Wednesday, May 23, 2012

real life baking

I like food blogs and pretty Pinterest photos as much as the next girl. But that's not real life. Not that I don't aspire to that, I do. But my counters are crowded and messy. An unavoidable result of a miniscule Brooklyn kitchen. Or so I tell myself.

Recipe of the day.  Long Run Cake from the October 2011 issue of Runner's World.

Pictured. Some of the necessary ingredients. Eggs, cocoa powder, agave. Pictured but not actually required for the recipe. Wine, pepper, potatoes, kosher salt, PASTA.  I could go on.


And the secret weapon. Black beans!


Skipping the loaf pans, I opted for the perfectly portioned muffin tin instead (the batter made 12 perfectly).  I also added honey when my agave ran dry.  In hindsight, I should have whirled the beans around for a bit longer in the food processor. They worked fine (you honestly can't taste them) but I think the overall texture would improve. The taste verdict? As I told a friend, if you graded them on a scale with 10 being the melt in your mouth Bouchon Macarons and 1 being the tasteless cardboard disks that are Necco Wafers... I would give the Long Run a solid 6. It has rich chocolate flavor and a dense chewy texture (more brownie than cake) that I liked. It might not be convincing as an indulgent chocolate dessert, but it would pair nicely with vanilla ice cream...

This is where a photo of the final product would go, if I hadn't lost all light in my kitchen while they cooled.

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