What a procrastinator I am. Luckily for me, all the new recipes I tried so far have turned out pretty well, and I know I will be proud to give them away. Among them are these “Nutella Two Tone Cookies.” The inspiration comes from the December issue of Bon Appetit magazine. When I saw the chocolate roll-out cookies recipe, I liked it immediately, because it incorporated melted chocolate in the dough. Yum!

To make it extra special, I decided on a two tone cookies theme, using the chocolate roll-out cookies recipe and the vanilla roll-out cookies from the same issue. The filling will be Nutella, my favorite chocolate hazelnut spread. Voila, there you have it, another cookie recipe for the cookies tray.

Nutella Two Tone Cookies
inspired by Bon Appetit Dec 2007

1 batch of vanilla roll-out cookies (recipe below)
1 batch of chocolate roll-out cookies (recipe below)
Nutella

Bake and cool the cookies as instructed. Sandwich a thick layer of Nutella in between the cookies.

For Vanilla Roll-Out Cookies:
adapted from Bon Appetit Dec 2007

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and salt and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in vanilla. Add flour and beat on low speed just to blend. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Form each half into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic and chill until firm, at least 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to 1/8-inch thickness for smaller (2-inch) cookies and 1/4-inch thickness for larger (3- to 4-inch) cookies. Using decorative cookie cutters, cut out cookies and transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. If cookies become too soft to transfer to baking sheets, place in freezer on waxed paper for 5 minutes before continuing. Gather scraps, roll out dough, and cut more cookies, repeating until all dough is used. If not icing cookies, decorate with sprinkles or other sugar toppings, if desired.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are firm on top and golden around edges, about 10 minutes for smaller cookies and up to 14 minutes for larger cookies. Cool completely on rack.

For Chocolate Roll-Out Cookies:
adapted from Bon Appetit Dec 2007

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used Dutch Processed Cocoa)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift first 5 ingredients and cinnamon, if desired, into medium bowl. Stir chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Set aside. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in vanilla and chocolate. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just to blend. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Form each half into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic and chill until firm, at least 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before rolling out.

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to 1/8-inch thickness for smaller (2-inch) cookies and 1/4-inch thickness for larger (3- to 4-inch) cookies. Using waxed paper prevents you from adding too much flour, which will make the cookies tough.

Using decorative cookie cutters, cut out cookies. Cold dough is much easier to work with. If it gets warm as you’re cutting out the cookies, place the dough—waxed paper and all—in the freezer for about 5 minutes.

Use an offset spatula to peel away the excess dough and transfer the cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather scraps, roll out dough, and cut more cookies, repeating until all dough is used. If not icing cookies, decorate with sprinkles or other sugar toppings, if desired.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are firm on top and slightly darker around edges, about 9 minutes for smaller cookies and up to 12 minutes for larger cookies. Line baking sheets with fresh parchment as needed. Cool completely on rack.

Despite the many baking failures I had over the past, I am extremely blessed in the biscotti department. In fact I find my favorite biscotti recipe the first time I attempted it. Although I blogged about these biscottis a couple of times in the past, I failed to include the recipe. Firstly because I am lazy. Secondly, the recipe is lengthy. I have the book and even copied it by hand in my notebook, so that I could bake it during my last trip home. So I find no rush to put it up here. Until not long ago, my friend A asked me for the recipe. Her friend who tried the biscottis and has since moved to New York is thinking of attempting the recipe herself. So I thought I might type it here for her, and others who may be interested too.

After my first sweet success, I have since tried many biscotti recipes but none (ok, except those mosaic biscottis) measured up to this one. This recipe, which comes from the Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook is my reliable source for chocolate biscottis. I have also tweaked it a few times with different flour components, amount of sugar, varieties of nuts and even used different brands of chocolate, just to see if that makes a different. Come to think of it, I must have made it more than ten times.

For research purposes, I bought biscotti from Starbucks one day and did a blind test. In my humble opinion, they tasted equally great. So I would safely say that I wouldn’t be getting my biscottis from Starbucks again. I figure that the money saved could be used to buy other quality ingredients! I strongly encourage bakers who have not tried baking biscottis before to give this incredibly easy recipe a go. And for the novice bakers out there, making this will guarantee an instant confidence boost. I certainly felt invinsible the day I made my first batch. There is no way you can mess up this easy cookie. To make the process even easier, I have one tip for you. Just one. Instead of shaping the dough by hand, simply drop spoonfuls directly onto the parchment paper to form logs.

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti 
adapted and modified from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I like to replace 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup whole wheat flour for the all purpose)
1/4 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 tsp granulated sugar for glaze (I used 1 cup and it’s the right sweetness for me)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups(about 8 ounces) blanched hazelnuts (sometime I use almond, but I prefer hazelnuts)
12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunk(I like to use one pack of 3.5oz 72% Lindt and make up the rest with 60% Ghiradelli Chocolate chips)
4 large eggs, at room temperature 1 eggwhite for glaze (optional), at room temperature Sanding sugar (or granulated)for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line two large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the flour, cocoa,baking soda,salt, 1 cup of chocolate chunks and hazelnut, until chocolate chunks and hazelnuts are the size of peas. *If you don’t have a food processor (like me), coarsely chop the nuts and chocolate and sieve the flour.

In a bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat the whole eggs, and granulated sugar until the mixture holds a ribbon-like trail on the surface for a few seconds when you raise the whisk.

Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture. When it’s well combined, add in the nuts and chocolate and stir by hand, using a large spatula.

Martha Stewart’s proper way:

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide into 3 equal pieces. Shape each pieces into an 18 inch log. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. With the palm of your hand, gently press the logs to flatten slighlt. Brush egg wash over logs. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if using.

OR

Mandy’s lazy not messy way:

Using the spatula as a guide, drop the dough by spoonful into a 2.5-inches wide and 18-inches long log directly onto the parchment paper. Slightly flatten it to 1/2-inch thick. Leave 2 inches space between logs.*** Brush eggwash over logs. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if using.

Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until logs are just firm to the touch, 20-24 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.

When the logs are cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to cut biscotti log on the diagonal, into 1/4-inch thick, or if you like, 3/4-inch thick (which is more durable to be send off as care package.

Place a wire rack on a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange slices, cut sides down on the rack. Bake until biscottis are firm to the touch and completely dry. 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove pans from the oven; Let biscottis cool completely on the rack.

They can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

I keep them in the freezer when I don’t feel like sharing with others. They can be kept there for months. Note: chocolate drizzle is not necessary, but I used it for aesthetic purpose.

I am not much of a bread baker. For one, my bread usually doesn’t rise as high as it’s supposed to be. Maybe I use way too much more flour than I should? I get frustrated whenever the dough stubbornly sticks to my hands and refuses to let go. So I always flour the board quite generously. As much as OCT enjoys my usual bakes, he frowns at the prospect of eating my homemade breads.

The success rate of edible bread I make is quite depressing, most of the time it’s 50/50. Well maybe I exaggerate, they are not that bad most of the time. Especially when it involves lots of chocolate, like the chocolate babka I made some time ago. Or this brioche, made with lots of buttery goodness. Pang of guilt hit me when OCT commended me for the soft buttery “bread”. Could I have clogged my husband’s arteries by encouraging him to eat the butter loaded brioche the way he eats his white sandwich bread?

As a good wife, I try matching the slices he eats, so he wouldn’t end up finishing two huge brioche by himself. It isn’t difficult after all. When you have bread this good, all you can think of is getting your hand on another slice.

Golden Brioche

adapted from Epicurious

1/3 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1/3 cup warm milk (105°F to 115°F)
2 envelopes dry yeast
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, each stick cut into 4 pieces, room temperature
1 egg, beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water (for glaze)

Place 1/3 cup warm water, warm milk, and yeast in bowl of standing heavy-duty mixer; stir until yeast dissolves. Fit mixer with dough hook. Add flour and salt to bowl; mix on low speed just until flour is moistened, about 10 seconds. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat in 3 eggs on low speed, then add sugar. Increase speed to medium and beat until dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding next (dough will be soft and batter-like). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 7 minutes.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Lift up dough around edges and allow dough to fall and deflate in bowl. Cover bowl with plastic and chill until dough stops rising, lifting up dough around edges and allowing dough to fall and deflate in bowl every 30 minutes, about 2 hours total. Cover bowl with plastic; chill dough overnight.

Butter and flour three 7 1/2×3 1/2×2-inch loaf pans. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Cut each dough piece into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into 3 1/2-inch-long log, forming 12 logs total. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in bottom of each prepared loaf pan. Place loaf pans on baking sheet. Cover pans with waxed paper. Let loaves rise at room temperature until dough almost fills pans, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Gently brush top of loaves with egg glaze. Bake until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn loaves out onto racks; cool at least 1 hour. (Can be made ahead. Cool completely. Wrap loaves in foil; place in resealable plastic bags and store at room temperature 1 day or freeze up to 1 month. Rewarm room-temperature or thawed loaves wrapped in foil in 350°F oven about 15 minutes, if desired.)

Note: I made two huge loaves using the 9-inch loaf pans instead of three loaves.
 

As much as I love my trustworthy chocolate cake recipes, I decided it’s time to try my hands at making chiffon cake last week. But which recipe should I entrust my first chiffon cake experiment? In the end, I decided to go with Espresso Chiffon Cake with Caramel Glaze from Carole Broom’s Essential Baker. Surely I can’t resist a recipe with name like this! And what would be a better breakfast item to bring on OCT’s weekly lab meeting?

The final result was light and flavorful. But not too sweet. I like how the espresso aroma filled the room when the cake was out from the oven. The soft and airy texture was reminiscent of my childhood. This is the kind of cakes which I liked to buy from the Asian bakeries. Often filled with chocolate buttercream. I was instantly transformed back to my childhood.

Needless to say, I am ecstatic that I can replicate this familiar comfort food memory in my apartment kitchen. Never mind that I am zillion miles away from home. I cut a huge piece for myself after the cake was frosted with caramel glaze and paired it with a cup of coffee. It was a great afternoon tea. The rest was packed and sent for the next day’s breakfast meeting. Now that I have a taste of my childhood chiffon cake, I can’t stop thinking about it. I decided to do something unprecedented in my short baking life. I baked the same chiffon cake again! This time, frosted with a bittersweet chocolate ganache for a dinner party.

The effect is not unlike a woman who takes off her serious working clothes and puts on an elegant evening gown. The version of Espresso Chiffon Cake adorned with Bittersweet Ganache, albeit simple, was sophisticated and elegant. Not to mention, delicious; with the accompaniment of ice cream.

I have to admit, I much prefer the second version. But I may be biased, as I like anything with coffee and chocolate together.

Espresso Chiffon Cake with Caramel Frosting
adapted from Carol Bloom’s Essential Baker

Ingredients for Espresso Chiffon Cake:
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup unflavored vegetable oil (canola or safflower)
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste 
2 1/4 cups cake flour (I used all purpose flour with no problem)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar, separated
6 extra large eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

For Caramel Glaze:
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 ounces (4 tablespoons, 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

For Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used 72% chocolate), finely chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 tablespoons rum
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 325 ℉.

Cut a round of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and cut out a hole in the middle to fit the center tube of the pan. This cake is baked in an ungreased pan because greasing the pan would keep the batter from rising and gripping the sides of the pan as the cake bakes.

In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, dissolve the espresso powder in the water, Add the oil, vanilla and egg yolks. Whisk until well combined.

Over a large piece of parchment paper or bowl sift together the flour and baking powder. Add 1 cup of sugar and salt and stir together.

Make a well in the center of the mixture by pushing the dry ingredients towards the side of the bowl. Add the espresso mixture. Using a rubber spatula, stir together until thoroughly combined.

Place the egg whites in the grease free bowl of an electric mixer or in a large grease free bowl. Using the wire whip attachment or a hand held mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed until they are frothy. Add the cream of tartar. Slowly sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue whipping until the egg whites hold glossy and firm, but not stiff, peaks - about 5 minutes.

Fold the egg whites into the cake batter in 3 to 4 stages, blending thoroughly after each addition. Transfer the batter to the tube pan. Use the rubber spatula to smooth and even the top.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. (Mine took 45-50 minutes).

Remove the pan from the oven and invert it over a cooling rack onto its feet or over a funnel or a thin necked bottle. Let the cake hang to cook completely. Don’t set the pan on a cooling rack on its base. This will cause the cake to collapse onto itself.

Don’t shake the cake out of the pan before it is cool. Once the cake is cool. use a thin blade knife or flexible blade spatula to run across the outer edge and the inside tube to help release the cake from the pan. Invert the cake onto a rack, then reinvert onto a serving plate.

Making the Caramel Glaze:
Place the sugar, butter and cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the mixture is very smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar until very smooth.

Place the cake on a rack over a lined baking sheet. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake and let it run down the sides. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes, then cut into serving pieces.

Making Chocolate Ganache Glaze:
Heat cream, sugar, and rum in a saucepan over medium heat until it simmers and bubbles forming on the sides of saucepan. Remove from heat and pour cream over chopped chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, stir to melt chocolate with hot cream until the mixture turns glossy and smooth. Let the chocolate ganache cool to pouring consistency. Pour over the chiffon cake. The leftover is delicious to eat with a spoon or as spread on bread.

Serves 12 to 14.

Note on keeping:

The unglazed cake can be kept in room temperature for 3 days and up to 4 month in freezer, when tightly wrapped in plastic. If frozen, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

Once the cake is glazed, it can be kept, lightly covered with waxed paper and then tightly covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 1 day. (Mine was kept in refrigerator for 3 days with no problem)

Ever since I learned how to make scones last year, I always keep an extra batch of scone dough in the freezer. It’s something handy to have, especially for Saturday morning when we don’t feel like eating pancakes (our weekend breakfast ritual). All we have to do, is simply to heat the oven to 425° F and transfer the scone dough from freezer straight to the oven. It’s our sort of “fast food”.

This recipe which I adopted from Bon Appetit made the scones baking process even faster and simpler than my favorite standby recipe. I like to make a batch of the dough and bake it fresh whenever the scone craving hits. While scone isn’t exactly the hardest pastry to make, please allow me to share with you my experience in making scones, on what works for me, for the benefit of others who haven’t chartered into the scones territory. Yes friends, I am talking about you!

Oh, one more good news to get you started: you don’t need a mixer or even a food processor to make scones! All you need is a mixer bowl and a pastry cutter. IF you are not willing to invest $3 for that, you can use 2 forks to stand in for the cutter too.

Here goes my very rough guide of scone making:

Rule 1:

Start with everything COLD. You want to be able to cut the butter into the flour, to the size of coarsemeal. So that when they bake, all the butter will melt and form multiple pockets in the scones, and give them the flaky texture.

Rule 2:

Handle the dough with TLC and as little as possible. Obviously you want your scones to be tender and crumbly and not rock-like. So, minimum handling helps to do just that.

Rule 3:

Freeze the dough for at least half an hour before baking. Remember the dough is handled minimally? It will tend to crumble and fall apart if you attempt to bake it immediately. What works for me, is to freezer the dough after I formed it into a circle. After it firms up, I will simply cut them into equal parts of triangle. Of course you can cut it with round cookie cutter, but I am too lazy to wash one more item. 

In this batch of scones, I used dried cranberries,raspberries chocolate chips and lemon zest. The original recipe used Meyer lemon zest and dried blueberries. I figured this recipe is so flexible that you can use any citrus zests and other dried fruits with great result. If dried fruit is not your cup of tea, replace it with chocolate chips. A trick which works for the finicky eater in my household.

Because this recipe makes a lot of scones for just the two of us, I always halve the recipe.

Lemon and Dried Cranberries Scones with Raspberry Chocolate Chips 
adapted from Dec. 2006 Bon Appetit
Makes 12 servings

3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel
1/2 cup raspberry chocolate chips ( or semisweet/bittersweet chocolate chips)

Whisk self-rising flour and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl. Using pastry cutter or 2 forks (or use your fingers) to cut the chilled butter until pieces are size of small peas. Add dried cranberries and raspberry chocolate chips and toss to coat. Mix 1 cup buttermilk and finely grated lemon peel in glass measuring cup. Pour buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients and stir until dough begins to form (some of flour will not be incorporated).

Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and gather together. Knead dough briefly, about 5 turns. Divide dough in half. Form each dough half into ball and flatten into 1-inch thick disk. Freeze the dough for at least half and hour or up to a month.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425° F and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the dough out from freezer and cut each disk into 6 wedges. Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush tops with remaining 1 tablespoon buttermilk and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake until scones are golden brown on top and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Note: Before I succumbed to the temptation of buying self rising flour, (which I don’t use very often other than making these scones) I used all purpose flour to make half of the recipe. In place of 1.5 cups of self-rising flour, I used 1.5 cup of all purpose flour + 2 tsp baking powder + approximately 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1/4 tsp salt.

After we were married, the situation improved tremendously. But that’s probably because I can simply whisper “Happy Birthday Darling” without waiting for the postman to send my “overdue” well wishes across the Pacific ocean. But I am still as bad at remembering date as I was. For instance, I didn’t manage to send out a package of homemade biscottis in time for my best friend’s birthday. Even though I have reminded myself countless times in the beginning of the month, that I must not forget the date (again!!). Thanks to Internet, I got to greet her with a “wonderful birthday” before it’s too late while the biscottis struggled its way to London.

And on another recent occasion, I forgot about our wedding anniversary until the day itself. Knowing what a sweet husband OCT is, I was almost sure he would have something special for me on this special day. That made me feel terribly guilty. What last minute trick could I pull off to camouflage my forgetfulness?

With time ticking away, there wasn’t much time for deliberation. So I took a deep breath and decided to do what I do best. I would bake him a cake, preferably a healthy one too, because he wouldn’t want to share his anniversary present with others (trust me, I know my husband!) With that in mind, I got my act together and made one of the low fat cakes I know we won’t mind eating over and over again.

It is a recipe from Alice Medrich, from her out of print book- “Chocolate and The Art of Low Fat Desserts”. The original recipe makes a beautiful marble cake. But I decided to make a contrasting black and white cake. Of which I think it symbolizes our union. We are two very different individuals whom when put together completed each other. Just like vanilla and chocolate. They just go well together.

Unlike some of the low fat recipes that are cloyingly sweet and suffer from rubbery texture, this cake has a moist texture with soft, fine crumbs. I especially like the chocolate layer, where instant espresso powder is added to the Dutch-processed cocoa powder to enhance its flavor.

A simple yet delicious cake to commemorate our second anniversary. And true enough, OCT kept the cake all to himself!

Black and White Chocolate Cake /Low Fat Chocolate Marbled Cake

Modified and adapted from Alice Medrich’s “Chocolate and The Art of Low Fat Desserts”

2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg white
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup nonfat yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350° F with rack in the lower third of the oven. Arrange 10 heart shape silicon cupcake molds on a baking tray.

Use a whisk to combine four, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift together. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the espresso powder, cocoa and 1/3 cup of the sugar with 1/4 cup of water. Whisk until smooth. Set aside. In another small bowl, whisk whole egg with egg white. Set aside.

Cut the butter into pieces and place in an electric mixing bowl. Beat for 1 minute to soften. Gradually add remaining 1 cup of sugar and beat at high speed for about 3 minutes. Dribble eggs in slowly, about 1 T at a time, beating constantly for about 2 minutes. On low speed, beat in a third of the flour mixture. On medium-high speed, beat in half of the yogurt. On low speed, beat in half of the remaining flour. On high speed, beat in the rest of the yogurt and the vanilla. On low speed, beat in the remaining flour.

Measure out 1 1/2 cups of yogurt batter and mix into the cocoa mixture. Set aside.

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of vanilla/ chocolate batter into each mold, and fill the molds up to 3/4 full with the rest of the other batter.  Bake for 20- 25 minutes or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the molds and a toothpick inserted in comes out clean.

Cool for 10-15 minutes on a rack. Unmold the cake. Cool completely before serving or storing.

What would you turn up in a 4th of July party if you are asked to bring a dessert? Not that I have such a request to fulfil, but I thought it would be fun to put myself in one’s shoe. You know, in case we decide to throw a last minute party and need a fast idea on “what’s for dessert”.

Dessert is always the most important element of parties we throw. It’s the only thing that friends seem to remember. Of course, I have my total lack of creativity for exciting dishes to blame. But I am pretty happy to focus on my strength now. Which brings us to the dessert.

Inspired by a tub of almost-expiring mascarpone cheese in the fridge, I decided to tackle a  dessert that hasn’t turned up on our household for a long time. Not because I dislike it, but simply because I couldn’t find the right occasion to make it. The dessert, which I love so dearly and believe should only indulge on a super special occasion is none other than Tiramisu.

Tiramisu, which loosely translated to “pick me up” is a very special dessert to me. It was the first dessert I made from scratch. Of course, with the help of such quality ingredients, one could hardly mess this recipe up. I remembered the first Tiramisu I made used lady fingers as base and incorporated egg yolks in the filling.  This Tiramisu however, is a cake version. And it has a cream base filling with no egg yolks involved.

To be perfectly honest, this was not my recipe of choice when I set out to make Tiramisu. I had set my sight on one with genoise as base, but for some unfathomable reasons the genoise didn’t turn out well. So I threw it away and switched to this recipe for a change of luck. Sheer serendipity that I chanced upon this recipe and decided to give it a shot. And it is the best Tiramisu I have ever tasted.

In this recipe, the light yellow cakes are first drenched with boozed espresso syrup, then a layer of caffeinated heavenly mascarpone cream is liberally smothered on top, followed by handfuls of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, which then topped with another layer of cake and cream. It is a decadent dessert without any need of description. But for a 4th of July party, it needs to be dressed up for the occasion.

The best answer to that would be some raspberries and blueberries on top of the cocoa dusting. Not only are the berries pleasing to the eyes, they are indeed delicious together. And this my friend, is what you can bring for a 4th of July party.

Here’s my piece of reward-

Tiramisu cake
adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s ” From My Kitchen To Yours”

For the cake
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks(10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

For the Espresso Extract
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons boiling water

For the Espresso Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon amaretto, kahlua or brandy (or more to taste. I used 3.5 tablespoons of kahlua)

For the filling and frosting
1 8 ounce container mascarpone
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ameretto, kahlua or brandy (or more to taste. I used 3 tablespoons)
1 cup cold heavy cream
2.5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about 1/2 cup store bought mini chocolate chips (or more, to cover the layer completely)

cocoa powder for dusting

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter two 9×2 inch round cake pans, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottoms of the pan with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on baking sheet.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, and then the yolk, beating for one minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 28 to 30 minutes,rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and cook for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

To make the extract: Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.

To make the syrup: Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.

To make the filling and frosting:
Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and liqueur in a large bowl and whish just until blended and smooth.

Working with the stand mixer with the whish attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch. Add the remaining 1 to 1.5 tablespoon of espresso extract into the mascarpone cream. Taste to decide how much extract you want to add.

To assemble the cake:

If the tops of the cake layers have crowned, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. Place one layer right side up on a cardboard round or a cake plate protected with strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, soak the layer with about one third of the espresso syrup. Smooth some of the mascarpone cream over the layer- use about 1 1/4 cups- and gently press the chopped chocolate into the filling. Put the second cake later on the counter and soak the top of it with half the remaining espresso syrup, then turn the layer over and position it, soaked side down, over the filling. Soak the top of the cake with the remaining syrup.

Use the remaining cream to frost the top of the cake. If the frosting looks as if it might be a little too soft to spread on the cake, press a piece of plastic wrap against its surface and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or so. Refrigerate the cake too.

With a long metal icing spatula, smooth the frosting around the sides of the cake and over the top. Decorate with blueberries and raspberries for a 4th of July party.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours (or up to one day) before serving, so that the elements have enough time to meld.

Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder.

Serves 10.