Klarinet Archive - Posting 000351.txt from 1996/06

From: Laurence Liberson <hardreed@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Clarinet magazine--secrets revealed
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 1996 08:48:40 -0400

On Thu, 20 Jun 1996 09:37:26 -0700, Claudia Zornow said:

> I just read my most recent issue of "The Clarinet" yesterday,
> and learned from it that one of our list members has unexpected
> talents. According to the article about the clarinet section
> of the Detroit Symphony, Larry Liberson once won second place
> in a statewide chocolate cake contest!
>
> Anything you want to share with us, Larry? A recipe, perhaps?
> Or was this not a baking contest but some other kind (eating,
> throwing, etc.)?
>
> Claudia
>

Ahhhh, the effort one puts into establishing some sort of reputation,
that of artistic integrity and shiny ligatures, only to have it all
go up in smoke due to a single line in a magazine that dared to
uncover a sole culinary indiscretion! Such scandal I must be
prepared to endure!

But I know it's time to come clean (as should the knife when testing
for the 'doneness' of the cake!), so I will answer the questions freely
and honestly, trying to maintain both my dignity and weight. So...

Yes, Claudia...it was a chocolate cake BAKING contest (for me, that
is...the various judges -- those who haven't yet passed on due to
arteriosclerosis -- did the glutton's share of the eating). A few
years ago, "Michigan Living" magazine, the official organ of
AAA-Michigan and a well-known restaurant in the state's supposed
largest tourist attraction (Frankenmuth, Michigan - home of greasy
chicken dinners and the world's largest selection of Christmas
ornaments) co-sponsored a contest for the 'best' chocolate cake.
Well, I had what I believed to be a pretty damn good cake recipe, one
that had evolved over the years into something quite special and yes,
quite tasty, too! I was very proud of the fact that it was a
health-conscious recipe, as it contained all the major food groups
(salt, sugar, fat and cholesterol). So, being at a particularly low
point in my life (playing a Bruckner symphony), I threw all caution
to the wind and sent in the recipe -- the rest, as they say, is
history!

Apparently, out of 600+ recipes, the judges selected 15 of us to bake
our cake and bring it up to Frankenmuth for a final taste test to
determine the winner. In all modesty, I still don't know how on
earth that fat old lady snatched first prize from my clutches, but I
have been able to live down the shame -- until today! Alas...

Now, Scott Morrow opined that "I believe we are all beyond recipes....
Could you just send the cake?"

I tried, Scott -- honest, I did...the trouble is that the mouse kept
on getting stuck in the frosting.

Now, of course, Dan Lesson had to get into the act asking "Hey Larry,
what do you get for your chocoloate cake, evenings of fettered
delight?"

Actually, since this particular cake is sooooo rich and sooooo
filling and soooooooooo lethal, I only dare to make it once a year,
that for my daughter's (now somewhere mired between 14 and 15)
birthday -- as you can see, it was my daughter who gave the cake it's
name. After ingesting this chocolate delight, my bride of 21+
years and I can do little else but floss our teeth and plop into bed,
the cake encouraging nothing other than a sound sleep of long
duration.

But, thankfully, there are 364 (365 in 1996!) other nights -- and
days! -- per year to satisfy that other, uhhh......need I continue? ;)

Sort of puts finding a good reed into perspective, doesn't it?

It's been said that with concoctions such as this cake, you may as
well just apply it to your hips or inject it directly to your
arteries. Well, that would be a B-I-G mistake. It may be rich, but
it's certainly worth the price of admission! So.......

Daddy's Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

3 envelopes Nestle Choco-Bake or 3 squares unsweetened chocolate
2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour (only cake flour,such as Swans Down)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (NOT margarine)
2-1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons white (clear) creme de cacao
1 cup (8 oz. carton) dairy sour cream
1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Cream Cheese Fudge Frosting (recipe follows below)
3 chocolate bars (1 each of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and
white chocolate)

Recipe

1. If using solid chocolate squares, melt chocolate in a small bowl
or double boiler over hot, not boiling water; then cool.

2. Prepare (grease and flour) two 9 x 1-1/2 inch layer cake pans; be
sure to tap out excess flour.

3. Sift flour, baking soda and salt (if used) together onto wax paper
or into a clean bowl.

4. Beat butter until soft in a large bowl. Add the brown sugar and
eggs; continue beating with mixer at high speed until light and
fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla, cooled melted
chocolate or Choco-Bake, and creme de cacao.

5. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with sour cream, beating very
well with a wooden spoon after each addition until batter is smooth (I
generally do it with five "beatings:" dry, cream, dry, cream and dry).
Stir in boiling water at this point and blend well by hand. Batter
will appear to be very thin: this is correct. Pour immediately into
prepared pans.

6. Bake in oven (which has already been pre-heated to 350 degrees)
for 35 minutes or until centers spring back when lightly pressed with
a fingertip.

7. Cool layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then loosen
around edges with a spatula and turn onto wire racks; cool completely.

8. Make Chocolate Cream Cheese Fudge Frosting (as described below).
Put one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with approximately
1/4 of the frosting. Add the second layer and spread the remaining
frosting on the top and sides of cake.

9. Take assortment of chocolate bars and, using a grater/shredder,
make thin shavings from the bars and scatter the shavings around the
top of the cake (and sides, if possible!)

Serves 12 (approximately)

Chocolate Cream Cheese Fudge Frosting

Ingredients

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 tablespoon white (clear) creme de cacao (optional, if desired)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 envelopes Nestle Choco-Bake or 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Recipe

1. If using solid chocolate squares, melt chocolate in a small bowl
or double boiler over hot, not boiling water; then cool.

2. With mixer, blend cheese, milk, creme de cacao (if desired), and
vanilla.

3. Blend in Choco-Bake or unsweetened chocolate well.

4. Gradually add sugar, beating until frosting is smooth and of
spreading consistency. If necessary, stir in additional milk, while
beating, 1 teaspoon at a time.

And then you may make a pig of yourself!

BTW, for my efforts, I was awarded a heavy-duty, super-duper Kitchen
Aid mixer that is prominently displayed in our kitchen. However, all of
my solo and ensemble medals are stashed in an old cancelled check box
somewhere in a desk drawer -- what does THAT say?

Bon appetit!
Larry

Larry Liberson
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
hardreed@-----.com

   
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