Angel Food Cake and Demons Cooking Adventure

This week we take on the dastardly Illuminati as we pay tribute to Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons. I attempt to create a baking decadence that (for all in intents and purposes) probably shouldn’t exist. It’s called the Heaven and Hell Cake. A mouthwatering combination of Angel Food cake layers with Devil Food Cake layers. Smothered in between is an unbelievably delicious peanut butter ganache and dripped over it is a smooth chocolate coating. It has you saying, “Oh my ganache.”

…Well, almost.

My take on this fine cake was ruined by the angel food cake. This is my second attempt trying to make it and I once again failed…miserably. But I had to complete it so I resorted to the wonderful Hannaford’s Supermarket to supply me with a cake that was actually edible.

Somehow, whenever I try to make angel food cake, I always have the same problem. I get to the point in the recipe where I’m supposed to beat egg whites and sugar together until they form “stiff peaks”. And so I beat, and beat, and beat. I beat the heaven out of those egg whites until they are no longer angelic in the least bit. No stiff peaks form. Ever. When I try to go ahead with the recipe, I end up with this strange marshmallowy concoction of God knows what that isn’t even…real. It’s just a brick of gross goo with a hard crust. Eww.

Basically, what I’m saying is that if you want to try this recipe for yourself, you’re going to want to hop over and check out Whisk Kid for this recipe so that you make it the right way. Because by the end of this video…my cake looks ridiculous, even though it tastes amazing.

Stay tuned for the next Literary Cooking Adventure!

~KSilva

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Violently Shaken, But Not Stirred Enough

COOKING ADVENTURE # 59: Frozen Hot Chocolate

Yup, that recipe’s name is a bit of an oxymoron. How does one enjoy frozen hot chocolate, do you ask? I’ll make it simple for you. It’s not chocolate milk. It’s not a frappe or a milkshake or anything that can be easily made. It’s the most fattening, sugar laced hot chocolate you’ve ever known. And somehow, it wasn’t invented by Paula Dean. Shocker. Actually this recipe is taken from a very popular place in the great New York City called Serendipity where they are known for their frozen hot chocolate. I found this recipe while scouting Pinterest (once again) and decided to take a whack at it. It’s not as if I needed to add to my chocolate consumption though. Combine your surplus of chocolate from Valentine’s day and mix in some stress from a long and not great day at work. Voila. You are now primed for clogging your arteries with this drink of choice. Or at least, I thought I would be able to enjoy it while sulking about my day. Turns out that even making the frozen hot chocolate was more of a chore than I’d predicted.

Here We Go A-Frolicking Among the Biscuits…

COOKING ADVENTURE #37: Biscuit Cinnamon Buns and Pumpkin Spice Coffee

So… this Cooking Adventure was a little on the easy side. In fact, I’m not sure that I’d even describe it as a proper “adventure”. It was more like a frolic, like the time I made egg drop soup. There were a few things that could have gone better but for the most part, it was a piece of cake making this delectable morning treat and it’s coffee creamer sidekick. And of course, I’ve been enjoying said treats for the better part of a week. Guys, this is essentially one of the simplest things to make and that’s coming from someone who couldn’t make pudding, okay? … Yes, there was a point earlier in my life where I failed to make pistachio pudding. I used water instead of milk… don’t judge me. Anyway, here we go a-frolicking among the biscuits so cinnamony…

Pecan Goo-Pie

COOKING ADVENTURE # 29: Pecan Pie

Some of you will find this hilarious. Somewhere between my Flourless Lemon Cake and my Chicken Tikka Marsala, I managed to completely mess up my numbers on my Cooking Adventures. I was at 16 and then miraculously ended up down at 13 again in the next post. I’ve gone back and edited the numbers so that they are correct. I’m on my 29th Cooking Adventure and it feels kind of crazy. You know why? Because after all of that cooking and baking, I still can’t make a pie. Just one freaking pie. I don’t care what kind it is, I have the damn-dest time making one. And pecan pie, which I considered to be pretty easy based on the recipe from the Joy of Cooking, was supposed to be my redeeming attempt. With a bit of elbow grease and the assistance of a freezer, it was… kind of.