Third Bakeroo

chocolate kranz cake, pre-wrapping

nooks and crannies

I am currently sat at home with some freshly brewed Dunkin Donuts in hand. It's the Sunday of a long Bank holiday weekend and it's meant to be summertime weather today (in London that means a whopping 65 degrees - although this doesn't preclude the locals from whipping on their teeny and tiniest finest).  

But for me it means - capris! And possibly flip flops!! Oooh I know, such a risk taker aren't I?

But before my exposed tootsies go galavanting across East London for a lovely long walk and pub lunch I thought I'd quickly update you on last weekend's third bake I mentioned.

By now it's obvious to those who know me well that I will forever have an unrequited love affair with all things Yottam Ottolenghi.  Needing to be baked over two days I took on the challenge of his chocolate kranz cake, adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yottam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.  I omitted the lemon, added cinnamon to the chocolate, and to one of the cakes added plump dried sour cherries.  I also found the baking time quite temperamental.  The first cake baked at the recommended time of 30 minutes was arguably overdone a bit.  Second one in the oven was reduced to 20 minutes and was baked through perfectly.  

Also, I'd just like to say that the recipe required (as you would expect) a standing mixture with dough hook attachment.  Cognisant that I've needed to buy one for years but can't seem to find the countertop space, I kneaded the dough by hand.  I felt my throbbing shoulder and back muscles for about 2 days after.  I kid knot. (HA)! Bad joke of the day - check!

I also used the leftover scraps of dough to mock up a few small chocolate kranz "buns" (waste not want not people) and put the dough into small silicone muffin tins to rise and bake.   A perfect little mini-snack if you don't fancy breaking into the beautiful loaf.

Basically a chocolate babka, I'd liken the chocolate kranz cake more to a chocolate bread than cake, but still quite lovely with tea or coffee.