Santiago's Birthday Brunch (Part 1)

The 28th was James' birthday so we decided to have a birthday brunch on Saturday to Celebrate.
Tons of good food.
Jojo, the queen of appetizers brought the most delicious Fried Green Olives stuffed with Cheese, and lettuce bowls filled with a rice, beans, tomato, and corn mixture. AMAZING.
Taya brought a few of the best cheeses I've had in years, so delicious.
Here is the spread:

James made a Roasted Red Pepper, Sauteed Mushroom, Potato and Onion Crust Quiche and I decided to bake my first ever cake. (how did this blog become a baking blog when I never baked before I started it...)
So I made a Chocolate Tres Leches cake with strawberries, blueberries and a Cinnamon Ginger Whip-cream. It actually turned out really well! I was surprised, as I was expecting disaster...
But anyway, here is the recipe for the cake:
The original recipe came from google-ing 'Chocolate Tres Leches cake' and then making a few changes.

Recipe 5: Chocolate Tres Leche Cake Cake

• 6 eggs seperated
• 2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 2 cups wheat flower
• 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
• 3 Teaspoons baking powder
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3 teaspoons Vanilla

(I think some coconut or something added would be really good but I made it plane.) Sauce

• 1- 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 1- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 5 ounces unsweetened Chocolate melted
• 1/3 cup Heavy Whipping cream

(Again you could add something to this- almond oil or something. keep it liquid though because you are going to poor it over the cake in the end and it has to soak into it.) Chocolate Ganache

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

(Add some Cayenne pepper for a little bite or some pieces of almond or something. Coconut?) Whipped Cream

• Cup of heavy whipped cream
• 1/3-1/2 cup sugar
• Ginger, juiced with a garlic crusher
• Cinnamon to flavor
  

Other

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
  

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. You can prepare a cardboard cut out of the cake pan in order to let the chocolate drip off of it when you pour it in the end. I used a cake plate and use the chocolate that collected along the bottom to hold the sliced strawberries and blueberries- it was a bit messy, but fun!
3. If you have access to them, use two 9-in round silicone pie pans, they are easier to pop the finished wet cake out of, but I used one silicone and one regular. It turned out fine, just that the metal pan was harder to get the cake from. Either way- grease the pan
4. in a medium bowl combine: milk Vanilla
5. in another medium bowl combine Flour, cocoa, baking powder (any other dry ingredients you may be adding to the recipe)
6. in a Large bowl beat the egg whites until peaks form
7. mix a little slower and add sugar to the whites
8. once the sugar is completely mixed in, add egg yolks and beat for 3 minutes
9. continue to beat egg mixture and add flour and milk alternately until well blended
10. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick insterted in center comes out clean
11. after you pull them from the oven, poke holes in them with something wooden- I used a chopstick.
12. Melt the chocolate for the sauce, if you want you can heat up the other ingredients with the chocolate (I did this.)
13. Combine the sauce ingredients and pour evenly over the two layers.
14. Place the cakes in the refrigerator and allow to cool.
15. In a small, heavy sauce pan on medium heat stir the cream and chocolate together until chocolate is melted and mixture is blended.
16. Add Vanilla and stir for 1 minute
17. The cakes are very moist (ugh. I hate that word.) so you will have to work like a magician with them. Get them out somehow and make sure not to break them apart. If you are using the silicone ones it is pretty easy. If you prepared the cardboard flip one of them onto that and put it over something to catch the chocolate. If you did not (like me!) get a pretty big pie plate that some excess chocolate can collect around the side. Be prepared for a mess of chocolate that you will have to lick up!
18. Pour some of the frosting over the first cake and with a spatula spread it across the top and sides.
19. Flip the other cake on top of first and spread more frosting over both cakes (on top and sides.)
20. Refrigerate until glaze is set
21. in a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the whip cream and do it to it. Refrigerate
22. slice up the strawberries (or pears, or mango or whatever fruit you feel like using) and wash the blueberries (or whatever, but come on- Blueberries! They're so f'n good!)
    
23. Splash the whip cream where you want it, toss the fruit where it looks cute.
    
24. EAT THE SHIT OUT OF IT.

I will tell you about the Quiche and a few tips for leftovers in part 2 of the post, but now I must go for a jog and hope my heart doesn't burst from all the cream and sugar that's been pumping through my veins these last few weeks!

heartrl