Aphrodisi-cake...

When I saw that Chris at Mele Cotte was hosting a Kitchen of Love round-up, I knew I had to participate! The challenge involved making a dish that included at least one aphrodisiac, in honor of the fast-approaching Valentine?s Day. Of course, I chose to do a dessert. (The word dessert alone is an aphrodisiac for me.)

After some failed experiments and un-blog-worthy creations, I finally arrived at this beauty: the aphrodisi-cake! This cake is overflowing with aphrodisiacs: chocolate, vanilla, nutmeg, and ginger?not to mention lots of yummy vanilla-caramely goodness, to boot.

According to Gourmet Sleuth, chocolate?s secret isn?t in its taste: it?s in the theobromine, a chemical known to affect your neurotransmitters. Having a bad day? Need a pick-me-up? Chocolate is the perfect treat to make those underactive dopamine receptors happy! (Not to mention it tastes divine.)

Ginger stimulates the circulatory system; it causes blood to flow. I?ll let you use your imagination on that one.

Again, Gourmet Sleuth informs me that nutmeg was prized by Chinese women as an aphrodisiac, and apparently, it can cause hallucinogenic effects when consumed in greater quantities. Who knew?

And, of course, anyone who has inhaled the scent of vanilla knows the power of that aroma. The subject of old lore, vanilla (both the scent and flavor) is believed to increase lust. I?ll admit to dabbing a little vanilla on my wrists now and then. Seriously, who can resist that smell?

So, what happens when we combine all of these aphrodisiacs? You get cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger-scented dulce de leche, along with whipped caramel chocolate ganache frosting, sandwiched between layers of vanilla cake studded with cinnamon and chocolate chips, sealed with a coating of dulce de leche and topped with the ganache frosting!

Vanilla Cake with Cinnamon and Chocolate Chips
Recipe adapted from Bakewise

1 ¾ cups cake flour, spooned and leveled
1 ¾ tsp baking powder
1 ½ cups sugar
1/3 cup water
4 TBS unsalted butter, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
½ cup heavy cream
¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup cinnamon chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9-in round baking pans.

2. Whisk flour and baking powder together and set aside.

3. Heat water to a simmer. Put sugar in mixing bowl and pour hot water over it. Beat for a few seconds to dissolve sugar. Then, beat in butter, vanilla, and salt. Add oil and beat on medium until just blended.

4. Pour half of flour mixture in and beat until just incorporated. Repeat with second half.

5. By hand, whisk in eggs one at a time.

6. Whip cream just beyond the soft-peak stage. Mix about ¼ of the whipped cream into the cake batter. Fold in the remaining whipped cream.

7. Dust cinnamon and chocolate chips with flour. Mix the chips into the batter. Divide batter evenly between two pans. Drop each pan on countertop to knock out air bubbles.

8. Bake for about 30 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Allow pans to cool on racks for 10 minutes, and then remove cakes and finish cooling on the racks.

Chocolate Caramel Ganache Frosting
Recipe from Baked

16 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
4 oz. dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
2 TBS light corn syrup
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces (softened)

1. Place chocolate in heatproof bowl.

2. In small saucepan, bring cream to a simmer.

3. Keeping an eye on the cream so as not to burn it, in a medium saucepan, combine ¼ cup water, sugar, and corn syrup (do not splash sides of pan). Cook over high heat until 350 degrees, or approximately 6-8 minutes. The sugar will begin to turn an amber color. At this point, immediately remove from heat and allow to cool for one minute.

4. Add the simmered cream to the sugar mixture, and stir until smooth (mixture will bubble up; be careful). Continue stirring slowly for 2 minutes. Pour caramel mixture onto chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute.

5. Stir the chocolate and caramel until smooth. When the mixture is cool, beat the mixture on low speed until the bottom of the bowl feels cool. At this point, increase the speed to medium-high and add the butter. Beat until thoroughly incorporated. Beat until mixture is fluffy.


Spice-Scented Dulce de Leche

1 can sweetened condensed milk
¼ tsp cinnamon
1/16 tsp ginger
1/16 tsp all-spice
1/16 tsp nutmeg

1. Remove labels and clean can. Place can in large pot and cover with water so that none of the can is exposed to air. Bring water to a boil. Boil the cake for 3-4 hours, taking care to add water so that the can is constantly submerged.

2. After the can cools, remove the ?dulce de leche? from the can and put in a bowl. Allow the mixture to cool.

3. Add the spices and whip the mixture on high speed until lighter in color.

Assemble the cake:

Use a layer of dulce de leche and chocolate frosting between the two layers of the cake. Then top the cake with the remaining dulce sauce and chocolate frosting. Dulce de leche may run, but do not worry: it will taste good no matter what!