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View Full Version : Rev: Darjeeling Chocolate Layer Cake 10/03


LonghornGal
10-05-2003, 07:59 PM
It was a weekend of new recipes here in Austin. :)

This cake was pretty involved to make - I got a lot of dishes dirty, but it was worth it in the end. The tea lends a pleasant overtone to the chocolate and makes the cake seem richer than it really is. The frosting ended up more like a ganache for me (I think I overbeat it) but I just poured it on, smoothed it out, and it looks good. This would make a good "sophisticated" chocolate dessert for company.

The cake itself was fairly dense and rich, but that may be due to my modifications (why Cook Light when you can Cook Lighter?) The combination with the creamy frosting was perfect. I also had quite a bit of frosting so you can probably cut it down to 3/4 and be ok.

My modifications: subbed some Splenda for the granulated sugar, eggbeater for the one egg, used nonfat cream cheese and regular plain yogurt (all I had), and cut the sugar in the frosting to 2 cups (and it was a perfect sweetness). Also I left off the hazelnuts since I couldn't find them at the store. You'd only need the nuts if you wanted a garnish - I don't think they'd add any extra punch to the taste of the assembled cake.

Here is the original CL recipe. I can post my lightened version if anyone wants (220 cal, 3g fat/serving)


* Exported from MasterCook *

Darjeeling-Chocolate Layer Cake

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cake Dessert!
Not Tried Vegetarian

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Cake
cooking spray
2/3 cup boiling water
6 tablespoons loose darjeeling tea
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2/3 cup boiling water
1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter -- softened
3 large egg whites
1 large egg
Icing
1/2 cup boiling water
5 tablespoons loose darjeeling tea
6 ounces neufchatel cheese -- softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
Topping
2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts -- toasted

Preheat oven to 350

To prepare cake, coat 2 (9 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray, line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray and set aside.

Pour 2/3 cup boiling water over 6 tablespoons tea leaves in a large bowl, steep 5 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, cool to room temp.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Combine 2/3 cup cocoa and 2/3 cup boiling water, stirring with a whisk. Cool in freezer 10 minutes, and stir in brewed tea, yogurt, and vanilla.

Place granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer on medium speed until well blended (about 5 mins). 1 at a time, add egg whites and egg, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and brewed tea mixture alternately to sugar, beginning and ending with flour. Pour batter into prepared pans and tap sharply on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pans. Carefully remove and discard wax paper. Cool completely on wire rack.


Icing: pour 1/2 cup boiling water over remaining tea leaves, steep 5 minutes, strain, and cool to room temp. Place cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until floffy (about 1 minute). Sift together sugar and cocoa. Gradually add cocoa mixture and 2 1/2 - 3 tablespoons tea to the cream chees. Beat until just smooth (do not overbeat or icing will be too thin.) Discard remaining tea.

Place 1 cake layer on a cake, spread with 1/2 cup icing. Top with another cake layer. Spread remaining icing over the top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with hazelnuts. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

Description:
"While darjeeling is a strong black tea, in this cake its flavor is muted so that it enhances the deep chocolate flavor."
Source:
"Cooking Light 10/2003 p. 214"
Copyright:
"Cooking Light Magazine"
Yield:
"16 servings"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 315 Calories; 7g Fat (19.5% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 59g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 28mg Cholesterol; 208mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 3 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : In CL recipe: Sift the cake flour after measuring, not before, to achieve moist, tender results.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 2130706543 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Kuvy
10-05-2003, 08:03 PM
Thanks Longhorn Gal!

I'm having an "Indian" dinner party next week and thinking about making this for the dessert - Darjeeling is from India isn't it?
:eek:

emily
10-05-2003, 08:10 PM
Originally posted by Kuvy
Thanks Longhorn Gal!
Darjeeling is from India isn't it?
:eek:

Yes it is :)

Thanks for the review, I love tea, chocolate and cake. And thanks for posting the recipe too as Oct CL was delivered to Atlanta still.

Emily

britneyelise
10-05-2003, 08:15 PM
I marked this one to try. I am glad to read a good review, especially with your Splenda sub. Lately if a cake or coffee cake uses both brown and white sugar, I replace the white granulated sugar with Splenda, had great results so far. After making a pumpkin apple cake from a really old bon appetit that was super calorie laden, I think we could use something like this. It sounded fantastic.

Shannon

'lil cooker
10-05-2003, 09:57 PM
This one is on my list!!! Have got to order the loose tea. Found some sources due to my question about this on another thread "Loose Tea Question...". Thanks so much for the review. I'm so glad to hear this was a winner! (Now if I can figure out how to paste the links on here - can't seem to drag the icon onto the screen).

LonghornGal
10-05-2003, 11:19 PM
Lil cooker - you can use regular bag tea - I measured 1 bag and figured that it would be 9 bags for the first part, 7 for the second. Also, I was lazy and left the tea bagged, just make sure to squeeze all the tea/water out of the bags after steeping or there won't be enough. I didn't see the point of all that extra straining work. So I used up almost a whole box of Bigelow Darjeeling (purple box).

I do the same also Shannon. The Splenda worked fine - no detectable aftertaste - if there's other sugars I sub in Splenda for the granulated. Just be careful when you start the mixer cuz that stuff flies. :D I didn't put any in the frosting but that would probably work of as well. This was my first "homemade" frosting so I didn't mess with it too much.

And Kuvy, I think this would be an exotic and unexpected finish to your dinner party. :)

--Kristin

'lil cooker
10-06-2003, 05:55 PM
Thanks - maybe I don't have to wait to make this!

Ms. Chevious
10-06-2003, 06:15 PM
Originally posted by LonghornGal
(why Cook Light when you can Cook Lighter?)


Amen, sister.

Did you reduce the butter at all?

LonghornGal
10-06-2003, 06:50 PM
Well, I thought about using Lighter-Bake but I ended up using Imperial Margarine becuase of the "beat with sugar" step. I didn't think Lighter-bake would do so well there. :)

Also, I've found that the icing did not ever really "set" so the cake slides around. And the edges are a bit tougher than I like so next time I might cut some of the baking time or try that wet newspaper trick.

But it's still darn yummy. I've been eating it for breakfast AND dessert!

--Kristin

Here's my changes

* Exported from MasterCook *

Darjeeling-Chocolate Layer Cake - my version

Recipe By :modified by Kristin (LonghornGal)
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cake Dessert!
Tried it - great! Vegetarian

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Cake
cooking spray
2/3 cup boiling water
6 tablespoons loose darjeeling tea -- (9 tea bags)
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2/3 cup boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup SPLENDA Granular
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup Imperial Margarine -- softened
3 large egg whites
1/4 cup Egg Beaters® 99% egg substitute
Icing
1/2 cup boiling water
5 tablespoons loose darjeeling tea -- (7 tea bags)
6 ounces nonfat cream cheese -- softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
Topping
2 tablespoons chopped almonds -- toasted

Preheat oven to 350.

To prepare cake, coat 2 (9 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray, line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray and set aside.

Pour 2/3 cup boiling water over 6 tablespoons tea leaves in a large bowl, steep 5 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, cool to room temp.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Combine 2/3 cup cocoa and 2/3 cup boiling water, stirring with a whisk. Cool in freezer 10 minutes, and stir in brewed tea, yogurt, and vanilla.

Place granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer on medium speed until well blended (about 5 mins). 1 at a time, add egg whites and egg, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and brewed tea mixture alternately to sugar, beginning and ending with flour. Pour batter into prepared pans and tap sharply on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pans. Carefully remove and discard wax paper. Cool completely on wire rack.


Icing: pour 1/2 cup boiling water over remaining tea leaves, steep 5 minutes, strain, and cool to room temp. Place cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until floffy (about 1 minute). Sift together sugar and cocoa. Gradually add cocoa mixture and 2 1/2 - 3 tablespoons tea to the cream chees. Beat until just smooth (do not overbeat or icing will be too thin.) Discard remaining tea.

Place 1 cake layer on a cake, spread with 1/2 cup icing. Top with another cake layer. Spread remaining icing over the top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with hazelnuts. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

Description:
"An interesting and complex taste. While darjeeling is a strong black tea, in this cake its flavor is muted so that it enhances the deep chocolate flavor."
Source:
"Cooking Light 10/2003 p. 214"
Copyright:
"Cooking Light Magazine"
Yield:
"12 servings"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 279 Calories; 4g Fat (13.9% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 53g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 296mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat; 2 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : In CL recipe: Sift the cake flour after measuring, not before, to achieve moist, tender results.

My notes: I ended up with a dense, rich cake that was quite satisfying. The frosting was more like a ganache (perhaps I overbeat?) - I just poured it over the top and then spread it around evenly. Although I was concerned that the tea flavor would be overpowering, it lends a pleasant overtone to the chocolate, making the cake seem richer than it really is. Next time I would make slightly less frosting - maybe 2/3s or 3/4 of the amount in this recipe. I left off the nuts, I don't think the cake needs them unless you want a "fancier" look.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 2130706543 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2130706543

Kayaksoup
10-09-2003, 11:06 PM
I have less than 11 tablespoons of loose tea, but I am making this tomorrow. Can I get away with it? Is the tea flavour really strong or too subtle to reduce any more?

LonghornGal
10-10-2003, 08:21 AM
I think you can get away with it. I really enjoyed the tea flavor in the frosting and didn't notice it as much in the cake part, so if it were me, I'd make sure I had enough for the frosting. :)

Kayaksoup
10-10-2003, 08:29 AM
Okay, thanks for the tip. I might brew for the frosting and then rebrew for the cake. See how I feel:)

jif
10-10-2003, 08:34 AM
This sounds really good! I definitely want to give this one a try!

Just wondering - do you think this would work with Earl Grey tea? I've had Earl Grey-flavored brownies before, which were very tasty. I wonder if it could be subbed for the Darjeeling?

LonghornGal
10-10-2003, 08:39 AM
Originally posted by jif
This sounds really good! I definitely want to give this one a try!

Just wondering - do you think this would work with Earl Grey tea? I've had Earl Grey-flavored brownies before, which were very tasty. I wonder if it could be subbed for the Darjeeling?

I think the bergamot-tea-chocolate combo would be divine! :D

Speaking of mixing this up a bit, I've got a box of Raspberry Zinger sitting around that I'm thinking would be tasty in a white cake... or chocolate... :) Then there's that box of "Tension Tamer" that I bought 3 years ago and decided it didn't work... :p

So many teas, so little time!

Kayaksoup
10-11-2003, 09:32 AM
I made this yesterday, I ended up gettting the right amount of tea. It was tasty, but not spectacular. I actually found the frosting a little sweet, although BF loved it. I couldn't really taste the tea. but I bet it would be good with earl grey......

Laurielee
10-20-2003, 09:49 AM
I made this last night for my supper club and ran into a few problems, but it still turned out real good.

okay, the cake called for 6TBSP tea and 2/3 cu water. I used 23 tea bags to get the 6 TBSP of tea. And then 2/3 cup wasnt even close to getting the tea wet to stee. Ended up putting 2 C of water to make the steep the tea. My thought was the liquid should be a lille less than 2/3 cup since the tea itself retains some of the moisture. Well my batter was like water! So I had about an extra 1/3 C cake flour left and added this along with a pinch of baking soda. It was still pretty runny. I cooked ityway, and only cooked it for 20 minutes.

Then When I was making the frosting, it said to steep the 5 TBSP of tea with 2/3 C of water and use 2-3 TSBP of theliquid.

Here is what i think is a mistake in the recipe. In the frosting, they tell you how much liquid tea to use, but dont in the cake. That is why I guessed on how much liquid to use. But why would you need to you 5 Tbsp of tea for only 2 TBSP of liquid tea.


As for the frosting, it was way to runny and I added about 1/2 more powdered sugar, it was still thin but I used it anyway

Laurie

brykate
10-20-2003, 06:16 PM
Ah! Bummer your cake didn't turn out Laurie! :(

We had it at our Supper Club last night and it was easily one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever tasted! Debi (gal who baked it) said she went through a whole box of tea too. And that she went through the extra work of cutting each bad open etc. ugh. Sounds like Kristin had the right idea to skip that! The dense-ness was very moist and the frosting an excellent compliment.
Kudos goes to Debi and the others - since I KNOW I could never perfect a cake like this. So Laurie I hope you give it another try and post about your success as I'm sure it will be great.

:) katie

bluestocking
10-20-2003, 08:29 PM
For those of you substituting Splenda for reg. gran.sugar, do you just do that 1-1? There's no difference in taste or texture or anything?