NBU's Art, Eats, & What Other

Art

Hansel and Gretel - Cake House
by Iricolor

Eats

This is from Cooking Books: Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

For the Cake

2 tablespoons finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed, light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup molasses
6 oz bittersweet chocolate - 2 ounces melted, 4 ounces finely chopped
1 cup buttermilk

for the icing

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon strong coffee
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar (it's a good idea to sift this, I found)

Cake

Oven preheated to 350, rack in center

Whisk flour, baking soda and spices and set aside. If you're using a stand mixer, fit it with the paddle attachment, set on medium, and cream the butter and brown sugar together until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs in one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. My mixture looked curdled at this stage, but Dorie says that's okay, so I believe her! Add the molasses and continue beating until the mixture is smooth.

Reduce speed to low and the melted chocolate and the sugared ginger.  Then add the dry ingredients in three stages, alternating with the buttermilk.  Begin and end with the dry ingredients.  Do not over mix the batter.  Fold in the chopped chocolate and pour the batter into your 9-in square baking pan.

Bake for 40 minutes until the sides start to pull away from the pan. My cake was domed, but it settled after a few minutes of cooling. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then take it out of the pan and cool to room temperature before icing.

Icing

Melt the chocolate together with the coffee in a double boiler.  Once the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter one tablespoon at a time.  Sift the confectioner's sugar over the mixture and stir it in.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it set for 10 minutes.  

Pour the icing over the center of the cake and spread it to the sides.  Let the iced cake sit for 30 minutes before cutting into 9 pieces. 


What Other  Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
This movie comes out in 2013. Interested in seeing more.