Posted by Lynden Tribune, WA on July 16, 2008 at 12:29:17:
Chocolate raspberry dessert wins inaugural Lynden contest
Travis Sherer
Tribune sports reporter
LYNDEN -- With as much practice as Laurie Bock gets dreaming up desserts, it’s no surprise that her entry was the winner of the inaugural Lynden Tribune Raspberry Dessert Contest.
The winner, a rich but surprisingly light fudge cake dubbed Raspberry Fudge Blush by Bock, earned 87 points out of a possible 100. Each entry was judged on presentation, taste and creative use of raspberries.
“I thought about making a dense chocolate cake,” Bock said. “But I wanted it to be something that really brought out the raspberries.”
The idea for this amalgamation that featured layers of fudge, cake, cream topping, ganache and raspberries was an original for the contest.
Bock, who is a chef at the Rusty Wagon restaurant on Hannegan Road, has experience dreaming up desserts. The restaurant, owned by Kevin Seutz, makes a different dessert every week.
“We just have fun thinking up different things to make,” she said.
While the dessert is made with fresh raspberries sprinkled in a circular pattern on top and covered with a chocolate ganache, it is the Chambord -- a raspberry liqueur -- that keeps the fruity taste consistent throughout the cake.
Bock, who is originally from California, said that she tries to incorporate fruit into most of her desserts, but not just because of the taste.
“There are just so many different ingredients in the Northwest and fruit everywhere,” she said. “But there are also things like hazel nuts that just bring out great taste.”
After working at Lynden’s Cup of Tea for a time, Bocks returned to the Rusty Wagon recently where she has since delighted Rusty Wagon patrons with her cooking.
Bock went to Bellingham Technical College and graduated from its culinary program.
E-mail Travis Sherer at sports@lyndentribune.com.
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 10-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round. Wrap three layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim. Combine 1 cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat.
Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk. Pour batter into pan and place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath and cool completely. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides.
Topping:
Using an electric mixer at medium speed, whip cream cheese until light and fluffy. At low speed, add Chambord slowly until thoroughly blended. Spread over cooled cake. Place raspberries in a circular pattern on the cake, leaving room between the berries.
Ganache:
Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour in a stream over the top of raspberries on cake. Refrigerate until ganache is set -- about two hours.
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