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Yesterday was my husband's 65th birthday. I thought the Chocolate Flan cake would be great for him to have yesterday since we are actually doing the birthday dinner tonight with his family. So as I usually do, I started making the dessert around 2:00 am. First I made Cajeta from Dave's recipe. I decided to use vanilla beans. I had 2 that were in the original tube that had been opened a couple of years ago at least. So without really paying attention, I scraped them into the goat milk and sugar mixture. They looked kind of funky, but were not green, slimy or smelled funny. I thought its been a while, maybe they always look like this. So it came to a boil, no problem (love my Calphalon chef's pan) and I added the baking soda. Then I started worrying, that maybe the beans were not good. So here it is boiling and take it off the stove and decide to strain it and get the seeds and beans out. That actually worked ok, but of course it was no longer boiling. End result it took 1 hour and 15 minutes for it to become beautifully golden. I added vanilla extract (which I also seem to hoard) and go to add brandy and the bottle is almost empty. Luckily there were a bit over 3 TBS. left. I only use it for cooking, so it must have been a while. Could not find another bottle, so I hope I just forgot to buy... So it looks good, smells great, so must taste, not a good idea to stick a finger in hot Cajeta. Luckily I have long nails and I pulled out before any real damage.
So now onto the cake. Super easy cake, had all the ingredients, got the scale out, weigh the flour and cocoa, melt the butter and Guittard wafers, add the sugar, oh wait that was supposed to be 1.25 ounces not 1.25 cups, I catch it a 1 cup. Scramble trying to get the extra out since it was on top and go ahead and add the egg and finish. Then I start to worry, it will be too sweet, so quickly grease an 8" pan and stick it int he oven for 20 minutes and restart the cake. Take it out 20 minutes later and it looks edible, more like a brownie, but I love brownies.
I realize the pan I had planned on using does not fit in the small pan for the water bath, and no way will I be able to get the big Calphalon Roaster in the oven without tipping the contents. Scramble for a pan, find that I think would works with small Cuisinart roasting pan. Add the Cajeta, lovely, add the batter, its thick but it covers. I go make the flan. First my blender says 6 cups, well not really, should used the Vitamix, there is flan liquid all over the counter. I go pour it and it sloshes out, and goes all the way to the bottom in places below the cake. Stop, clean the mess, stop the dripping before it really hits the floor, try again. Ok flan it. Oops had take pan out of roasting pan, try to put it in, slosh, slosh. Take it out, clean the roasting pan, very carefully put it back in, figure a little less flan won't matter much. Into the oven, and wait. Clean up the mess and wait, cake tester in, wet out, wait, finally Thermapen says 180, tester clean, good enough for me. Take the Roasting Pan out, manage not to slosh water and put it on the counter. Then try to take pan out. Man the glass pan is hot. No Way oven mitts are going to fit, try thinner silicone pads. Can't get hands in without being burned by the water. Ok take hold pan up, slowly stream water into sink, slosh slosh, down goes the pan, nice hot water onto cake. Stop, panic. DH is asleep and it is his birthday, can't wake him. Think. Ok, use two big SS turners one on each side lift and try to grap ends. Manage but cake flops all over place and a bit more water sloshes in.
Realize cake is not done, it needs to go back into the oven. No way am I doing the water thing again, so back on the rack it goes, I put the pan with fresh hot water in the rack under and hope the goddess is in a good mood. Decide arbitrarily 20 minutes should do I go to finish cleaning the mess and my favorite wide mouth 2 quart jar, which was drying somehow gets hit by the blender, falls onto the tile and breaks into tiny pieces. It was one my son had marked as a child and I am really sad now. Finish cleaning, put everything away, trying not to make too much noise.
Take out cake after 20 minutes, put it on the rack and think, what a waste of chocolate and Cajeta. Go watch Smash till DH gets up so I can tell him to put in the fridge when cool. Yes it is now 9:30 am. DH starts talking and I stay up but I get to put the cake in the fridge. I am hungry now, so might as well try the little chocolate cake. Guess what, it is quite good. More like a fudgey brownie, but I really like those. I am thinking this will be good with fresh strawberries and the Crème Fraîche I had made a few days ago. Cake has egg, milk right? Finally go to sleep around 11:30 am and of course can't really sleep well. Get back up at 5:00 thinking in a couple of hours I'll have to unmold that disaster. But DD calls, get to do Facetime with the grandkids and now everything is right with the world.
Decide to make raspberry vinegar, manage not to break that jar. DH likes the chocolate cake, puts first Crème Fraîche, on a small piece, comes back for another and puts Cajeta on. He's pretty happy. Finally figure out onto what we can unmold the cake. Ok , it comes out, does not fall apart. Looks ok. Oh my, it actually tastes great. The flan is nice and airy, not dense, it is not too sweet. The Cajeta didn't burn and neither did the cake. It is dark and chocolatey and moist, and not too sweet, but together they are sweet enough. So not the prettiest, but it won't go to waste. It is not 10:00 pm and I am thinking in a few hours, I think I'll be able to sleep till late tomorrow and guess what, I don't have to cook, we are going out to to dinner thank goodness. Good night. Hope I made you smile a little and feel better about your day today.
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Alina
Last edited by Cubangirl on Sun Mar 03, 2013 12:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Somehow it all sounds familiar albeit with a different recipe...
