Molecular Gastronomy or That Time I Failed at Being a Chemist

I call this one the alien bug fail.

This may be hard to believe, faithful readers, but there once was a time that I was a chemistry nerd (Kicking (CH3)2CO and taking names!). It's ok; it was in college (that's what they meant by a time of experimentation, right? RIGHT?!?!). Despite being back in Houston for nearly ten months now, I had yet to have a joyful reunion with my former cool lab dwellers. This past weekend, I sought to fix that and assembled the rag tag group of chem geniuses Amanda, Phillip and Dr. Hennessy (I still feel weird calling her by her first name even though it's been 5 years since graduation.). I had recently received a molecular gastronomy kit for my birthday, so it only seemed fitting to share in the nerdy cooking with the people who helped make sure I never accidentally blew up the chem lab (I'm the best at science.). Surely, this would be an easy endeavor with several advanced degrees and a previously successfully attempt at the sweet food science with Mint Juleps and Mint Caviar. But, as is seemingly always the case, cockiness led to oh so much fail.

Mint caviar was so easy. A little too easy...

I decided I would start off the get together with a fancy cheese course. I would top some scrumptious brie with honey "caviar". Unfortunately, the culinary world had other plans.

Honey Caviar

From Cuisine R-Evolution

Time: 35 minutes

Servings: However many people want to eat a blob of honey stuck in oil

2 g agar-agar

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup honey

Vegetable oil

Water for rinse

1. Chill the oil in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Mix the water, honey and agar-agar together in a saucepan then bring to a boil.
3. Pour the mixture into a bowl and fill up a syringe with it.
4. Slowly drop the honey into the chilled vegetable oil. Collect the pearls with a slotted spoon and place in your water rinse bowl.
5. Nervously laugh when that last part doesn't actually come to fruition.

It looked like it was working. Then it became one giant honey blob.

Everything seemed to be going quite swimmingly. Then it came time to remove the honey spheres from the oil. Either they had all come together or they would immediately break when they hit the air-oil interface. Things were not off to a good start, but it didn't make sense. The science was so in my favor. Think of agar-agar as super gelatin. We activated it by boiling and then were supposed to cause it to quickly thicken by introducing it to the cold oil. The only excuse for this failure had to be a temperature issue, but several different attempts kept producing the same disappointing results. Our brie would just have to be eaten sans fancy honey. 

Since I was oh so very confident in my fairly unproven molecular gastronomy skills, I decided to make a two-part dessert. It would feature a chocolate "wind" base complimented by raspberry "ravioli" spherifications.

Chocolate Wind

From Cuisine R-Evolution

2 g soy lecithin

85 g dark chocolate

1 cup water

Well, I guess I'm not the world's worst molecular gastronomer.

1. Mix the chocolate and water together and bring to a boil. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
2. Use a hand blender to dissolve the soy lecithin in the chocolate mixture and create foam.
3. Collect the foam and freeze it for at least an hour.

My confidence began to grow as the chocolate "wind" started to form. This was actually fairly easy. Just make sure the bowl you are blending in has a good foam producing shape (think tall glass). While this may have been the only true success of the evening as far as looks go, it wasn't the biggest winner in taste. Just look at it. It's chocolate and water, so, in what should come as a surprise to no one, it tastes like watered down chocolate.

Science successfully at work! The soy lecithin is an emulsifier that helps promote the formation of foams or air/water emulsions when agitated. 

Raspberry Ravioli

From Cuisine R-Evolution

2 g sodium alginate

2 cups water

1 3/4 cups raspberries

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp calcium lactate

Water for rinsing

The ensuing horror was foretold.

1. Dissolve the sodium alginate in water using a hand blender. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
2. Puree the raspberries, sugar and calcium lactate together in a blender.
3. Carefully drop the puree into the alginate bath using a measuring spoon. Let form for 3 minutes. Be careful not to let the ravioli touch one another or they will aggregate.
4. Grab your ravioli with a slotted spoon and rinse in water.
5. Close your eyes and enjoy.

Because you want your dessert to look kind of like a fetus...

The raspberry ravioli was technically a success, just not a very pretty one. The raspberries turned into proper spherifications in the alginate solution. Unfortunately, my delicate dropping skills need some work, and they weren't spheres so much as horror movie props (I'm fairly certain I saw these in the Basket Case series). Make sure that the entire raspberry gets its time in the solution or else it'll easily break (mine had a tendency to float to the top). They were bursting with delicious raspberry flavor for what we'll call a 2/3 win.

In case you're wondering how this works, the calcium rich raspberry puree has plenty of calcium ions with a +2 charge that can bond with two negatively charged alginate ions to form a dense gel network.

This is what happened after I said "Ok, this is gonna be the pretty one!"

Once we combined the structurally suspect raspberry ravioli with the rapidly melting chocolate wind, we were ready for dessert. Aside from the minor watery taste, it was a fairly refreshing and light way to end our night. Unfortunately, Dr. Hennessy's five-year-old son Joseph didn't agree as he gave the scathing review "I call it not very good!" And with that, I had a new nemesis.

Would they still love me after a lackluster molecular gastronomy showing? Hopefully all those late night problem sets and world's longest columns had forever entrenched me in their hearts. (Not Pictured: the world's harshest food critic).

Molecular Gastronomy II: The Reckoning!

That's a little more like it.

Like any good scientist, I was not going to let these minor setbacks deter me from total culinary domination. While writing this post (and drawing immense inspiration from watching Cupcake Wars), I set about conquering the honey caviar (plus, I was really jonesing for some brie). Failure was not an option, so I set about making sure all this was a well temperature controlled experiment by using a candy thermometer. Once the honey mixture started boiling (and was well above the 80 C required for agar-agar activation), I immediately transferred it to a bowl and started dropping it into my cold oil. I also noticed that the slotted spoon provided in the kit had holes that were a little too large to catch some of the smaller spheres, so I put the mixture into a strainer and rinsed it with water for a delicious success. I guess I'm not the world's worst chemist. Take that, Kurt Alder and your stupid reactions!

Pay no attention to the fact I didn't yield enough to cover the entire wheel. This was a total win. 

Sure it tastes exactly like mixing honey with brie, but it's infinitely cooler. 

Recipes Revisited: Laura V's Dessert Filled Birthday

A clear line has been drawn in the war on nutrition.

This past weekend was the birthday of one of the most awesome ladies I know- Laura V. For four years in college, she proved her supreme worth as a human being by serving as my faithful RA (LauraRa is far catchier than this new Laura V stuffs). She always kept me well nourished with her To Catch a Predator like bowl of candy and kept me entertained with her love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that almost managed to rival my own (but the real props go out for all the times I got her to awkwardly draw an arrow on me for NOD, the most interesting of Rice parties). I decided to pay her back for her years of service with enough birthday treats to kill a small elephant.  In order to do this, I reached into my bag of confectionery tricks and came up with 3 of my favorite recipes for party-goers: Strawberry Whoopie Pies, Margarita Cupcakes and Snickerdoodles.

The birthday girl demonstrates that a proper whoopie pie should be on the same scale as a human head.

Strawberry Whoopie Pies

Link to Original Post with Recipe

Just as I feared, it could've used more glorious filling.

If you read this blog, then you know all about my fascination with the giant cookie from Honey I Shrunk the Kids. This leads me to periodically craving whoopie pies to attempt to fill the massive cookie shaped whole in my life. I went with the superior strawberry filled variety, so we would have a fun play on a chocolate covered strawberry for the event. The magnificent beast that is the brownie/cookie hybrid perfectly encapsulates the cream cheese filling for a cookie that goes a long way (seriously I recommend cutting each into 6-8 pieces). As much as I think cupcakes win in the centuries old war of desserts (it's kind of like Underworld but with less hair and leather), these whoopie pies make a compelling case for their cookie brethren.

The closest I ever want to come to a shot of tequila again.

Margarita Cupcakes with Lime Curd Filling

Link to Original Cinco de Mayo Post

Mollie gets into the cupcake modeling game.

Laura is known for her love of fine liquor and distaste for beer (I'm guessing it's the result of smelling one too many beer pong games during her first tour as RA). Since I couldn't think of a cupcake to mimic her otherworldly sangria, I instead went for my Cinco de Mayo fave Margarita cupcakes (because they're awesome, not just because she's Mexican... mostly). The tequila and lime both shine in these cupcakes. The cake itself is my definition of a perfectly baked moist cake with slight hints of the tequila and lime that are further accentuated by the buttercream frosting. The real kick comes from the lime curd filling that hits your like a powerful shot for a mini birthday cake to remember. Fun fact, I actually tried to make these look fancier with some decorative oyster pearls to mimic the salt rim of a margarita. Then I tried one and realized it was hard and didn't taste particularly good, so I read the packaging and saw that they were for decoration only (whoops, as always, I blame the tequila). 

Snickerdoodles

Link to Original Post with Recipe

Two desserts just didn't seem like enough, plus I needed a medium for writing out happy birthday (and I assumed the guests wouldn't want to spend the party reading it scribbled on my chest), so I went with the ultra simple yet incredible cinnamon and brown sugar filled dynamo known as the snickerdoodle. I usually cover these in rich King Cake frosting, but I decided to give everyone a mild sugar break and only wrote on them with store bought icing that made me feel like I was cheating.

I continue to prove my ability to make a perfectly round cookie... It just seems like such a waste not making them big enough to crash into the side walls while baking.

Of all the desserts I used to try to prove my nearly decade long admiration for my former RA, the whoopie pies seemed to be the clear winners as they were the first to go. However, Mollie did declare the margarita cupcakes to be the greatest thing ever (and in the process ripped a hole in the space-time continuum and made freshman year me quite jealous). The day of baking was well worth it to give Laura a birthday fitting of her awesomeness. 

Chili con Kevin

This past week, Houston hasn't been its usual cheery scorching hot drought inflicted self. The recent deluge we've encountered has not only wreaked havoc on my lengthy commute, but it's also increased our desire to be fully lethargic. Kevin took (in)action this past Sunday and made a slow cooked chili that perfectly complimented our drenched surroundings.


Chili con Kevin
Adapted from All Recipes
Servings: 12
Time: 4+ hours (longer the better)

Sheer laziness almost led me to tell you to figure it out from the pic

2 lbs ground beef chuck
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
3 (15 oz) cans chili beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can chili beans in spicy sauce
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
Loads of bacon
1/2 cup beer (we used Saint Arnold's Santo)

Mommy, where does heart disease comes from?

1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp Tabasco
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 (10.5 oz) bag corn chips ala Fritos
Cheddar Cheese
Green onions, chopped for garnish

It almost looks healthy in its infant state.

1. Brown your ground beef and Italian sausage in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Then cook your bacon. Set aside but reserve the grease.
2. Sauté the onion in the grease. Stop every 2 minutes to hit your heart with a defibrillator. 
3. Now add everything to a crock pot on high (yeah I'm not typing all those ingredients again) and let cook for at least 3 hours. Leave it closed to start so everything warms up then have it open to reduce for the last few hours. The longer you let it cook, the tastier it will be.
4. Serve in bowls and top with corn chips, cheese and green onions.
5. Sincerely regret living in a house filled with guys after a night of eating chili.

Not so much anymore.

As soon as this chili was finished, it immediately put our bowls onto the endangered species list. The abundance of pork filled products gave this a rich meaty flavor, while the Santo provided a hint of nuttiness to the equation. Each bite of a Frito filled with cheese and hearty chili goodness was the perfect way to pass the ultimate lazy Sunday. The only adjustments I can think of making would be to up the heat with either more jalapenos or a serrano and adding some corn for a little extra crunch. If your clogged heart so desires, this also goes great on top of hot dogs for your sporting event watching pleasure.

Dance, Frito minions! Dance!

Grilled Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with IPA Mashed Potatoes

Since I made the potatoes, they get center stage (or plate as the case would be).

Something rare occurred in the kitchen the other day. I found myself lost and not sure of what I was doing. For the first time in months, I was helping making an actual meal and not something sugar filled that I will lament the next time I visit a dentist. After a long delay due to competing work schedules and silly things called social lives, we were finally making another family dinner to bring joy to the denizens of our townhouse (but sadly not celebratory dancing since it would leave us far too stuffed). Kevin as usual handled grillmaster/ chief meatman duties by cooking a beautiful stuffed pork tenderloin, while I did what I do best- played with butter and beer for some creamy IPA mashed potatoes.

Grilled Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Adapted from BikeMrown
Servings: 6-8
Time: 60 minutes

2 lbs pork tenderloin
1/2 cup shallots, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Much prettier in their sliced state

1. Combine the shallots, feta cheese, walnuts, garlic, rosemary and thyme and set aside.
2. Slice the tenderloins lengthwise so that you cut to but not through the other side.
3. Lay the tenderloin flat by opening the halves then pound to 1/2 inch thick with a mallet or skillet (get highly grossed out when your roommate hits it too hard and some goes flying in the kitchen).
4. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper.
5. Distribute the filling evenly down the length of each tenderloin. Roll each up tightly and secure with twine or toothpicks (I'm shocked those are used for things other than checking if cupcakes are ready.).
6. Baste each with the olive oil then grill over medium heat for 25 minutes (or until the internal temp reaches 155) turning once halfway through.
7. Remove from the grill and cover tightly with foil for 10 minutes. 
8. Cut and serve.

And with that, the hugely unsuccessful idea for the pork jelly roll popped into my head.

Somehow, this pork almost gave bacon a run for its money as the greatest thing to come from a pig (ok, they still both lose to comical uses of "That'll do, pig" from Babe). This fantastic entree consisted of three truly mesmerizing aspects: the crispy outside, the tender pork inside and the powerful feta and shallot filling. Kevin will be allowed to maintain his grillmaster status following the rolled perfection achieved that night. 

IPA Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from CraftBeer.com

Servings: 6-8

Time: 30 minutes

4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, roughly peeled and diced

3 tbsp salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbsp butter

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup India Pale Ale (We used Endeavour by Saint Arnold)

9 leaves basil, chopped

The award winning secret to quality mashed potatoes (and the usual answer to the question "why does my head hurt"). Since it's highly likely Dennis brewed this, we all contributed significantly to family night cooking.

1. Add the potatoes and salt to a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes or until they are easily mashed by a fork.
2. Drain the potatoes.
3. Sauté the garlic in olive oil until it begins to brown.
4. Stir in the butter, milk and IPA and cook until warm. 
5. Add the beer mixture in with the potatoes and mash them.
6. Mix in the basil and season to taste.

Despite it costing Kevin and I in the Pasta Throwdown, I continue to assert that basil leaves equal killer presentation.

Tender delightful meat needs a quality side for a full fledged meal of awesome, and our tenderloin found a worthy ally in these creamy, boozy mashed potatoes. Despite the presence of the silver medal winning Endeavour (with as much as Dennis brings home you'd think we'd get sick of it by now, but it's just too good), the basil truly highlighted this dish with a powerful punch that gave it the strength to stand up to the feta packed pork. In the future, I would probably make one and a half times the beer mixture to further enhance the creaminess and IPA flavor, but, as it stood, this side passed the ultimate companion test when I found myself mixing it with the tenderloin for each bite.

Overall, the return of family night and non-baking culinary adventures made for a welcome evening of fun and waistband stretchery. I just hope the oven didn't get too jealous that I was cheating on it.

Eggless Sunday: Strawberry Banana Quinoa Muffins

Recently, I've noticed that my breakfast routine was in serious need of some tinkering. When you walk into a Starbucks on your birthday and are greeted by all the baristas shouting "Happy Birthday, Terry" (and confusing the poor soul who walked in at the same time as you), you realize that you just might go there too often. As part of my Sunday of baking, I wanted to make a healthy scone/granola bar alternative that would go well with my morning life-breathing coffee (I may live in Texas, but I think coffee is by far the world's most important black liquid). In the end, I settled on these ambitious muffins to hopefully prevent my descent in to becoming Starbuck's "Norm".


Strawberry Banana Quinoa Muffins
Adapted from Chef In You
Servings: 24 muffins
Time: 90 minutes

Cooking before baking. Pure freaking anarchy.

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups mashed banana
2 cups fresh strawberries, diced

Fortunately, this is one batter that's supposed to look lumpy. Fortunately that didn't stop baking partner Alex from devouring it.

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Then cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
4. Stir in the quinoa until it's completely covered by the flour mixture.
5. Using a stand mixer, combine mix the sugar and oil together in a separate bowl.
6. Add the yogurt, vanilla and mashed banana to the oil mixture until well incorporated.
7. Drop the strawberries into the flour-quinoa mixture and stir well.
8. Combine the flour and oil mixtures by gently stirring with a rubber spatula until just blended.
9. Drop the batter into lined cupcake tins and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the toothpick test comes back clean.
10. Let cool on wire racks.
11. Shovel them down your gullet along with copious amounts of coffee. 
12. Realize the shaking your body is doing is simply its special way of telling you how much it loves coffee.

What do you mean I don't frost them after? Hogwash!

These were some absolutely killer muffins. I reduced the amount of banana from the original recipe so that the muffins wouldn't be too mushy (an unfortunate baking consequence of the banana) and the result was a structurally sound muffin that tasted like incredible banana bread with glorious juicy bites of strawberry. These two fruity delights were further complimented by the cinnamon and vanilla for muffins that had everyone coming back for more.  I just hope the good folks at Starbucks don't send out a search party to find me this week. 

Eggless Sunday: Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes

With the start of summer and the constant 100 degree heat in Houston, I wanted to make a summer appropriate cupcake that was as refreshing as it was fattening. I would need to bake something that would allow me to imagine I was skipping through a field picking berries (or something else as equally manly). To accomplish this, I acquired the help of my friend Alex (who was willing to work for batter), which added the extra stipulation that they had to be eggless, and we began our baking adventure. First we tackled chocolate blackberry cupcakes. Then we moved on to the wild world of strawberry banana quinoa muffins.


Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes
Cake adapted from Food.com
Idea and frosting adapted from Your Cup of Cake
Servings: 15 cupcakes
Time: 45 minutes

Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp vanilla


Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
6-7 tbsp blackberry puree (about one small carton blended), strained
Sparkly sugar for garnish
Blackberries for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
3. Stir the milk, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla together in a stand mixer at medium speed.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients in at low speed until just incorporated.
5. Fill lined cupcake tins 2/3 full with batter. Remember to reserve some for paying off your friend/helper.
6. Bake for 13-17 minutes or until the toothpick test comes back clean. Be sure to rotate once halfway through. Let cool on a wire rack.
7. Make the frosting. Start by beating the butter until light and fluffy. Then slowly add in the powdered sugar (scrape down the sides of the bowl in between each round). Finally mix in the blackberry puree on low speed then ramp up to high speed. 
8. Pipe the frosting on to the cupcakes then garnish with colored sugar and a blackberry.

It's all about the sparkly sugar.

This chocolate cake recipe was previously used for my black and white cupcakes (with ridiculously awesome cream cheese filling). I was a little concerned how they'd work without the filling, but they provided a fantastic cake that delivered all the chocolate flavor while allowing the blackberry to take center stage. The blackberry buttercream was a somewhat light and not overly sweet frosting that worked perfectly with the moist cake. Proper refreshment levels were reached thanks to the fresh blackberry and sparkly sugar garnish that rounded off one interesting looking cupcake.

Dennis demonstrates the proper way to unhinge your jaw to allow for maximum cupcake eating.

The baking adventure concludes with strawberry banana quinoa muffins, which Dennis had to eat through a straw thanks to the unfortunate consequences of jaw unhinging.

The Triple Birthday Bash: Dennis and the German Chocolate Cake

You'd never guess this was taken at the end of the night.

For our final birthday celebration, Dennis (whose birthday was a mere 2 days away) wanted to revisit his strong German roots (he studied brewing there for 5 months) with a German Chocolate Cake. This was a strange breed of cake as it was more about the filling than the frosting, but in order to appease the beer gods I went through with it anyway (and powered through the exhaustion that had set in after 2 other cakes and a grand total of 6 layers of baked goodness).

German Chocolate Cake
Adapted from All Recipes
Servings: A 2 layer 9" cake
Time: 1 hour

Before egg whites, this is essentially the tastiest chocolate frosting

Cake
1/2 cup water
4 oz German Sweet Chocolate
1 cup butter, room temp
2 cups granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 egg whites


Filling
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp vanilla extract


Sauce
1 tsp shortening
2 oz semisweet chocolate

Prior to the crazy filling, this is one boring looking cake.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9" round pans.
2. Heat the water and german chocolate together in a sauce pan until melted. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Sift the cake flour, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
5. Mix in the egg yolks one at a time.
6. Stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla.
7. Alternate adding in the flour mixture and buttermilk (flour->buttermilk->flour->buttermilk->flour) at low speed until just mixed. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Set aside.
8. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter then quickly fold in the remainder until no streaks remain.
9. Pour the batter into your prepared pans and smooth them with a rubber spatula.
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the toothpick test comes back clean.
11. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then liberate them from their pans to finish cooling.
12. Make the filing by combining the sugar, evaporated milk, butter and egg yolks in a saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut, pecans and vanilla. Let cool in the fridge until it looks sufficiently spreadable.
13. Spread the filling between the layers of the cake and on top. 
14. Melt the shortening and chocolate together in a saucepan then drizzle it over your cake.
15. Hope that this makes you even with your brewer roommate for all the free beer he has provided.

I would watch a movie starring a monster with a German Chocolate Cake for a head (seriously tell me that doesn't look like a mouth).

The cake itself was quite chocolatey and tasty (as well as the requisite moist and bouncy), but the coconut filling really made it special by adding some sweetness and crunch. Meanwhile, the chocolate drizzle made for an even more decadent experience. This was definitely the most unique looking cake I've ever made, but I strangely found myself wishing for even more chocolate. At some point, I plan to correct this by trying out this Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake. But after three cakes in one night, I'm definitely not in any rush to make anymore (despite what my now elevated blood pressure and blood sugar would have you believe).

Yup, we even had a pinata. This may very well have been the social event of the decade...nay... century!

The Triple Birthday Bash: Claire and the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Cake

Despite my insistence on celebrating my birthday for over two and a half weeks, our triple birthday bash's two other participants had far more timely claims on the party and its desserts. Honorary housemate Claire had the distinction of turning 25 midway through our party. While her heart may have desired traditional British fruitcake, the months of soaking it in alcohol combined with my planning the party a week in advance relegated her to settling for the staple of the almost as equally culture rich American mall- the cookie cake. Would the white chocolate and macadamia nut cookie cake fill her with birthday joy, or would it cause her to cut off my supply of free beer?


White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Cake
Adapted from All Recipes
Servings: 2 9" cookie cakes
Time: 30 minutes (plus decorating)

1 cup butter, room temp
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup white chocolate morsels
Colorful decorative icing
A picture of the Union Jack

Prior to fancy decorating, I already considered this cake a victory since I managed to resist the urge to eat all the glorious cookie dough.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Cream the butter and the sugars together until smooth.
3. Add in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated.
4. Mix in the vanilla and almond extract.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
6. Slowly add the flour mix into the creamed mixture.
7. Stir in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate.
8. Distribute evenly between two ungreased 9" round pans and spread until smooth.
9. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Attempt to upstage the people of the Great American Cookie Company with your designs (and turn down any ensuing offers of employment from them that may develop no matter how tempting they sound).

Between making Union Jack cakes and absent mindendly singing "Rule Britannia" at work, I'm hoping my coworkers start to think I'm a British secret agent. 

Given the traditional chocolate overload from my yellowcake and Dennis' German chocolate cake, it was nice to "mix things up" with some rich white chocolate. The perfectly baked giant cookie of delightfulness was everything one could hope for from a mall storefront. While white chocolate and macadamia nuts are always a winning combination in cookie form, the hit of almond extract really made it memorable. My only regret was that I couldn't find a ridiculously large round dish to bake this in because there's nothing more absurdly amazing than a cookie the size of the birthday girl.

It turns out it was Andy's birthday too! Ever the gracious host, I made him a special cake as well.

Somehow, my delicious baking was not the highlight of the evening for Claire. Normally, that would break my fragile teenage girl heart, but nothing stood a chance against the face-melting awesome that transpired. That honor went to unleashing one of her birthday presents on our unsuspecting guests in the form of dropping 350 bouncy balls down the stairs (I like to think this was a very scientific simulation for what the partygoers would be like after eating all the sugar from 3 cakes). Even though I'm still finding bouncy balls in random places over a week later, it was totally worth it (even if no one comically tripped over them).

Sadly, the person giggling like a girl is not Claire....