Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

 

I spent the latter part of July and all of August in Europe for some summer holidays and work.  While I absolutely loved my time abroad and getting the chance to (re)connect with dear friends and work colleagues the one thing I really missed was being able to bake.  Since I was going to be away for such a long period of time I had every intention of baking in Europe, and even packed measuring cups, spoons and a kitchen scale in my checked luggage.  Unfortunately the gods were against me and I became yet another statistic in the luggage drama that epitomized summer 2022 travels when my bag went missing for three weeks.  [I'm sure you've seen the images of a sea of lost bags and suitcases at the European airports.]  

 

 

As soon as I got back home to San Francisco my itch to bake was in major overdrive.  When I saw the recipe for this Chocolate Olive Oil Cake on Half Baked Harvest's Instagram Stories I knew it was going to be my first bake.  Never mind that I was in the middle of some home renovations and my house was in disarray.  Baking will always be a priority!

I'm a big fan of olive oil cake but I'd never seen or even heard of a chocolate version.  Why didn't I think of that?  The real clincher was that the recipe for the batter and frosting didn't require a mixer and used natural sweeteners like maple syrup and honey.  

 

Having just polished off a piece I can honestly say this cake is going to be on regular rotation and added to my baking repertoire.  Yes, it's THAT good.  The cake is tender and full of intense chocolate flavor while the frosting is creamy, chocolate-y and not too sweet.  Do yourself a favor and make this chocolate olive oil cake asap.

 

Russian Honey Cake

 

When you mention 20th Century Cafe here in San Francisco the first thing that comes to mind is Russian Honey Cake.  It's one of their signature desserts and is so visually stunning and amazingly delicious.  Layer upon layer of cake (they taste like speculoos cookies) filled with a burnt honey and caramel whipped cream.   Absolute heaven I tell you.  I had my first taste in 2016 and was always curious about how it was made.  

Alas, I was never able to find a good recipe to replicate at home so I never attempted to make one, until now!  Recently the cafe's owner, Michelle Polzine, was kind enough to finally reveal her masterpiece.   And to the New York Times no less!

Granted, the instructions to make the cake are very LONG, but don't be deterred.  Admittedly the process is time consuming but all that effort will be worth it, I promise.   I was crazy enough to make my cake in one evening after coming home from work.  Not something I would recommend for the novice baker.  Start to finish I estimate it took me about 4 hours, with a little down time in between.  Next time I'll make this on the weekend to give myself a cushion.

One bite of the cake and I was immediately taken back to 20th Century Cafe.  It seriously is an amazing copycat that you should try for yourself. 

Bee Sting Cake | Bienenstich

Bee Sting Cake.  The name of this dessert intrigued me when I saw it in the Oct/Nov 2014 issue of Cook's Country.  And where there is intrigue there is inevitably a strong inclination to action so I had to make it.  It's German in origin, Bienenstich, and is basically a honey and almond coated brioche cake filled with vanilla pastry cream.   

My family prefers desserts that aren't too sweet so this cake fit the bill perfectly.  They're favorite part, and mine, was the delicious and crunchy honey almond topping.  I could just eat that alone.   Oktoberfest is just around the corner and if you need a cake to accompany your beer and pretzel why not give this bee sting a try?