JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Ladies and gentlemen, our own Celia Wakefield, with an absolutely irresistible spring dessert.
Wishing everyone a very happy May, filled with growing
things and the expectation of summer ahead. Of course many thanks to Julia and
everyone who continues to make me so welcome on JRW. I do appreciate you all.
What has been happening in my world and in Maine? Right now, I am in Sudbury staying with my daughter and son-in-law and ‘helping’ as they combine their full time work responsibilities with selling their house and moving to a new build. This is fascinating to watch and these are the differences I see between selling our New York home in 1999, yes that is a long time ago, and house sales today.
I have just watched through the window… a
young man spend an hour putting up the realtor front yard sign. There was hole
digging, centering the post, steadying the post, that took quite a time,
painting the post, attaching hangers to the post and finally - the sign was
hung. Now we await the photographer. (Oh dear the photographer just touched the
post and he is not pleased to have wet white paint on his hands). If the photos
are uploaded before today I will add them with the link.
Yesterday the Stager arrived, let’s call her Nicole. She was a real whirlwind, dragging in bags and bags of soft furnishings including more pillows than I could count and fake greenery in pottery bowls. What is it with pillows? I spoke with her while she “Martha’d” my bedroom.
I may have coined “Martha’d” back in 1999 as I tried to
create the look of spaciousness, cleanliness and warmth in our tiny Cape. There
were no stagers in Chappaqua NY in the summer of 1999, but with famous folk
moving in later that year perhaps that’s how stagers got into our little town.
A friend told me she had stagers set up her house about six years after we left,
and she sold within the month. Oh dear, what does that say about my staging
skills? Well I still have my old copy of Martha Stewart Entertaining, so I’m
sure that helped.
To return to Nicole, I watched her work over my room leaving it bare boned down to a bed, two side tables with lamps and one corner table also with lamp. Are you wondering where were my clothes? In a baseboard cupboard together with everything else being hidden from view. Don’t we all have those spaces? Or rather, they become the spaces like Harry Potter’s Room of Requirement. The space that’s filled with all the stuff we can’t wait to throw away but might need some day.
She added six pillows on the bed and a
white comforter with lots of wrinkles couldn’t stop myself from trying to
smooth out. This is all about controlled living. Nicole told me that the colour
palette felt ‘coastal’ and the realtor told me that the new color for house
staging is ‘gravage’ = gray / beige.
By now you’re asking where’s the food? Where’s the recipe? After Nicole had completed her makeover it was unanimously agreed that cooking would mess up the kitchen, so we went out to eat at a local place which focuses on Italian food and desserts in particular. My daughter was in the mood for dessert after the day and she was focused on the BIG gluten free chocolate brownie served with ice cream, fresh cream and chocolate syrup. It was large enough to serve three and Olivia remarked it was better than a margarita at a busy days end - but she still shared with us.
My recipe is not this identical brownie but is a flourless chocolate cake which is quite delicious as tasted and tested by Olivia, Ken and Julia. I think I will rename the recipe -
Olivia’s Fancy chocolate cake
- ¾cup/168 grams unsalted butter, cut up, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1cup/173 grams bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
- ½cup/50 grams unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
- 4large eggs
- 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Whipped cream or ice cream, for serving
Prep:
This cake can be made in one bowl with a little planning. I make it using the microwave method of melting the chocolate in a glass bowl that is large enough to incorporate all the ingredients in the recipe as they are added.
Take butter and eggs from the fridge to bring them up to room temperature. This helps the baking ’magic’ work best.
Generously butter an 8 inch springform pan all over the
bottom and sides. You may line the pan with foil if preferred but don’t forget
to butter it. I found just buttering my pan worked well.
Measure out the ingredients and heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the chocolate chips either by putting them in a glass container and melting in 30 second bursts in the microwave until the chips look soft or melt in a double boiler over hot water.
Add the butter to the melting chocolate and stir gently to mix well together.
Add the cocoa powder and stir till smooth.
Add the granulated sugar and mix till incorporated.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat well into the mix.
Stir in the vanilla and scrape the batter into the pan.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until the cake shows some cracks
and looks dry on top.Then test doneness when a toothpick inserted into the
center comes out with some crumbs attached.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a rack, then remove the pan carefully.
I haven’t tried to freeze the cake before cutting but it is mentioned as a way of getting clean slices which can then be warmed in the microwave before serving with ice cream and cream to make up Olivia’s Fancy.
To me, staging a house always seems a bit like trying to pretend people don't actually live in the house, but if it helps sell it quickly, then I guess there's some merit to it . . . hope your daughter has an easy time with the house-selling . . . .
ReplyDeleteOoooh, chocolate is my favorite . . . this cake looks delicious, Celia; thanks for sharing the recipe.
Happy Mother's Day . . . .
Yummy, Celia - thank you! I have made a version of that when a gluten-free friend will be part of a dinner party.
ReplyDeleteOne point of staging is to make the buyer able to imagine their own life in that house. That's why one hides all personal items and even most of the books (horror!). I think it makes sense, but it does make the house hard to live in while it's being shown. I hope Olivia's moves quickly!
And Happy Mother's Day to all who mother others (including animals) in any way!
Deleteyum. Hope your daughter's house is sold quickly. Happy Mother's Day!
ReplyDeleteCELIA: Thanks for the cake recipe. I am not a fan of whipped cream or ice cream with cake (sorry!).
ReplyDeleteI would make a berry coulis +add fresh berries. Good luck to Olivia on selling the house.
Happy Mother's Day!
Our stager didn’t have us do too much as we had already stripped the house of personal items. She didn’t bring in any extras. The first sale fell through and we had to go back on the market with even less furniture and packing boxes in progress so the staging was a bust.
ReplyDeleteBrenda, I suspect "nearly empty" is just as good as staged for most prospective buyers.
DeleteThe cake looks yummy and I can almost smell it. That was something our stager said NOT to do…no air fresheners etc as because people have so many allergies and dislikes when it comes to aromas. Back when we sold our first house in 2000 that was the big thing…vanilla or cinnamon or fresh baked cookie smells.
ReplyDeleteI was advised when I sold my house in 2007 to put a cinnamon stick in the oven on low for a while before the open house so the kitchen would smell like baking!
DeleteYes! Ross and I sold our first house in 1994, and I had spiced cider summering on the stove at all times!
DeleteChelsea v. Newcastle halftime break. Celia, the chocolate cake is superb for a summertime dessert. Happy Mother's Day! When the buyer comments are reduced to "I don't like the electric wall switches" and "I want brushed nickel instead of brass door hardware" the sellers are getting close to receiving an offer.
ReplyDeleteWe had someone give us an 'offer' at $10,000 less than asking price (1990) because they had to tear out the kitchen as they did not like it, to put in a Mexican/Santa Fe look. "There's the door, thank you..."
DeleteMargo, nooooo! That was all the trend and now would look as dated as a poodle skirt.
DeleteWhen I bought my house in 1998 it was empty, but horrible colors. When we bought The Cottage, they didn't stage it nor did they clean out all the crap that was jammed in the main room. We bought it anyway. Both times required, gasp, imagination to see what we could do with it.
ReplyDeleteThe cake looks yummy.
This! Don't you look at the bones of a house/room to see the possibilities? This house had the 'dance floor' decorating--all the furniture shoved up against the walls with the exception of a big old recliner facing the big tv. All of the walls painted a sad faded yellow. What I saw were lots of windows letting in the view of sunshine and trees. Big kitchen and living room. Foyer with a hallway, keeping bedrooms at one end of the house.
DeleteI’m thinking we readers are better at imagining a home the way we would decorate it and are able to look past its current state, whether empty or jam-packed.
DeleteMy sister is a Realtor, and she's says it's truly shocking how many people can't imagine what a house would look like without the current owners stuff in it.
DeleteYummm that looks delicious! As someone who tries to avoid gluten, thank you! I will save the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI was so hoping when we had Mother’s Day yesterday, that you would be the guest host today. I will say that I was thinking of both you and Julia as I was enjoying Turandot’s fabulous music at the Metropolitan Opera on the radio yesterday.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw you were in Sudbury, I thought you were visiting Canada, but Google hastened to assure me that you were in Massachusetts, so no border crossings for you, as you visited our great white north!
As for staging the house – how awful that must be for people to live in with all their stuff somewhere else, and what happens if you need that green sweater? Our last house was not staged, but the Real Estate agent did insist we clean the windows – weekly. What? Oh, and hanging some curtains would be nice (never had any the entire time we lived there or anywhere for 50 years). The rooms were all painted different colours including the sunroom in mauve, pink and pale blue – it was beautiful. The house scent may have been ‘Eau de barn next door’. The people who bought it showed birthday pictures on Facebook about 10 years later, and the pictures showed they had changed nothing!
Now, as for the cake – well I do love a flourless chocolate cake, but usually it is an order out thing. That is not because it is hard to make as it is easy, but it is so rich – and I found it does not come out of the freezer as delicious as when it went in, if that is how to ‘save the rest for another day’. I do love mine with poured whipping cream – delicious!
Margo, when my bestie/next door neighbor was getting her house ready to sell, her Realtor suggested fresh paint in earthy-neutral tones to show off the original woodwork. She and her husband tackled the task and the rooms looked gorgeous. Then when the place sold? Before they took possession, the new owners sent in a crew who repainted everything!!
DeleteOh that cake sounds so good, and I’m fine with bothe ice cream and whipped cream
ReplyDeleteOh Celia, I can almost taste that chocolate cake! I'm sure it was absolutely fabulous!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was looking at a house I eventually bought, it was as neat as a pin and absolutely spotless. There were plenty of cupboards and closets in the master bedroom and of course I opened them to see if they were as spacious on the inside as they seemed. Oh my! They were crammed full of all sorts of stuff they didn't want the lookers to see! Did they think we wouldn't want to know about the actual space?
Happy Mother's Day to all, even those who aren't even female and have no children of their own. This was brought home to me by a wonderful cat that used to live with me. My other 2 cats had dies and he was lonely, in spite of the pup. My granddaughter brought over a kitten she had found in the wild, one she thought I needed. I'm not sure I needed that kitty, but my boy Gizzy certainly did. He was thirteen at the time and choosing to 'mother' the new kitten gave him a new lease on life. They were inseparable for the next several years.
We never quite know how an older pet will react - I’m glad a kitten was just what Gizzy needed.
DeleteCelia, our newish house in Arizona is gray/ white everything with lots of pillows!
ReplyDeleteWhat a amazing post (as always) Celia! The amount of work you put into the recipes is well appreciated.
ReplyDeleteFrom Celia: I love the look of the pillows Rhys and have some with fancy pillow cases for my bed, with lace and stuff. But to have to 'dress' the bed as I leave it is tiring. My colors tend toward very pale aqua though my bedroom is SW peach all the way.
ReplyDeleteMy first home needed a new roof, the exterior looked sad and defeated, the floor needed replaced on the front porch, and the floor in the rear addition was supported underneath by a piece of firewood. It was nearly empty on the inside as the owner was selling everything to head west. I bought it anyway--it was like an enchanted cottage perched in the woods on the edge of a ravine. By the time I sold it, it was enchanting inside and out. Still have a special place in my heart for that house!
ReplyDeleteCelia, the cake has me drooling this morning! I have a brownie recipe which is very similar, using one less egg and a bit of flour. I'm wondering how the cake would turn out if I added a half cup of chocolate chips to the batter, so the cake comes out with these melty little bursts of extra chocolate? Hmmm....
Flora, try it! You can never go wrong with more chocolate, I say.
DeleteOh, my! Who knew. Best wishes for a speedy sale, and keep that cake on hand for celebrations.
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day to all who nurture.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celia, for another flourless chocolate cake recipe! It's like alchemy, that it turns into cake, and every version I've had has been delicious. They're versatile, too. I've served them simply dusted with powdered sugar, berries on the side; drizzled with caramel sauce; with a dollop of currant or blackberry jam or sauce; or dressed up whipped cream garnished with a sprig of fresh mint. Ice cream of almost any flavor works, of course!
Celia, good luck to Olivia selling her house quickly. The whole process is not for the faint of heart!
Celia - thank you for this recipe; it sounds great. But what I really love in your post today is your treatise on house staging. So fun to read! Have a lovely Sunday, whether mothering is present in its moments or not...
ReplyDeleteFrom Celia: Thank you Amanda, a compliment on writing from you is much appreciated
DeleteI love how Karen phrased it: Happy Mother’s Day to all who nurture. For years before I had a human child to raise, my mother-in-law would send me a Mother’s Day card acknowledging my nurturing efforts with our cat. Everyone counts.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celia, for the recipe which looks delicious, as always. I especially enjoyed your post about the house staging. I laughed aloud at the sign posting process (and the realtor’s paint covered hands)! Best of luck to Olivia and husband for a successful sale. — Pat S
Pat, what a sweet mother in law you had!
DeleteFrom Celia: Many thanks Pat.
DeleteOh, that looks delicious, Celia. Thank you so much for sharing. I dread the thought of ever having to move. I hope it all went smoothly!
ReplyDeleteFrom Celia: Thank you Jenn, I hear you. Victor used to say he would never move again! Not that he was doing all the planning etc. but it is a challenge.
DeleteCelia, the house staging information was so interesting. I shudder to think what someone who was tasked with staging my house in its current condition would say or do. She/he would probably go screaming back to their car, or a truck would be called in to park at the front door, where it would be filled with clutter and furniture. It would be a really big truck. In staging the bedroom you're staying in at your daughter's, you mentioned the wrinkly bedspread. Was it supposed to be wrinkly in some kind of stylish manner? And, where do they put the extra items they get rid of in a room?
ReplyDeleteThe cake sounds like one I'd like to try. I haven't used a springform pan in forever years, and I can't remember now what cake I used it for. I'm fairly certain I still have it. I had to buy some cocoa powder recently, and I was shopping in Kroger's, our usual grocery store of choice (and there's one within minutes of us, too). I've always bought the Hersey's brand, but there was not a Hersey's cocoa can to be found, only Kroger brand. I then noticed a few other baking items that were just Kroger brand, too. I need to do some research on that.
Thanks, Celia, for the recipe and staging report.
Kathy, at my request, Celia sent me a picture of her room at her daughter's, and I think the coverlet was meant to add texture, which, according to the home decor magazines I read, is BIG thing.
DeleteCELIA: Thank you for the yummy recipe. I am going to look for Dairy free Gluten free version of your recipe. Home staging is a talent.
ReplyDeleteDiana, the cake is gluten-free, but there's a LOT of butter in it, and I have no idea how to substitute for that.
DeleteJulia, perhaps Earthly Balance, which is non dairy butter, or sunflower oil or walnut oil can be substituted for regular butter?
DeleteCelia, so lovely to hear about your adventures! Good-luck to Olivia on the sale of her home. The real estate market still seems to be pretty hot.
ReplyDeleteStaging a house in a neutral way so others can see their things in it makes perfect sense. I was a realtor for several years and always listened for the conversation about where buyers would put their own things. Music to my ears!
Happy Mother's Day to you all!
From Celia: So many thanks Judy and hope it was a HMD. , and for wishing Olivia luck. There are so many moving parts in this.
DeleteHi, all - Celia is running a bit behind today - it is Mother's Day, after all! - and asked me to apologize on her behalf and let you know she will try to get on later (fingers crossed.)
ReplyDeleteIs the foil on the outside of the pan to safeguard against batter leakage?
ReplyDeleteYes, because it's a springform pan. Celia is definitely a belt-and-suspenders baker.
DeleteFrom Celia: if you are worried about leaks then definitely do the foil outside. Foil inside is a personal preference which is why I didn't use it.
DeleteThat chocolate cake looks delicious. My mother-in-law would have loved it! Happy Mother's Day to all you nurturers!
ReplyDeleteThis is so incredibly entertaining and so perfect! I just love reading your columns! xxxxx
ReplyDeleteFrom Celia: Thank you so much Hank, yours is a compliment worth having. And I want to add that I am so sorry not to be up to speed today on comments.
ReplyDeleteThinking back to my lemon cake and Jenn's delicious lemons, I'm in the 'hands you lemons state right now' so very busy working on the lemonade. No worries please as we know all will be well.