Chocolate-Pumpkin Layer Cake
Hello October! I finally get to come back here and share my thoughts, photographs and recipes with you. I had a wonderful summer with lots of challenging projects, so I have so many stories to share with you. First of, let's talk about this season. Fall is so enchanting with its crisp air, changing colors, nostalgia for the past, and flavorful produce! For me, pumpkin and walnuts equate to the indescribable beauty of fall, when the best produce is carefully harvest to comfort the cold winter that's coming ahead.
I feel particularly inspired by fall because I feel that it gives you the time to take stock of your surroundings much more than any other season. This particular beauty that I believe fall holds as its essence can be tasted and observed in this decadent chocolate-pumpkin cake recipe and in these photographs that brim with that elegance that fall brings along with it.
This is the right cake you need this fall, because it has the perfect ratio of spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. The cake is soft and the pumpkin flavor marries so well with the spices. The chocolate is just the right amount so that is doesn't overwhelm the flavors. It's really so extraordinary that with ingredients so simple such amazing flavors can be achieved. And if there is something timeless and romantic about fall, this cake must be!
Ingredients:
(makes 8-10 servings, 8" cake pan)
20 tablespoons (250 g) soft unsalted butter, more for greasing
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, more for dusting
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ cup (400 g) plain pumpkin purée (I used fresh pumpkin which I baked)
a handful chopped walnuts
2 ½ cups (200 g) confectioners' sugar
10 ounces (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream 8 tablespoons (100 g) butter and the granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in pumpkin purée. Mixture may look slightly curdled. Stir in flour mixture about half a cup at a time until smooth. Fold walnuts.
3. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven until springy to the touch, about 40-55 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, run a knife around edges, invert onto rack and peel off paper. Let cake cool completely.
4. In a large bowl, blend remaining 12 tablespoons (150 g) butter and confectioners' sugar together. Blend in chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
5. Obtain two cake layers by cutting the cake in half, lengthwise. Top bottom layer with cream. Place second layer on top, and use remaining cream to dress all sides of cake.
Nature of Time in Creating Memories for Colectiv
“Every moment alters what came before. We reach across layers of time for the memories of our memories.”—James Gleick
In contemplating the nature of time, there is always a single significant event that confronts our humanity with its short existence—life. By formalizing this great anxiety of limited time we have in life, in a creative act, I'm aiming to annotate what I think about time, and to reveal a fantastical memory of mooring deaths that were not yet meant to come.
Based on the controversial Colectiv nightclub fire, where 64 people were killed by fire in the club building where they were cheering for a rock band last year in Bucharest, these animate photographs freeze time and set at rest the artifice and limitation of reality. The series aims to capture the healing power of memories.
Departing from the writings published in the 22nd issue of DoR which reflected also the history of Colectiv event as we were left standing lonesome but many, the photographs poetically tell the story of those who chose to remember. The photographs become living memories for accepting an ironic death which ultimately shall heal the pain, and become the calming binding to bridge the soul and mind with reality's paradox.
In these photographs, the moving character of the real and imaginative elements highlights the depth of time, of existence. The photographs' motion defy the traditional principals of the still image, and try to honor and keep alive the memory of those who died. These photographs were created in memory of Cristian Mitroi and all the victims of Colectiv tragedy.
Afternoon Tea with Miss Babacilu and the Sixth Blog Anniversary
So perfect, so poetic, so simple! Each time I receive mail from Miss Babacilu, I'm eager to open the box to see what gracious marvels hid inside. This time around was no different, once the box was opened, tea flavors hit my senses and charming jewelry sparkled, being ready to be worn. I feel blessed by the beautiful friendship I share with Ioana, the very talented jewelry designer of Miss Babacilu, that creates feminine and delicate adornments inspired by the tea's aura and rituals. The poetic spirit she puts in her handmade jewelry lives in the moment and serves today, at my 6th blog anniversary, as the inspiration behind my photo essay.
Being pen-pals and sharing our artistic thoughts for so many years already, many of the stories you can find here, on the blog, I felt that it was right to create a story inspired by the things that influence myself and Ioana. Tea, memories and how time, past and present, shapes our thoughts and existence, were at the root of my artistic inspiration. My favorite, Jane Austen, couldn't have found a better time to let her romantic influence on this beautiful friendship and artistic story.
It's been six years since I first begun to write, cook and photograph on this blog, and so many stories I have shared here, and many more will come. Looking back, I see my progress through this adventure, determination and desire to create and share the things in which I believe. I do hope that my journey has and will inspire the ones that read this blog and find inspiration in my creations. It's right to remember, be nostalgic and appreciate these memories, and given this occasion, Miss Babacilu's creations were perfect to celebrate how wonderful this blog has been over the years.
Thus, my afternoon tea photo essay celebrates and contemplates the meaning of nostalgia of home viewed through the aura of the British life of the 18th century. The series makes a powerful case for the importance of memories, and paints a charming portrait of the feeling of stepping back into a simpler time infused with calmness and beauty. By romanticizing the elegance and etiquette of Jane Austen's writings, this series is honoring the ritual of drinking tea in an intimate home setting, and is imagining a more noble approach to social conventions. Featuring Miss Babacilu's jewelry perfect for any gatherings, the series takes the viewer into an imaginative and charming home story inspired by an Austen's atmosphere. Enjoy my living stills inspired by Miss Babacilu's jewelry and gifts, Jane Austen and the essence of this blog!
