Skillet Brownie Cake

A couple of weeks ago, one of my oldest friends looked at my post on Dark Chocolate Cake Pops and sent me a message asking me to do a post on something super chocolatey that is easy to make with ingredients that don’t require one to go on a drawn out treasure hunt to find them. On a whim, I promised her that I would soon do a post on a Skillet Chocolate Cake. Though I didn’t get around to doing it immediately, I sure didn’t forget.

So over the past weekend, on the occasion of The Foodscape’s 1st Anniversary, I baked this chocolicious Brownie Cake in a skillet. Baking this cake was very special – it felt like I was connecting with my roots again. Many of you may not know this, but when I first started baking back when I was only 13, I didn’t own an oven and so I would bake on the gas stove on an open flame. And for this cake, I did just that! 🙂

Wondering how it’s even remotely possible? Well, here’s the deal – all you need is a diffuser to place directly in contact with the flame; a deep, flat bottomed pan with a lid that fits perfectly; and a couple of heavy wooden blocks or slabs. When you’re all stocked up and your cake batter is ready, grease your pan, pour in the batter, switch on the gas on a low flame, place the diffuser over it and then place the pan on the diffuser. Cover it with the lid, and place the wooden slabs on top to make sure that air does not escape from the pan during the baking process. Sweet and simple, isn’t it?

This is the arrangement to bake directly on the gas stove: Place the diffuser (the thin silver iron plate) on the gas, place the pan over it, cover with the lid and place the wooden slabs on top to make sure air doesn’t escape during the baking process 🙂

So here’s my recipe for this anniversary special Skillet Brownie cake…

Here’s what you need:

• Semi-sweet Chocolate – 75 g + extra for garnish
• Unsalted Butter – 60 g
• Cocoa Powder – 1 tbsp
• Granulated Sugar – 80 g
• Eggs – 2, small
• All Purpose Flour – 50 g
• Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
• Salt – a pinch
• Walnuts – 50 g, chopped
• Maraschino Cherries – 20 g, chopped
• Your choice of sprinkles – for garnish
• Strawberries – for granish

Here’s how you make it:

• Mix together 75 grams of semi-sweet chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl. Place the bowl over a vessel of simmering water – making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water – and allow the chocolate and butter to melt.
• Once melted, take off the heat. Add cocoa powder and sugar and stir vigorously until well incorporated. Add in the eggs and whip well.
• Mix the flour into the chocolate mixture until just completely incorporated; then pour in the vanilla essence and the salt.
• Add in the chopped walnuts and maraschino cherries and give the batter a final mix.
• Pour the batter into the greased skillet and place on top of a heated diffuser in contact with an open flame. Cover with the lid and press down with wooden blocks. Allow to bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs attached to it.
• Once done, take off the heat, frost with melted chocolate, sprinkles and berries.
• EAT, NOW!

This cake is truly the ultimate chocolate indulgence. Exceptionally gooey, this brownie cake is rich, luscious, velvety and crumbly all at once. Decadent good quality chocolate combined with the sweetness of maraschino cherries and the walnuts lending it some crunch and bite, this cake is pure heaven to the senses! If you’re a chocolate lover, this will be your favourite go-to recipe for a homemade cake; and for those of you who don’t love chocolate, this will take you to the dark sinful side! I should know, it has me sold!

So what are you waiting for? Get caking and indulge in The Foodscape’s version of Chocolate Paradise 😀

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The Tale of The Penis Cake

It was early December 2014.

As I tossed in bed, gathering courage to brave the chilly morning, I glanced at my phone screen – ’20 messages from 2 contacts,’ it read. Immediately I was fumbling, a bunch of terrible thoughts rushing through my head. (Yes, I’m a generally panicky person) As I read the text messages, the worry was long gone – an old neighbor had messaged, asking me if I bake cakes and cupcakes for Bachelorettes. Though I didn’t have a lot of experience in the same, I wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to bake a pretty themed cake with matching cupcakes; I instantly agreed to do it, little did I know what was about to hit me!

As soon as my affirmative message reached her, an image appeared on my screen – a picture of a cake shaped like a penis. Yes, she wanted me to bake a penis shaped cake for her friend’s bachelorette. No, I didn’t find it awkward. (Okay, maybe a little!) My first instinct was to say I couldn’t do it ’cause I had never worked with fondant before and haven’t been great at art or detailing. But then I thought, ‘this is a challenge I may not get many opportunities to overcome.’ So yeah, I just had to do it.. errr.. bake the cake, I mean 😛

Trying really hard not to burst into a fit of giggles, I told my mum and brother about the cake that had just been ordered. While mum took a little while to make peace with what she had just heard, my brother animatedly suggested several ways I could make it look more realistic. (Trust me, you don’t want to hear the things he said…ever!) Then I told the boyfriend and my best friend about the cake and after several “Ewwws” and “Yucks,” they got on board as well. (I really love my support system, they’re the best!) That evening I went to my favorite baking appliance store, bought a new 10 inch square pan and a tub of ready-made Buttercream flavored fondant.

The work began on my most adventurous baking experiment till date. First I baked a deliciously, moist dark chocolate cake. As the cake was baking, I drew the outline of a penis on a sheet of paper and cut it out, creating a penis shaped template. Once the cake cooled completely, I placed the template on it and cut it accordingly after which I shredded the template to the tiniest of pieces, lest my father were to find a drawing of a penis! I crumb-coated the cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and then topped it with a generous layer of the same. Into the fridge the cake went.

I began work on the fondant – rolling, adding color, getting the perfect shade. When I was happy with what the fondant looked like, I covered the cake with it and sculpted it to shape. As soon as I was done with the detailing, I rushed to put the cake into a box. I wasn’t fast enough though; in walked my dad, wondering what I was trying to hide. I tried to not let him see it, but it didn’t work – he looked at it and went, “OH GOSH!” Between fits of laughter he said, “You’re committing a sin, Winola, you’re not going to heaven!” My whole family was in the kitchen, laughing, playfully arguing for and against what I had just baked. After giving it a little thought, my dad said, “I don’t think the color is quite right!” 😀

As my old neighbor waited at the door and I packed the cake up carefully, my mum smiled and said, “One thing I’m really proud about is that you had the guts to make this cake at home, in front of all of us. I’m glad you didn’t hide.” 🙂

-The End-