Sun, warm, fog and a Mocha Chocolate Chip Cake
This morning we have a lot of fog out there. Partly sunny becoming mostly sunny later today. High 67°F with east winds at 10 MPH, gusty later with gusts as high as 25 MPH.
Tonight we'll have Mostly clear skies with a low near 43 °F. South winds at 10 MPH becoming light and variable from the Southwest.
The readings from my weather instruments are:
Humidity is 98%, the Dew Point is 48.0°F and the outdoor temp is 48.6°F.
The wind direction is west between 0.1 MPH and 0.3 MPH.
The Relative pressure is 30.12, the Absolute pressure is 29.92 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.
The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 5:20 a.m. Sunset is 7:51 p.m., Moonrise is 2:07 a.m., Moonset is 12:22 a.m. and the moon phase is in it's last quarter being 47% illuminated.
The RAW METAR readings from Augusta's airport are:
SPECI KAUG 081108Z AUTO VRB04KT 1/4SM FG VV001 06/06 A3028 RMK AO2 T00610056
Visibility is 0.2 miles / 0.4 Kilometers with a sun above this fog somewhere.
We didn't receive any rain here over the past 24 hours.
Space weather for today is:
Today's Solar flux is 68, the solar wind speed is 630 Kilometers per second and
There is a 1% chance for a Solar Storm.
Let's keep going with the chocolate cake type theme with:
MOCHA CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE
Alice's Tea Cup, which is owned by the sisters Haley Fox and Lauren Fox, is known for its scones, but the chainlet of teahouses in New York also makes pastries, cakes and other treats. This recipe is an adaptation of a chocolate chip cake with mocha frosting that originated with the Fox sisters' mother. The cake has a tender crumb, and the frosting is silky and rich.
Featured in: Tea Time For All Ages (Fairy Dust Optional).
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE
• 113 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) salted butter, softened, more for pans
• 250 grams (2 1/4 cups) sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, more for pans
• 300 grams (1 1/3 cups) turbinado sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup milk (2 percent or whole)
• ¾ cup to 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, roughly chopped; or mini chocolate chips
FOR THE FROSTING
• 360 grams (3 cups) confectioners' sugar
• 226 grams (1 cup) salted butter, softened
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon instant espresso
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• ¾ cup to 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, for decorating
PREPARATION
1. Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans, and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper cut to fit.
2. Using an electric mixer or by hand, in a bowl, mix the butter and turbinado sugar until evenly blended. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix again until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk or sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add half the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, mix well, then add half the milk and mix again. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk. Add the chocolate chips and mix well. The batter may look curdled.
3. Pour the batter into the pans and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing cakes from pans to a rack to cool completely. If the cakes are domed, use a long, serrated knife to level the tops.
4. Make the frosting: Using an electric mixer or by hand, mix the confectioners' sugar with the butter, salt and vanilla, until well blended. In a small bowl, mix the espresso powder with the boiling water to dissolve; add it to the frosting, blending well.
5. Place one cake layer on a serving platter and spread about one-third of the frosting over the top in an even layer. Top with the second cake layer and use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread frosting over top and, optionally, sides of the cake. Decorate with the chocolate chips.
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