the Mocha Cherry Zebra Experiment

(the laboratory mid-zebrification)

Step 1:  Get enthralled by this and this and this and this and this and this!  

I *had* to make it.  Not only was it zoologically named but it meant I could hide a secret surprise under the frosting (always good).  And given that I had an mocha-loving friend who very very kindly drove these paintings home from the studio for me through notoriously terrible montreal traffic, I knew it was the ripe time to start dolloping.  CHerry ripe time!  haha, okay I shut up now.

I started from the recipe at Caffeine Heartbeats, but added instant coffee to the mocha side and almond to the vanilla for extra je ne sais quoi, and a bit less vinegar for less risk of crumbling.  (Oh, and no orange, just vanilla this time).  And I had to tweak the viscosity on both ends with a bit of flour and water respectively, but not too much and then I could dollop away.  3 tbsps of each batter, thin little lines, up and up and up until....

Step 2: Bake it up in the oven for about 45-50 minutes and go ooooooooooooh zeh-braw...

Step 3: Flip it over to cool and notice another heart-shaped thing in your food, like they're conspiring to surround you or something.  My word!

Step 4: Acknowledge the fact that it's a sweltering August evening but ignore good reasoning and ice it super-generously in mounding swirls of fluffiffffy cherry frosting buttercream anyway.  (be so very happy you did that as you're eating the veritable angel crack later on, a little bit melty regardless.)

Step 5: Keep it in the fridge as best as possible in this heat, then break it out and serve in big cool stylish overly delicious wedges.  One of the best I've ever made, and I mean that flavour-wise, too!  I was pretty glad to come by said friend's house later the next day to help her eat it for breakfast, like that was such a painful thing to do (it wasn't). 

Meanwhile, I've spent a few days picking apples at an orchard, so I'll have some posting about that pretty soon, I think!