Sunday, November 25, 2012

Dommedags-Nougat Cakes

Thorr's Hammer was only an active band for about 6 weeks in 1994. They recorded an EP, played 2 shows, and have enjoyed kvlt status ever since.
Runhild "Ozma" Gammelsæter was a 17-year-old foreign exchange student from Norway when she joined Thorr's Hammer along with guitarists Stephen "Soma" O'Malley and Greg Anderson, as well as drummer Jamie Sykes and bassist James Hale.
The first time I heard Thorr's Hammer, I couldn't believe how crushingly heavy they were! They make me feel like I've looked up just in time to see a rock avalanche plummeting towards me, then like I'm desperately trying to escape the crushing cascade in slow-motion, until the song ends. So good!!
 After Ozma went back to Norway, Soma, Greg, & Jamie played together in Burning Witch for a few years, but when Greg founded Southern Lord Records in 1998, Dommedagsnatt was release #1.

These days, Ozma uses her PhD in cell physiology to serve as president of a biotechnology company in Norway. And of course in addition to running Southern Lord, Greg plays in Sunn O))) with Soma.
Thorr's Hammer did reunite briefly for 2 festival shows in 2009 & 2010, but it doesn't look like they're going to release any new material. To be perfectly honest, that's fine with me. Their only record will always be perfect and awesome, I couldn't ask for more.
"Dommedagsnatt" means "Doomsday Night" in Norwegian. It's a song about the night before the end of the world. So basically, these are "Doomsday Nougat" cakes.

Thorr's Hammer
Dommedags-Nougat Cakes





Makes 24

 
Metal Constituents:


For the Nougat*:
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2/3 cup light corn syrup
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
  • 2 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup malted milk powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
*You will also need a candy thermometer

For the cupcakes:
  • 9 Tablespoons (1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp) unsweetened cocoa powder 
  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature 
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar 
  • 1 cup malted milk powder 
  • 2 large eggs 
  • 1/2 cup cream soda 
  • 1/2 cup milk
For the frosting:
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the caramel drizzle:
  • 1 cup light-brown sugar
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Pinch of salt

 
Merciless Instructions: 

  1. Make the nougat first. Of course, if you're too scared to make your own nougat, or you're extremely pressed for time, you can substitute with a mini 3Musketeers or Milky Way bar in each cupcake- But don't wimp out! It's really not that hard. Plus you'll have a much better sense of accomplishment if you make everything yourself, instead of just unwrapping a bunch of little candy bars.  
  2. Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with parchment paper, and spraying it with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. Place the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. 
  4. Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, then insert a candy thermometer. 
  5. Once the sugar has dissolved, cook without stirring until the temperature reaches 260 degrees. 
  6. While you wait for the correct temperature, chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl. 
  7. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving at 15 second intervals until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
  8. Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. 
  9. When the syrup reaches 250 degrees, begin to beat the egg whites on medium speed.
  10. Once the sugar syrup reaches 260 degrees, remove the pan from the heat. I recommend that you pour the hot syrup into a large glass measuring cup with a spout to make this next step easier.
  11. Turn the mixer to high speed and slowly pour in the sugar syrup, letting it run down the inside of the bowl. 
  12. Continue beating on high speed for about 5 minutes, until the egg whites are shiny and stiff. 
  13. Turn the mixer speed to low, add the melted chocolate, salt, and malted milk powder. Mix until smooth. 
  14. Scrape the nougat into the prepared pan and, using an offset spatula, smooth it into an even layer. 
  15. Allow it to cool at room temperature until it's completely set.
  16. Once your nougat has set, cut it into 1 inch cubes.
  17. To make the cupcakes: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with baking cups, spray each baking cup with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.
  18. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
  19. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and malt powder until smooth and creamy.
  20. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
  21. Stir together the cream soda and milk.
  22. Add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture. 
  23. Fill baking cups about 1/2 full, or a little less (if you're using mini candy bars, place one in the center of each batter-filled baking cup now, and bake for a full 15-20 minutes).
  24. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and press one nougat square into the center of each cupcake.
  25. Put cakes back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part of one cupcake comes out clean.
  26. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
  27. To make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Set aside.
  28. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk butter until smooth.
  29. Add milk and vanilla.
  30. Add cocoa powder mixture, and continue to whisk at medium speed until frosting is fluffy and lighter in color.
  31. Frost completely cooled cupcakes.
  32. To make the caramel: Combine brown sugar, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. 
  33. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. About 15 minutes.
  34. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before drizzling over each frosted cupcake. As your caramel cools, it will stiffen up. Either use it while it's still warm, or pipe onto cupcakes if it has cooled completely.
  35. Én bakes det meste i hans siste timer.
Here's some live footage of Thorr's Hammer playing "Norge" at a 2009 reunion show. The song gets cut off a little bit at the end, but this was the best live footage I could find. Enjoy!



And here's "Dommedagnsnatt" to listen to while you're baking:


    2 comments:

    Helen said...

    Awesome!

    Kathy Bejma said...

    @LeChef
    Thanks!
    I'm sorry I didn't post a picture of the nougat, but in every photo I took, it looked like tofu!
    But trust me, it tasted awesome- and nothing like tofu at all.