The Perfect Manhattan and Blackout Cake

When I invited friends Susan and Michael for dinner on Saturday, Susan decided to turn it into a belated birthday party. I was informed that as a birthday present she will make a special cake for desert and it will be a surprise.

I think all Susan’s cakes are special. From her lemon sponge to the Kentucky Bourbon and any other cake she turns out of her beautiful collection of Bundt Pans (Nordic Ware).

When Susan announces a cake as special, one had better be prepared to be amazed. The only clue was that it will be a cake for serious chocoholics.


Mid-morning the phone rang and it was Susan’s familiar voice on the other end of the line, “Do not make pre-dinner drinks, I want to make us some Perfect Manhattans. Please put the cocktail glasses in the freezer”.

Blackout Cake

Nothing that Susan brings for a supper or lunch comes to the table without a story and I enjoy her passion and enthusiasm for everything she does. The stories and adventures they brought with them when they emigrated from America to settle in Klaasvoogds East, near Robertson, makes for entertaining dinner conversation.

Their arrival is marked by boxes and cooler boxes filling the kitchen. Susan sweeps into the house looking as glamorous as always complementing a smartly dressed Michael. The familiar greeting of “hello handsome” is followed with lots of instructions of what needs to happen where. 

The table in the kitchen gets filled with the ingredients for the Perfect Manhattan, bourbon whiskey, sweet and dry vermouth and bitters. Each cocktail is made individually to ensure the balance of flavours. After stirring for just the right amount of time, each is poured into a frosted and lemon zested cocktail glass.

The Perfect Manhattan

We were sipping Perfect Manhattans, which were complemented with Springbok pate and Melba toast, in a New York meets Bonnievale moment.

The surprise desert was revealed as a Blackout Cake. A Blackout Cake is a decadent creation of different dark chocolates and textures.

(Chocolate Blackout Cake was developed in Brooklyn, New York during World War II, and named after the blackout drills performed by the Civilian Defence Corps.

A blackout was imposed so that ships sailing off to battle could not be spotted by enemy planes. City lights were turned off and windows were covered with black material.

The blackout cake is a rich chocolate cake that has a filling of rich chocolate pudding. It is frosted with the same rich pudding and covered with some of the cake crumbs, made popular by Ebinger's Bakery that had stores in Brooklyn, New York. Source:http://kitchenproject.com/history/ChocolateBlackoutCake/)

The perfect evening which started in Manhattan, ended in Brooklyn.  We served our friends Karoo lamb and Towerwater vegetables and they gave us New York.

Susan suggested we rename the Blackout cake to Load Shedding cake.

(When there is not enough electricity available to meet the demand from all Eskom customers, it could be necessary to interrupt supply to certain areas. This is called load shedding. It is different from a power outage that could occur for several other reasons.)

  

Note:  To Make the Perfect Manhattan

Ingredients

Ice cubes

2 ounces (60ml) rye, bourbon or Canadian whiskey

1/2 ounce (15ml) sweet vermouth

1/2 ounce (15ml) dry vermouth 

2 dashes angostura bitters

1 maraschino cherry

Makes: 1 drink

Instructions

1.    Place a 150ml cocktail glass in the freezer until chilled, at least 5 minutes.

2.   Fill a pint glass or cocktail mixer two-thirds of the way with ice. Add rye whiskey, both vermouths, and bitters and stir vigorously with a cocktail spoon until chilled for about 30 seconds. Remove the coupe from the freezer, place the cherry inside, and strain the drink into the glass.

3.  To fully enjoy the Perfect Manhattan you need to enjoy it in a perfect place, like Towerwater.

Winter bouquets from my garden