We Should Cocoa: Chocolate and Rose Baumtorte

This my entry for We Should Cocoa hosted by Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog.  Last month’s entries can be seen here for the Apricot challenge.  This month’s challenge is Rose and you can see the rules here.

I couldn’t possibly name a specific cake as my favourite.  But I can definitely name Baumtorte as one of the most calming and therapeutic cakes to make.  It’s also one of the most delicious discoveries I have ever found!  I decided to make one it with a little twist.  And that little twist has made it suitable for We Should Cocoa!

Amazing original recipe from here

225gr unsalted butter

225gr golden caster sugar

6 eggs

225gr plain flour

2tbsp cocoa powder

1tbsp rose water

1, Preheat your grill to medium heat.  Grease a deep 7 inch sandwich tin well and set to one side.

2, Beat together the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy.

3, Slowly beat in the eggs and then blend in the flour until smooth.

4, Divide the batter into two bowls and beat the cocoa powder into one bowl and the rose water into the other.  You could add a little pink food colouring into the rose flavoured one but I went au natural.

5, Spread a thin layer of either of the cake batters onto the bottom of the tin and place under the grill under golden brown. 

6, Spread a thin layer of the other cake batter onto the top of the ready cooked cake and return to the grill until golden brown.

7, Repeat this process until all the batter has been used or until the cake pan is full.

8, Turn out onto a wire cooling rack and cut into slices when fully cooled.  

Baumtorte

I’m always on the lookout for more unique and pretty ways of presenting or making cake. I stumbled on this little gem when flicking through the paper. It’s a cake which is grilled. Yup, grilled. Thin layers of cake batter are spread on top of each other and browned under the grill. Each layer is cooked through by the heat of the grill and when cut produces an amazing stripy effect. The cake is beautifully moist!

(Huge kudos, of course, to Natasha Solomons for the recipe and The Times)

Ingredients:-

225gr unsalted butter, softened

225gr caster sugar

225gr plain flour

6 eggs

Zest and juice of a lemon

Icing sugar

Method:-

1, Cream together with butter and sugar until pale

2, Add in the eggs, one by one, and beat until smooth and creamy

3, Add the lemon zest and then slowly add in the flour until you have a thick creamy batter

4, Preheat your grill to medium

5, Grease your cake pan (I used a 7inch deep sandwich tin) and smooth a thin layer of cake mix into the bottom.

6, Place under the grill and watch it like a hawk, until it is brown.

7, Remove from the grill and spread another thin layer and place back under the grill. Repeat until all the batter has been used or the cake pan is full. Try and make them as even as possible.

8, When finished, leave the cake for a couple of minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack.

9, Make a glace icing with the juice of the lemon simply adding icing sugar until thick and white. Slather onto the fully cooled cake and leave to set!

10, Slice and enjoy.