Yogurt Icing

This icing is a bit like a light cream cheese icing (which is kind of weird to say since it's mostly butter). The yogurt is mostly there to add a tang to the sweetness.

4 cups (650g) icing sugar

160g butter, room temperature

115g plain full fat yogurt

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

1. In a stand mixer or by hand whisk the butter until creamy, then add the icing sugar in ½ cup increments until it's all in. 
2. While continuing to beat, add the yogurt and vanilla.
3. Continue to beat at medium speed until the sugar is completely dissolved into the yogurt and the icing looks glossy, about 10 to 20 minutes.

Spiced Porridge Cake with Caramel Icing

This recipe came together so quickly! The spicing complements the caramel icing so well. It is so very strongly recommended that you wait at least 1 day, preferably 2 days before eating it. The flavors mature slowly and the result is well worth the wait.

Optional to the recommended spicing is to add one or two tsps. of cinnamon. This would be good, but honestly, for a superlative cake, use the Ayurvedic Oatmeal.

1⁄2 cup (4oz/114gr) butter

2 cups (15oz/420g)white sugar

2 eggs

2 cups (520g) cooked Ayurvedic Porridge (about 1 recipe)

2½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1¼ cup (185g) flour

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar. 
3. Mix in the eggs and cooked porridge. 
4. In sequence, add the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.
5. Pour into a greased and floured spring form pan.
6. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick or knife.
7. Once baked, allow it to cool completely, and refrigerate, preferably for a full day. A cold cake will be key to making the icing stick to the cake. The other upside to this is that the flavour of the cake complexifies the longer it sits.

For the Icing: 

¾ cup (169 g) butter

1 cup (200 g) packed brown sugar

2 tsp (15 g) golden syrup

⅝ cup (150 g) milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp fine salt

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Add the brown sugar, golden syrup, salt, and milk. Stir continuously until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth, about 4–5 minutes. Avoid letting it boil vigorously during this stage.
3. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Once it reaches a steady boil, cook for 2½–3 minutes, stirring frequently, or until a candy thermometer reads 230°F.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool. The longer it cools, the thicker it becomes. If it's too hot, it will be too liquid and just pour right off the cake, but completely cold and it will be difficult to apply. Be patient and wait. When it’s at your desired consistency, remove the cake from its mold and drizzle the icing over the cooled cake, pooling it on top until small dribbles come down the sides.
5. Wait at least one more full day before serving for the best flavour and texture.

Frosting to improve hips - Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Yes, a butter frosting. Usually for this type of recipe an unsalted butter is recommended, but I like to use salted - I always find that salt improves flavour, even when it's a sweet. Although I have made this by hand, I prefer to use an electric mixer to cream the butter. All I'm saying is that, in a pinch, you can beat the butter with a wooden spoon by hand; it may in fact offset a bit the calories...

NOTE: you can choose how sweet you want your frosting by playing with the quantity of icing sugar. Two cups may be a bit skimpy and create a bitter-sweet chocolate frosting, but I find four cups way too sweet. I recommend you start at 2 cups and add to taste after that.

ANOTHER NOTE: It's best to sift light powders like cocoa and icing sugar after measuring - the measuring process can compact it again and cause it to lump.

YET ANOTHER NOTE: Notice that the darkness of the chocolate frosting will lighten depending on two things: 1) how much sugar you use and 2) how long and how vigorously you beat the mixture (especially if you use an electric mixer).

1 cup (8oz/228gr) softened salted butter

1⁄3 cup (2.8oz/78g)crème fraîche

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 cup Dutch processed or de-bittered cocoa powder, sifted after measuring

2 to 4 cups (1 cup = 5.1oz/145g) icing sugar, sifted after measuring

1. Beat butter until creamy (it will become pale, almost white).
2. Blend in crème fraîche and vanilla; beat until very smooth.
3. Add the cocoa and icing sugar.
4. Beat on high until smooth, no longer than 45 seconds or depending on the colour you want.

Chocolate Torte with Dark Chocolate Frosting

We had some friends over for dinner who are gluten intolerant, so I decided to make a flourless chocolate cake. And since I'd just seen Laura Calder make one, I decided to try that one out. I don't know where the error was, if I put the oven too hot or if my oven, which has a random temperature generator, burned my cake, fifteen minutes before it was supposed to be done! I ended up cutting away the burned parts, and what was left was a wonderfully gooey chocolate pudding-like substance that I piled in large ramekins and topped with fresh whipped cream. What a save! But not an experience I'd like to repeat.

I tried this a second time, and it still started to burn about 15 minutes before the baking time was up, without the attractive crackling! I searched and most flourless chocolate cake recipes of this type give pretty much the same info.

THEN I was looking for an Easter chocolate cake to make for Isabelle and Ben and I found this recipe. It worked, it didn't burn, and it was delicious!

6 large eggs separated

1 cup (8oz/228gr) butter, cut into small pieces

7-9oz chocolate (70%), chopped

1 cup granulated white sugar, divided

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Ganache:

7-8 oz chocolate (70%), chopped

3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream

2 Tbsps (28gr) butter

1 Tbsps brandy (optional)

1. THIS IS BEST MADE THE DAY BEFORE
2. Lightly coat a 9 x 3 inch spring form pan with melted butter. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
3. Separate the eggs with the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another. Cover and bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or bain marie. Once the chocolate has melted, slowly add small chunks of butter and mix to blend until it's uniform. Allow to cool a bit.
5. Beat the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until thick and lemon-coloured. (The eggs should have tripled in volume, look thick and soft, and fall from the whisk/beater in a slow ribbon.) Beat in the vanilla extract and slowly beat in the slightly cooled melted chocolate mixture (adding it slowly increases the yolk temperature and avoid making scrambled eggs au chocolat).
6. Preheat oven to 350F and place oven rack on lowest level of the oven. 
7. In a clean bowl beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold a small amount of whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter, then pour the batter into the remaining egg whites all in one go, then gently fold just until incorporated to keep as much volume in the whites as possible.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake the cake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs - apparently you can use a cooking thermometer and, when the middle of the cake reaches 140F, it's done. (During baking the surface of the cake will form a crust which will collapse when the cake is removed from the oven.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. The top of the cake will have become hard with a cracked surface and lots of crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or up to a few days.
9. Chocolate Icing: Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, then pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur.
10. Assemble: Remove torte from refrigerator and brush any loose crumbs from the cake. Place on a wire rack, top of the cake facing down (so now the bottom of the cake is facing up). Put the wire rack on a baking sheet. In this way if the chocolate ganache drips it will fall on the baking sheet, which makes clean up easier. Pour the ganache into the centre of the cake. Spread the ganache with a spatula, using big strokes to push the ganache over the sides of the cake, to create an even coating. If there are any bare spots on the sides of cake, cover with ganache. If there is leftover ganache, strain to remove crumbs, and with a hand mixer or whisk, beat until light and fluffy. Place in a piping bag, fitted with a Wilton 1M open star tip, and pipe rosettes on top of the cake. Refrigerate cake. I find this cake is best served the next day as it allows the flavours to blend. Cut the cake in small slices with a sharp knife, wiping off the knife after slicing each piece. If you have problems cutting the slices, warm the blade of the knife under hot running water before cutting each slice.