Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe

Baking a slice of heaven

By ALLISON WINGATE

Staff Writer

Fostoria resident Deb Hammer is taking a slice of the local cake business with Flour Creations.

Her home-based operation, located at 8087 W. Ohio 12, has blossomed since she opened it in January after ditching her factory job.

"I decided it was time to do something I enjoy," she said.

Despite the business being in its infancy, baking extravagant cakes is no mystery to Deb -- she's baked the majority of her family's wedding and birthday cakes over the past 30 years.

"It's her special gift to them," said her husband, Jeff, who helps with the bookkeeping portion of the business.

Her most popular cake flavors are chocolate, vanilla, French vanilla, spice and dark chocolate mint.

A bride-to-be recently requested a mayonnaise cake, and Deb has even begun dabbling in baking gluten-free items.

"I have to learn the nature of what is gluten-free. That's on a learning curve right now," she said. "If they ask for a special cake, I'll do it for them."

Her fillings include the most popular strawberry cream cheese, raspberry cream cheese, raspberry, chocolate cream, chocolate ganache, lemon and vanilla whipped cream. Icings include butter cream, butter cream mint, almond butter cream and fondant.

While Deb said she prefers frosting to fondant, her clients often request it due to the smooth, sculptural quality. In an attempt to make the sugar-based substance more appetizing, she uses a recipe that calls for marshmallow and coats each cake with icing before covering it.

As cupcake boutiques become en vogue, Deb has received her first order for a cupcake wedding array due in October. Her hand-held creations cost $6 per dozen and $10 per dozen with a filling. Upping the ante, she makes jumbo cupcakes for $10 per dozen and $16 with a filling.

Being affordable is a priority to the pair, as they offer cost-effective options to their customers when it comes to cakes for special occasions.

Deb has begun designing fake cake layers to add visible volume to her wedding cakes and will also make additional sheet cakes or smaller cakes to keep the cost down.

"We're a Christian family and I want people to be able to afford it," she said.

"We want to help them get the most for their money, based on what their needs are," Jeff added.

Pricing on wedding cakes varies at $2 per slice and $3 per slice with fondant.

Global Table Adventure | Recipe: Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with ...

Have time for this cake.

It’s rich and dark, like an Irish sky at midnight… brightened by sweet, sweet Bailey’s buttercream, which gilds everything like moonlight.

The perfect pair. The perfect balance.

Especially for breakfast.  In my slippers. When no one is looking.

(Possibly with a big cup of Irish coffee).

Don’t worry – the alcohol cooks off, and the Bailey’s frosting? It simply contains the same amount of alcohol as you’d find in vanilla extract.

So, go for it, take a bite of Irish nighttime.

NOTE: You may find it easiest to bake the cake and do the frosting “crumb coat” one day, then the next day decorate it with the final layer of frosting. 

Ha! I know what you mean! While there certainly is cosmetic magic going on, you can get pretty good results with this technique: run your knife under really hot water, wipe dry and slice. Do it again between every cut. This makes a huge difference because the buttercream melts instantly, instead of sticking to the knife, making for a smoother cut, with minimal smearing, if any. It’s the same thing people do for cheesecakes.

Amanda: do it!

Jackie: Ha, ha – exactly! Happy birthday

Padhraig: Why thank you! To answer your question – the Guinness does the same thing espresso does – it deepens the chocolate flavor. So, when it’s right out of the oven you taste the Guinness, but the next day it absorbs in and it just makes for a greater depth of flavor, and isn’t as discernible.

When you say “keep this cake in the refrigerator at all times, no matter what” do you mean because the cake is so delicious that you always want it available or must the cake be refrigerated or else it will go bad? Because I want to make it for a party but the party is roughly an hour and a half away. Will the cake travel okay? As long as the air conditioning is on in the car?