ABC: All American Chocolate Cake with Divinity Frosting and Milk Chocolate Paint

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After having crashed and burned on the last chocolate offering on my other baking clubs, this recipe, from the ABC choice of the month had a very high expectations even before I read the whole recipe.  

My reasoning behind it was that after having baked four recipes from Flo Braker book none have disappointed me.  So we were 4 for 4.  Can we make five?

My first tip to you is this.  Bake the cake a day ahead, while is NOT a complicated cake to make, and nowhere in the instructions does it tell you to do this, I’m going to highly recommend you do. The high crumb level on this cake will make frosting a bit of a mess.  So I opted to make the cake a day ahead and place in the refrigerator to chill.  When frosting time came, it was smooth sailing all the way.

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HCB: Gold Ingots {Financiers}

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This past weekend I have been up to my ears in flour, butter, sugar, spatulas, and every single piece of baking equipment in my kitchen.

In order words, I think I have baked myself OUT.

Is that even possible?

I think it may be.  And just like my vast weekend-baking, there is going to be a substantial amount of posting to cover all of it.

So let’s start with the easy one.  This weeks Heavenly Cake Baker’s choice was the Gold Ingots.  Or better knows as Financiers, or at our house: “those little cakey-thingy’s-that are-yummy”

I kid you not, that is what we are calling them.  Nobody can say Financiers and Tom refuses to call them Ingots, because he said that he is not eating a bar of molted gold. (I cannot make these things up – trust me.  My house = Crazy).

But, I’m getting off topic here.  Back to the cakey-thingy’s-that are-yummy.

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HCB: Chocolate Layer Cake with Caramel Ganache

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It felt good to bake this weekend.  While I did cook up a storm in Vermont, it was mostly savory stuff, I did bake once and since the cabin kitchen lacked a lot of the basic equipment, I choose to do the most simply baking possible by picking this recipe.

So, when I got back, I was ready to tackle something difficult, something that would force me to use all of my bowls, KA, baking pans, and gazillion spoons and spatulas.  

Internet, I washed so many dishes over the weekend, I lost count.

But, I was happy to be back in my fully stocked kitchen.

Unfortunately, I was not very happy with this week’s Heavenly Cake choice.  Which I’m still trying to come to terms with.  I mean, come on! Chocolate and caramel? What in heaven’s name can go wrong with those two?

Around my house, apparently something.

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