Cuban Opera Cake

This cake...this was my masterpiece at Raul's birthday aka the 24, 24, 24 party. After my disastrous Dobos Torte, I was extremely hesitant to try another layer cake so soon. In case you couldn't tell, layer cakes make me nervous. I am just never sure how they will turn out and having to make one for a party is kind of a big responsibility. We decided that if the cake didn't turn out, Glen would run to Kiss My Bundt and pick up something delicious and not a failure like a Maple Bacon Bundt... I decided to start baking the night before and do as much of the recipe as early as possible. After getting started on making coffee and setting out ingredients, I realized I had forgotten the Kahlua. I ran to the store, got more and got started...and then I realized the boys had no vanilla. I was not in the mood to go out to the store again so I just replaced the vanilla with more Kahlua. That was the only change I made to the original recipe. The cake was simple enough to put together, but I got super nervous that after the recommended 35 minute baking time, I still had a soupy mess in the middle. I baked the cakes for about 45-50 minutes total and then let them cool.


(No, the crooked cake looks awesome *wink*)

While the cakes were cooling, I ran out to WeHo to have a drink with the boys because it was also Glen's birthday that night, but I could not get my mind off finishing the cake so I returned home. Four hours later (2:30AM), all of the parts of the cake were done except the chocolate glaze and the cake was chilling in the refrigerator. I wish I could tell you what happened during this time, but I was so incredibly tired and just set on getting as much done as possible. As you can probably tell, the layers are lopsided. This is because I suck when it comes to cutting cakes so the middle ended up being thinner than the edges. Honestly, I didn't really care and I think it looks rather artistic, no?



Now you may be wondering what makes this cake Cuban. To be honest, I can't really tell you, but I can tell you that it was freaking delicious. Even though I make cakes once in a while, and cupcakes, I am not a huge cake person, but this was so good. The coffee really brought out the chocolate flavor and it was rich, but not heavy feeling. Glen even called it "one of the best cakes he's eaten". In the end, this cake is not difficult, it just takes some time and patience. It's well worth it!





Cuban Opera Cake
(Slightly adapted from Bon Appétit, September 2003)

Makes 12+ servings

Cake
4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 teaspoons Kahlua
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup crème de cacao (or Kahlua)
1/2 cup freshly brewed coffee, lukewarm

Buttercream
8 ounces imported milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

Coffee Mousse
1/2 cup half and half
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder or coffee powder
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin softened in 1 tablespoon water 10 minutes
1 cup chilled whipping cream
1 teaspoon Kahlua

Chocolate Glaze
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides; line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool to lukewarm. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and 3 1/2 teaspoons Kahlua in large bowl to blend. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Gradually beat in lukewarm melted chocolate. Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Gradually beat in crème de cacao (or Kahlua) and coffee. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans; smooth tops.

Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto 9-inch cardboard rounds or removable tart pan bottoms; cool cakes completely on racks.

For buttercream:
Melt milk chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from over water. Whisk sugar, egg yolks, 2 tablespoons water, and corn syrup in medium metal bowl to blend. Add 1/4 cup butter. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; whisk constantly until mixture reaches 170°F, about 4 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat until completely cool and thick, about 6 minutes. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup butter, about 1 tablespoon at a time, fully incorporating each addition and stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in lukewarm melted chocolate.

For coffee mousse:
Bring half and half, 2 tablespoons sugar, and espresso powder to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot half and half mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat until thermometer registers 160°F, about 2 minutes. Pour into large bowl. Add softened gelatin; stir until dissolved. Using electric mixer, beat until cool, about 10 minutes. Using clean dry beaters, beat cream and Kahlua in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into coffee mixture.

Cut each cake layer horizontally in half. Place 1 cake layer in bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Cover with 3/4 cup buttercream. Place second cake layer atop buttercream; cover with mousse. Top with third cake layer. Refrigerate 1 hour to allow mousse to set. Spread 3/4 cup buttercream over third cake layer. Top with fourth cake layer (cake will rise above rim of pan). Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

For chocolate glaze:
Stir sugar and 1 cup water in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high; bring to boil. Whisk in cocoa; remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until smooth. Let stand until cool but still pourable, about 2 hours.

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Scrape excess mousse from sides of cake. Transfer cake on springform pan bottom to rack set over baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Pour glaze over cake, allowing glaze to drip down edges onto baking sheet (use spatula to spread glaze over any uncovered spots). Refrigerate at least 2 hours to allow glaze to set. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

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Cubano Sandwiches

For Christmas, JenFinn got me a subscription to Gourmet. The first episode I received was March 2009 and I could not stop drooling over a picture of the most delicious sandwich on the cover. It was one of the first recipes I planned on making for Raul's birthday aka my 24, 24, 24 party. However, after a night and morning of cooking, we were pretty tired and not really in the mood for any more batter. In a rare twist, the recipe in the magazine only makes one sandwich so I increased it by ten times the amount and then cut the sandwiches so that everybody at the party could enjoy some. Unfortunately, I didn't know until the day of the party that birthday boy is not a fan of pickles so I made some sandwiches without them. The exact origin of a real Cuban sandwich is unknown, but this is an interesting spin on them. Instead of mashing the garlic into a paste, I just chopped it which meant that some people bit into pieces of garlic, but since we were amongst friends, it was ok.



Even if you think you don't like mayonnaise, do not skip that step. The garlic is amazing and it really ties the whole sandwich together.




Monte Cubanos
(Adapted from Gourmet, March 2009)

Makes 10 sandwiches

20 slices firm bread
1/4 cup yellow mustard
40-50 dill pickle rounds
20 slices black forest ham
20 slices smoked turkey
20 thin slices Swiss cheese
1 bulb garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4-1/2 cup unsalted butter

Spread 1 slice of bread with mustard and top with 4-5 pickles, 2 slices of each meat, and 2 slices of cheese. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then mix with mayonnaise. Spread on remaining slice of bread and assemble sandwich.

Melt butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat. Cook sandwich, uncovered, until underside is well browned, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook remaining side, covered, until well browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 minute. Cut the sandwiches into quarters and serve warm.

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Plantain Chips and Cuban/Mexican Grilled Corn

As I mentioned a lot of the dishes I served at the 24, 24, 24 party were very meat-centric, but I also had a few vegetarian options. The rice and beans I posted the other day were vegetarian as were these treats. I had originally planned on making tostones, but as the day and heat wore on, we decided we didn't have the time or energy for a second round of frying so we went with plantain chips. I have been eating plantains since I was in the womb so I love them every which way, but my favorite way to enjoy them is those roasted chips they so conveniently sell at Trader Joes. These were fried so not as healthy, but still tasty and simple to make.



We also served up some grilled corn once the party got going. Actually, Dan was the one who took care of all the grilling and I just got the toppings ready. I think I have had cotija cheese before in salads or something, but I loved the salty bite with the sweet corn, and I have never really been a fan of corn. A sprinkling of chili powder and a squeeze of lime was all that was needed to make this a fresh accompaniment to some of the heavier dishes. Just a note, I have never grilled corn myself in my life, I am pretty sure the directions below are what Dan did to make it good.

Plantain Chips

Makes a lot of chips

7-8 plantains, peeled and sliced to 1/4-inch thickness
Canola oil for frying
Salt

In a large pot or deep fryer, preheat the oil to 350 degrees. Add a few of the sliced plantains, but not too many so that they don't stick together. Fry 8-10 minutes until crisp. Drain on paper towels and season with salt immediately. Serve cooled.

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Cuban/Mexican Grilled Corn

Corn
Butter
Grated Cotija cheese
Lime wedges
Chili powder or ground cayenne pepper

Preheat the grill to high. Slather each piece of corn with butter and wrap in tinfoil. Grill until the corn is tender, turning every few minutes. Sprinkle the corn with the cheese and dust with chili powder. Serve with lime wedges.

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Vaca Frita and Croquetas de Jamon

One of the first things I decided on making when Raul and I chose a Cuban theme for the party was vaca frita. Vaca frita literally means fried cow. Basically what it is is steak that has been boiled with flavorful spices and then fried to tasty deliciousness. Well since I was serving some other heavy foods at the party, I wanted to find a way to lighten things up. Luckily this had already been done for me. Although this recipe takes some time, most of it is inactive time and you can get to work on the other things you will be serving with this. In my case, it was cilantro rice and Cuban-style beans which were really a great accompaniment to this meat.



As you can tell, this menu was pretty meat heavy, but there were some vegetarian options including the recipes I shared yesterday. Another meat option I served were ham croquetas. A few months ago I made coxinha which I guess are technically Brazilian, but I wanted to make something similar, but with less work. I found this easy recipe for croquetas so I cooked some up. They were so good and crispy on the outside and creamy and full of hammy tastiness on the inside. One of the best things is that you can make the mix the night before and then fry them up on the day of the party.



Vaca Frita
(Adapted from Bitchin Camero)

Makes 10-12 servings

4 pounds flank steak, cubed
8 cups of water
2 1/2 tablespoons salt
3 bay leaves
5 medium-sized yellow onions, three halved, two chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 3 large oranges
Juice of 3 large limes
Salt to taste

Place the steak, water, onion halves, bay leaf and salt in a large pot and set over medium-high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer the steak for 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until tender.

Remove the steak with a slotted spoon and let cool to room temperature. (Run the remaining liquid through a fine mesh sieve and use as a base for soups, or freeze.) Use 2 forks or your hands to pull the steak apart until it resembles pulled pork. Mix the orange and lime juice together in a small bowl or measuring cup.

Preheat your oven’s broiler. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and saute until soft and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the shredded steak and half of orange/lime juice.

Saute for 2 – 3 minutes, then taste and add more orange/lime juice and salt to taste. (I used all of the remaining juice and just a pinch more salt. It is very important to taste for salt because you may not need it)

Spread the contents of the skillet onto a cookie sheet and place under the broiler until the beef and onions crisp and brown, about 10-20 minutes, you may need to stir half way through cooking. Remove and serve with rice and beans if desired.

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Croquetas de Jamon
(From For the Love of Food)

Makes 24-30 croquetas

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 a small onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 cups (12 ozs.) smoked or baked ham, minced and then ground to paste with a food processor
1 fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon white wine
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 eggs, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 cups fine plain bread crumbs
3 tablespoons flour

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it’s soft. Add the 1/4 cup of flour to the butter and onions and whisk in the pan. Gradually add the evaporated milk; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally or until the mixture comes just to a boil and is thick and creamy. Add the ground ham, parsley, wine, pepper and nutmeg; mix well. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes over low heat. Taste the ham mixture. It should be salty enough, but if not, add some salt to taste.

Pour the ham mixture into an 8 inch square baking pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let cool in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes so that it will solidify a bit and be easier to work with. This can also be done overnight.

Beat the eggs with water in a small mixing bowl until frothy. Combine the bread crumbs and flour and place in a second wide bowl or plate. Divide the ham mixture in the pan by cutting it into thirds crosswise and in eights lengthwise. Shape into logs that are about 1 1/2 inches long and 3/4-inch wide.

Dip the croquetas into egg and water mixture and then roll in the crumb mixture until evenly coated. Place croquetas back in the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In the mean time, heat the oil in a large cast iron pan so the heat is at 177°C (350°F). Fry croquetas for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve the croquetas warm.

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Cilantro-Lime Rice and Cuban-Style Black Beans

Here are two really easy and insanely flavorful side dishes that went along with the vaca frita with a twist that I will be posting at a later time. These are also really quick and great to have on hand for any time. I imagine they would go great with some grilled chicken or fish for a fast meal.




Cilantro-Lime Rice
(Adapted from Closet Cooking)

Makes 8+ servings

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups long grained rice
4 cups water
2 handfuls cilantro, chopped
2 limes zested and juiced

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes until the onions have softened. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add the rice and toast in the oil for a few 2-3 minutes.

Add the water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered until tender, about 20 minutes for white rice or 40-50 minutes for brown. Remove from the heat and mix in the cilantro, lime juice and zest.

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Cuban-Style Black Beans
(Adapted from Bon Appetit, September 1997)

Makes 6-8 servings

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained
3/4 cup canned vegetable broth or water
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and oregano and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of beans to pan. Using back of fork, mash beans coarsely. Add remaining beans, broth and vinegar and simmer until mixture thickens and flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Mix in sugar, if desired. Season beans to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

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Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 - (Almost) End of Summer Cuban Feast

At last month's Foodbuzz party, we discussed how we could make a similar event happen again. And soon. What better reason to have a party than Raul's birthday? We also decided it would be an (almost) end of summer party since the summer is quickly winding down (although the heat is just beginning to hit us). I did a few searches of some of my favorite sites and put together a Cuban inspired menu. Now before people go getting all in a tizz, this is a Cuban inspired meal. Not all of the recipes are authentically Cuban and many of them got their own Dishing Up Delights twist. It was exhausting, yet so much fun to plan this party.

The table with some of the food.



An interesting take on the Cubano sandwich.





Ham Croquettes were crispy on the outside and full of creamy ham goodness on the inside.



Vaca frita with a tad healthier spin.



These black beans were so flavorful and a great accompaniment to the vaca frita.



Cilantro Lime Rice which is better than what you get at Chipotle.



Originally I had planned on making tostones, but we decided to go the easier route of making plantain chips.



Grilled Cuban (but mostly Mexican) corn.



The piece de resistance...the Cuban Opera Cake. It's a little lopsided, but it's the best (and most successful) layered cake I have ever made.



We're all in the background, singing.



Blowing out the candles



Having fun!



Look at those layers



I had sooo much fun planning this. A million thank yous to the birthday boy for being my sous chef and letting me take over his birthday party with all the food. All the recipes will be posted over the coming week so stay tuned!

Mixed Tomato Salad

I wrote a guest post on Cooking Books! It's all about this salad. Head over there to hear all about it and then go have yourself a great weekend!

Daring Bakers: Dobos Torte

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.



It's hard to believe, but this is my twelfth challenge as a Daring Baker. It was just a year ago that I was rolling up my sleeves and rolling out lavash crackers accompanied with vegan dips. Who can forget the tossing of pizza? The most memorable, has to be the one that took the longest (3 days!!). Not all challenges have been successful. Overwhipping egg whites leads to an incredibly dry and tasteless flourless chocolate cake. Luckily I was able to try it again a while later and it turned out great. I hope to one day re-do this challenge because unfortunately, my "anniversary" Daring Bakers challenge was a complete fail. This torte is pretty simple if you think about it. It's several layers of sponge cake with chocolate buttercream and then a sponge layer coated in caramel. I first ran in to problems creating the sponge layers. My first few layers were too thin and were not coming off the parchment so I added some flour to the batter and made thicker layers. I was about to give up because I was running out of time (housewarming party to go to), but I finally got about five sponges to work with. The chocolate buttercream was a breeze, but even with chilling it was a little too soupy. The caramel was an absolute disaster. I now know that lemon juice has no business in caramel. It was repulsive.



Luckily, I was able to drown my sorrows in the pudding-like buttercream. At least this wasn't a super expensive failure. I took a bottle of wine to the housewarming instead of the cake fail.



PS, Don't be fooled by the semi-normal slice pictures. This was a total disaster. I hope to try it again soon.

Comme Ca Burger

As you have probably noticed from my lack of posts, I haven't been doing much cooking lately. I am still not used to my new surroundings (and honestly, not quite sure I will ever be) and I have been having a very busy summer. The good news is that I have been going out a bit more which is how I am able to share this delicious dinner I had two weeks ago. After a night out dancing with my boys, we decided the cure would be to go see a Julie & Julia and to have a belated birthday dinner for me at Comme Ca. My previous experience at Comme Ca left me with nothing but good feelings so I was pretty excited to go back.





We started with the cheese plate and the crab cakes. The guy who prepped the cheese plate (I am sure he has an official title, but I can't remember it) was so excited to talk cheese. It was pretty incredible. I love me some cheese, but this man was So. Excited....about CHEESE. It was pretty adorable. Glen and I also shared the crab cakes which were served on top of an apple, curry puree and topped with shaved apple and fennel. They were some of the most flavorful crab cakes I have ever had and really delicious.





For my entree I went with the famed Comme Ca Burger which is only being served at dinner for a limited time. This is a burger that was recently called "perfect" by the New York Times so I was anxious to try it. It is certainly good, but for me it was a bit too much. The patty is so ginormous, I could barely get my mouth around it and I have a pretty big mouth. It's not the sexiest thing to eat so I am glad I was with my friends rather than a date, but the leftovers are so much, you will probably have enough for another meal. After the crab cakes, cheese plate, and a portion of my burger, I was way too full to think about having dessert and my dining companions felt the same. We decided to call it an early night and I ended up passing out in a food coma bliss.

Israeli Couscous with Tomatoes and Carrots

Lately my email inbox has been out of control. In a recent effort to get the number of emails down to more reasonable levels, I went on a cleaning binge and found an email from The Kitchn on twenty ways to cook anything this summer. Sort of like Bittman's salads there are no rules and things can be customized a million ways. I only recently discovered Israeli couscous and I love its chewiness. I cooked it in chicken stock instead of water to add some flavor and tossed the whole thing with lemon juice at the end added freshness. This quick recipe is a keeper and very versatile for any time of year.




Israeli Couscous with Tomatoes and Carrots
(Adapted from The Kitchn)

Makes 2 servings

1 1/3 cup Israeli couscous
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/3 cup low sodium chicken stock
4 ounces cubed pancetta
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
Juice from 1/2 small lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the couscous and toast until it is lightly brown. Add the chicken stock and bring up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, cook the pancetta until it is crispy. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave about 2 teaspoons of the rendered fat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the carrots and cook, until they are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the coucous to the garlic and carrot mixture and toss to combine.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pancetta back to the couscous mixture and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Toss the couscous mixture with the sliced tomatoes and serve warm.

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