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Chocolate Mochi Cake

Cakes, Chocolate, Gluten-free, Wine and Unwind January 31, 2023 Leave a comment

This week’s Wine and Unwind at The Collaboration featured a decadent Chocolate Mochi Cake. Dense, moist and warmly spicy, this is a gluten-free wonder. (Don’t be confused by the “glutinous sweet rice flour” ingredient below. Rice flour, glutinous or not, is gluten-free!)

Note that you can make this with the coconut oil and coconut milk, or you can throw caution to the winds and use butter and half & half. Either way, it’ll be great!

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil, melted, plus more for pan (or can also use butter)

1½ cups (300 g) sugar, plus more for pan

1 (13.5-oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk (or can also use half & half)

2 large eggs

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups (254 g) glutinous sweet rice flour*

3 Tbsp. powdered unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/3 tsp. ground cardamom

1 tsp. baking powder

¼–⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

*can be hard to find in a regular supermarket, but Bob’s Red Mill makes one and can usually be found in any health food store.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 9″-diameter cake pan. Coat pan with sugar, tapping out excess (about ¼ cup should do it).

2. Place 1½ cups (300 g) sugar and 6 Tbsp. coconut oil in a large bowl.Heat coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium, whisking constantly, until no clumps remain, then whisk into sugar mixture. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt and whisk to combine.

3. Whisk rice flour, cocoa powder, spices and baking powder in a medium bowl to combine, then fold into egg mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with coconut.

4. Bake until top begins to crack and cake springs back when gently pressed, 55–65 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 10 minutes. Run a knife around perimeter of cake, place a plate over pan, and invert cake onto plate. Hold wire rack over cake and invert cake onto rack Let cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

5. Do ahead: Cake can be baked 5 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Krysta Rodriguez (Maya) enjoying a post-show slice

Crew members Dan Conner and Jeff Dodson unwinding

Torta Caprese (Chocolate and Almond Flourless Cake)

Cakes, Chocolate, Gluten-free, Wine and Unwind January 23, 2023 Leave a comment

It’s been a minute since our last post . . . In the interim, James has moved on from The Kite Runner (which closed on October 30, 2022), going straight into rehearsals for his current show, The Collaboration. Starring Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope, with Erik Jensen and Krysta Rodriguez, it’s about the real-life artistic collaboration of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. May I strongly suggest that you run out and get your tickets for this magnificent show? It must close on February 11, 2023 and is an absolute treat!

Speaking of treats . . . James made the following Torta Caprese for a recent Wine and Unwind. It’s a gluten-free recipe he learned from Chef Lorena when he sojourned in San Gemigni, Italy a few years ago. (Check out her restaurant Facebook page here: Il Giardino-Vino e Cucina). I was lucky enough to be in attendance for some of her cooking classes, where we also learned how to make gnocchi and other Italian treats. (Watch this space for another Chef Lorena special recipe soon!)

With just a few ingredients, make sure you get the best quality chocolate and butter to lift this torta into the stratosphere of deliciousity.

Torta Caprese (Chocolate and Almond Flourless Cake)

Ingredients

125grams (4.4 oz) blanched almonds (or almond meal)*

125grams (4.4 oz) good quality dark chocolate (I use 70% cocoa)

125grams (4.4 oz or 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, chopped

125grams (4.4 oz or 1/2 cup) sugar

3 large eggs, separated and left to come to room temperature

Powdered sugar for dusting

Optional additions: Zest of one orange, 1 TBSP rum, 1 tsp almond essence

* If using whole blanched almonds, blitz them to a very fine, sandy texture in a food processor.

Directions

Grease and line a 20 cm or 8 inch round cake tin with baking paper (I like to use a springform tin or one with a removable base for this delicate cake) and preheat oven to 160ºC or 320ºF.

Place the chocolate, broken up, in a metal or glass bowl set over a bain marie (aka a double broiler, or a pot of simmering water). When melted, remove the bowl from the heat and add the butter, stirring with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to help it melt.

Add the sugar and the almond meal. Once the mixture is no longer hot, add the egg yolks and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. If adding any further ingredients (orange zest, rum, etc), stir them in now.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with beaters to soft, fluffy peaks. Fold the whites gently through the chocolate and almond batter.

Pour the batter into the cake tin, smooth over the top and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the top appears dry and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (not wet batter).

It is important not to overcook this cake so that it retains its wonderful moist consistency.

Let cool completely in the tin before handling. Dust with powdered sugar and, if desired, some lightly whipped cream. This cake keeps well for several days and is even better the next day.

Kulcha e Birinji – Afghan Rice Flour and Pistachio Butter Cookies (GF!)

Cookies, Gluten-free, Holiday June 20, 2022 Leave a comment

Broadway James is in rehearsal for his next Broadway show – The Kite Runner. It was a hit on the West End and is coming here for a very limited run, July 6 – October 30, 2022. So don’t delay, get those tickets today!!

This recipe comes from the show’s cultural advisor Humaira Ghilzai. A slightly different version of these cookies are traditionally eaten to celebrate Nowroz, the New Year, which occurs in March. James made these for the company’s first Wine and Unwind, which seems appropriate to celebrate the new beginning of the show. Looks like everyone enjoyed them!

^{Christine Mirzayan who plays the Pomegranate Lady, Wife and Andrews, with Houshang Touzie who plays General Taheri}

^{Joe Joseph who plays Merchant and Russian Soldier and Dea Julien, an understudy.}

Kulcha e Birinji | Afghan Rice Flour & Pistachio Butter Cookies

Serving size: Makes around two dozen cookies.

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened to room temperature

3/4 cup cane sugar or coconut sugar

2 egg whites

2 cups white rice flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (consider using fresh cardamom pods and grinding them yourself. Or, just double the amount of cardamom!)

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios (optional, if you don’t like nuts, but if that’s the case, why are you making pistachio cookies? )

1/4 cup shelled whole pistachios

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the egg whites and mix until smooth. Gradually add the rice flour, cardamom, and pistachios (if you choose to use them). Mix well.

3. Scoop up a tablespoon of dough and set on a cookie sheet (ungreased is ok). Flatten the dough with the palm of your hand. The cookie will not rise or spread during cooking. Next, press the back of a fork into the dough, making a criss-cross with the tines of the fork (like you would with a peanut butter cookie). If the fork sticks, dip it in a glass of cold water from time to time. Place a pistachio in the center of the cookie.

4. Continue with the remainder of the dough, setting the cookies 1 ½ inch apart.

5. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Let it cool before eating.

^{The company relaxing after their first week of rehearsal (at the MTC Creative Center.)}

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes

Cheesecake, Wine and Unwind September 12, 2016 Leave a comment

The Backstage Baker’s new show is a revival of the award-winning David Hare play Plenty. Check it out here. It stars Rachel Weisz and I think is already completely sold out.

For their first Wine and Unwind, our BB outdid himself with these gorgeous looking mini cheesecakes. I mean, can you stand them? And can you eat just one??? (There’s a joke about plenty in here that I can’t quite find . . .)

mini-raspberry-cheesecakes

Before you start, you need to get a mini-cheesecake pan with removable bottom sections. (OMG, more kitchenware?? Yet . . . these little darlings sure look worth it!) Here’s a link to the one the Backstage Baker uses.

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes

Ingredients

1 cup crushed Chocolate wafers or ginger snaps or whatever crisp cookie you are in the mood for
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
24 fresh raspberries
Chocolate chips (white or dark, depending your taste)
2 ounces dark chocolate, melted, for drizzling

Method

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease mini-cheesecake pan. Stuff 12 raspberries with dark or white chocolate chips. (James tells me he was able to get two chips into each raspberry.)

Place a heaping teaspoon (more or less, depending on how much you like crust) in each cheesecake well. Tamp down with fingers or a teaspoon. Place in the oven for 3 minutes. Let cool.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.

Fill cheesecake wells half-full, them place one raspberry stuffed with chocolate on top. Cover with the rest of the batter. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool completely.

Gently push each cheesecake out of its well from the bottom. With a thin spatula, remove each cheesecake from the bottom plate and place on parchment paper or lightly greased tinfoil. Drizzle with melted chocolate and place a raspberry in the center. Heaven!

corey-stoll-who-plays-brock-jesca-prudencio-assistant-director-and-maria-goyanes-associate-producer
Corey Stoll who plays Brock, Jesca Prudencio – Assistant Director and Maria Goyanes – Associate Producer wining and unwinding

emily-bergl
Emily Bergl who plays Alice and her contribution a delicious Golden Syrup cake. (Notice the colorful pile of spike tape on the table in the back!!!) I’ll ask her is she will share the recipe.

Nutty Naughty Bars

Bars, Wine and Unwind December 2, 2015 Leave a comment

Naught Bars

He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice,
He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice,
Santa Claus is coming to town!

I think naughty is the way to go, don’t you?

After a brief hiatus, the Backstage Baker returns with an indulgent treat suitable for the season. He served them last week at the first Wine and Unwind for the cast and crew of Lazarus, the new musical currently on at the New York Theater Workshop. By David Bowie and Enda Walsh, directed by Ivo Van Hove and starring Michael C. Hall, it’s based on the novel “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” Let’s just say Book of Mormon it ain’t! But go see it, if you can get tickets. (Which you can’t because it’s sold out.) Maybe it’ll move to Broadway . . .

James tells me that this recipe comes from his cousin Patti who lives in Ghana. Here are her notes:
Be sure to add macadamia nuts cut in half, and whole or pieces of
cashews to the mix. I add a bit more vanilla than they mention. These
bars are good without the nuts, but when I make them with nuts, people
are actually rolling their eyes and moaning when they bite in.
Cambodians and Africans too, flip for these bars. My driver gobbles
them, so I have to freeze half as soon as they cool, or I wouldn’t
have any for myself.

Life is different in Ghana, no?

Naughty Bars

2 sticks butter (1 cup)
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup combination of macadamia nuts and cashews

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9×13-inch pan with butter and set aside.

In a large microwave-safe glass bowl, melt the butter on high for 30 seconds (or until butter is almost completely melted), covering the bowl with a paper towel to avoid splatters.

Using a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula, mix in the brown sugar and stir until combined. Add the baking powder, salt and vanilla — mix well. Gradually add the flour —the batter will be stiff – and mix until completely incorporated. Whisk the eggs well in a small bowl, and then add to the batter, mixing well one last time.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan (a spatula works well for this) and bake until golden around the edges and the center is still soft, about 30 minutes.

DO NOT OVER BAKE!

Let cool completely before cutting into small squares. They go together quickly and there are NEVER any left over!

Michael Esper who plays Valentine enjoying some naughtiness

Cristin Milloti Cristin Milioti who play Elly tasting the Naughty Bars.

Chocolate Red Wine Cake

Cakes July 3, 2015 Leave a comment

Chocolate. Red wine. What else do you need?

James celebrated his first Wine and Unwind with the cast of Cymbeline, combining the Wine and the Unwind in one cake. (I’m sure, however, that there was some wine served separately, but the efficiency of this appeals to the stage manager in me.)

He tells me “This a not too sweet cake that goes great with vanilla ice cream or gelato, based on a recipe from Anne Willan’s 2001 book Cooking with Wine. There is just enough wine to give it a wonderful flavor!”

I know I like chocolate, and I like red wine, and I like both together. So how can this cake go wrong?

Chocolate Red Wine Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)* plus some for dusting.
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups dry red wine
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Whipped cream or ice cream for serving

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and dust a 12-cup Bundt pan with powdered cocoa. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes longer. Working in two batches, alternately fold in the dry ingredients and the wine, until just incorporated.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack; let cool completely. Dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Kate Burton, who plays the Queen and Belarius, unwinding

Patrick Page, who plays Cymbeline, and Raul Esparza, who plays Iachimo, taking their wining and unwinding very seriously.

*What is Dutch process cocoa? What is non-Dutch process cocoa? And why does it matter?

Non-Dutch process is simply natural cocoa powder: the dry, solid remains of fermented, dried and roasted cacao beans that have been ground into a fine powder. It is slightly acidic with, if you’re a complete nerd, a PH between 5-6.

Dutch process, on the other hand, is natural cocoa powder that has been washed with a potassium carbonate solution to alkalize it slightly.

Who cares, right? And what difference does it make to my cake?

Well, successful baking is more than a little bit of a science. In order for cakes to rise properly, you need the proper balance of acid and alkaline in your batter. If, as in this recipe, you’re only using baking soda to make your cake rise, then you want the slightly acidic natural cocoa because baking soda is alkalizing (it’s why you take a teaspoonful in water if you suffer from acid indigestion.)

Anyway, long story short, you really can use either kind of cocoa no matter what, but to make the ideal version of whatever you’re baking, stick to what the recipe says.

Raspberry Almond Bars

Bars, Wine and Unwind April 27, 2015 Leave a comment

I’ve blogged more than 50 recipes, the vast majority of which come directly from James our Backstage Baker, and I cannot believe that I haven’t already blogged this recipe. It is a terrible oversight on my part because this is one of my very favorites, and a staple in my personal pantheon of baked goods. These bars are always popular and always disappear first from any dessert table! Do try them for your next church social or PTA bake sale.

James baked these early Sunday morning (before a 1pm matinee! Who does a 1pm matinee?) to the delight of the Hamilton cast.

Poor Jersey had to wait for her walk until they were cooling . . .

Raspberry Almond Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 package vanilla chips (10 or 12 oz)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9″ x 9″ pan.

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat and add 1 cup vanilla chips. DO NOT STIR.

2. In small bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Gradually add sugar. Stir in chip mixture and almond extract.

3. Combine flour and salt. Add to egg mixture just until combined. Spread half of this batter in your pre-greased pan. Bake at 325* for 15 – 20 minutes.

4. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt jam then spread over warm crust. Stir remaining chips into batter and drop by teaspoonfuls on top of jam layer. Sprinkle with almonds and bake for 30 – 35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

5. Cool thoroughly on wire rack before you even attempt to cut into bars. (I can never wait, and my bars always looks ragged. Don’t be like me. WAIT!)

Daveed Diggs (Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson) digging in

Anthony Ramos (Laurens/Philip Hamilton) achieving nirvana

Betsy Struxness (Ensemble) posing with what’s left

Red Velvet Bars

Bars, Wine and Unwind February 25, 2015 Leave a comment

Red Velvet Bars . . . going fast!

Our Backstage Baker outdid himself on this one! He’s been sitting on this recipe since Christmas, but just hasn’t had the time to bake it. So, last Saturday, after getting home from Hamilton at midnight, he baked the following for the next day’s Wine and Unwind. (Have I mentioned that our Backstage Baker only needs about two hours of sleep a night?) Coincidentally, there was a marriage proposal onstage after the show on Sunday, so the Valentine-red bars were perfect!

Awwww . . .

In other news, Hamilton is moving to Broadway! Look for a July 13 opening at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Here’s the New York Times review & David Brooks’ recent editorial raving about the show. Who knew these gentlemen were such fans of the rap?

Red Velvet Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

For the bars:

3⅓ cups flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons red food coloring gel

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 8-oz bricks cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a 9×13 inch pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray so that the bars easily lift out and are easy to cut.

3. In one bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

4. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and food coloring until combined.

5. Mix in the flour mixture gradually until a soft dough forms. Press into the bottom of the 9×13 inch pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until the edges start to pull away from the sides and a toothpick entered into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

The red velvet base

6. To make the cream cheese frosting: Beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until smooth. Frost the top of the bars.

Mmmm . . . frosting!

Hamilton Ensemble member Seth Stewart Wining and Unwinding

Phillipa Soo (aka Eliza Hamilton)

Jasmine Cephas Jones (aka Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds)

Peanut Butter Fudge Sandwich Cookies

Chocolate, Cookies January 10, 2013 Leave a comment

One of James’ delightful traditions is a Sunday night “Wine and Unwind” gathering in the stage manager’s office. He’ll bake some decadent treat and pair it with a sturdy red wine to send everyone into the day off. He’s currently working on “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” — on a show as fraught with drama as that one (onstage, not off!) everyone definitely needs a way to unwind.

Last week’s invitation went something like this:

Here’s the recipe for the Peanut Butter Fudge Sandwich Cookies (oh, my teeth hurt just reading through it1):

Peanut Butter Fudge Sandwich Cookies

1 1/2 cups Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup softened butter*
1/2 cup softened margarine*
2 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

*Backstage Baker’s note:
For cookies that are softer use 1 cup of shortening instead of the butter and margarine.

Filling:
1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
For Cookies: Beat peanut butter, butter, margarine, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs. Beat just until blended.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Add to creamed mixture and mix with wooden spoon until blended. Drop by level tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Press down with bottom of a glass or the traditional way of making a cross hatch with a fork.

Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

For Filling: Microwave sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips in medium microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirred. Stir in vanilla. Let cool 15 minutes. Spread generously on flat side of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat side down, to form sandwich cookies.

(Pictures for the above are on the home page of this blog!)

The wine was a La Pilar Malbec courtesy of an anonymous fan who insisted on giving Amy Morton (who plays Martha) $40 to buy drinks for the company. I hope she reads this and knows that her contribution was thoroughly enjoyed.

The Backstage Baker