Chocolate Jam Cake

With Polka Dot Collar

<Note: Once again Livewriter and Blogger are not working with each other so if this post looks a little off, my apologies>
 
The day has come to post my final blog. I get emotional leaving the blogging world and don’t know how to go about it…not quite ready to say goodbye so I will just say that I’m taking a long vacation…in that way, I can come back if I miss sharing the wonderfully, spectacular, amazing recipe I find on my vacation, right?

This has been a pretty busy year. The family room remodeling we started back in June finally finished last week, yay!  Four trips to see our grandchildren plus the contractor took a three week over-sea trip as well (we didn't see him for 5 weeks and I was a little worried) delayed the finish. During the extra hectic six months, I was just so ready to quit, however, I wanted to see the 5 year blog anniversary which came on December 4th. Now it’s time to do something new. 
I have made some great dishes, many were good, a few were so-so and the rest were nasty. I posted them all because I didn’t have a back-up. My readers are so kind leaving very nice comments each week. I’m truly grateful for that.
This recipe I chose for my last entry is Italian cake from my old cook book, somewhat dense though, the polka dots resemble falling snow…great fit for Christmas scene (don’t you think?) and has nostalgic mayonnaise cake like flavor.

Ingredients and Instruction for 1 nine inch cake pan (Print Recipe Here)

Necessary equipment – food scale, stand or hand held electric mixer, sifter, 9 inch round with at least 2-1/2 inch depth cake pan, parchment paper
For cake -

• 125g butter (1 stick and 1 Tablespoon), room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam
• 1/3 cup self rising flour*
• 1 cup all-purpose flour*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda*
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder*  Note: Combine all asterisk marked ingredients and sift 3 times, do not skip this process
  .
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Grease inside of the pan with butter or oil. Cut parchment paper to fit bottom and side inside (1/2 taller than the pan) of the pan. Heat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with mixer until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition. Then add strawberry jam, mix very well.
3. Fold in pre-sifted flour mixture alternately with buttermilk with large spatula. Stir until smooth but avoid over mixing.
   
4. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 45 minutes until wooden skewer comes out clean. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool. Peel off the paper.
     

For White Chocolate Icing -

• 150g (4-3/4 oz) white chocolate, cut in small pieces though, not necessary if using round melts.
• 125g (4oz) butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup cream 

1. Combine chocolate, butter and cream in a small pan. Stir oven low heat until melted. Transfer into small bowl to cool, stirring occasionally. It will be semi-solid in about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
   
2. Transfer cake to serving plate. Spread sides and top of cake evenly.
   

For Chocolate Collar – measure the height , circumference of cake with ruler. Cut parchment paper accordingly.

• 40g (1-1/3oz) white chocolate, shaved
• 80g (2-2/3oz) dark chocolate, shaved
  

1. Melt white chocolate in double-boiler on low heat until creamy. Drop melted chocolate randomly on prepared paper strip and smooth  to flatten a little bit. Allow to set, about 40 minutes to 1 hour. Note: over-heating chocolate make the chocolate grainy so do not go beyond 120F. 96F is ideal temperature. I recommend to use instant read food thermometer.
   
2. Melt dark chocolate the same way as above. Working quickly, spread the chocolate evenly over the entire strip.
   
3. Immediately  wrap the chocolate side of paper around cake. Wait for the chocolate to set. Carefully peel the paper off. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Dust top with cocoa powder.
      

I put strawberry Santas on for seasonal effect – I loved that each Santa has his own character…’みんな違って、みんないい' We are all different and all wonderful!…famous quote of Misuzu Kaneko the Japanese poet.

Like I said, every blogger is different and all are wonderful! I come to enjoy each one of you and your gifts. I was inspired, got misty eyes and laughed out loud.
Thank you, thank you very much! I’m thankful for my husband also for huge part of creating, without him and his support this would have never happened. I will continue to follow you as much as I can. I am wishing you the very best…you all are awesome!
First time in three years, I put up a Christmas tree…the vaulted ceiling makes the tree look so small…but cute…

 I sincerely hope the season will bring you peace and love.

Sweet and Tender

Chocolate Melon pan

‘Are they with the angels?’ read the front page of Monday’s Oregonian newspaper. December 14th was a crazy, depressing Day. My thoughts went directly to my granddaughter upon learning about the school shooting rampage. I was secretly relieved for the far away distance between Connecticut and Hawaii. I imagined that how painful it would be to hear silence on Christmas morning where children’s giddy excitement should have been, or to see unopened presents under the tree. I’m so sad for parents and family who had to say goodbye in this way, in a flash.

Saturday morning, I felt still heavy with heartache. I had many things planned but moved slowly and nothing accomplished. My husband started making the chocolate melon bread late in the morning, probably for me. He made regular melon pan and posted before - this is almost a twin recipe just not identical. I appreciate his thoughtfulness and his many prayers for comfort to the victims' families.

I don’t know why life is cruel sometimes then moving on with or without your readiness. I believe angels are with them now, to think otherwise would be too brittle and bitter.  

Ingredients and instructions for 8 – 4inch size rolls.

Equipment needed: Bread maker, food scale

• Bread flour 300g
• Unsalted butter 30g cut in small cubes.
• Sugar 40g
• Cocoa powder 25g
• Salt 5g
• Cold water 180g
• Dry yeast 5g

1. Put flour first in the bread maker’s pan.
2. Put the next 5 ingredients all in one side of the pan.
3. Put the yeast in last. Avoid the yeast touching liquid and salt by burying in the flour.
4. Choose ‘dough’ cycle

Meanwhile make cookie dough

• Unsalted butter 80g at room temperature
• Sugar 100g
• Egg 1 beaten
• Vanilla 1/2 teaspoon
• Weak power flour or cake flour 200g sifted

1. Whisk butter until creamy in a large bowl.
2. Add sugar 1/3rd at a time and mix well each time. Butter should get light in color.
3. Add egg a little at a time. Whisk well each time you add egg.
4. Add vanilla and stir.
5. Add flour and combine using a cutting motion with a rubber spatula.
6. Put batter on the middle of large piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or more.

Final step

1. After cookie dough has rested, flatten dough with rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick.
     
2. Separate bread dough in 1/8ths and make balls.
3. Cover each bread dough with cookie dough and score the surface lightly.
4. 2nd raise in warm place until almost double.
5. Preheat oven to 375F.
6. Sprinkle granulated sugar (need 1-2 tablespoon) on top of  each bread.
7. Bake for about 18 minutes, until slightly brown on top.
   

Best time to eat this for me is right after it comes out of the oven. Microwaving cold bread for 15 to 20 second is not too shabby. I spread butter on it if I’m in the mood for more fat, which is too often lately.

Here are the finished products from Glass Art Class. I like them even though they are not perfect.

Just because I had to use pricey ingredients left over from previous post before they go bad, I made Bûche de Noël style but other than the chocolate Génoise instead of almond Génoise, it’s a same marron cake.I made some for my neighbors too (two more plate photos are missing).

A neighbor friend brought us flowers and a plate of cookies. How nice!

We tried a new restaurant ‘Hokusei”(北西). Not bad, a bit expensive. We then went to see a Japanese movie ‘Rent-a-Cat’, a quirky, funny movie.

I saw this pretty ornament at wedding reception but it reminds me of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. I’m disappointed that the bride and groom photos are not good (a bad, bad camera). I can honestly tell you that she was a beautiful bride and the groom was tall and handsome. Congratulations!

We said good bye to a couple going on the mission to Barcelona Spain for 18 months for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We will miss you very much. Adios Amigos!

This is the last post for this year. I will take a holiday break. Thank you for all who visited my site and your kind comments. I have 10 or so sites to stop by regularly – I am inspired by most, try their recipes, laugh out loud on some and cry on a few. I would love to say ‘I love you’ without sounding weird – yah that sounds weird. I wish you the very best and Merry Christmas to you all!