no. 7 | let's make: chocolate ganache salted caramel cake inspired by Merci Montecito
Plus, a San Francisco @cakepicnictour recap.
If you told me there was a place on this earth where a stranger hands you a large cake box, places you in front of a banquet table spread of 600 cakes, and basically, tells you to go ham–I’d say I landed in heaven.
has hosted “Cake Picnic,” a potluck-style gathering, four times now, in three different cities, San Francisco being the inaugural location of our wildest cake dreams. The rules are simple: no cake, no entry. Participants arrive in droves with a variety of required items, including an official RSVP, a cake label, a knife or server, and of course, their cake. In the words of Miss Ina Garten, storebought is fine (or from your local bakery), but it seems that the Bay Area’s most talented pastry chefs showed out in droves with their homemade creations on Saturday. Attendees are categorized by the color on their nametag, and once the group has taken enough photos to satiate their camera roll’s appetite, the organizers call up groups by color to have their pick at as many cake slices as they can fit in their pastry boxes. The catch: you only have five minutes. Talk about option paralysis at its finest.Rewind 24 hours before this cake picnic: I had just landed back in the States after two and a half weeks in Europe, mentally and physically running on 0%, but determined to commit to this long-anticipated event. I had to think on my toes because there was only so much time I could ponder my potential flavor profiles until I had to pull the trigger and make my way to the store. Do I go for carrot cake? Eh, I just made one of those for my friend’s birthday. Pavloa? Maybe others won’t consider that a true cake (I later learned that the parameters for “cake” at this event, are broad). In my mind, as far as cake baking goes, this was the time to go big or go home. So, why not try to dupe one of my favorite cakes of all time: the Merci Montecito Chocolate Cake (with salted caramel filling)?
There’s lore behind this cake. When I went to college in Santa Barbara, I kept a job for about two years to help pay my rent, at a Parisian-inspired café called Merci. Although I come across as biased, I must say, that their pastries and savory offerings are some of the tastiest bites I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying. The owner, Elizabeth Colling (who I was lucky enough to grab coffee with two days ago in Paris), was trained in pastry at Ritz-Escoffier and is one of the most talented people I know. One of her many talents includes her coveted Chocolate Cake, available at Merci on Saturdays only, which would often sell out before the clock struck noon. It’s a double chocolate cake (meaning the cake itself, and the frosting), filled with salted caramel and toffee crunchies. The cake is moist and rich with chocolate flavor, the frosting is not too sweet, and the caramel and toffee crunchies are quite literally addictive. It’s the best cake in the world. Trying to replicate it, in hindsight, was a humbling experience. I want to clarify: I do not have Elizabeth’s recipe. My recipe is simply inspired by her cake, purely based on tasting it (over and over). It also lacks the toffee crunchies for time’s sake, but if you want to add that flare to yours, by all means, go for it. It will never be the Merci chocolate cake, but it’s reminiscent of the flavors and will surely do the trick.
Ingredients
Cake:
I used Kitchen by the Sea’s recipe for cake batter and adjusted a few things that I think would improve the texture and taste.
2 2/3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup cocoa
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup oil (canola or vegetable)
1 1/2 ounces fresh espresso (can substitute with espresso powder)
Optionally: 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
A nice addition to keep the cake moist.
Ganache Frosting:
8 ounces dark chocolate (Valrhona if available; they sell at higher-end grocers)
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
Salted Caramel:
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp flake salt (+ more for decorating the cake)
Instructions
Cake:
Preheat your oven to 350º F.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk until evenly combined. If you want to eliminate clumps, sift all dry ingredients first.
Add the vanilla, eggs, buttermilk, yogurt, and oil, and whisk until combined. Set aside.
Pull your espresso shot. Add the hot espresso to the batter and stir to ensure it evenly distributes.
Espresso will not make your cake taste like coffee. The flavor of the espresso highlights and balances the rich, fruity flavors of the chocolate, and will only make your cake taste chocolatier! Please note, the batter will be thin–this is okay.
Pour the batter into two greased and floured 8” round cake pans and bake for 25-35 minutes (check for doneness with a toothpick–insert, and if it pulls out clean, it’s done). Set aside to cool.
Optionally: once the cakes are cooled, you can use a leveler or a large knife to divide these layers into 4 thin layers. It depends on how much frosting and filling ratio you’d prefer.
Ganache:
Add your chocolate, butter, vanilla, and salt to a glass bowl. Set aside.
Add your heavy cream and sugar to a saucepan. Heat on medium-low until hot, just before boiling.
Pour the hot cream and sugar mixture over the bowl of chocolate, and whisk until smooth. The heat will melt and combine.
Transfer to a glass container or cover the bowl with saran wrap, and chill in the fridge until cooled (but not stiff).
Salted Caramel:
Melt your butter in a saucepan on low heat, continuously whisking until it begins to lightly brown.
Add your sugar. The mixture will begin to foam as it heats; continue whisking to avoid burning.
Slowly, add your cream a little bit at a time, whisking to incorporate. Once the caramel has thickened, and has a glossy bronze appearance, turn off the heat.
Add your flake salt, and set aside to cool (do not refrigerate).
If your caramel seizes (the butter and sugar separate): turn the heat on low, keeping the mixture on the heat, and whisk vigorously and continuously. It will come back together. This happens when you add cold butter ot hot sugar (why I melt the butter first to ensure its warm, and slowly add my cream when the time comes).
Assembly:
Place your bottom layer on a cake stand or plate. Add a generous helping of ganache frosting to the center, evenly spreading it, slowly generating a thicker helping along the edges. Place in the fridge for 5 minutes to slightly set the ganache.
Remove from the fridge, and add your salted caramel filling to the center, evenly distributing in a thick layer (if your cake is only two layers, use all the caramel here). Add a generous sprinkling of flake salt onto the caramel layer.
Add your next cake layer on top.
Frost a crumb coat onto the sides and top of your cake (unless you have multiple layers, then repeat step 2). Refrigerate for 15 minutes to allow the ganache to set.
A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting spread evenly across the sides and tops of the cake, to ensure the crumbs and edges are secured, clean, and smooth.
Frost your cake with the remaining ganache.
I do not have fancy cake tools. I like to frost my cake with a baby spatula, then use a bench scraper to smooth the sides. Once I feel I have an even, desirable layer of frosting on the cake, I like to go back and add texture with my spatula (in a swirling motion). Sometimes, I’ll add some extra onto the top of the cake, and push it in a circular, outward motion to the edges, to create a nice visual.
Sprinkle flake salt on the top edges of your cake (or however you desire). Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then serve.
This cake will keep nicely in the fridge overnight. Be sure to cover the cake loosely in saran wrap, or with a cake cover, so the cake does not dry out.
Enjoy!
