My mother baked cakes.
She baked wedding cakes and groom’s cakes and birthday cakes.
Birthday cakes were always Angel Food.
I tried to explain Angel Food Cakes to a Belgian friend. It was a bit difficult as I have never made one and Europeans don’t have cakes as such, like Americans do. Cakes here are more like fruitcakes in the US…
I digress…..
Here is me with the typical Angel Food Birthday Cake:
I like Angel Food Cakes…. They’re lovely.
But I love dark chocolate cakes. When I was finally old enough to be consulted on my birthday cake (and listened to) I asked for a Devil’s Food Layer Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting.
My mother was justifiably famous for her Devil’s Food Cake.
There are no photos of me on my subsequent birthdays with my beloved Devil’s Food Cake. My mother could not bring herself to decorate a dark brown cake.
It was my birthday a few weeks ago.
We had a dinner party.
Serendipity…..
This recipe is based on this Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Mocha Bundt Cake with Chocolate Mocha Glaze
Total time: 90 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (9oz,270gr) flour
- 1 cup (3.5oz, 100gr) pure cocoa
- 2 cups sugar (7oz, 200gr)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (8oz (240gr) butter, softened
- 1 tbs vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) very strong coffee or espresso, cool
- 2/3 cup (5oz, 240ml) milk
- Chocolate Mocha Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups (6.6oz 190gr), powdered (icing) sugar
- 3 tbs pure cocoa
- 3 tbs very strong coffee or espresso, cool
Instructions:
- Butter and flour a 10″ (25cm) tube / bundt pan
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C)
- Combine flour,cocoa, baking soda, and salt
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy..
- Add eggs, egg whites and beat well. Add vanilla.
- Combine coffee and milk.
- Add dry ingredients and coffee/milk, half at a time, alternating, mixing on low.
- Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake, 40 – 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into cake comes away clean. Mine was done at 45 minutes.
- Remove and cool for 20 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely.
- Glaze:
- Whisk powdered sugar, cocoa and coffee until smooth.
- Spoon onto cake, spreading as needed. It’s thick and dries fairly quickly.
- Slice and serve – with ice cream, of course
Has Instagram taken conspicuous consumption to new heights?
It used to be that people didn’t flaunt what they had…. Unless it was fake or ridiculous. I never could understand why anyone would pay so much money for a bag made of plasticized cotton just because it had an LV on it. I much prefer good leather….
I digress – again.
Back when I was gainfully employed and had disposable income I would occasionally splurge on such folderol.
But I didn’t go around telling everyone to look at my #lokiscarf.
That would have been such bad form.
I knew what it was and that was enough. If someone else recognized my #lokiscarf they might say: What a pretty scarf! I’ve always loved their fabrics.
That would let me know that they recognized it as a #lokiscarf and they would know that I knew they recognized it.
At no time was the brand Loki mentioned.
For the confused among you….. Hermes was the Greek messenger god; Loki was the Norse god of mischief. If I have to explain further you are doing a wonderful job of insulating yourself from inconsequential news.
Now, it appears that every item of clothing, as long as it’s designer and expensive, must be identified in every photo with the ubiquitous hashtag.
Why would people want to be so crass?
I would assume that if one is dressed top to toes in designer duds one does not need to troll for advertising revenue.
That would leave the other obvious conclusion…. one is just an arrogant braggart.
The best thing to consume would be your gorgeous mocha bundt cake. I think there have long been people who wanted to flaunt their high end purchases…it’s just that social media makes it so much easier. Fortunately I hardly own anything worth flaunting, other than the occasional loaf of bread that turns out well. Please keep posting your beautiful dinners and desserts! Those are worth showing off.
Thanks, Elle….It seems like Instagram and # have given a lot of people the need to brag.
We went off cake after being back in Europe as adults; haven’t really picked it up again here. So sweet! I think I’ve seen this photo before. What a view behind you kids! And you may have seen the US Treasury Secretary’s child-bride Instagram post with those hashtags, so outrageous.
Dan, you have seen every cake I’ve made in the last 20 years… I think the total is up to 6 now. I grew up in the Mississippi river valley – those are the bluffs behind the house in the photo. Great play area growing up. I may have seen that bit… One would think if she ‘had grown up in a castle in Scotland’ she would have been taught restraint. Apparently not.
Katie – I love cakes like this one…used to make them pre-gluten free days wayyyy back in the day! Happy birthday to you – even if it was a few weeks ago! 🙂
Thanks Ina…. I only bake when we have people in for dinner – and I often send slices home with everyone lol
Happy Movha Cake Birthday. It seems that all clothing these days sports a logo or emblazons the designer’s name all over it. About as subtle as a Mack truck. And then to tweet about it – and then defend one’s tweet with more obnoxious ranting about how much one pays in taxes…. Tells you all you need to know about our current administration. Shameful.
Zoomie, I refused to wear golf shirts with alligators on them when I lived in the US (are they still around?) I never wanted to give them free advertising lol That whole incident was an embarrassment.
Happy Birthday Katie xx
I would never bother hashtagging my clothes…#target is not very exciting !!!!
kate, neither is #LandsEnd lol Thanks for the wishes xx
I believe you refer to the so called influencers on Instagram who promote their latest freebie. Of course, they do hashtags to promote the product, otherwise they won’t get their freebies. It’s all about consumerism. Each brand has to be endorsed, and wants to be endorsed by celebs or influencers (hate that word). I don’t follow celebs, so thankfully most of my Insta-feed if filled with food pics, nature, LEGO and babies. 🙂
Love your chocolate cake, and the photo of you as a young girl is wonderful.
Galina, which is why I was wandering why the rich need to get the freebies. The consumerism is way too far over the top. And I am a long way out of it lol. And thanks for the kind words on the photo. I remember how much I loved that dress!