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Featured here is a gnarly wrought-chocolate cheesecake to commemorate Alan Moore’s vengeful vigilante, Rorschach. Pardon the craftsmanship– Rorschach blots are definitely supposed to be more symmetrical, but with only a wooden spoon and various other home tools, this was the best I could manage.

This creation is rather straightforward, but there are some subtle quirks. The crust of the cake is a pinwheel of alternating bitter paprika-infused Oreo and sensitively sweet Golden Oreo crust, a juxtaposition to highlight the black and white essence of Rorschach’s character. Gobs of dark ganache are dropped carefully into a standard vanilla cheesecake filling for the body so that the black and white do not swirl. Finally, a layer of solid white and dark chocolate mimics one of the ever changing Rorschach blots on his face.

Rorschach is a dense, dark character who harbors a keen and intense obsession with justice. Hopefully the shock that comes with each bite of this cake– crunchy chocolate against smooth ganache, bitter and sweet vying for dominance– will be effectual reminders of Rorschach’s character.

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Today we celebrate Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (2004), a fantastical alternate history of gentlemen and magic, and an utmost obsession of Kakaner and Emera. We decided to honor this richly wrought tale of fairies, otherworlds, and scholarly magic with an appropriately dense and complex confection filled with all sorts of surprises.

At the top we have a savory English breakfast cake creation, infused with earl grey tea and spiced with black pepper and sage, inspired by the setting and gentlemanly characters of the novel. Digging deeper, we spill into layers of thick blackberry syrup, chocolate ice cream, and intensely dark chocolate cheesecake beneath. The flavors become stronger and thicker towards the bottom, much like how the magic epic unfolds before you as you make your way through the book. The dark, almost bitter chocolate ganache covering is representative of the encompassing flurry of dark magic, and an homage to the Raven King. Other inspirational images were dark forests, fairies, thick tomes of magic, and the backdrop of 19th-century England.

These photographs showcase my signed 1st edition copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell obtained from Books of Wonder, which I have brought out for this rare occasion. Perhaps baking this cake for yourself will encourage you to tackle this book for the first time, or even a second. Enjoy!

Go To:

Black Forest Raven Cake Recipe
In which Emera and Kakaner attempt to memorize Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
About Booklish
Booklish Archive

Introducing… Booklish! A new, biweekly feature showcasing culinary creations (with accompanying recipes) inspired by books or fictional characters. Read more about this feature here. This inaugural installment is devoted to L. Frank Baum’s 1900 classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

View Recipe: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Lemon Brick Cake

Today, we have brick-layered lemon yellow cake with lemon frosting “mortar”, an outside layer of whipped lime icing, sprinkled poppy seeds along the sides, and shards of lime emerald hard candy pieces scattered on top.

When we began considering The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the most obvious impressions that came to mind were Emerald City, the yellow brick road, and themes of childhood adventure and magic.  A fluffy, fruity cake seemed most appropriate for representing the glorious imagination of childhood, so we went with  lemon and lime flavors. Color is a prominent motif in the book, and plays a strong role in the colors of this cake. The brick layering and candy shards are obviously inspired by the yellow brick road and Emerald City, and of course there are poppy seeds for the Deadly Poppy Field.

Try making this yourself and sitting down with a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!

Suggested drink: A fruit tea

View Recipe: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Lemon Brick Cake

- K