Baking Friday - Cake # 3

The real title of this post is "A Study in Chocolate Glazes."  For that is really what I have focused on in the pics and narrative below.  But since those glazes were poured onto cakes, this still counts as a cake post.

Right?

Good.  Thank you.  I'm glad you agree.

First off, the cakes count as Irish, because they were the Guinness Chocolate Stout Cake that I wrote about way back in April of 2012.  This means that S&A have been married almost 2 years already.  It also is a sad reminder that we lost the cherry tree that we bought AND we lost all of the peaches that were on both trees last year.

Gimme a moment.  I'm verklempt.

Ok, I can go on now.

Glazes.  Chocolate glazes.  Only really I was interested in shiny chocolate glazes.  So shiny that it reflects light and you can almost see yourself like a dark mirror.  You see those in fancy bakery pictures, but could I replicate one at home?

I'm not talking ganache or a thicker, frosting like look.  I'm talking shiny chocolate glaze.  So I was on yet another research mission!  And I found 3 that I wanted to try:

A shiny chocolate mirror glaze from Joe Pastry:  http://www.joepastry.com/2012/chocolate-mirror-glaze/

A shiny chocolate glaze as part of a hazelnut pound cake recipe from Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chocolate-hazelnut-pound-cake-with-shiny-chocolate-glaze-recipe.html

And finally a shiny chocolate lacquer glaze from Cake Central:  http://cakecentral.com/a/lacquer-glazemirror-glaze-chocolate-2

My plan Thursday morning was to make the one from Food Network and the one from Cake Central since the Food Network one uses chopped semi-sweet chocolate vs. cocoa called for in the Cake Central one.  However I didn't have 8oz of semi-sweet chocolate on hand (was getting it mixed up in my memory with the unsweetened that I do have on hand!), so I actually did the Mirror Glaze and the Lacquer Glaze.  If I'd had 3 cake layers available (plus the right amount of semi-sweet chocolate on hand!) I might have tried all 3.  But I would have had to have woken up even earlier, so maybe not.

Ready for Mirror Glaze vs. Lacquer Glaze - Round 1?

Ladies and Gentlemen!  In this corner we have the Mirror Glaze!  It boasts only four simple ingredients that you probably have on hand in your pantry and only two paragraphs of instructions. Plus it coats thinly.  Why you can pour this over the cake so slowly and so thinly it is like you are pouring a thin liquid knitting needle!  Look at that shine!  Look at the reflection! Let's have a big round of applause for Mirror Glaze!

Thank you.  That's enough now.

And in this corner - our challenger - we have Lacquer Glaze!  It counts Cake Central as its hometown, so it comes from a long line of well-trained professional cake masters!  It boasts heftier chocolate than our original contender and pours thicker.  Why our Lacquer Glaze takes a bit of coaxing to completely cover the sides, so you know it's covering your cake to the max!  Look at that coating!  Look at that shine!  Let's have a big round of applause for Lacquer Glaze!

At the sound of the bell, both contenders will come out fighting!  Ready, set, DING!!!

Mirror Glaze takes the center ring first!  We soften 2 t. of unflavored gelatin in about 1/4 cup of water...

...and then combine the rest of the water (about another 1/4 cup) with heavy cream and sugar.

And bring this to a simmer.

Mirror Glaze comes off the heat and stirs in the softened gelatin...

..until combined, and then the cocoa - 1/2 cup.

Mirror Glaze whisks the cocoa until well combined...

..and then strains itself into a glass bowl.  

 Mirror Glaze is hot and bothered by this point, so it takes a brief 5 minute rest before moving on.

When ready - or cooled down to about 80 degrees, it is time for Mirror Glaze to take its place on the cake.

Mirror Glaze:  Meet cake.  Cake:  Meet Mirror Glaze.

Mirror Glaze begins to pour itself onto the cake layer set on a cake rack over a sheet pan.  Mirror Glaze is just about the perfect temperature, pouring slowly from the center in concentric yet touching circles as it drips over the top and sides of the cake.  This is a match made in heaven folks!  The two new team mates are in beautiful sync, matching pour for receiving in perfect harmony!  You couldn't ask for better glazing!  Lacquer Glaze has got its work cut out for it!  Mirror Glaze will be hard to beat!

Lacquer Glaze looks impressed in that respectful competitor sort of way.  Mirror Glaze returns to its corner, confident in a clear win.  Lacquer Glaze steps to the center of our boxing ring.

Lacquer also begins with unflavored gelatin - 1-1/2 t. softened in 2 T. + 2 t. water.  (Lacquer Glaze is a bit fussier than Mirror already...)

Lacquer Glaze also demands that the gelatin be covered with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation.

(Lacquer Glaze may land in the delicate flower/high maintenance camp here folks!  Uh-oh, a few boos can be heard from the crowd.  "Are you a glaze or a mouse, Lacquer?!")

Moving on, Lacquer Glaze is unfazed by the heckling.  Lacquer combines 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water in a sauce pan.

And stirs over medium high heat until dissolved.  Not dissolved yet.

Ok, now dissolved.

Time to add 1 T. of corn syrup and 2/3 c. of cocoa and whisk until smooth and glossy.

The heckling has definitely quieted down now.  Lacquer Glaze knew that would happen at about this point in his game.  Then comes 1/4 cup of cream.

Whisked in until combined and then strained into a metal bowl, ready to cool for 10 minutes.  Lacquer Glaze boasts much less solids held back in the strainer.  Mirror Glaze finds this difference a bit disconcerting.

The audience is unsure why Lacquer Glaze needs this 10 minute cooling off time, for Lacquer doesn't look or feel anywhere near as hot and bothered as Mirror Glaze did at this point in the process.  But at least it serves as a good time to apply a crumb coat of icing to Lacquer Glaze's cake.

Mirror Glaze wonders about this under coat of frosting, but doesn't say anything about it.  At the end of this 10 minutes, Lacquer Glaze mixes in the softened gelatin and is then strained into a glass bowl for another rest of a few minutes.  (A delicate flower heckling remark or two can once again be heard from the crowd.)

Finally it is time for Lacquer Glaze to be put to use!  Lacquer is decidedly thicker than Mirror and like his promo said does require a bit of coaxing to cover the sides.  A couple of 7-second zaps in the microwave of the glaze and/or the glaze and cake are necessary to cover all of the cake.  Is this a function of the icing?  Is this too much wait time?  The audience doesn't know for sure.

But eventually all is covered.

Mirror Glaze and Lacquer Glaze return to their corners while the jury decides.  In the meantime, a leprechaun shows up to add a touch of Irish wearin' o' the green to each cake!  He takes some green candy clay and a heart shaped cookie cutter.

He combines a few hearts plus a little roll of clay to make a 4-leaf clover and a 3-leaf clover...

He decides that he likes the 3-leaf clover better and adds one to Mirror Glaze's cake.

And one to Lacquer Glaze's cake.

Both are shiny.  Both are chocolaty.  Both are glazey.  Has the jury decided?  Do we have a clear winner?

I am afraid not folks.  While we did hear a hearty "beats any college cafeteria dessert I ever had!" and some suggestions of sprinkling sparkling sugar "diamonds" around the rim of the Mirror Glaze or presenting both on mirror tiles, the jury was split just about 50/50 in terms of preference  One jury member felt like Mirror Glaze looked fake and was sure he would prefer Lacquer and yet taste tests proved a preference for Mirror Glaze's taste and marriage with the cake.

So I suppose you can look at it that everyone was a winner, and everyone gets a trophy.  OR you can look at it that Mirror Glaze and Lacquer Glaze agree to shake hands in the ring and meet again another day.  They may tag team and take on the crowd favorite, Food Network Shine, one of these days, too.

Shhh!  Don't tell Mirror or Lacquer, but the leftovers of both from the drip pan have actually already been combined for use later today on some chocolate eclairs....shhh...please keep it a secret.  I would hate to ruin the spirit of friendly competition we've built up between the two of them...

Thank you again for stopping by!  I promised green for St. Patrick's Day this week in last week's post, and so we have it!

I hope you are able to stop back by next week for our last St. Patrick's Day baking entry - pie.  Only it will not be a sweet one...

Happy Baking!
D