Out & About #1121 | Lindt Dubai Chocolate, BBQ Lunch + Pantry Chocolate Cake

The past weeks have been a blur: Not a single work day passes me by without a call, meeting, or dilemma of some sort. Coordination-related tasks are generally fine, and often splendid sources of learning. (But the task I cannot tolerate is repeating myself time and time again due to others' lack of retention.)

When my first in-office day rolled around, I set out on a speed expedition to the library, then the mall, and finally Timmies.
Countless promotions had circulated the highly anticipated launch of Lindt's Dubai Style Chocolate bar. At $19.99 apiece, I debated foregoing the limited release, yet eventually caved on the account of curiosity.

​​​The packaging glistened with gold, as did the luxurious-looking wrapper. At first glance, the milk chocolate bar did not appear much different from the Swiss chocolatier's standard lineup. However, closer inspection revealed an incredibly thin layer of pistachio and kadayif filling encased within each square. The concoction successfully harnessed the essence of Dubai Chocolate, offering the creaminess of pistachio and mild crunch of noodle-like dough, while keeping satiation at bay. One would not tire of it as quickly as the original formula, which was noticeably heavier with calorie counts rivalling that of a proper, balanced meal.

Despite being quite the splurge, the creation was well worth their asking value. I can't confirm I'll commit to another bar quite yet though.

Following a spurt of errands, an Iced Capp with Chocolate Milk and Espresso Shot was obtained. The first few sips were tasty, but the drink grew sickening at the halfway point, causing stomach discomfort that persisted into the evening hours.

​I returned the following day for a corporation-wide staff appreciation BBQ.

Crowds were atrocious, but thankfully the wait wasn't very long. Braving the blazing UV rays, I was amongst the first to obtain my ration of burger, popcorn, and beverage.

​Mind you - the burger was burnt and limp, and the tomatoes depressing and desaturated. The pickles were passable and bun was cold but plush. All factors considered, it was a complimentary meal obtained with little to no effort.

​A number of interesting features were present on site, including giant Jenga and "Volley Pong", which used a volleyball and giant red cups in place of tabletop beer pong with table tennis balls.

​Instead of consuming the meal on one of the countless picnic tables under direct sunlight, I escaped back to the air-conditioned quarters of the office immediately. My mandatory lunch walk would follow suite, terminating at The Alley for a Lemon Winter Melon Punch with Pineapple Jelly.

New and Seasonal at Tim Hortons was the Maple Butter Glazed Donut. At the midway point of an 8h-long meeting, I escaped for sustenance (at long last!!) and placed a mobile order for the limited time offering. As I neared the entrance, a man shouted at me for spare change. Although somewhat taken back, I did not cast a glance in his direction and merely continued along my intended path.

The donut wasn't any tastier than Timmies' standard selection, and the highlight of the maple butter glaze had completely detached when the staff member fulfilled my order.

​In the late afternoon hours, when my day-long meeting had finally concluded, I escaped towards Costco for errands and early supper. The work day was yet to conclude, as further duties would continue at the late hour of 6:30 PM.

​The Dixie store was surprisingly peaceful, allowing for relaxed perusal of the aisle. Contradicting sights of Halloween candy and Christmas decorations filled the store. I discovered a handful of new finds, ranging from Spicy Ketchup peanuts to cooling pillows, though adhered to my grocery list.

A Polish Hot Dog and fries would tie me over until the eventual conclusion of all work activities at 9:50 PM.

​Consistent with my expectations, the work day had lasted a whopping 14 hours! Indulging in ice cream, chocolate, and cookies afterwards was not an option.

I awoke the next day feeling haggard beyond belief, yet persevered under the influence of caffeine and sugar. A homemade Honey Mango Passion Fruit refresher provided a burst of invigoration, enabling completion of the remainder of the day's assignments.

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Pantry Chocolate Cake

With the last 1/3 of my last carton of heavy cream due to expire and a fresh reminder of my Hershey's haul expiry date, I set out to craft a chocolate cake that suited my purposes.

​A) Chocolate Cake Layer

The chocolate cake base, which I am hesitant to reference as a "sponge" due to chemical leaveners being used in place of carefully aerated eggs to provide volume, was adapted from Sunday Baking's Halloween Chocolate Cupcake. Similar recipes for cake sheets were discovered after adjusting the bake time based on intuition.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 50 g vegetable oil
• 120 g milk

• 120 g AP flour
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt

• 1/2 tsp espresso powder
• 120 ml hot water

Bake at 350 F for 15 mins, 325 F for 25 mins
Yield: One 6 in cake

I did not adhere to alternating dry and wet ingredients, as one often does with loose batters, but rather commenced by whisking the egg with sugar, next incorporating oil and milk, sifting in dry ingredients, and finally dissolving instant espresso in hot water. An accidentally heavy dose of instant espresso resulted in moderate bitterness with lingering notes of coffee. Otherwise, the cake was positively scrumptious, with uniform air pockets.

B) Cream Filling

The chocolate cream filling comprised of just three ingredients: the remaining amount in my heavy cream carton, cocoa powder, and sugar. The formula depicted in Sunday Baking's Flourless Chocolate Banana Cake was essentially quartered to accommodate the meager quantity of heavy cream on hand.

​In keeping with the theme of the original recipe - and to alleviate astringency caused by the instant espresso - a few, thick-cut slices of banana were arranged within the cream layer.

Ingredients:

• 110 g heavy cream
• 25 g granulated sugar
• 4 g cocoa powder
• 1 small banana, sliced

C) Chocolate Glaze

While I could have opted for a "naked cake" appeal, I settled on finishing the creation with a chocolate glaze. Inspiration was derived from Sunday's latest Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake. Alas, in the face of no more heavy cream, I resorted to using water and a few callets of chocolate couverture for stabilization.

Ingredients:

• 8 g gelatin
• 140 g  ̶h̶e̶a̶v̶y̶ ̶c̶r̶e̶a̶m̶  water
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 80 g milk
• 27 g dark chocolate (55%) couverture
  
• 70 g cocoa powder

All steps were undertaken in line with Sunday's recipe, including the finnicky step of "tempering" the glaze to 32-33 C. Visually speaking, the addition was a poor decision. In the absence of a smooth cream or mousse layer, the glaze merely settled into the porous surface of the cake, then dribbled onto the sides without any intention of clinging.

​On one hand, I enjoyed that the cake layer became less crumbly after absorbing the glaze; on the other, the cake layers turned dense - as if crafted using melted butter instead of oil. The centre layer of cream had successfully neutralized the astringent aftertaste of the excess instant coffee, providing a mild sweetness supported by the occasional, tender bite of banana. The pairing of chocolate and banana was timeless and, in this case, complementary instead of imposing.

Although the appearance was hardly reflective of the efforts required to craft the concoction, the cake was still tasty overall. Likely to be well-received by those with a preference for chocolate, I reserved one more slice for myself before packing it away for office sampling. My ideal chocolate cake was airier and far more complex.