#MEwx Brutally cold wind chills, snow and Mocha Chocolate Chip cake

Good morning Augusta.

I've put up an Ambient WS 5000 weather station where you can view real time weather readings from my location online by clicking here.

We're under another weather statement, it's for snow and the brutal wind chills. This is downright dangerous folks, take it seriously. It's in the post preceding this one, you need to READ IT.

This morning we have mostly sunny skies and colder temps. Highs will struggle up to around 5 above. Temperatures will fall to around -7°F this afternoon. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph gusting to 35 mph. Wind chill values will fall as low as 34 below zero.

Tonight we'll have partly cloudy conditions during evening hours, then clearing. Colder with lows around

-18°F. Winds are going to be Northwest 15 to 20 mph gusting to 40 mph. Wind chill values as low as -45°F.

We didn't receive any snow here over the past 24 hours.

The  wind is Northwest between  9.2 MPH and 21.0 MPH with our highest gust so far being 37.5 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.50, the Absolute pressure is 29.30 and rising with a weather graphic indicating bright, cold sun.

Augusta's humidity is 49%, the  outdoor temperature is 6.3°F, the dew point is 9.6°F and the wind chill is -9.9°F.  

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers with sun and a few clouds.

The UV index is 0 placing the average person at low risk and the solar radiation reading is 39.2W/m2. The moon is waxing gibbous and is 95.4% illuminated.

Sunrise is 6:55 AM, sunset is 4:51 PM, moonrise is 2:34 PM and Moonset is 6:09 AM. We'll have 9 hours 56 minutes of daylight today. The next Full Moon is on February 5 with our next new moon being on February 20.

 

 

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.