, whisking continuously. (If you’re using a stand mixer, keep it running on low speed as you add the liquids.)
Set The Scene
About Selection Of
The Selection Of is an ongoing series featuring people we love and admire along with their favorite PORTA product, giving you a glimpse into their approach to styling their lives and tables. They are people we have known forever and others that we have just met who bring PORTA into vibrant life in a myriad of different ways. A PORTA portrait of a person if you will.