The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.
Their coffee cake came out far better. I had this over glorified idea of making chocolate coffee cake. There are a few problems with this:
- This isn't a coffee cake per se. More of a coffee roll. Or coffee loaf. Or bun. Or anything but cake. It's a cake the same way madelienes are sometimes called cookies, or for whatever reason a king cake is a cake (also, not really a cake).
- Chocolate bread is a bad idea. Bread with chocolate in it is good. Actual chocolate bread is bad.
Perhaps chocolate bread isn't bad, and I'm just not the most skilled chocolate bread maker. I am willing to go ahead and say right now, I am not a good chocolate bread maker. Bread maker, fine. I make plenty of perfectly fine breads and bread type things. This however....is not my finest work. So much of a not fine work, that a friend (who shall not remain nameless, his name is Joseph) begged a piece off my roommate, promptly took a bite, walked away from her, came to me and said "This is not worth what I did to get it." Perhaps that doesn't say much, but as I know Joseph, he didn't do anything too far fetched to get the cake. He's right. It wasn't worth the least of far fetched things to do. I completely side with him. My roommate however really liked the cake, and I say good for her. I'm happy it found a loving home...which, since we're roommates is my home too. Slightly awkward but oh well.
The dough itself wasn't horrid, but it baked awkwardly. It was far too cooked on the bottom, didn't raise properly, never really came together the way a good bread dough should. I am ashamed truly, and to add to it I am two days late in posting. I'm really on a roll. (get it, coffee roll? rim shot!)
Because I am less than thrilled with my own results, I'll just say, I followed the recipe, except substituting a half cup of flour for a half cup of cocoa (I think it was too much), and should you choose to try it, you are on your own. Instead I think you should take a peak of what a few of the more successful challengers made:
- Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake with Chocolate Drizzle
- W/ Date, Nut and Cardamom
- Chocolate and Cranberry (with successful chocolate dough!)
- Raspberry Chocolate
Each of those sites have recipes that look and sound a bit better than mine. Mine was chocolate and almond, with marzipan and chocolate chips, and bread that was not exactly perfect.
We all fail sometimes right? I'm going to give the chocolate dough another whirl in the future...after I've had enough time to forget that this ever happened.
Cheers!