Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Beg, Borrow, Blend

On Monday, my friend and I decided that we were going to get together and make classic cocktails one night this week. This is exciting on a number of fronts:
- I really like classic cocktails - yummy!
- He knows them better than me and has experience making them
- Cheaper than drinking them in bars

I was super excited all day long and yesterday so I did the customary, polite, thing and offered to bring something, and he says "dessert!". (Disclaimer: This could be because I may have bragged about my baking all weekend and now I have to represent.) I love dessert so this was perfect for me plus there was an extra exciting, challenge that my friend is gluten-free. I have never cooked - nor even tried - to make gluten free anything and I have to admit that I was at first confused at the idea that desserts could be make without gluten, even though I've had many. I was perhaps having a 'duh' moment.

But I got over my 'duh' moment and moved on. I debated either going to the store and buying something that easily fits the requirements or stepping up to the challenge and making something. Given that I am who I am, I decided to make something. That 'something' was Judy's flourless chocolate cake (are her pictures amazing or what?)! Minus the white chocolate, of course, because it's not really chocolate and therefore has no place in my stomach. Just fruit and chocolate cake please.

A quick trip to Whole Foods and some begging for a super small cup of coffee from my local coffee shop later and I was ready to go - measuring and pureeing up a frenzy. Trouble began when I had to borrow baking soda from my neighbor ("dear neighbor, do you have any baking soda so I can make a cake and not share it with you?") as my roommate had decided to utilize mine for the litter boxes and the store next door was sold out. Trouble continued when I got to the part about where it mentioned "whipping until light and fluffy" and I looked around my apartment, hoping a hand mixer would magically appear. Hand mixer...where art thou? Oh wait, there isn't one. Because I don't own one. In Cupcake land, apparently Le Creuset ranks higher than useful kitchen appliances. Which means I should probably change the title of this blog from "Cupcake in the Kitchen" to "Using cast iron in the kitchen".

Anyways....

Expletives were abundant- why do I not read recipes in advance and instead only look at pictures and ingredients? Am I the only one who does this? Anyways, half of NCIS was spent with me beating eggs with a fork. Then I got impatient. And blended (yes, you read that right) from there on out.

I have to say, the blender seems to have worked. I will know for sure when we - hopefully - devour the cake tonight with our raspberry French 75s but it looks great. I will post pictures when I get it decorated (and yes, it'll be in a Le Creuset dish)!

Tonight is going to be AWESOME!

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