My Diane Mott Davidson re-creation of the recipe for Double Shot Chocolate Cake just won 2nd place in the Bittersweet Baking contest! I’m very happy with the result. I don’t think I’ve ever tried so hard to make something both look and taste as perfect as possible. Since I’m the 2nd runner up, do you suppose I can still get that espresso machine if the winner fails to fulfill their Queen of Baking duties…or you know, takes some overly sexy cupcake images? I kid…I kid… Now I will anxiously await my “handsome reward.” Who wants to come over for fancy machine made coffee?

You know how sometimes you’ll find a recipe and really want to make it, but then you start reading the ingredients list and the instructions and it will slowly dawn on you that you’re missing EVERYTHING and there isn’t possibly anyway you could “fudge it” (so to speak). Well that’s what happened to me when I read the recipe for Double Shot Cake. I knew I couldn’t possibly do Diane Mott Davidson’s devilish dessert justice, when I didn’t have a double boiler, parchment paper, or a ten inch cake pan. So I made the horrifying decision to go to the mall–on a Saturday.

My cake baking journey took me to three stores and drained my wallet of about a hundred dollars. It’s my own fault. I’m a cookware snob and I only wanted the All-Clad double boiler insert for my four quart saucepan. They finally had it at Williams-Sonoma. Next, on my list was a cake pan. For some bizarre reason, Davidson wants us to use a ten inch cake pan. Frankly I thought this sized pan was as mythical as a unicorn, until once again I found a set at Williams-Sonoma. Are you sensing a pattern here? I rounded out my ridiculously frivolous purchases with parchment paper. The moral of the story is obviously to always start at Williams-Sonoma.

Note: I entered this pricey concoction in The Kitchn’s “Bittersweet Baking Contest.” Wish me luck!

Line & Butter	The Double Boiler Earns Its Keep
Foamy Eggs	Triple Sifted
Unintentional Yin & Yang	Stir it All Together
Fill	Set Into a Water Bath Very Carefully & Bake

Double Shot Chocolate Cake (Originally published by Diane Mott Davidson in her novel Double Shot)

10 ounces unsalted butter
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into small pieces (recommended brand: Godiva dark)
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-fine granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Dutch-style cocoa (recommended brand: Hershey’s Premium European-Style)
8 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Butter a 10-by-1 1/2-inch heavy-duty round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment cut to fit. Butter the parchment. Set aside.

Fill a 16-by-11-inch roasting pan with 1 inch of hot water, place the roasting pan on a baking sheet, and put it into the oven.

In the top of a double boiler, melt the butter with the chocolate. When the ingredients are melted, remove the pan from the heat to cool slightly. Sift the sugar with the cocoa twice, then whisk it into the melted chocolate mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are foamy. Add the vanilla and the chocolate mixture. Blend with a spatula until very well mixed.

Carefully pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Gently place the cake pan in the water-filled roasting pan.

Bake about 40 to 50 minutes, or until the cake begins to shrink slightly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a rack to cool for 15 minutes, then invert carefully and peel off the paper. Allow to cool completely.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream, best quality vanilla ice cream, or my awesome Espresso Whipped Cream (see recipe below).

Erin’s Espresso Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon very finely ground espresso beans

Combine cream, sugar, vanilla, and espresso and beat until soft peaks form. Try not to eat it directly from the bowl. It’s going to be difficult.

About a million years ago, ok I’m exaggerating, but way back in 1992 my mother and I started reading a series of culinary mysteries written by Diane Mott Davidson and we’ve both been huge fans ever since.

Each book takes place in the fictional Denver town of Aspen Meadow where Goldy’s catering of events for the upper class denizens of the city always coincides with a shocking side of murder. Goldy than sleuths her way through clues and bizarre interactions with suspects, while simultaneously making us drool with hunger over each new recipe concocted in her state of the art kitchen. After-all, the catering business doesn’t stop just because some poor soul got bumped off in the first chapter. The original recipes used to be dispersed throughout the book as they were introduced as part of the story, but in the last few novels they’ve been compiled all together in a section at the end.

Excitingly enough, Diane’s new Goldy Mystery, Sweet Revenge, will be released on August 21. According to the publisher’s website, “Goldy Schulz is thrilled to be catering a holiday breakfast feast for the staff of the Aspen Meadow Library. But little does she know that on the menu, alongside the Great Expectations Grapefruit, Chuzzlewit Cheese Pie, and Bleak House Bars, is a large helping of murder.”

This description cracks me up, and is really just too tempting to pass on since I’ll actually be starting my Master in Library and Information Science in just three weeks. Plus, who doesn’t love themed food?! In addition, if you have an iPhone you can read a specially formatted excerpt of Sweet Revenge at the HarperCollins website.

In anticipation of my next book purchase I decided to make the crustless Asparagus Quiche (alas no quirky name) from Davidson’s most recent novel, Dark Tort.

Steam & Layer	Top With Cheese & Eggs
Bake Until Set	Enjoy Your Own Culinary Mystery

Asparagus Quiche (As Previously Published in Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson)

8 ounces asparagus, washed, trimmed of all hard, tough stalks, and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
4 large eggs
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more, if desired)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
1 cup grated Gruyére cheese
1/4 cup grated imported Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch pie plate.

Using a small sauté pan that has a cover, heat about half a cup of water just to boiling. Pour in the sliced asparagus, cover, and turn off the heat. Allow the asparagus to steam, with the heat turned off, while you prepare the other ingredients.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium speed until they are very well blended. Blend in the cream, mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika until well combined. Using a heavy wooden spoon, stir in the cheese, stirring until they are well combined.

Drain the asparagus (it should still be bright green, with a tender, slightly crunchy texture). Put it into the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus. And place the quiche into the oven.

Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the quiche has puffed and browned, and is set in the center. Allow to cool 5 minutes before slicing.