ReBar Chocolate Cake.

 It was Steve's 40th Birthday this month.  I had so much fun planning his party and his request was for a chocolate cake.  I began frantically searching around looking for the best chocolate cake, when all of a sudden, out of the blue - it hit me.  My Mom makes the most amazing and seriously decadent chocolate cake.  She got the recipe from my sisters' book, called the Rebar Cookbook - named after a restaurant in Victoria, B.C.  Rebar is a super trendy and hip restaurant known for it's vegan and vegetarian menu.

Because I was prepared to pay for a cake, I called my Mom and asked her if maybe, just maybe I could hire her to bake me two of these divine cakes.  I'd be lost without that woman.  If you know my Mom, then you'll know that she didn't even hesitate to say yes, of course she wouldn't let me pay her and truth be told, she was honoured.

So, last night while the campfire was glowing - I served it to our friends - on that lovely, candlelit, western-themed, cool evening - with fresh raspberries on the side.  It was the biggest hit.

Here's the recipe.  It's honestly the best chocolate cake.

Cake
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup strong coffee (in place of coffee increase the buttermilk by 1/4 cup + 1/2 cup of water)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs (1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk)
1 tsp vanilla

Cake filling
5 oz milk chocolate
5 oz dark chocolate
1/2 lb unsalted butter, softened
1/4 lb cream cheese, spreadable
1 tsp vanilla

Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
5 oz semi-sweet chocolate

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Prepare three 8″ cake pans with oiled parchment cut to fit the bottoms of the pans. Set aside.

2. Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt in the bowl of a mixer and whisk on low to combine, making sure it is lump-free. Add the coffee, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla and mix on medium-low for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides. The batter will be pourable.

3. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 15 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool before removing them from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack. Remove parchment papers before assembling.

4. Next, prepare the cake filling. Melt the milk and dark chocolates in a double boiler and stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes. Cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Mix the cooled chocolate into the creamed mixture. Next, prepare the ganache by heating the cream and butter to just before the scalding point. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let rest for 3 minutes, then whisk gently (to avoid incorporating air as much as possible) until melted and smooth. Cool slightly.

5. To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a cooling rack with a large baking sheet underneath to catch drips. Evenly spread half of the filling over the layer, then position a second layer on top. Repeat with remaining filling, saving a small amount to thinly spread over the top. Chill 10 minutes. Next, slowly pour the warm chocolate ganache over the entire cake while carefully spreading it with a large metal icing spatula to make a smooth surface. Carefully transfer the cake onto a plate and into the fridge to set.


Enjoy!  You can also order the Rebar Cookbook from Amazon:

GF Baking Class.

For my mom's 65th birthday, my two sisters and I decided to surprise our Mom and give her an experiential gift, along with some time spent with us.  We decided to attend a cooking class together at a cooking studio in uptown Waterloo. You can check it out here.  

Before I go any further, I must pause and give all credit to my sisters who came up with the idea.  If it were up to me, I would have chosen something predictable like pedicures.  And here's the thing, our Mom LOVED it.  It was something that she would never (and I mean never) normally do and it was super fun for us to do together.  We laughed lots.  Hopefully we didn't distract the other 4 members of the class.  Who am I kidding?  I'm sure we did.  They probably hated us.

The funny thing was that this particular class was a gluten-free baking class.  To be totally honest, we picked it based on the day that worked best for us, more than on the focus of the class.  However, it completely worked out to my benefit as I am (mostly) gluten free. :)

Our menu consisted of:

Pumpkin Cornmeal Pancakes with Blueberries and Cinnamon Maple Syrup

Gluten-free Strawberry Scones with Lemon Curd

Roasted Heirloom Tomato Tart

Chocolate Souffle Cookies

Everything was delish.  One of my favourtite take-a-ways from the class was learning how to make my own batch of gluten-free all-purpose flour.  I can't wait to make it and substitute it in my favourtie recipes that call for wheat flour.   Not to mention, it's way cheaper than buying gluten-free all-purpose flour already made up and packaged.  I'll be making a trip to Bulk Barn this week :)

Here's the recipe:

1 1/4 cups of brown rice flour

1 1/4 cups of white rice flour

1 cup tapioca flour

1 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 tsp. xantham gum

Turns out the day was a total success.  Even my nephew loved it!

p.s.  the homemade lemon curd was to die for!

May.

It's May 1st.

May is my hands-down-favourite month.  I love it in every possible way.

On this first day of May, here are 5 reasons I love this month already:

1.  Cherry Blossoms.  Their smell is intoxicating.

2.  My favourite show is on at 10 p.m. tonight, after taking a hiatus for weeks (boo).

3.  My windows are wide, wide open.

4.  Magnolia trees are blooming.  Breathtaking.

5.  I made Dark Chocolate Sea Salted Butter Toffee from Shauna Niequist's book and it is amazing.  To die for.  It took me two tries to get it right, but it was fully worth it.  I'm in danger of eating the entire pan.  I'm halfway through her latest book,  Bread and Wine, and devouring every word.  Honestly, you should stop whatever you are doing and order it here :)