Flaming Chocolate Whiskey Cake with a Meringue Icing

I have been living by myself for about eight months now (not including my stay on campus during my PG), I have never really felt lonely or missed my family all that much. Except when festivals come around.

When festivals come around, I feel this need to replicate the customs of home. Obviously in my case customs mean food, so I am usually on the phone with my mother jotting down recipes as I try to re-create home. Ganesh Chaturthi had me making modaks (kozhyakottai) and Diwali saw me make coconut and almond barfi. 

Chirstmas isn't celebrated at home, but is a festival I love, because it gives me an excuse to listen to carols and to bake a cake. This time though, I decided to be a bit gimmicky. We threw a big Christmas lunch (16 people is a big deal for 4 girls who are used to cooking for no more than 4-5 people), and went all out with the decorations, so obviously the cake had to be at par. 

Presenting the FLAMING CHOCOLATE WHISKEY CAKE WITH MERINGUE ICING. 

I used the New York Times recipe for the cake. I would suggest baking the cake a day earlier than when you need it, resting makes it incredibly moist and beautiful.

Browned tops of the meringue icing

 For the meringue I looked up a bunch of recipes on the net and just whipped up 8 egg whites till they formed soft peaks and added a cup of sugar, and beat it till the peaks were stiff. No cream of tartar, because I don't know where in India would I have gotten it. 

The cake on fire

The cake was set alight by a cup of brandy which I heated on the gas till it became unstable and caught fire by itself. Once it is burning just pour it on the golden meringue. 

It looks really fancy, but it is one of the easiest cakes I have made. Do give it a try!

P.S Cupcakes

Most Postgraduate colleges in India are situated in far off towns, or if they are close to a town, then auto rates are astronomical. All this leads to one thing: extremely hungry and starved for decent food MICAns. 

Pooja and I, thought of baking and selling cupcakes and cakes on campus. We sourced ingredients locally, bought chocolates from Bombay and brought all our baking goods from home. 

We call ourselves "P.S Cupcakes". From freshers' party gifts to birthday cakes and cakes just for the heck of it, we have covered it all, in a month. 

We baked these boob shaped cakes for a friend's birthday. 

This is the chocolate mud cake covered with ganache for another friend's birthday.

The brownie batter, before it went into the oven.

I leave you with my (our) new favourite recpe for chocolate cake, it is dense moist and a crowd pleaser.

Mississippi Mud Cake

Ingredients

• 125 gm dark cooking chocolate
• 100 gm butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup self raising flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160C.
2. In a large heatproof bowl, combine chocolate, butter, water and bourbon
3. Heat over boiling water, until the mixture is smooth
4. Allow to cool slightly, and add the flour and cocoa mixture
5. Mix in the eggs
6. Pour into a greased cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes or until firm to touch.
7. Use a chocolate ganache on top.

Yield: 500 gm cake
Prep Time: 00:15
Cook time: 00:40
Tags: chocolate, mud cake, egg