Kitchen Project #137: Secret Chocolate Cake
SSH! An exclusive recipe and Q&A from SIFT
Hello,
Welcome to today’s edition of Kitchen Projects. Thank you so much for being here.
Today it’s a SIFT SPECIAL! My debut book SIFT comes out in the UK in just a few days, so I’m very excited to share an exclusive recipe - The Secret Chocolate Cake (pg 166) - from the book, plus a little deep dive Q&A into the book.
Over on KP+, because I lack self control, I’m sharing another recipe from the book. Sticking on the chocolate theme, it’s my no-bake Choconut Tart (pg 159): Rich, darkly toasted salted coconut flakes coated in chocolate with the smoothest cremeux on top.
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Love,
Nicola
P.S. I’ll be launching SIFT into the world on Wednesday 1st May, 5:30-8:00pm, with a very special pop-up at the gorgeous Toklas Bakery in London. I’ll be working with their amazing team for a one-off take over of the apero menu, you can try dishes inspired by and baked from SIFT!
3..2..1… we (almost) have SIFT off!
The process of writing a book is a series of paradoxes: Exhilarating but slow, chaotic yet structured, extremely individualistic yet completely collaborative. But perhaps the craziest contrast is the change from covert to - soon - VERY public. It is wild to me that there are still relatively few people who have seen the book IRL! That means it still feels like a precious secret in some ways, but that’s all about to change - it’s time to kick this baby bird out of the nest and hope we’ve done enough to make it fly!
In four days, my debut book SIFT, will arrive through letterboxes and be available in bookshops across the UK. Thank you so much to everyone who has pre-ordered so far (and there’s still time to—click here to get it straight to your door on Thursday)—I cannot wait for you to meet this book! And, if you’re planning to come to the special Toklas x SIFT launch event on 1st May, there will be limited copies available there.
In today’s newsletter I wanted to give you a deeper look into the book and share an exclusive recipe. But before we get onto that, some questions! I had so much fun doing a SIFT Q&A on Instagram this week, so I wanted to share a couple of the key questions that came up several times, plus some visuals of the book.
Oh - and if you have any more questions - drop it in the comments! Excited to chat with you.
THE SIFT(ed) Q&A
What is your favourite recipe / What do you think people will make first?
Asked by eldougla and trumans.treats
I reckon people will jump right into some of the cookie recipes straight off the bat - the extra thick miso walnut cookies (pg 197) are SO delicious, and the little brown butter banana ones (pg 184) are really fast to throw together (thanks to Milli Taylor for inspiring those!). But if I had to pick three current favourites, I really love the toasted flour & chamomile chiffon cake (pg 151) right now, and I’m addicted to the fennel & tomato tart tatin (pg. 167).
The Hazelnut & Ricotta Marmalade Chocolate Chip Cake (pg 147) is also incredible for this inbetweeny, just before summer moment, for using up really zingy preserves. And when the weather is better, PLEASE make the pink lemonade granita (pg. 224), definitely one of my favourite recipes from the shoot.
Is there a range in difficulty? / Is there some easy stuff? I've lost my baking mojo and want to go gently.
asked by g00dmOrning_vietanhh and ggafujitsu
The original subtitle for the book was a bit tongue in cheek - ‘Everything you need to know about baking.’ Though we went for something different in the end, the spirit of this remains the same.
This book is packed with useful information no matter what level you’re at - if you’re just starting out, this will provide you with a foundation of baking knowledge to build on. If you’re a professional, you’ll be able to use the charts in the book to develop your own recipes, sense check substitutions, or use the recipes as a jumping-off point. The front half the book is all in depth reference: Flour, Eggs, Sugar, Fat, Texture, Colour, How Things Rise & Technical Overview.
And about that baking mojo? I feel you! And don’t worry - there’s plenty! This book and its recipes were specifically designed to be buildable, depending on your mood and confidence level. The recipes are organised by how long they take to make - an afternoon, a day, or a weekend (the latter two recipes can be completed faster, but that’s me spacing it out in a way that is going to be chill/not feel stressful!). That way, you can dip in, depending on what suits you best.
All of the recipes also have the techniques you use in them meaning you’ll be able to notice how lots of different bakes are connected. That festive bun (pg.179) that uses starch gelatinisation? Oh, that’s the same process that happens when we make the choux for the crullers (pg. 221). I wanted this book to feel like a giant investigations board all connected with string so you can really build confidence in baking and see how it’s all linked! I’m pretty confident most people already know more than they think.
How did you come up with the cover?
Asked by millitaylor
I will not shut up about how incredible my designers, Josh Harker and Chris Nuelle aka Nueker are. They created such a gorgeous visual identity for the book, coming up with incredible solutions to display SO.MUCH.INFO (there are almost 50,000 words in the reference section! And another 60,000 in the recipes ) in a way that feels welcoming, not overwhelming, and easy on the eye both from an aesthetic perspective and a practical one.
They’d never designed a cookbook before (and I’d never written one) so it was an amazing adventure together. We went through a few iterations on the cover - a few little teasers for you to see below - and I’m thrilled with the final, bold, buttery yellow that we ended up with. I’m always amazed at how much the cover pops in photos. It almost looks photoshopped!
Will your croissant dough recipe be in Sift?
Asked by bluefenugreek
I am SO excited about the incredibly robust Viennoiserie section in SIFT. From croissant theory to troubleshooting, to lamination theory, and plenty of recipes to get you going, I can’t wait for us all to make croissants together!
It’s right at the end of the book because I do feel that croissants are a confluence of so many skills and techniques. I’m also so happy the most gorgeous almond croissant 2.0 (pg. made it into the book - you do need a silly little square mould for the full effect, but gosh - torn up croissant dipped in cinnamon syrup, alternating with frangipane and baked til crunchy on the outside. It’s truly one of my great loves.
What was your favourite thing about making the book?
asked by potionopastry
Getting to work with so many talented people was a huge honour. I interviewed the brilliant women who worked in Sift in this edition, so let me take the time to thank the XY members of the Sift team. From the moment this book was commissioned, I knew I wanted to work with Sam Harris, who is such an incredible photographer! He was assisted by Matt Hague, who makes the most beautiful work, too.
On the design side, Josh Harker and Chris Nuelle made me the book of my dreams - the incredible effort and attention to detail they put into every single page is truly a marvel. From all the hand-made illustrations (so many perfect little things for you to spot whilst reading! Can’t wait to see which is your fave - I love the ghost. Try and guess what that illustration relates to!), to the gorgeous recipe layouts with timelines for every single recipe so you never start making something without knowing exactly what’s expected time wise!
How heavy is sift?!
asked by queenlimeblush
I’m obsessed with how many messages I’ve gotten from people saying they will be picking up SIFT when they're in the UK to bring home in their luggage! So, I am telling you now, for airline baggage restriction reasons, it is 1275g.
How did you learn all the food science?
asked by HeatherSpooner29
I owe everything to the amazing teachers in my life - from the chefs who stood by my side and watched as I tentatively added eggs into my choux paste, to the writers (Harold McGee, Paula Figoni, Francisco Migoya, Samin Nosrat, to name a few) whose work I’ve poured over, I’m incredibly grateful. I’ll be sharing a full bibliography and reading list on my website (I ran out of space in the actual book haha) as soon as the book is published.
When is it coming to the US?!?
asked by bakesbykare
*insert sneaky eyes emoji here* *information coming VERY SOON very very soon…) There may also be news of some other international editions coming soon too…
How do you decide on recipes? I imagine it's challenging to choose!
Asked by wanderingardinery
When I was writing the book, it was difficult to decide what to put in it; I wanted SIFT to be a book that would provide all the base recipes you need but also the glitz and glamour of some standalone recipes. Even though we managed to fit in over 100, it was still hard to pick! Plus, I wanted to memorialise some of my favourite ever recipes from the newsletter in print, as well as have plenty of exclusive SIFT-only recipes. It was a huge rubric, a pastry puzzle of sorts. This leads me nicely to today’s feature…
A chocolate cake with a secret
One of the recipes that I’m super proud of in the book is a revisit - and improvement - of one of my first-ever Kitchen Projects - the chocolate cake. Inspired by the Landeau Chocolate Cake in Lisbon, I loved investigating this recipe. And although I am proud of the version that still lives on this newsletter, I wanted to take another run at it for SIFT. I wanted to both simplify and improve the recipe.
Enter: The Secret Chocolate Cake. A two-layered flourless chocolate and mousse cake. Rich, dense chocolatey, but airy and moussey on top. So what makes it secret? Well, the layers are made from the same mix. One is baked, the other is simply spread on top and left to set. I considered calling the ‘buy one get one free cake’, but thought ‘secret’ a touch more appealing than ‘BOGOF’?
As we discussed in my flourless chocolate cake newsletter a few weeks back, a flourless chocolate cake is essentially a set mousse. So why not use that to our advantage, and get two textures with only one set of dishes to do after?
To really bring this recipe to life, I wanted to add a little je ne sais quois, a little surprise in between the layers. I considered caramel sauce (and I do suggest trying this; I think it would be AMAZING!) or preserved cherries (have tried this, it was tstexcellent), but after a trip to Bordeaux, where I ate LOTS of delicious sweet wine-infused dried fruit, I settled on sauternes-soaked raisins. Oh my God, they are good.
But—as ever—I want my recipes to be a bit of a choose-your-own adventure. What you sandwich in between these two delicious chocolate layers is totally up to you—a little swipe of passionfruit curd could be amazing, or fresh raspberries if that’s your thing.
Alright let’s make it!
On KP+ today
Over on KP+, I’m excited to share a beautiful no-bake chocolate tart that also appears in SIFT: My Choconut Tart.
The crust consists of rich, darkly toasted salted coconut flakes coated in chocolate, followed by a rich cremeux set on top, finished with a grating of very dark chocolate. It’s one of my favourite recipes in the book, so I’m very happy to share it with you today.
SIFT exclusive recipe: Secret Chocolate Cake
This ultra-rich, two-textured cake has a secret. What is it? Well, let me tell you: the fudgy cake and mousse layer is made out of the same mix. One half of the mixture is baked, whilst the other is simply poured on top and left to set into a mousse. This recipe is based on a Gateau Marcel and is a bit of ‘2-for-1’ magic. Nestled in between the layers are Sauternes-soaked raisins, though you could swap these for brandied cherries or whatever might take your fancy. Finish it off with a thick dusting of bitter cocoa powder and you have, in my opinion, the ultimate chocolate dessert.
Note: If you only have a hand mixer, I recommend splitting the mixture in two and making it twice – as it’s a large amount of meringue!
Ingredients
75g raisins (golden or black)
100g Sauternes or any sweet wine
6 whole eggs, separated (about 185g egg whites and 120g egg yolks)
225g caster sugar
225g dark chocolate, chopped
225g butter
1–2g flaky sea salt (about ¼–½ tsp)
Plus
Cocoa powder, to dust
Method
To soak the raisins, place them in a bowl, pour over the Sauternes and cover.
Leave for at least 2 hours or overnight, but they will keep (covered) for up to 1 month in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 195°C/175°C fan. Line the tin with baking paper.
Whisk your egg yolks with a quarter of the sugar until pale, thick and custardy-looking – this takes about 5–6 minutes on a high speed. Set aside.
Melt your chocolate and butter over a bain-marie. Once melted, take off the heat and stir in the salt. Fold it into your whisked egg yolks in three additions.
Meanwhile, whisk your egg whites and the rest of the sugar to a French meringue (see page 118).
Mix a little of the meringue in with your whisk to loosen the egg yolk/chocolate batter and then change to a spatula, folding the meringue into the chocolate mix in thirds, trying to keep as much air in as possible.
Pour half of the mix into the lined cake tin and smooth the top. Bake for 20–22 minutes. The cake will rise up and be dry on top. Keep the other half of the batter to one side and cover with a tea towel or clingfilm to prevent it drying out. If possible, keep it near the oven so it stays warmish.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to fall and cool in the tin for approximately 20 minutes. It can still be warm, but you want to be able to handle the tin.
Sprinkle on the Sauternes-soaked raisins. Pour the second half of the batter on top and smooth with a warmed palette knife. Leave to cool to room temperature, then move into the fridge and leave overnight or up to 3 days.
To remove cleanly from the tin, freeze the cake for 30 minutes before demoulding. To finish, carefully remove from the tin and dust thickly with cocoa powder. If you froze the cake, let it defrost for 20–30 minutes before enjoying it. This keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also store it in the freezer, wrapped, for 30 days
Want more SIFT? It’s out on Thursday 2nd May :) Get it direct to you by clicking below:
Is chanting permitted in comments? If so: Bring Sift to the States! With volumes please, not weights!
SECRET CHOCOLATE CAKE!! (Though I can’t make it now, because I’m running out to buy a croissant greenhouse 😂)