The secret to rich chocolate cake

Do you have a recipe for a rich and moist chocolate cake? – Elizabeth Pajelann, Singnet, Singapore

Do you have a recipe for chocolate cake? – CLSA, European Biotechnology Node for Interaction with China (EBNIC), China

Please send me a recipe for moist chocolate cake. – Esmin Generale

Either way – making it fudge-based or using Softasilk devil’s food cake flour – you can enjoy this rich, layered, chocolate cake topped with an easy-to-make, seven-minute frosting (chocolate- or vanilla-frosted, your choice!) that’s worth presenting to guests and visitors during parties.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease 2 round 9-inch pans with softened butter.

Melt 3 ozs. of unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler over simmering heat. Add a solution of 1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Allow the chocolate to boil and thicken.

In another mixing bowl, cream one brick (1 lb.) of unsalted butter and 1-1/2 cups of sugar. Add 2 large eggs and 1-1/2 cups of buttermilk (or your choice of low-fat or skim milk) and mix to thoroughly incorporate.

Gradually add 2 cups of sifted cake flour and blend well. Add the thickened, melted chocolate mixture and add 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract.

Mix well and pour into prepared baking pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of each cake. Allow the cakes to cool before inverting them unto a wire rack to cool thoroughly.

Here are some frosting tips

Use a double boiler to cook 1-1/2 cups of sugar, 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup water, 1/8 tsp. salt, one Tbsp. light corn syrup and 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract. Beat the heated mixture for exactly seven minutes or until light and fluffy.

Use this frosting immediately as it will harden after30 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to create the swirling effect of a soft, creamy frosting all around the cake. Happy frosting!

* * * All Kinds Of Cakes, So Many Pies

Do you have a recipe for ube cake that tastes like the one sold at Red Ribbon? Can you also give me the exact proportions for the ingredients in making truffles? – Amy De Jesus

Please share with us a recipe for blueberry cheesecake a la Red Ribbon? – Beverly888

Do you have a recipe for apple pie and my favorite, hopia mongo? I would like to try them if I have recipes for them. – Susan Sangalla, Financial Affairs, ED Office, S.A.

Instead of going for the Red-Ribbonned pastries, let’s try a cheesecake recipe that will surely hit the mark just as well! We’ll reprint our terrific truffle Christmas giveaways, and watch out for our last hopia with sweet, red mongo beans recipe. For our apple pie secret, log on to http://www.whollymollytips.com and click on "Library" for our little collection of favorite, reader-approved recipes.

A basic blueberry cheesecake is easy to prepare as long as you have primo ingredients. Start with 4 8-ozs. packages of cream cheese. Beat this with 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1-1/2 cups of sugar until smooth. Gradually add 4 lightly beaten eggs. Mix in 1/8 tsp. of grated lemon and orange zest and 1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract.

Preheat your oven to 325°F and dust a round 8-inch cake pan with finely ground, blanched almonds, roughly 1/4 lb.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in a bain-marie for approximately 2 hours. Make sure the water level in the larger pan remains at about 2/3 of the smaller pan. When the cake is firm, turn off the oven and open the door. Let the cake sit in the oven to cool.

Invert the cake onto a serving platter and garnish with holiday fruits glacé.

Here’s a quick cheesecake-decorating tip: Dissolve 2 cups of sugar in 1/2 cup water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the liquid until the sugar dissolves and becomes clear. Bring to a boil for two minutes and keep the temperature steady with the lid on.

Open the saucepan of boiling sugar-water mixture just to dip blueberries or strawberries or bunches of grapes. Lay the glazed fruits on an oiled baking sheet and allow them to set before placing on top of cheesecake.

For the Christmas truffles, we’ll give you the devilish Gold Truffles secret that we save for our dear friends. Here it is:

Grind 1-1/2 lbs. of semisweet chocolate (that have already been coarsely chopped) in an electric food processor.

In a heavy saucepan, boil 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of buttermilk or sour cream. Slowly pour this créme fraiche into the ground chocolate mixture.

Mix until smooth and chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Then, blend in 1/2 stick (or six tablespoons) of softened, unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons of cognac. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for another few hours.

Use an ice-cream scoop to shape the truffle balls and place them on the baking sheet. Dip the chocolate balls (a toothpick can come in handy here!) in the remaining chocolate, which can be melted with some vegetable oil. Refrigerate the truffles for hours until they harden.

Some like to imprint their truffles with a gold leaf. All you need to do is to gently press a quarter-sized sheet of gold leaf onto each truffle. This is best done right after the truffle has been dipped in for its chocolate coating.

Good luck and happy holiday entertaining!

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Visit our website at http://www.whollymollytips.com.. Click on "Library" for easy recipes and cool products. Click on "Ask Molly" for all queries.