Sisterhood, pink lipgloss, and cake
I went to my college reunion last weekend, and I'm still on a high from it. (I almost cried the first time the new Wellesley College president -- a Black woman! -- walked into the room.) It's impossible to explain what Wellesley College is like to anyone who didn't go to a women's college (or girls high school), but even those of you who didn't will understand just why a weekend spent with thousands of smart and accomplished women was so life affirming after this past year. We slept on uncomfortable dorm beds and stayed up too late and danced with women 50 years older and 20 years younger than us and drank too much wine and talked about our hopes and dreams and successes and disappointments and told each other how much we loved one another, and it was perfect, from beginning to end. If you want to be immersed in a fictional world like this one, I have two great book options for you. The first, DADDY LONG LEGS, is about an orphan who gets rescued by an anonymous philanthropist and sent to an unnammed women's college. I went to college over 80 years after this book was published, and there's still so much in it that resonates with me about my own college experience. Warning: this book will make you mad about the patriarchy, because the Daddy of the title does some real problematic things (that I think were supposed to read as romantic in 1912 but do not to me in 2017), but then, what doesn't make me mad about the patriarchy these days? The second, A NIGHT TO SURRENDER by Tessa Dare, is set in a village in Regency England called Spindle Cove, where parents send their young women who are too mouthy or smart or shy or interesting to be marriageable. It's a gloriously feminist romance novel, and is the first of that series, so if you haven't read any of them, you're in for a treat.
For most of my life, I've tended toward lipsticks instead of lipglosses, because most lipglosses don't have enough pigment in them to show up on brown skin, and just look like a little shine on my lips. I'm so glad that within the past few years, more makeup companies have started having lipglosses with enough pigment for a wide range of skin tones. My favorite of them all (splurge alert coming) is this perfect, slightly shimmery pink that is the YSL Gloss Volupte in Terriblement Fuchsia (I love lip color names so much, you guys). It's super moisturizing without being sticky, works with every outfit, and actually shows up on my skin. You should order it right now, because Sephora doesn't have this color now, and I'm terrified that means they're discontinuing it. I'd better order myself another one, just in case.
Do you have summer birthdays to make cakes for? This week I have dear friends born on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and then more next week. If you want to make someone (or yourself) the chocolate birthday cake of their dreams, I am here for you! This Double Chocolate Layer Cake recipe from Epicurious ended my chocolate cake search. I only recently, through information from the brilliant Samin Nosrat, realized why this cake is so good (buy her cookbook, you guys, it's great! And if you're looking for Father's Day gifts, it's what I'm getting mine). I've made this cake many many times (including multiple times in a toaster oven, so you know it's infallible), which means I have many tips about it:
The first is while the recipe says that it makes two ten inch layers, it works perfectly as three eight inch cake layers. Literally no one who doesn't bake professionally has ten inch cake pans, come on, Gourmet (RIP). Also, do NOT do what I did once in 7th grade, and put all of the batter into two eight inch cake pans ("It all fit in there!"), put them blithely in the oven, and over the course of the next thirty minutes witness a cake volcano as the batter bakes, rises, overflows and sticks all over the oven floor. I don't remember what my mother did to me. The second is it easily divides by 2/3 to make two eight inch cake layers, which is what I usually do (use 1 2/3 cup flour, everything else is very easily divisible by 3). The third is you should always always make the full amount of frosting, or even 1.5 times the amount, because it makes your cake frosting life much easier to have plenty. And the fourth is you should start the frosting as soon as the cake goes in the oven, or even before, because it takes a while to cool (fyi I burned this frosting when I tried to make it for my mom for Mother's Day because I forgot to turn off the heat under it and forgot it was on the stove, don't do that).
Now with all those very Jasmine-like caveats, here's the recipe:
Double Chocolate Layer Cake
Ingredients:
For cake layers
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
For ganache frosting
1 pound semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
Equipment: two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans or three 8 by 2 inch round cake pans (I've never tried this as a sheet cake before, I should)
Cake layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Chop the chocolate (a bread knife makes this so much easier) and and combine it in a bowl with hot coffee. Let the mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature (always store cake like this at room temperature, it tastes better!).
Frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved (you can also do this in the microwave, just do it on 50% power, and for about 30 seconds at a time). Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth. Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency). Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Enjoy!