What Do Bay Leaves Actually Do?

Plus, a chocolate version of our most popular cake. [START FREE TRIAL]( or [LOG IN]( [America's Test Kitchen: Notes from the Test Kitchen]( [America's Test Kitchen: Notes from the Test Kitchen]( [FIND RECIPES ›]( April 7, 2023 [A collection of recipes from this newsletter]( [A collection of recipes from this newsletter]( What’s New at ATK [Bay Leaves]( What Do Bay Leaves Actually Do? Bay leaves do serve a purpose—albeit a subtle one. [Find out what bay leaves really do and when they really matter. →]( How We Make Our Recipes Failproof. Every Time. Our test cooks use a five-step process that includes home cooks like you. [Learn more about our recipe development process. →]( A Note From Our Test Cooks [Test cook Andrea Geary developing our Olive Oil Cake recipe; Jack Bishop's Headshot]( A Chocolate Version of Our Most Popular Cake From Jack Bishop, Chief Creative Officer Andrea Geary might just be the best baker to ever work at Cook’s Illustrated, and her [Olive Oil Cake]( is arguably her most popular recipe. This cake inspired such devotion on social media that we even created an olive oil cake magnet for Cook’s Illustrated fans. Andrea is back in the kitchen creating a chocolate version of this 2017 recipe. She’s about 20 tests in on this project and here’s what Andrea has learned so far: - Dutch-processed cocoa + bittersweet chocolate = big chocolate punch. - No need to whip the eggs with a stand mixer (a slightly fussy step in the original recipe). All that chocolate creates a denser and utterly delightful texture. And who doesn’t prefer a dump-and-stir cake? - A crackly sugar crust is sufficient in the original cake—anything richer would weigh down the delicate crumb. The new chocolate version is sturdy stuff and works well with an icing or glaze. - Andrea has developed a riff on Nutella made with white chocolate and hazelnut. So good. There’s a classic dark glaze and maybe something with raspberries in the works. If you haven’t made the original, do so today. Need something chocolate now? Make my favorite (to date) Cook’s Illustrated chocolate recipe, [pots de crème](. The recipes in this newsletter are free for two days Want access to every recipe, review, and video? [Start your 2-week free trial](. All About Olive Oil Cake [Olive Oil Cake →]( [Developing the Olive Oil Cake Recipe →]( [The Best Extra-Virgin Olive Oil →]( Something Chocolate [Chocolate Pots de Crème →]( [Milk Chocolate Crémeux Tart →]( [Chocolate-Raspberry Trifle →]( More from Andrea [Laugenbrezeln (German Lye Pretzels) →]( [Savory Oatmeal with Dried Porcini Mushrooms and Soft-Cooked Egg →]( [Make-Ahead Cheese Soufflés →]( [For the Love of Cooking, Try Digital All Access: 14,000+ Reliable Recipes, Free Shipping in Our Shop, Mobile App, 8,000+ Product Reviews, Cookbook Collection. Get 14 Days Free.]( [Tempered Chocolate]( From Our Online Cooking School The Science of Chocolate Not sure what common words like “bloom” or “tempering” mean when referring to chocolate? Our online cooking school is here to help. [view course]( Try Another Newsletter [Shortcuts to Dinner Newsletter Preview]( [Sign up for Shortcuts to Dinner →]( Get out of that cooking rut with six weeks of Shortcuts to Dinner in your inbox. 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