Sky High Mud Cake with Party Pink Icing

Four layers of dense and fudgy chocolate mud cake, covered in sweet Swiss Meringue Buttercream and topped with luscious, rich chocolate ganache drips and outlandish decorations. 

Happy birthday! Party time!

I've always loved birthdays and never understood why people didn't. What's not to love? Everyone wishes you well, people give you presents,  calories agree not to count as their present to you and...there's cake. Any day that you get to have cake is a good day.

Those Smarties didn't find their way on to the cake...but they did find their way into my tummy.

And, in part, my love of birthdays comes from my mum. The other parts of my love for comes from cake and presents, but a big chunk is from mum. My mum likes birthdays and Christmas because she's awesome. And what does an awesome mum need on her birthday? An awesome big pink cake, just for her!

Lush cake mix.

We have a go-to chocolate cake for birthdays in our family, but once in a while it's time to do something different. So I decided to make a mud cake. I wanted to make it stacked to the sky so the firmness of a mud cake was well suited.

I could happily drown in this.

I decided to use Swiss Meringue Buttercream to get the cleanest line possible on the side of the cake. I coloured it bright pink because it looks awesome. This cake is all about awesome. Because my mum is awesome.

This marbled chocolate is so easy and looks so cool.

I'll stop using the word 'awesome' now.

I definitely poured too much chocolate on top, trying to take photos.

But, this cake is OTT. Inspired in no small way by the cake legend Katherine Sabbath, I decorated the top with bits of broken meringue, silver and pink cachous, dripping chocolate ganache and marbled chocolate shards.

Ta-da!

Oh, and French macarons!

A spacescape of sweets.

I think it's a spectacular looking treat, however it couldn't be easier! Mud cake doesn't require any creaming of sugar and butter, it's dense and fudgy quality comes from melting the butter and chocolate together in a pan (with a few other ingredients), then beating in some eggs and the flour. This recipe also has sour cream in it which makes it especially moist.

Cool card, huh.

You know, why do people hate the word moist so much? I'm so tired of hearing how gross it is. It's just a word! Annnyyywwwaaaayyy...

Drippy and awesome. Oh shit, I said awesome again.

Once the cakes have been baked, trim the excess and then halve each layer to create 4 even sized cakes. For this cake and the OTT styling, I decided to use a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. The consistency of SMB is smooth and great for tall cakes.

More is more.

Then it was about the toppings. I decided to buy some macarons and store bought meringue kisses along with some coloured cachous. I marbled some dark chocolate with some white chocolate that I coloured using oil-based colouring and cut shards to place atop the cake.

Those are water balloons blown up. So cute.

And then, get creative. The great thing about this look is that imperfect and asymmetric decorations actually add to the look. Have a bit of fun and remember more is more!

Birthdays are THE BEST!

Sky High Mud Cake with Party Pink Icing
Cake adapted from Bakers Corner
For clear instructions on making Swiss Meringue Buttercream, I always recommend Sweetapolita's fantastic post

Prep time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 90 mins

Total time:  2 hrs 

Servings: 12 very large servings

Chocolate Mud Cake

400g dark chocolate, chopped

400g butter, chopped

2 ½ cups (550g) brown sugar

1 cup (250mL) hot water

2 teaspoons instant coffee

1 cup (100g) cocoa

6 eggs, lightly beaten

300g sour cream

3 cups (450g) plain flour

1 cup (150g) self-raising flour

Chocolate Ganache
300g dark chocolate

350ml heavy cream

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
7 large (225g) egg whites, free range 
1 ½ cups (375g) caster sugar
2 ½ cups (510g) butter, cut into 2cm cubes - should be cool, not cold. Take butter out of fridge 10 -15 minutes before required.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pink gel food colouring

Marbled Chocolate
300g dark chocolate

150g white chocolatePink oil-based food colouring

Various toppings eg macarons, coloured jimmies, cachous, sprinkles, smarties

Chocolate Mud Cake

1. Preheat oven to 140ºC.
2. Grease and line two 20cm/8 inch round cake pans.
3. Add dark chocolate, butter, sugar, water, instant coffee and cocoa in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir until mixture is smooth and chocolate has melted.
4. Cool 10 minutes then transfer mixture to a large bowl.
5. Meanwhile, combine eggs and sour cream in a separate bowl then add to the cooled chocolate mixture and stir to combine
6. Sift both flours into the chocolate mixture then stir to combine.
7. Divide mixture evenly among prepared pans.
8. Bake cakes on same shelf in preheated over for 90 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of cake comes out mostly clean - there may be a little moist cake mixture on theskewer, this is normal for mud cake – do not overcook.
9. Stand cakes in pans 15 minutes to cool slightly, before transferring the cakes to wire racks to cool completely.
10. Use a serrated knife to trim and split each cake in half.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

1. Melt the chocolate in a large microwave proof bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals.
2. Once melted, add cream and stir to combine until smooth.
3. Allow to cool slightly. Ganache should be pourable but not hot.
4. Set aside until required.

Swiss Meringue Butter Cream

1. Wipe out the metal bowl of stand mixer with a paper towel moistened with lemon juice to ensure the bowl is grease free.
2. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of rapidly simmering water, whisking gently until temperature reaches 60°C or until sugar is dissolved.
3. Take the bowl off the heat and put onto stand mixer. Whip on a medium speed until the egg whites have cooled to room temperature. This will take 8 - 10 minutes, or more. Do not add butter until bowl is neutral to the touch.
4. Switch over to paddle attachment and with mixer on low speed add butter cubes one by one in 30 second intervals until all butter has been added. 
5. If the mixture becomes lumpy and looks like scrambled eggs, do not panic. Keep mixing on a low speed and the mix will come together and become smooth. 
6. Add vanilla and a small amount of pink food colouring to reach desired base shade.
7. Set aside until required.

Marbled Chocolate

1. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. Melt white and dark chocolate in small, microwave proof bowls, 30 seconds at a time for each bowl.
3. Once chocolate is smooth, add colouring to white chocolate til desired colour is achieved.
4. Pour dark chocolate over prepared sheet, then add now pink chocolate in random places on top of the dark chocolate, then drag a metal skewer through the chocolates to create a marble effect.
5. Sprinkle crushed meringues and cachous over chocolate.
6. Once chocolate has cooled, cut into shards with a sharp knife.

Assembly

1. Place one of the layers on a cake board, using a dab of Swiss meringue buttercream to adhere the cake to the board.
2. Spread approximately 1 cup of SMB on top of the cake and smooth the icing til even and smooth then place second layer of cake on top.
3. Repeat til all cakes are layered
4. Add approximately 1 cup of SMB on top and spread until the entire cake is covered in a thin layer of SMB; the crumb coat.
5. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Remove cake from fridge and add a thicker layer of icing and smooth using cake scrapers and offset spatulas. Continue adding layers of icing to cake til SMB is very smooth.
7. Slowly pour ganache on top of cake; using a small offset spatula, tease the ganache into long drips over the sides of the cake til desired look is achieved.
8. Decorate top of cake with macarons, marbled chocolate, crushed meringues and sprinkles.

REVIEW: Ananas

Just off Argyle street is this little gem.

First off, I will apologise for the quality of these photos. It was lovely and romantically lit inside the restaurant which made photography a bit challenging. Plus, it was my birthday and we were drinking which also made photography challenging. Had we not had such a wonderful time which I want to tell you about, I wouldn't be posting these terrible photos. If something doesn't look amazing, it's me and the camera, not the restaurant.


Oui, indeed,

Those mitigating circumstances aside, let me tell you about Ananas. If you've been following me closely, you'll know about my obsession with all things French and being my birthday, I wanted to have a sophisticated French dinner with my best girls, who both live in Sydney. So I went on a hunt for French restaurants in Sydney! And found Ananas. Which means pineapple in French, and pretty much every other language.

Pretty table flowers.

We walked down the cobble stone alley way and up the stairs for our 8pm sitting. We were greeted quickly and walked through the busy cocktail and bar dining area to a large, plush booth at the back. The restaurant was low lit with candles and rustic chandeliers, it really felt like a wonderful date venue. But dates can include lady dates! The atmosphere was great, and even a not-so-keen eye could spot the namesake fruit dotted everywhere.


Lets get turnt!

We ordered cocktails, one Ananas Bellini ($19) which was vanilla, honey, pineapple and champagne,  two PBE Martini's ($20). The bellini was fruity and bubbly, but for $19, I'd want more than just some champagne. Which is why I got a PBE Martini. I don't know what possessed me to get a coffee based cocktail as I don't drink coffee. I drank it though as I figured the coffee would give me a boost in addition to the alcohol.

Creamy butter soup. Butter soup...I bet I could make that with 500g of butter and a hot day.

The waitress was so patient with us and we ordered each course one at a time, talking too much and drinking a lot. Generally being merry. But she kept coming back and helping us out with menu details and topping up our drinks. Eventually we got around to ordering. To start, we were given a complimentary veloute - a French soup, thickened with butter - made from apple, fennel and black garlic. The soup was creamy and smooth, but I couldn't pick up any of the garlic.


Big shoutout to all the body parts of friends and family who appear in my photos.

We got things started in earnest with our starters...wait, I see what I did there. First, we had 6 oysters, at $4.50 each. We choose the Merimbula oysters which were Sydney rock oysters. They were plump little oysters, served with 3 sauces of which the cocktail sauce was the nicest with the oysters. They were plump and flavourful.

Can I be really uncultured and say this pate tasted like Strasburg ham? But I mean that in the best way possible. I love Strasburg ham!

The second of our starters was Le Pate de Campagne - country style duck terrine with cherry gastrique and brioche ($23). This dish was delicious! The duck and the cherry sauce along with the brioche struck a balance with sweety and salty. It was snaffled up in no time.

That's some shadow over that risotto. I'm sorry, risotto. You deserve better.

For our first entrée, we ordered Le Risotto a Notre Facon - Ananas style risotto for $24. The risotto changes depending on available produce. When we visited, the risotto of the day was beetroot, asparagus and speck. Other than colour, the beetroot didn't lend anything to the dish but the asparagus was firm and the little bits of speck were little chewy treasures in the risotto.

Shadow strikes again. I even know how to get rid of those shadows but my mind was pretty addled by this point,

Our second entrée was Les Langoustine - crispy scampi papillotes with sweet basil, extra virgin olive oil and sauce rouille. Sauce rouille is basically a fancy mayonnaise. I really liked this, it was one of my favourite but I don't know how French it was. The crisp pastry and plump prawn were cooked really well, but the sauces were little more than decoration. A bit more of them would have been nice.


Snails. You may use your fancy name but I know you're snails. And that's what I couldn't get over.

Now since we were in a French restaurant, how could we not get the snails! Les Escargots ($22), Burgundy Snails, parsley, garlic butter and hazelnuts. And it was my first time. They came out in a dish specifically made for escargot, which I thought was pretty cool. There were little discs of pastry atop the snail in parsley. I can't say that I would order them again. They tasted fine but for me, I couldn't get over the texture. My dining companions who had more experience in the snail eating arena both agreed they were very good and for my first escargot consumption, it was a good introduction.

Lamb shanks are da bomb.,



We had chips too! Cos where there is Cassie, there are chips.

After some more drinks, we ordered our mains. Because not everyone is as awesome as me, two of the mains were entrees. For my main, I ordered the L'agneau ($44), lamb, charred eggplant puree, couscous, yoghurt and capsicum. This dish is usually lamb rack but on the night we visited, they ran out of lamb rack so it was a lamb shank instead. This was very pleasing to me. The lamb was unctuous and tender. I would have liked some more eggplant but this is fine dining. There was a good serve of couscous and the meal itself was well portioned. I enjoyed it very much.

Pretty, but small. Just like the lady who ate it!

For the next main, we ordered Le Saumon ($27), citrus and cognac cured ocean trout, petits potato galettes, cucumber, dill and radish. This dish was quite small but the waitress advised us of such. It was beautifully presented and the fish absolutely melted in the mouth.

How can raw meat taste so damn good?

The final main was so wonderfully French, Le Filet en Tartare ($24), steak tartar, capers, quail egg and toasted brioche. Ordering steak tartare is said to be the biggest compliment to the chef, as you trust the quality of their meat. And the chef didn't let us down. The steak didn't even need chewing and with the quail egg mixed through, was so delightfully creamy. The amount of steak was also really generous. It appeared to be a whole steak, which is good for a high quality steak.

I wish you could hear the crack of that chocolate. Amazing.

We were stuffed to the gills with fine French food but it was my birthday so the girls got me a dessert, with a candle and everything. We ordered the Snickers Revolution ($19). There was no description on the menu, what was presented was a chocolate cylinder of mousse atop candied peanuts with a quenelle of peanut and chocolate ice cream. What it was bliss. A dish of pure transcendence. As full as we were, I think we all could have had a hundred more. It was the perfect way to end the night...or the dinner part of the night anyway.


Also this. Source: here.

The atmosphere was dark and romantic, the staff were helpful and the food was lovely. Ananas was an absolute pleasure and my only complaint about the restaurant is that they're so far away.

Food: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Price: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5

 

REVIEW: Cove Bar & Dining



What a lovely day with some gorgeous sunshine.



Yesterday, we had two birthdays to celebrate! Mr Cakes parents birthdays are two days apart! Which I think is pretty cool. I asked them what they thought when they found out their birthdays were so close together but neither could recall the conversation. I reckon it went like this: “You’re born on the 18^th? Oh em gee, I’m born on the 20^th! THIS IS AMAZING! WHAT ARE THE CHANCES! No…seriously, I want to know. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES!?!”…that would have been my reaction any way. Both Mr Cakes and I are born on the 9^th of different months and that blew my mind. I don’t think I could handle a greater coincidence. I’m way too excitable.

The walk up to Cove, which is on the end there. I ride my bike down this path most mornings - zoom!

Anyway, we went to Cove Bar and Dining to dine and drink and cheer. It just so happens that I celebrated my birthday here for dinner earlier in the year, and from what I can remember, had a wonderful time. I was curious to see if my blurred recollection was correct or if my exuberant, intoxicated birthday self just had beer goggles on.

Many glasses of wine were had, and they went down a treat! Like my arty photo?

Cove is part of the new dining section in South Bank, River Quay. Now when I say new, I think it’s actually been there for 2 or 3 years! Time flies. I ride my bike to and from work through this precinct and it really is a lovely part of Brisbane. The restaurants here have a lovely aspect and there would be few others with views as nice as those in River Quay. We were also treated to live music from a band playing for the Regional Flavours festival so most of our senses were delighted – the taste buds awaited their turn!

The festivities on the River Quay Green where the live band was playing.

The wait staff were very attentive and we were offered water and drinks soon after being seated. They do offer only still or sparkling, for which you will be charged for so if you want tap water, you need to specify that. Mr Cakes ordered a ‘Big Head’ beer which just tickled me. His head is rather large, in my opinion, so that was appropriate.

The resemblance to Mr Cakes is uncanny. 

While pondering over our meal choices, we spied delicious looking prawns coming out of the kitchen and I knew that’s what I would be getting! So did the majority of the table! The Grilled Chilli Prawns ($18) were served with coconut risotto and an award winning chilli paste, the menu informed that the paste was a 2014 chilli cook off winner! I’m always partial to a little heat so for me, this was a success. The prawns were nice and big, the serving overall was very generous. The combination of coconut and prawns is a classic and didn’t let us down.

The delicious Grilled Chilli Prawns...there's a third prawn hiding in the back there but I found him...I found him.

The only other two choices made for entrees in the group were the Peking Duck Wraps ($19) and the Szechuan Salt and Pepper Calamari ($18). The calamari was really tender and not stringy at all. The pieces were crisp on the outside and I couldn’t detect any oiliness at all. Stringy and oily calamari is just the worst and always a real and present danger. Cove certainly avoided those all too common pitfalls. I think there may have been some saffron or turmeric in the calamari batter as it had a lovely yellow colouring.

See that crunchy texture? Very moreish!

The duck wraps were by reports a delight too, with a number of large wraps coming out. The Asian flavours were wonderfully balanced and the hoisin sauce was delicious as well! So far, Cove hadn’t put a foot wrong.

 

For main, I was really tempted by the Chilli Prawn Linguine ($29) but I didn’t want to double up on seafood so I went with Whiskey Roasted Lamb rump ($35), which comes with eggplant puree and I have a thing about eggplant. Love it! I wasn’t disappointed. Again, the serving was sizeable and the lamb was cooked skilfully. I would have liked it a touch pinker but I think that’s just me. The roasted beets were delightful and so was the eggplant puree. How come eggplant is so damn good! I don’t have all the answers, maybe they’re the eggs of unicorns. Who says unicorns wouldn’t lay eggplants! Hmm…moving on. Anyway, I did think the cherry tomatoes could have been roasted as well, they were served whole and raw which I didn’t like, and neither did the other diner who ordered the lamb. It was a minor complaint though and on the whole I was very satisfied.

Those beets were so good and the eggplant puree...heavenly.

Mr. Cakes got the Graziers Plate, a 200g Black Angus Rump ($35) because he almost ALWAYS gets a steak. Getting a very lengthy critique can be a little difficult but he stated it was very nice. He ordered medium rare though and it was most definitely medium. Perhaps there was a slight mistiming for the meats in the kitchen? Still, the whole dish was quickly devoured and he says  he would get it again.



Look at that onion! That's a nice onion. It knows it too.

The vegetarians at the table both ordered the only vegetarian main, the Honey Baked Pumpkin Risotto ($25). Sometimes I feel sorry for vegetarians, they tend to not get many options, it would be nice to see more than one choice. However, if this was the only option for them, it was a stellar option. The pieces of pumpkin were large and visible and as a pumpkin lover, I would love to give it a go! The texture was very pleasing, not gluey as risotto can tend to be. Both diners were most pleased with it!


That looks like a vegetarian delight! Tell me that is doesn't! I won't believe you!



A lunchtime only option is the burgers. At $23, the Rib Fillet Steak Burger is on the more pricey side for a burger, but again, I really do think Cove provides a good size serving so I wouldn’t shy away.  The staff were very accommodating and provided the steak on the burger well done at the request of my dining friend. The toppings for the burger were well matched with fresh salad and caramelised onions and bacon. A classic combination!



A slightly unfocused photo of the rib fillet burger. Trust me, it was not blurry in person. Oh look at that chip at the back there. I bet I stole that. Nothing stands between me and a crunchy chip.



Finally, the last main order was the Massaman Lamb Shank ($32). It comes in either hot or medium so you can control the heat factor. In what I’m beginning to believe is typical Cove fashion, the serving while only one shank, was pretty big. There were plenty of potatoes accompanying the shank too and I would highly recommend this our gorgeous winter weather.

Look at all that potato! Cove has potatoes down.

Honestly, if I could tell you one thing about Cove it would be this: Get some chips. In fact, get two servings of chips. The chips here are double fried and just so good. I love a good chip and if you’re at all human, you will too. Trust me. Get the chips.

Shut. The. Front. Door.

Overall, we had an absolutely superb time at Cove. The staff were attentive, helpful and well humoured, the view is stunning and I find the prices to be reasonable for the ample servings. We drank and ate our fill and then some and per head, the bill was very affordable .

We made good use of the bar! Be sure to check out the cocktail names on the menu too! Pretty amusing.

I’m glad to say it was not just my birthday love goggles which gave me such a pleasant experience last time and for the upper level of casual dining, it offers an elegant experience.

Look at this beautiful tree! And there's our cab, patiently waiting.

Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Price: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5

Oh by the way, here are a few photos of the buttermilk vanilla cake with strawberry compote and whipped vanilla cream that I made for the birthday lady and gent's birthday! I promise to post the recipe  next time I make it! Soon!