FT Weekend Magazine - 10.19.2019

38 FT.COM/MAGAZINEOCTOBER19/202019

O

urgatewaytoAmerican

bakingisourgoodfriend

andcolleagueBridget

Fojcik,whogrewupin

Seattle.Sheintroduced

ustotheproudbaking

traditionsoftheUnited

States,includingrecipes

withwholesomenamessuchasberrycrisp,

ricecrispytreatsandpumpkinchiffonpie.

Oneofthecrowninggloriesofthisgreat

AmericantraditionistheGermanchocolatecake.

Itisagothiccreation,aWagneroperaofacake,

withlayersofchocolateyspongeandcoconut

buttercream,knobblybitsofpecanandanicingof

morechocolate,morecoconutandmorepecans.

IfnoneofthesecomponentssoundsveryGerman,

that’sbecausetheyaren’t.SamuelGermanwas

anAmericanbaker,possiblyofEnglishorigin,

whodevelopedbakingchocolateforTheBaker

Oncemore,withpassion

To makea22cm cake

Forthe cake mix

•200gcoconutmilk

•2eggs

•80g passionfruitflesh

(from 4-6 fruits,

dependingon theirsize)

•175gsugar

•1tspbakingpowder

•Pinchsalt

•50g cocoa powder

•140gspelt flour(orplain

if youprefer)

•80g choppeddark

chocolate(weused 70

per cent)

•3tbs desiccated

coconut(30g)

•125g coconutoil (just

meltedbut not hot)

Forthe passion-fruiticing

•120gicingsugar

•20g passion-fruitpulp

(about1-2)

1 —Heatyour ovento

170C (fan assist).

2 —Stir the coconutmilk,

eggsand passionfruit

togetherand whiskto

combine.Mix the sugar,

bakingpowder,salt,

cocoapowder and spelt

flourin alarge bowl. Then

mix in the wetingredients

and stir alittle,but don’t

botherto combineuntil

youadd the chopped

chocolate,desiccated

coconutand melted

coconutoil. Nowfold to

an even massbut trynot

to over-mix,just combine.

3 —Transfer to alined

22cm springform baking

tin and pop into the

centreofthe ovenfor 20

minutes. Rotate the cake

foranevenbakeand cook

forafurther20 minutes.

Checkthe cake–itshould

starttocrack. It will

probablytake another

10minutes to bakefully

but, dependingon your

oven, youmight want to

lowerthe heat abit if it

starts gettingtoo dark.

It is donewhenit seems

bouncybut not fullyfirm,

as the chocolateand spelt

flourwill keep it moist.

4 —Remove the cakefrom

the ovenand leavetocool

forafew minutes. Then

remove the side of the tin

and turnon to aflat plate,

leaving the baseof the

tin to pressitdownfor

15 minutes. Remove the

baseand let the cakecool

entirely beforeicing.

5 —Toice,simplymix

the icingsugarwith

the passion-fruitpulp

untilit becomesa

paste.Don’t add any

moreliquidunless

you’re really struggling

to turnit into apaste.

Pour overthe top of the

cakeand smoothto the

edges. Letitset forabout

15 minutesbeforeserving.

38

Photographsby PatriciaNiven

Adairy-freechocolate,

passion fruitandcoconutcake

ByItamarSrulovich.RecipebySaritPacker

[email protected]

ChocolateCompanyinthe1850s.Therecipefor

thiscakecanbetracedbacktoTexasinthe1950s.

Ithasbecomeanationaltreasure.

WeusuallyforgetBridget’s birthdaybutshe

neverforgetsours.Wheneverthereissomething

tocelebrate,weknowshe’llstayupthenight

before,layeringgoodwishesforusincoconut

andchocolate.

Butthisyearwedidmanagetogetouract

togetherandbakeacakeforherbirthday.

Itwasn’tafoothighorlayeredanditdidn’t

takeallnighttomake–infact,thiswasaquick

mix-and-bakenumber,achocolate-coconut

combobutwiththenutsreplacedbysharp

passionfruit.Itwasn’tGermanorAmericanor

anyothernationality,butitwasverygood–

andafinewaytocelebrateaclosefriend.