Baking along with the Chocolate with Francois group has become something I look forward to. It's sometimes challenging and always fun. I learn new things and see the delightful creations of the other members.
This month's exceptional confection is Charlie's Pudding Cake chosen by Peggy of Pantry Revisited.
In my mind I had something completely different pictured. Pudding cake to me was something similar to a lava cake or chocolate filled cake. A cake that would have something creamy and chocolaty ooze out when sliced into.
I read the introduction and I read through the recipe. I believe there is a picture of it on the following page. A slice sitting on top of the slice of Charlie's Afternoon Chocolate Cake, with nothing oozing out.
The baking instructions indicate that, once properly baked, the cake would be set on the edges and very loose in the middle, like pudding. OK, maybe I will get my oozing cake!
I popped it the freezer for the allotted time and prepared the glaze.
I'm bad at glaze. Mine was thin and lumpy.
I poured the glaze over the cake and since it was so thin, it mostly ran off the cake. What little remained was absorbed by the cake. Not necessarily a bad thing. Just not what I was going for here.
So, I sliced into the cake, waiting for the oozing to begin, and, nuttin'. No oozing. Solid cake. Too solid.
Like fudge.
Is this how it's supposed to be?
I re-read the introduction and recipe and noticed in the introduction Francois mentions that this cake is baked in a water bath. Nowhere in the recipe and instructions is there a mention of baking in a water bath. I did not bake in a water bath.
Was I supposed to assume a water bath? Did you bake in a water bath?
Taste-wise the cake was very good. Not too sweet, very chocolaty and rich.
I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. Francois indicates in the book that 50% cacao is semi-sweet chocolate and that's what I had so.....
I think I'm going to give this a do-over. I would like the middle a little softer. Maybe baking in a water bath would help!
Till next month!
3 comments:
I love your Dr. Seuss saying - I have it on my blog as well! Great minds think alike. :) I was the same as you. Was expecting a gooey center but instead it was firm. But it did taste more pudding like than cake like. It was a huge hit with my friends. Melt in your mouth good they all said. Thank you for making this with me this month. Yours is just beautiful.
I love how you mentioned the water bath, I must have read the recipe 3 x and flipped the pages looking for the mysterious instructions for the water bath ! Yours looks delicious- I love this recipe and would do it again and again.
I totally messed up the recipe but the result was delicious. It looks fantastic!
It was such an easy recipe and SUCH a family hit, this will be a repeat for sure.
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