©Ellen Easton

A festive tablescape sets the mood for the holidays. Yours can be as simple as a bowl filled with candy canes or an elaborate tableau. When it’s time for dessert, I am partial to mocha cake and cake logs in any size, flavor or season.  A delicious, sweet course that can be made to complement and enhance any menu.  For easy assembly I prefer angel food or sponge cake batter. From scratch is always extra special but a good box mix can be doctored to taste sensational too.  Each will lend itself to add decorations and different fillings. It’s only a matter of personal preferences.

For this holiday season I am featuring a mocha cake, coconut angel food cream log made from a “doctored” mix and my mother, Reva Paul’s traditional chocolate sponge cake with cocoa whipped cream log made from scratch.  Alternate fillings and decor may be substituted.

During the season of celebration remember to help those in need and include others who may be alone. Wishing all a safe, healthy holiday season and a Happy New Year filled with loved ones, good friends and tea!.

 Mocha Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze

©Ellen Easton All Rights Reserved

Ingredients:  1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter,  room temperature; 1 cup granulated sugar  (plus extra sugar to prepare baking pan), sifted; 2 cups cake flour, sifted; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 cup milk, room temperature; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 4 large egg whites, room temperature; 2 Tablespoons instant coffee grains

Preparation:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Position oven rack in middle of oven.  Either prepare two (2) 9-inch cake pans , Bundt pan, or 2 to 3 (6-inch) tea cake pans. This cake can be baked in any shape pan you desire.  Coat the bottom and sides of the pans with PAM non-stick baking spray.  Dust the bottom and sides with  Domino light brown granulated sugar until lightly coated.

In the mixing bowl of your electric mixer, at medium speed, cream the butter.  Add a small amount of sugar at a time, and continue beating until creamy.  Add the cake flour, baking powder, milk, and vanilla extract and instant coffee grains; beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and cling to the bowl.  Fold the stiffed egg whites  into the prepared batter mixture.  Pour into the prepared pan/pans. Only fill a pan halfway to allow the cake to rise when baking.

Bake depending on the cavity size of the pan used for approximately 20 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Prepare the Dark Chocolate Glaze: in the top of an uncovered double boiler melt 8 OZ of semi-sweet bakers chocolate, ½ cup powder sugar and 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk until silky smooth.

When cake is cool, remove from the pan/pans. With a warmed flat knife, ice the cake with the dark chocolate glaze. Decorate with edible gold, sugar decorations or a design of your choice.

Cake Roll Decorating Pattern Preparation Tips ~ Place a piece of parchment paper into a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan . Spray the parchment with baking spray or vegetable oil using a paper towel to wipe away any excess.   Make your pattern with rice paper decals or food coloring.  If using a food-colored batter freeze for 15 minutes to set the batter onto the parchment paper.  Prepare your cake batter and place it directly onto the parchment paper patten. Using an offset spatula smooth the batter evenly across the pan. Bake according to the time of the cake recipe.  Prepare a tea towel onto a flat surface and sprinkle with powdered sugar rubbed into the towel.

Once the cake is baked remove it quickly from the pan running a knife along the edges to loosen turning upside down onto a powdered sugared tea towel . Remove the parchment paper carefully peeling it from the cake. If the cake cools before rolling it will crack.   Roll up and secure to the refrigerator to set for one hour before filling. Once set remove and fill.

REVA PAUL’s CHOCOLATE CAKE LOG

©Ellen Easton

Ingredients: 4 Large Eggs ~Whites and  Egg Yolks separated; ½ cup cake flour; 3/4 cup granulated Sugar; ¼  cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon baking powder;  1 ½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract. (Use Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Pure Extract if available) 2 Tablespoons water; Powdered Sugar for dusting

Preparation: Pre Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray the bottom and sides of a 15 inch by 10-inch rimmed jelly roll pan with floured baking spray.  (I use PAM™) Dust the bottom and sides of the pan with Domino light brown granulated sugar.  In an electric mixer beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add ¼ cup of sugar ~2 Tablespoons at a time until stiff. In a separate bowl on a low speed, beat the egg yolks with ½ cup of sugar ~ 2 Tablespoons at a time until thick, about 4 minutes. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, vanilla extract and water beat until smooth. Gently fold the cocoa mixture into the egg whites until mixed together but do not over mix or the egg whites will deflate. Using a spatula spread the mixture into the prepared pan.  Bake approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Watch closely so the batter doesn’t burn.  Sift powdered sugar onto a large tea towel. Turn the cake out of the pan onto the towel.  Roll up immediately in the tea towel from the long side.  Seam side facing down cool on a wire rack.

Filling Ingredients: 1 ½ cups of chilled heavy cream; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 TBS instant coffee grounds OR for chocolate flavor ½ cup powdered sugar; ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa instead of coffee.

 Preparation: Place all ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on a high speed until stiff peaks form for whipped cream.  Set aside.  When the cake is cool unroll the cake on a flat surface keeping it on the tea towel.  Using a spatula evenly spread the whipped cream across the entire cake. Re- roll the cake and securely wrap cellophane around the cake to hold its shape. Place the wrapped cake into the refrigerator to set. May be made a day in advance.  When ready to serve remove the cake from the refrigerator. Set the  unwrapped cake on your serving plate and dust the outside with powdered sugar and decorations. Serves 12 thin or 6n thick slices.

Coconut Angel Food Cake Log

©Ellen Easton

Ingredients: I Box Angel Food Cake Mix (I use Duncan Hines): follow instructions on the box.  Add 1 teaspoon Coconut Extract.  Sweetened Coconut Flakes. 1 pound box Powdered Sugar for glaze and dusting. (Sugar, Water and Extract mixed for glaze)

Preparation: Pre Heat oven to instructions on the box. Use a dry 15.5 inch by 10.5-inch jelly roll pan.  Place all ingredients into an electric mixer. Beat together but do not over mix. Using a spatula spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake as per the instructions. Watch closely so the batter doesn’t burn. Sift powdered sugar onto a large tea towel. Turn the cake pan upside down out onto the towel. Allow to cool. Using a spatula or flat knife gently ease the cake out of the pan onto the sugared tea towel.  Roll up immediately in the tea towel from the long side.  Seam side facing down cool on a wire rack.

Filling Ingredients: 1 ½ cups of chilled heavy cream; ½ cup powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon coconut extract. Preparation: Place all ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on a high speed until stiff peaks form for whipped cream.  Set aside.

When the cake is cool unroll the cake on a flat surface keeping it on the tea towel.  Using a spatula evenly spread the whipped cream across the entire cake. Re-roll the cake and securely wrap cellophane around the cake to hold its shape. Place the wrapped cake into the refrigerator to set.

May be made a day in advance.  When ready to serve remove the cake from the refrigerator. Set the  unwrapped cake on your serving plate . Pure sugar glaze on top of the cake.  Roll or sprinkle sweetened coconut flakes on the cake  Dust the outside with powdered sugar. Serves 6 or 12 thin slices.

Chantilly Cream~ Chantilly cream is commonly known as whipped cream. Heavy cream that has been whipped to a fluffy texture.  Chantilly cream has a wide variety of uses as a topping for ice creams, cakes, pies, puddings, fruit, trifles, fools.  Easy to prepare and also good frozen.

Fool~ A fruit fool is a dessert that dates back to the 15th century. “The name fool is derived from the French word fouler, meaning to press or crush, referring to the crushed fruits that are gently folded into whipped cream”. A fool is made with whipped cream that sometimes has yogurt or sour cream added for stability. While a mousse has eggs added, both the yolks and the whipped whites, to add structure, stability, and volume to the dessert, a fool is lighter, faster and easier to prepare than a mousse.

Mousse~ Mousse is a chilled dessert made with sweetened and flavored whipped cream, egg yolk and stiffed egg whites.  A Mousse may be served “as is” in a bowl or dessert cup or used as a filling for cakes, Charlottes, trifles, parfaits.

Panna Cotta ~Panna cotta means “cooked cream” in Italy, and that’s essentially what the base is: heated heavy cream or a little half-and-half or whole milk, mixed with powdered gelatin, vanilla extract or vanilla bean, or other extract flavor of choice.

Blancmange~ Blancmange is a sweet dessert popular throughout Europe commonly made with milk or cream and sugar, thickened with rice flour, gelatin, corn starch, often flavored with almonds.

Pastry Cream~ Crème Pâtissière ~Prepared on the stovetop, a creamy textured pudding is a thick custard made from eggs, sugar, milk, flour or cornstarch, and a flavoring of choice used as a filling for tartlets,  pastry and baked goods.

Bavarian Cream ~ Crème Bavaroise is a French dessert consisting of an egg-based cooked custard (milk thickened with eggs) and gelatin folded into whipped cream. Bavarian cream differs from mousse being made by thickening a custard sauce with gelatin, then folding in whipped cream, not stiffed egg whites.

Diplomat Cream~ Crème Diplomat is a mixture of equal parts crème Pâtissière, pastry cream, and unsweetened whipped cream. “ Its history is unclear, but conventional wisdom says the name originated when French leaders served the cream—which they reserved for special occasions—to distinguished Bavarian visitors.”

Crème Fraiche ~ Fermented Cream.  Add Buttermilk to heavy cream.  Allow to ferment for serval hours at room temperature. An accompaniment for desserts, fruits or even soups.

For more Cake and Filling Recipes see links:

https://www.thethreetomatoes.com/frozen-coffee-cream-cake
https://www.thethreetomatoes.com/cranberrysavory-and-sweet
https://www.thethreetomatoes.com/a-guilt-free-valentines-dessert
https://www.thethreetomatoes.com/summer-fruit-delights
https://www.thethreetomatoes.com/valentines-teatime-hearts-and-roses
https://www.thethreetomatoes.com/a-spring-luncheon-a-la-francais
https://www.thethreetomatoes.com/strawberries-for-a-summer-day
https://www.thethreetomatoes.com/chocolate-chocolate-chocolate-this-french-chocolate-cake-recipe-is-han