Passover Chocolate Cake 2013 -- à la Robyn

Chocolate cake without chips

• For the last three Passovers, I've adapted a chocolate cake recipe. This year's is the best ever! The batter is similar to last year's Passover chocolate cake recipe with a few changes including doubling the cocoa from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. The addition of chopped dates was inspired by a cake my mom used to make and the topping comes from my cousin Robyn's Famous Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake.
• It fell a little bit. Maybe I did not bake it long enough, but I'm telling you, after you taste it, you won't care what it looks like!
• I used pistachios instead of walnuts thinking they would add color to the topping but they browned so much you cannot tell the difference. I recommend ground walnuts or pecans -- or sliced almonds.
• I ground the nuts fine to prevent them from sinking into the center of the cake, however, I also thickened the batter with more cake meal (than last year) and the addition of potato starch this year. Who knows; maybe with the new thicker batter, the nuts could be chopped rather than ground.
• Knowing that making your own whole-wheat cake meal might be a deal breaker, I'm betting you could replace the whole-wheat cake meal with regular cake meal. The two products behave the same when I use them in other recipes including cakes.
• Here's the thing: I used two different pans. Both cakes fell but the one in the wider pan fell more. The cake that fell more was in a traditional loaf pan: 4.5" x 9.75" with tapered sides (and nearly 3" tall); it had chocolate chips on top. The cake that did  not fall was in a pan with straight sides; it is 3.5" x 10.25" (and nearly 2.5" tall); it had no chips. Perhaps the chips made a difference but I really think it had more to do with the width of the pans.
• Getting the cakes out of the pans was a mess. I recommend making some parchment paper handles. See directions below.

Peach Cake

• Roasted peaches and peach schnapps are the secret to this recipe. It's a way to get the peach flavor without drowning the batter in peach juice and ending up with a gummy mess.
• I started with a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. They used almond extract in the batter and topping. I used cinnamon and peach schnapps instead.
• I made a few other changes. They said to use light brown sugar but I only had dark brown. I forgot to add the vanilla, and the cake was fine so maybe that's an optional ingredient. I did not have vegetable oil spray and just used vegetable oil.
• The sliced peaches for the topping marinate in a yummy mix of peach juices and schnapps. Do not add those juices to the cake (the batter cannot support all that liquid). Drink it! It is divine!

Passover Chocolate Cake 2012

Every year, I revise my recipe for Passover chocolate cake. Here's the link to the 2013 edition -- the best ever! It's even better than this recipe!

This cake is better the second day -- if it lasts that long! And (shhh, don't tell anyone) it's made with whole wheat matzo!

Edits
I started with  the recipe for Mrs. Strait's Passover Chocolate Cake and made so many edits, I decided it was time for a new post. Here's what I changed:

Robyn's Famous Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake

• My cousin Robyn is my first guest chef! She posted this recipe online in honor of her daughter's birthday. The recipe is clearly a family favorite. Robyn said: “I truly feel there is great joy in sharing special recipes.” Doesn’t it look delicious!?!
• I love the mix of cinnamon, chocolate, and nuts. I wonder how it would be with chopped dates added to the topping.

Plum Torte

This is a very popular recipe . . . because it's simple and delicious.  I've reformatted the recipe to make it easier for me to use and reduced the sugar by a few tablespoons.

Passover Apple Cake

Note, if you do not like coconut, you may not care for this recipe. On the other hand, if you love coconut but are not supposed to eat it (because of the saturated fats) this recipe may be a Godsend. It has no coconut, but it sure seems like it does!

I started with a recipe from The Kosher Gourmet Cookbook by Mildred Miller and Bascha Snyder and found a few ways to add fiber (typically lacking in Passover foods). Here are my changes:

Mrs. Strait's Chocolate Passover Cake

1935 Seder. Adelyn Strait Raich (3rd from L); Rose and Harry Strait (4th and 3rd from R) Click on photo to enlarge it.

Note: I finally made this recipe, but with so many edits that I've posted it separately over here.


As I recall, this is a moist chocolate cake. The recipe is from Mrs. Strait, my Hebrew teacher's mother-in-law.

My Hebrew Teacher
Abe Raich, worked as a statistical quality control specialist at the local steel mill, CF&I (Colorado Fuel and Iron). I was in seventh grade; Abe's second son, Ken, was my classmate. Years later, at age 57, Abe retired and began a four-year course to become a rabbi. Read more about Abe and Adelyn (Addy), his wife, here. Get a taste of Abe's teaching, by reading this.

1969: Addy Raich; Mrs Rose Strait

The Seders
Perhaps because we lived close by (across the alley and down a few houses) my family was lucky enough to be included in a number of their seders -- lengthy events with 20+ people of all ages. No doubt, that's how my mother ended up asking Mrs. Strait for this recipe.

Honey Cake

I associate honey cake with Jewish holidays and my mom. Since childhood, honey cake has been one of my favorites. I especially enjoy it with a glass of milk, café au lait or caffè latte.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

My mother made this cake for my father's birthday every year. He really loved it. The radial symmetry makes a beautiful presentation (says my inner geometry geek).

Orange Kiss-Me Cake

This was a favorite childhood cake. My mom prepared the orange mixture in her meat grinder, but I'm pretty sure this will work in a food processor or blender.