I've posted more than a few brownies over the year and I thought I was happy with my recipe. But this weekend, when the brownie craving hit, I found myself wanting something different - no cheesecake, not cocoa based - and decided to try a recipe I've heard a lot about over the years: Nick Malgieri's Supernatural Brownies. I was expecting to be disappointed. What brownie could live up to the internet hype and name of supernatural brownies? While reading online, I read that the magic happens overnight, so I patiently waited for them to meld. The end result? A rich fudgy brownie that fulfilled all of my brownie-related cravings. The cocoa brownie recipe I have might be easier and the cheesecake raspberry might be more elegant, but this is definitely what I think of when I think of just a pure brownie.
One year ago: Pasta Rustica with Sole, Greek Olives, and White Wine
Two years ago: Saffron Rice
Three years ago: Hot and Sour Rhubarb with Crispy Pork and Noodles
Four years ago: Brisket
Five years ago: Bread Pudding
Supernatural Brownies (from Nick Malgieri courtesy of Saveur)
Ingredients
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut into ¼" pieces
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. fine salt
1 cup flour
1. Heat oven to 350F. Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment paper.
2. He recommends using a bain marie to melt the butter and chocolate, but I would save a dish and melt the butter in a pan over very low heat and then melt the chocolate in. Just be careful not to brown the butter or overheat the chocolate.
3. Whisk together eggs in a large bowl.
4. Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt to the eggs; whisk to combine.
5. Stir in chocolate mixture; fold in flour.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 30–35 minutes. Let cool on a rack. Allegedly magic happens after it's left overnight.
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Monday, November 17, 2014
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Mocha Rum Cake
I made a rum chocolate cake a couple of years ago, but it wasn't quite chocolately enough or even rummy enough. Good, but not what I was expecting. This rum cake is dense and intense. I've increased the rum a bit from the original and next time wouldn't mind trying to substitute kahlua for the coffee.
One year ago: Oven Roasted Pork Butt with Rosemary
Two years ago: Fennel Frond Pesto
Three years ago: Sweet and Sour Pork
Four years ago: Peanut Flavoured Potatoes
Mocha Rum Cake (adapted from epicurious)
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/3 cup dark rum
1 cup strong brewed coffee or kahlua
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter a 12-cup bundt pan.
2. In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.
4. Remove chocolate from heat and stir in rum, coffee, and granulated sugar.
5. With an electric mixer beat in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down side, and beat in eggs and vanilla until batter is combined well. Pour batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake cake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 50 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on a rack and turn it out onto rack.
One year ago: Oven Roasted Pork Butt with Rosemary
Two years ago: Fennel Frond Pesto
Three years ago: Sweet and Sour Pork
Four years ago: Peanut Flavoured Potatoes
Mocha Rum Cake (adapted from epicurious)
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/3 cup dark rum
1 cup strong brewed coffee or kahlua
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter a 12-cup bundt pan.
2. In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.
4. Remove chocolate from heat and stir in rum, coffee, and granulated sugar.
5. With an electric mixer beat in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down side, and beat in eggs and vanilla until batter is combined well. Pour batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake cake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 50 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on a rack and turn it out onto rack.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
White Chocolate and Raspberry Tartlets
I've been craving the combination of white chocolate and raspberry lately. I'm glad I found this recipe because it definitely satisfied that need. A good quality white chocolate is key to this recipe working. The pastry recipe for this also adds a lot to the dish. It's an excellent shortbread style dough.
Two years ago: Tomato and Olive Penne
White Chocolate and Raspberry Tartlets (from Ottolenghi)
Ingredients
40g raspberries
180g white chocolate, chopped into tiny pieces
20g unsalted butter, cut into 5mm dice
90ml heavy cream
6 tsp raspberry jam
6 pre-baked tartlet cases
1. Crush fresh raspberries with a fork and pass through fine sieve. Set aside.
2. Put white chocolate and butter in heatproof bowl. Heat cream in saucepan and bring to boil. Pour over chocolate and butter and stir with rubber spatula until smooth.
3. Spoon raspberry jam into tartlet cases and pour chocolate ganache in.
4. Spoon raspberry coulis into center of each tart. Swirl.
5. Transfer to fridge and let set for at least 30 minutes.
Pre-Baked Tartlet Cases
110g plain flour
33g icing sugar
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
pinch of salt
60g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 egg yolk
2 tsp cold water
40g melted butter for brushing
flour for dusting
1. Put flour, icing sugar, zest, and salt in bowl and add butter. Mix ingredients until coarse breadcrumb consistency.
2. Add yolk and water and mix until dough comes together.
3. Remove dough and kneed for a few seconds to shape into smooth disk. Wrap in cling film and chill until ready to use.
4. Brush tartlet tins with a layer of butter and set in fridge.
5. Meanwhile, lightly dust work surface with flour. Roll out pastry to 2 - 3 mm thick and cut out 6 circles. Line tins by placing circles inside, pressing into corners and sides. Rest in fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 300F. Line pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with rice or dry beans. Blind bake for 25 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove from oven.
Two years ago: Tomato and Olive Penne
White Chocolate and Raspberry Tartlets (from Ottolenghi)
Ingredients
40g raspberries
180g white chocolate, chopped into tiny pieces
20g unsalted butter, cut into 5mm dice
90ml heavy cream
6 tsp raspberry jam
6 pre-baked tartlet cases
1. Crush fresh raspberries with a fork and pass through fine sieve. Set aside.
2. Put white chocolate and butter in heatproof bowl. Heat cream in saucepan and bring to boil. Pour over chocolate and butter and stir with rubber spatula until smooth.
3. Spoon raspberry jam into tartlet cases and pour chocolate ganache in.
4. Spoon raspberry coulis into center of each tart. Swirl.
5. Transfer to fridge and let set for at least 30 minutes.
Pre-Baked Tartlet Cases
110g plain flour
33g icing sugar
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
pinch of salt
60g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 egg yolk
2 tsp cold water
40g melted butter for brushing
flour for dusting
1. Put flour, icing sugar, zest, and salt in bowl and add butter. Mix ingredients until coarse breadcrumb consistency.
2. Add yolk and water and mix until dough comes together.
3. Remove dough and kneed for a few seconds to shape into smooth disk. Wrap in cling film and chill until ready to use.
4. Brush tartlet tins with a layer of butter and set in fridge.
5. Meanwhile, lightly dust work surface with flour. Roll out pastry to 2 - 3 mm thick and cut out 6 circles. Line tins by placing circles inside, pressing into corners and sides. Rest in fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 300F. Line pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with rice or dry beans. Blind bake for 25 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove from oven.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Chocolate Nemesis
Easily the best chocolate dessert I've ever made. It looks like chocolate cake, but the chocolate melts in your mouth almost like pudding.
Two years ago: Vegetarian Chili
Chocolate Nemesis (from Real Chocolate)
Ingredients
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
4 large eggs, separated
9 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2/3 cup butter, cut into small pieces
pinch of salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1. Heat oven to 350F and line base of 8" round cake pan with parchment paper.
2. Put 2/3 of sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan with 5 tbsp water. Heat until sugar dissolves.
3. Over low heat, add chocolate and stir until it melts.
4. Stir in butter. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Whisk remaining sugar with egg white, salt and vinegar and beat until soft peaks.
6. Beat egg yolks into chocolate.
7. Fold chocolate mixture into meringue.
8. Bring a large kettleful of water to a boil and pour into a roasting pan. Pour batter into round pan and lower into roasting pan. Water should come up to the rim of the cake pan.
9. Place in oven and bake 30 minutes or until set (firm jelly).
10. Cool completely and serve.
Two years ago: Vegetarian Chili
Chocolate Nemesis (from Real Chocolate)
Ingredients
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
4 large eggs, separated
9 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2/3 cup butter, cut into small pieces
pinch of salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1. Heat oven to 350F and line base of 8" round cake pan with parchment paper.
2. Put 2/3 of sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan with 5 tbsp water. Heat until sugar dissolves.
3. Over low heat, add chocolate and stir until it melts.
4. Stir in butter. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Whisk remaining sugar with egg white, salt and vinegar and beat until soft peaks.
6. Beat egg yolks into chocolate.
7. Fold chocolate mixture into meringue.
8. Bring a large kettleful of water to a boil and pour into a roasting pan. Pour batter into round pan and lower into roasting pan. Water should come up to the rim of the cake pan.
9. Place in oven and bake 30 minutes or until set (firm jelly).
10. Cool completely and serve.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Fudge
I decided that the perfect thing to bring some people at the office was homemade fudge. Of course, I've made fudge in the past, but it was cheater fudge with evaporated milk. I decided this year would be the year to try the real thing. The first batch went smoothly, although it did require more patience and checking of the temperature than I bargained for ... not to mention the anxiety of whether or not it would turn to fudge (the transformation was nothing short of amazing!). I got a little bit cocky for the second batch (of course the mint ones!). Instead of setting, the fudge remained like chocolate taffy. Luckily, the book had remedies for this and I think the finished product turned out amazingly, even if I did have to warn people about foil bits! Unluckily, the transition to saving the dish involved covering the counter and my hands in chocolate. Don't get cocky! I omitted the nuts. They don't belong in fudge in my world!
One year ago: Maple Pecan Pie
Fudge (from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts)
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
1. Generously butter the sides of a 2.5 - 3 qt saucepan. Mix sugar, cocoa, salt, cream, and corn syrup in pan. Stir over moderate heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil.
2. Cover the saucepan for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Uncover the pan and place a thermometer in the pan. Boil without stirring until it reaches 236F.
4. Gently remove from heat. Add butter, do not stir. Let stand until temperature drops to 110F.
5. Prepare a pan, covering the bottom and sides on a loaf pan with aluminum foil.
6. When fudge has cooled, remove thermometer and add vanilla. Beat using a wooden spatula or spoon without stopping until fudge becomes very thick and is barely beginning to lose its shine.
7. Stir in nuts if using. Push mixture into lined pan. Push into smooth layer.
8. As soon as it feels firm but before it hardens, remove from pan by lifting foil and cut into portions with a long, sharp knife.
9. Wrap immediately.
One year ago: Maple Pecan Pie
Fudge (from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts)
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
1. Generously butter the sides of a 2.5 - 3 qt saucepan. Mix sugar, cocoa, salt, cream, and corn syrup in pan. Stir over moderate heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil.
2. Cover the saucepan for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Uncover the pan and place a thermometer in the pan. Boil without stirring until it reaches 236F.
4. Gently remove from heat. Add butter, do not stir. Let stand until temperature drops to 110F.
5. Prepare a pan, covering the bottom and sides on a loaf pan with aluminum foil.
6. When fudge has cooled, remove thermometer and add vanilla. Beat using a wooden spatula or spoon without stopping until fudge becomes very thick and is barely beginning to lose its shine.
7. Stir in nuts if using. Push mixture into lined pan. Push into smooth layer.
8. As soon as it feels firm but before it hardens, remove from pan by lifting foil and cut into portions with a long, sharp knife.
9. Wrap immediately.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Rum Chocolate Cake
I almost forgot to post this dessert, which may be a sign that I've been in dessert overload lately. I was expecting something as rich and chocolately as the nemesis, but this is a bit more cake-like. The original calls for inverting it at the end and serving it with whipped cream, but I passed on that.
One year ago: Sweet and Sour Pork (still a favourite!)
Two years ago: Peanut Flavoured Potatoes
Rum Chocolate Cake (from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts)
Ingredients
4 1/2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup sugar
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 tsp dry instant coffee
2 tbsp boiling water
6 ounces butter (3/4 cup), at room temperature
1/4 cup dark rum
6 eggs, separated
1/4 tsp salt
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the sides of an 8" round cake pan (3" deep) or a 2 1/2 quart souffle dish. Place wax paper in the bottom and butter.
2. Sift the flour and sugar together and set aside.
3. Place chocolate in top of large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat (I did this in a frying pan on low).
4. Dissolve coffee in boiling water and pour over chocolate. Cover pot and leave until chocolate is melted (if using a pan, stir over low until melted, being careful not to burn!).
5. Stir chocolate with a wire whisk until smooth. Gradually add butter about 1/2" slice at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.
6. Whisk in dry ingredients and then the rum. Remove from heat.
7. Place egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and stir lightly with the whisk.
8. Gradually add warm chocolate mixture, stirring well to mix.
9. Add salt to egg whites and beat until they are stiff, but not dry.
10. In two or three additions, fold the whites into the chocolate.
11. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth top.
12. Place prepared pan in a larger but not deeper pan and pour in hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
13. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove smaller pan from hot water and place on rack to cool.
14. Serve at room temperature.
One year ago: Sweet and Sour Pork (still a favourite!)
Two years ago: Peanut Flavoured Potatoes
Rum Chocolate Cake (from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts)
Ingredients
4 1/2 tbsp flour
3/4 cup sugar
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 tsp dry instant coffee
2 tbsp boiling water
6 ounces butter (3/4 cup), at room temperature
1/4 cup dark rum
6 eggs, separated
1/4 tsp salt
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the sides of an 8" round cake pan (3" deep) or a 2 1/2 quart souffle dish. Place wax paper in the bottom and butter.
2. Sift the flour and sugar together and set aside.
3. Place chocolate in top of large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat (I did this in a frying pan on low).
4. Dissolve coffee in boiling water and pour over chocolate. Cover pot and leave until chocolate is melted (if using a pan, stir over low until melted, being careful not to burn!).
5. Stir chocolate with a wire whisk until smooth. Gradually add butter about 1/2" slice at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.
6. Whisk in dry ingredients and then the rum. Remove from heat.
7. Place egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and stir lightly with the whisk.
8. Gradually add warm chocolate mixture, stirring well to mix.
9. Add salt to egg whites and beat until they are stiff, but not dry.
10. In two or three additions, fold the whites into the chocolate.
11. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth top.
12. Place prepared pan in a larger but not deeper pan and pour in hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
13. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove smaller pan from hot water and place on rack to cool.
14. Serve at room temperature.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
After roasting up two pumpkins, we have an abundance of pumpkin puree. While searching Eat Your Books for pumpkiny recipes, I discovered that the boy's chocolate book recipe (that he's sadly never cooked from!) had something that used pumpkin puree. Intrigued and with all of the ingredients on hand, I decided to give this a try. It doesn't have much of a pumpkin flavour; rather, the pumpkin is used to lend a ridiculous level of moistness to the cake. It's a perfect cake for the holiday season. The original recipe fills a Bundt pan, but I scaled in half and used a loaf pan. The original also calls for 6 ounces of walnuts, but I omitted as I don't really like nuts floating around in my chocolate!
One year ago: Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart
Two years ago: Asparagus, Oka, Pine Nuts, and Lemon Pasta
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake (from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts)
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) walnuts, broken into medium pieces (I omitted)
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan (3 quarts).
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter.
4. Add vanilla and sugar to butter and beat well.
5. Add eggs to butter one at a time, scraping and beating after each addition.
6. On low speed, add half of sifted dry ingredients, then pumpkin, and remaining dry ingredients.
7. Stir in nuts.
8. Pour batter into pan.
9. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until cake tester comes out dry and clean.
10. Let stand for 15 minutes. Invert on rack and cool out of pan for several hours or overnight.
One year ago: Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart
Two years ago: Asparagus, Oka, Pine Nuts, and Lemon Pasta
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake (from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts)
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) walnuts, broken into medium pieces (I omitted)
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan (3 quarts).
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter.
4. Add vanilla and sugar to butter and beat well.
5. Add eggs to butter one at a time, scraping and beating after each addition.
6. On low speed, add half of sifted dry ingredients, then pumpkin, and remaining dry ingredients.
7. Stir in nuts.
8. Pour batter into pan.
9. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until cake tester comes out dry and clean.
10. Let stand for 15 minutes. Invert on rack and cool out of pan for several hours or overnight.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Basil, Hazelnut, and Chocolate Cupcakes
It's been a while since I've made a truly impressive dessert, so I was overdue for something overly complex, but completely delicious. Luckily, I have a reliable source for amazing desserts in Desserts for Breakfast (unluckily, her posts always make me want to go bake IMMEDIATELY). Yes, the instructions are long. Yes, it uses a lot of chocolate and eggs. But the results are worth it. So worth it. And as a bonus, it used up the last of the basil from our new weekly vegetable box!
I did make one major change to this recipe. The original calls for making 8 3x2" cakelettes. I decided that cupcakes would be much more manageable and I needed to make a dozen and was hesitant to scale up the recipe. Instead, I made normal cupcakes and ended up with around 18.
One year ago: Mahogany Beef Stew with Red Wine and Hoisin Sauce
Basil, Hazelnut, and Chocolate Cupcakes (from Desserts for Breakfast, originally multiple sources for inspiration)
for cake:
10 Tbspn butter (142g)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (150g)
6 eggs, separated
12 oz. dark chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/2 Tbspn espresso
1 Tbspn vanilla
1/2 tspn salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 18 liners. Set aside.
2. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and light brown sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the egg yolks one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, beating well between each addition.
4. Beat the melted dark chocolate, espresso, vanilla, and salt into the batter until well-combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks.
6. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate batter, then fold the remaining egg whites into the batter just until combined. Be careful not to overmix! [I was a bit concerned because the batter didn't seem to be coming together at all and was clumpy, but it was fine.]
7. Divide the batter evenly amongst the prepared pans. Immediately place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the meringue.
for meringue layer:
2 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
1/2 Tbspn cornstarch
2 egg whites
2 Tbspn sugar
1. Combine the dark chocolate, hazelnuts, and cornstarch.
2. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, gradually adding the sugar as you whisk.
3. Fold in the hazelnuts and chocolate mixture to the egg whites, being careful not to deflate the whites too much.
4. Remove the chocolate cupcakes from the oven and spoon the meringue over the chocolate cupcakes.
5. Return the cakes to the oven for ~15-20 minutes until the meringues are set.
6. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
for basil buttercream:
1 cup whole milk
2 large handfuls of basil, roughly shredded
3/4 cup sugar (170g)
1/4 cup AP flour (30g)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup butter, at room temperature (227g)
green food coloring, optional
1. In a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, combine the milk and the basil. Bring to just a simmer, cover, and let steep for ~30 minutes.
2. Strain the basil from the milk and discard the basil. Set the milk aside.
3. Whisk together the sugar and flour in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in the prepared basil milk and the cream, making sure that there are no clumps.
4. Cook the flour and milk mixture over medium heat until it boils and thickens, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer into a bowl.
5. Beat with a paddle attachment on high until the flour and milk mixture is completely cool.
6. With the mixer on low, gradually add the butter. Then, increase speed to medium-high and whip until light and fluffy. (If the buttercream gets too soft, put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes before re-beating.) Briefly beat in a few drops of green food coloring, if desired.
7. Use immediately to frost the cupcakes.
I did make one major change to this recipe. The original calls for making 8 3x2" cakelettes. I decided that cupcakes would be much more manageable and I needed to make a dozen and was hesitant to scale up the recipe. Instead, I made normal cupcakes and ended up with around 18.
One year ago: Mahogany Beef Stew with Red Wine and Hoisin Sauce
Basil, Hazelnut, and Chocolate Cupcakes (from Desserts for Breakfast, originally multiple sources for inspiration)
for cake:
10 Tbspn butter (142g)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (150g)
6 eggs, separated
12 oz. dark chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/2 Tbspn espresso
1 Tbspn vanilla
1/2 tspn salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 18 liners. Set aside.
2. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and light brown sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the egg yolks one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, beating well between each addition.
4. Beat the melted dark chocolate, espresso, vanilla, and salt into the batter until well-combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks.
6. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate batter, then fold the remaining egg whites into the batter just until combined. Be careful not to overmix! [I was a bit concerned because the batter didn't seem to be coming together at all and was clumpy, but it was fine.]
7. Divide the batter evenly amongst the prepared pans. Immediately place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the meringue.
for meringue layer:
2 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
1/2 Tbspn cornstarch
2 egg whites
2 Tbspn sugar
1. Combine the dark chocolate, hazelnuts, and cornstarch.
2. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, gradually adding the sugar as you whisk.
3. Fold in the hazelnuts and chocolate mixture to the egg whites, being careful not to deflate the whites too much.
4. Remove the chocolate cupcakes from the oven and spoon the meringue over the chocolate cupcakes.
5. Return the cakes to the oven for ~15-20 minutes until the meringues are set.
6. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
for basil buttercream:
1 cup whole milk
2 large handfuls of basil, roughly shredded
3/4 cup sugar (170g)
1/4 cup AP flour (30g)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup butter, at room temperature (227g)
green food coloring, optional
1. In a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, combine the milk and the basil. Bring to just a simmer, cover, and let steep for ~30 minutes.
2. Strain the basil from the milk and discard the basil. Set the milk aside.
3. Whisk together the sugar and flour in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in the prepared basil milk and the cream, making sure that there are no clumps.
4. Cook the flour and milk mixture over medium heat until it boils and thickens, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer into a bowl.
5. Beat with a paddle attachment on high until the flour and milk mixture is completely cool.
6. With the mixer on low, gradually add the butter. Then, increase speed to medium-high and whip until light and fluffy. (If the buttercream gets too soft, put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes before re-beating.) Briefly beat in a few drops of green food coloring, if desired.
7. Use immediately to frost the cupcakes.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Chocolate Mousse
A week ago, faced with a strong chocolate craving and a lack of desire to turn on the oven, I stumbled across this recipe. It's quick, relies on ingredients I generally have on hand, and best of all solves all chocolate cravings. Unfortunately, it does dirty an inordinate amount of dishes, but I suppose a single dish can't have everything going for it. The original below makes 8 servings.
One year ago: Gorgonzola and Grape Pizza
Chocolate Mousse (from Smitten Kitchen, originally Gourmet)
Ingredients
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao), chopped
6 tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon Cognac or other brandy (I used raspberry liqueur)
1 cup very cold heavy or whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Get out one large heatproof, two medium and one small mixing bowl and dust off your electric hand mixer.
2. Place butter and chocolate in large bowl and melt in microwave, stirring until smooth.
3. In the small bowl, beat yolks with your electric mixer until thick enough to form a ribbon that takes a few seconds to dissolve — this will take about two to four minutes to achieve.
4. Whisk yolks into chocolate mixture along with Cognac, then cool to warm.
5. In one of the medium bowls, beat the cream with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks.
6. In the other medium bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks.
7. Fold the whipped cream and beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, gently but thoroughly.
8. Transfer to 8 (4 ounce) ramekins or one large serving bowl, or go restaurant-style, serving it in stemmed glasses with white or dark chocolate shavings on top.
One year ago: Gorgonzola and Grape Pizza
Chocolate Mousse (from Smitten Kitchen, originally Gourmet)
Ingredients
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao), chopped
6 tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon Cognac or other brandy (I used raspberry liqueur)
1 cup very cold heavy or whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Get out one large heatproof, two medium and one small mixing bowl and dust off your electric hand mixer.
2. Place butter and chocolate in large bowl and melt in microwave, stirring until smooth.
3. In the small bowl, beat yolks with your electric mixer until thick enough to form a ribbon that takes a few seconds to dissolve — this will take about two to four minutes to achieve.
4. Whisk yolks into chocolate mixture along with Cognac, then cool to warm.
5. In one of the medium bowls, beat the cream with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks.
6. In the other medium bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks.
7. Fold the whipped cream and beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, gently but thoroughly.
8. Transfer to 8 (4 ounce) ramekins or one large serving bowl, or go restaurant-style, serving it in stemmed glasses with white or dark chocolate shavings on top.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Chocolate Gravy
Given the lawsuits Nutella is facing, I should start by pointing out that there is nothing healthy about this recipe. However, it is creamy and chocolaty and sometimes that's what you need in the morning. Best of all, it's made entirely with ingredients you should have on hand. Serve on top of some fresh out of the oven biscuits. I scaled the recipe in half (original included below) and had more than enough for two people (probably 4 would've been okay!).
One year ago: Peppers Stuffed with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
Chocolate Gravy (from Homesick Texan)
Ingredients
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of butter
1. Mix together in a pot the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon (can sift if it’s too lumpy).
2. Add the milk and while stirring cook on medium heat until it thickens.
3. Stir in the vanilla and butter and serve immediately with biscuits.
One year ago: Peppers Stuffed with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
Chocolate Gravy (from Homesick Texan)
Ingredients
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of butter
1. Mix together in a pot the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon (can sift if it’s too lumpy).
2. Add the milk and while stirring cook on medium heat until it thickens.
3. Stir in the vanilla and butter and serve immediately with biscuits.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Fudgy Mocha Cake
If I hadn't eaten chocolate nemesis, I would likely think this was near the pinnacle of chocolate desserts. Rich and fudgy with a hint of coffee, it is up there.
One year ago: Sausage and Goat Cheese Macaroni
Fudgy Mocha Cake (from Reader's Digest)
Ingredients
1 tsp instant espresso or coffee
1/3 cup boiling water
90g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs separated
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup (60g) cocoa powder
1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8" springform pan, set aside.
2. Dissolve instant coffee in boiling water.
3. Stir in chocolate with water until melted.
4. Stir in vanilla in chocolate.
5. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup (170g) sugar.
6. Beat into sugar the evaporated milk, cocoa, flour, and salt until smooth.
7. Beat chocolate mixture into sugar mixture.
8. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
9. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form.
10. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whites.
11. Spoon into prepared pan.
12. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
One year ago: Sausage and Goat Cheese Macaroni
Fudgy Mocha Cake (from Reader's Digest)
Ingredients
1 tsp instant espresso or coffee
1/3 cup boiling water
90g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs separated
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup (60g) cocoa powder
1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8" springform pan, set aside.
2. Dissolve instant coffee in boiling water.
3. Stir in chocolate with water until melted.
4. Stir in vanilla in chocolate.
5. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup (170g) sugar.
6. Beat into sugar the evaporated milk, cocoa, flour, and salt until smooth.
7. Beat chocolate mixture into sugar mixture.
8. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
9. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form.
10. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whites.
11. Spoon into prepared pan.
12. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
These cupcakes come together quickly and taste so rich. I initially served them very shortly after cooking and the cake portion didn't seem to want to stay together, but after the rest had had the chance to sit, the cupcakes held their shape nicely.
The only change I did was making my own raspberry layer as I had raspberries on hand, but not raspberry preserves.
One year ago: Eggs en Cocotte with Pesto
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes (from Love and Olive Oil)
Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (170g) sugar
1 cup (110g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (40g) cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Raspberry
1 cup raspberries
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 - 2 tbsp sugar
Whipped Ganache Frosting:
8 ounces good semisweet or dark chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract and beat till foamy.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat until no lumps remain (or very few remain).
5. Pour into liners, filling each with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
6. For raspberry layer, finely chop the raspberries in a food processor.
7. Heat raspberries with sugar and cornstarch over medium heat until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.
8. For whipped ganache, finely chop chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl of a stand mixer.
9. Bring heavy cream to a simmer. Slowly pour hot cream over chopped chocolate, and allow to sit for 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is smooth and creamy.
10. Add vanilla, and allow ganache to cool to room temperature.
11. With stand mixer (or handheld electric mixer), whisk on high for 2 to 3 minutes until lighter brown. It should be the consistency of buttercream. If it's too thick, add more cream 1 tablespoon at a time and whip until it is the proper consistency.
12. To assemble, spread a thin layer of raspberry on the cupcakes, and spread or pipe on ganache.
The only change I did was making my own raspberry layer as I had raspberries on hand, but not raspberry preserves.
One year ago: Eggs en Cocotte with Pesto
Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes (from Love and Olive Oil)
Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (170g) sugar
1 cup (110g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (40g) cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Raspberry
1 cup raspberries
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 - 2 tbsp sugar
Whipped Ganache Frosting:
8 ounces good semisweet or dark chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract and beat till foamy.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and beat until no lumps remain (or very few remain).
5. Pour into liners, filling each with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
6. For raspberry layer, finely chop the raspberries in a food processor.
7. Heat raspberries with sugar and cornstarch over medium heat until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.
8. For whipped ganache, finely chop chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl of a stand mixer.
9. Bring heavy cream to a simmer. Slowly pour hot cream over chopped chocolate, and allow to sit for 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is smooth and creamy.
10. Add vanilla, and allow ganache to cool to room temperature.
11. With stand mixer (or handheld electric mixer), whisk on high for 2 to 3 minutes until lighter brown. It should be the consistency of buttercream. If it's too thick, add more cream 1 tablespoon at a time and whip until it is the proper consistency.
12. To assemble, spread a thin layer of raspberry on the cupcakes, and spread or pipe on ganache.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Impossible Chocolate Flan
This is another recipe that falls into the I saw it and had to make it category. Despite it's polished finished look and delicious taste, it's actually remarkably easy to make. The most important part is to make sure you're using a deep enough pan (the original suggests a pan that's at least 2 inches deep). If you're using a springform pan, you'll probably want to line it to ensure there's no leakage. A silicone pan is ideal.
The most amazing thing about this recipe? It's flips while it's cooking. The chocolate layer is poured on the bottom, but rises above the flan while the dish cooks. The finished top didn't look too pretty, so I wasn't certain I'd succeeded:
I was also a little bit anxious about the liquid layer that seemed to be between the sides of the cake and the pan, but once I flipped it and sliced into it, I discovered the cake had turned out perfectly:
I made one major change to this recipe. Canadian evaporated milk is sold in smaller quantities than US evaporated milk. Rather than buying 2 cans, I figured the missing 2 ounces or so of evaporated milk wouldn't be missed. If you want, you could try to do the amounts correctly, but I don't think anyone minded. I also omitted the nut garnish ... who would mar this silky smoothness with nuts?
One year ago: Tostados
Impossible Chocolate Flan (from The Dog's Breakfast, originally My Sweet Mexico by Fany Gerson)
Ingredients
1 cup cajeta or dulce de leche
Cake
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Flan
1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk (or use the Canadian size of 300ml)
1 (14-oz.) can condensed milk (or use the Canadian size)
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 9 1/2 -inch diameter (2 inches deep) cake pan.
2. Pour the cajeta over the bottom and sides of the cake pan using a brush or the back of a spoon (you can heat the cajeta very slightly in the microwave so that it is easier to spread).
3. Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until well blended.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla.
5. Add to the flour mixture, whisking until thoroughly combined.
6. Pour the cake batter into the pan and set aside.
7. Combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt in a blender and blend until there are no visible lumps.
8. Pour gently over the cake batter.
9. Cover loosely with foil, place in a large baking dish, and fill the baking dish with hot water so that it comes halfway up the sides. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
10. Remove the cake pan from the baking dish and allow to cool for at least 4 hours or refrigerate overnight. To unmold, lightly pass a warm knife around the edge, place a plate or dish on top, and carefully but rapidly flip over. Serve cold or at room temperature.
The most amazing thing about this recipe? It's flips while it's cooking. The chocolate layer is poured on the bottom, but rises above the flan while the dish cooks. The finished top didn't look too pretty, so I wasn't certain I'd succeeded:
I made one major change to this recipe. Canadian evaporated milk is sold in smaller quantities than US evaporated milk. Rather than buying 2 cans, I figured the missing 2 ounces or so of evaporated milk wouldn't be missed. If you want, you could try to do the amounts correctly, but I don't think anyone minded. I also omitted the nut garnish ... who would mar this silky smoothness with nuts?
One year ago: Tostados
Impossible Chocolate Flan (from The Dog's Breakfast, originally My Sweet Mexico by Fany Gerson)
Ingredients
1 cup cajeta or dulce de leche
Cake
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Flan
1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk (or use the Canadian size of 300ml)
1 (14-oz.) can condensed milk (or use the Canadian size)
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 9 1/2 -inch diameter (2 inches deep) cake pan.
2. Pour the cajeta over the bottom and sides of the cake pan using a brush or the back of a spoon (you can heat the cajeta very slightly in the microwave so that it is easier to spread).
3. Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until well blended.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla.
5. Add to the flour mixture, whisking until thoroughly combined.
6. Pour the cake batter into the pan and set aside.
7. Combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt in a blender and blend until there are no visible lumps.
8. Pour gently over the cake batter.
9. Cover loosely with foil, place in a large baking dish, and fill the baking dish with hot water so that it comes halfway up the sides. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
10. Remove the cake pan from the baking dish and allow to cool for at least 4 hours or refrigerate overnight. To unmold, lightly pass a warm knife around the edge, place a plate or dish on top, and carefully but rapidly flip over. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Mocha Cupcakes with Kahlua Frosting
As a warning, this recipe will likely be my last post until after I return from American Thanksgiving. With luck, I'll return with some good classic Southern recipes to share. In the meantime, feel free to revisit the Thanksgiving recipe bonanza from last year.
A friend of mine is hosting a board game afternoon today, so of course I wanted to make cupcakes to bring over to her place. After consulting with her preferences (she wanted something with coffee in it), I decided to make a recipe I've been eying since mid-summer when baking was less than a popular activity in my apartment. The original recipe calls for a berry buttercream frosting, but it's definitely not the time of year for berries and I have a bottle of kahlua from making the cappuccino fudge cheesecake. My only complaint with the kahlua frosting is that it didn't setup very nicely (I probably should've chilled it before trying to pipe the cupcakes!), but it's delicious so I'm going to go ahead and share it with you! I also now have 8 egg whites sitting in the freezer, so expect some experimental chocolate peppermint macarons for the holidays.
The only changes I made to the cupcake recipe were to only use dutch-processed cocoa powder (she also uses black cocoa) and to only use espresso powder (she uses espresso and instant coffee).
Mocha Cupcakes (adapted from Desserts for Breakfast) with Kahlua Frosting (from Crazy Monkey House Eats)
Ingredients for Cupcakes
makes ~15-18 regular-sized cupcakes (or 12 with one ramekin for tasting before you go to the party)
1 cup (225g) sugar
1 cup (110g) flour
8 tbsp (48g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
4 Tbspn espresso powder, divided
1/2 tspn salt
1 tspn baking powder
1 tspn baking soda
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup boiling water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the cupcake molds with cupcake liners and set aside.
2. In a mixer bowl, combine sugar, flour, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, 2 tbsp espresso powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the beaten egg, vegetable oil, and milk. Stir to mix.
4. Then, with the mixer on low, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low until evenly distributed.
5. Combine the boiling water and 2 tbsp espresso powder.
6. Pour the hot coffee into the cake batter and mix on medium low until smooth, making sure to occasionally scrape the bottom of the bowl.
7. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes. When a toothpick inserted at the center of the cupcake comes out cleanly, the cakes are done. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Ingredients for frosting
8 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
4 tbs kahlua
1 1/2 butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
1. In a double boiler over boiling water, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and kahlua. Whisk until the mixture becomes thick and has a pale, even color (5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool.
2. In a mixer bowl, combine the butter and vanilla. Mix with the electric mixer until the butter is very fluffy.
3. Slowly incorporate the kahlua mixture into the butter. Mix until well blended. The frosting is now ready to use.
A friend of mine is hosting a board game afternoon today, so of course I wanted to make cupcakes to bring over to her place. After consulting with her preferences (she wanted something with coffee in it), I decided to make a recipe I've been eying since mid-summer when baking was less than a popular activity in my apartment. The original recipe calls for a berry buttercream frosting, but it's definitely not the time of year for berries and I have a bottle of kahlua from making the cappuccino fudge cheesecake. My only complaint with the kahlua frosting is that it didn't setup very nicely (I probably should've chilled it before trying to pipe the cupcakes!), but it's delicious so I'm going to go ahead and share it with you! I also now have 8 egg whites sitting in the freezer, so expect some experimental chocolate peppermint macarons for the holidays.
The only changes I made to the cupcake recipe were to only use dutch-processed cocoa powder (she also uses black cocoa) and to only use espresso powder (she uses espresso and instant coffee).
Mocha Cupcakes (adapted from Desserts for Breakfast) with Kahlua Frosting (from Crazy Monkey House Eats)
Ingredients for Cupcakes
makes ~15-18 regular-sized cupcakes (or 12 with one ramekin for tasting before you go to the party)
1 cup (225g) sugar
1 cup (110g) flour
8 tbsp (48g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
4 Tbspn espresso powder, divided
1/2 tspn salt
1 tspn baking powder
1 tspn baking soda
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup boiling water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the cupcake molds with cupcake liners and set aside.
2. In a mixer bowl, combine sugar, flour, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, 2 tbsp espresso powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the beaten egg, vegetable oil, and milk. Stir to mix.
4. Then, with the mixer on low, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low until evenly distributed.
5. Combine the boiling water and 2 tbsp espresso powder.
6. Pour the hot coffee into the cake batter and mix on medium low until smooth, making sure to occasionally scrape the bottom of the bowl.
7. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes. When a toothpick inserted at the center of the cupcake comes out cleanly, the cakes are done. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Ingredients for frosting
8 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
4 tbs kahlua
1 1/2 butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
1. In a double boiler over boiling water, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and kahlua. Whisk until the mixture becomes thick and has a pale, even color (5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool.
2. In a mixer bowl, combine the butter and vanilla. Mix with the electric mixer until the butter is very fluffy.
3. Slowly incorporate the kahlua mixture into the butter. Mix until well blended. The frosting is now ready to use.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Cappucinno Fudge Cheesecake
This recipe has been on my mind for nearly a year. The problem was, it's a ridiculously complex dessert ... and quite the investment in cream cheese, chocolate, and other ingredients. I also wanted to save it for an occasion when I would have plenty of as Smitten Kitchen warns that it's decadent and serves more like 30. Apparently she's never met my friend's because my group of 22 only left one small piece after finishing off a bourbon pumpkin cheesecake, some mint brownies, making a dent in homemade applesauce, and eating a fair amount of other food. All of this food was for a 3-part celebration (or excuse to eat): my belated two year anniversary of being in Canada, the belated one year anniversary of this little food blog, and an early American Thanksgiving as I'll be with family for Thanksgiving this year. A good food blogger would've gotten pictures of the food and on that point, I failed miserably ... except for a before and after of this cheesecake. Here you see my less than stellar icing skills:
And in this after shot, you can see the layers of the cake. The bottom is a cookie crust, followed by a kahlua-spiked chocolate ganache, then espresso flavoured cheesecake, then a vanilla flavoured sweetened sour cream layer, and finally the beautiful icing!
Be warned, this recipe is a lot of work and time intensive (a lot of cooling, although I think I should've served it slightly cooler as the ganache layer was slightly hard). To prevent being pressed for time, I did the cookie and ganache layers the night before (hooray for cooking at midnight!). My only complaint with this recipe is that the crust came out a little hard. I have three theories for what went wrong. (1) I think I may have slightly burnt the cookies before turning them into crumbs. I pulled the chocolate crumb dough out of the freezer as leftovers from a previous recipe and overcompensated for the frozen dough by upping the cooking time too much. (2) The cheesecake portion of the dish did not want to set, so I kept cooking it (slightly burning the top, which I cut off after it puffed too much and served as a lovely breakfast on the day of cooking) and likely burned the cookie crust more. (3) My springform pan let the kahlua and possibly butter leak out, removing much needed moisture. I need to work on forming a better seal with it. Luckily, the crust certainly did not sink the dish!
Two other comments: SK says for a 9" inch pan instead of 10" to use 3/4 of the cheesecake layer. I put the full amount in and it fit, so go ahead and make the full amount. Leftovers can always be placed in other dishes or trimmed! I weighted the cream cheese using my scale. Eyeballing it though, 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese appeared to work out to roughly 3 250g packages minus about 1/4 cup or so of the last package.
One year ago: Tomato Sausage Risotto (If you haven't tried this recipe yet, make it this week!)
Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake (from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Bon Appetit)
Ingredients
Crust
1 9-ounce box chocolate wafer cookies or 9 ounces of homemade chocolate wafers
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
7 tablespoons hot melted unsalted butter
Ganache
1 1/2 cups heavy or whipping cream
20 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur
Filling
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese (for metric, see note above), room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee crystals
1 1/2 tablespoons ground whole espresso coffee beans (medium-coarse grind ... I used the ground espresso I have on hand for my morning drink which is a finer grind)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons mild-flavored (light) molasses (I think I used dark)
3 large eggs
Topping
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Make crust:
1. Finely grind cookies, chopped chocolate, brown sugar, and nutmeg in processor. 2. Add butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together, scraping down bowl occasionally, about 1 minute (my processor wasn't big enough, so I stirred together by hand).
3. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides.
4. Wrap plastic wrap around fingers and press crumb mixture firmly up sides to within 1/2 inch of top edge, then over bottom of pan.
Make ganache:
5. Bring cream to simmer in large saucepan (I heated in the microwave with the chocolate to save time).
6. Remove from heat; add chocolate and Kahlúa.
7. Whisk until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth.
8. Pour 2 cups ganache over bottom of crust.
9. Freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes.
10. Reserve remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for decorating.
Make filling:
11. Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F.
12. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until blended.
13. Beat in flour. Stir rum, espresso powder, ground coffee, vanilla, and molasses in small bowl until instant coffee dissolves; beat into cream cheese mixture.
14. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.
15. Pour filling over cold ganache in crust — it will go nearly all of the way to the top, don’t panic.
16. Place cheesecake on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until top is brown, puffed and cracked at edges, and the center two inches moves only slightly when pan is gently shaken, about one hour.
17. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Cool 15 minutes while preparing topping (top of cheesecake will fall slightly, making room for topping). Maintain oven temperature.
Make topping:
18. Whisk sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl to blend.
19. Pour topping over hot cheesecake, spreading to cover filling completely.
20. Bake until topping is set, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack.
21. Refrigerate hot cheesecake on rack until cool, about three hours.
22. Run small sharp knife between crust and pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides. Transfer cheesecake to platter.
23. Spoon reserved ganache into pastry bag fitted with small star tip and decorate as desired.
24. Chill until lattice is firm, at least 6 hours.
Be warned, this recipe is a lot of work and time intensive (a lot of cooling, although I think I should've served it slightly cooler as the ganache layer was slightly hard). To prevent being pressed for time, I did the cookie and ganache layers the night before (hooray for cooking at midnight!). My only complaint with this recipe is that the crust came out a little hard. I have three theories for what went wrong. (1) I think I may have slightly burnt the cookies before turning them into crumbs. I pulled the chocolate crumb dough out of the freezer as leftovers from a previous recipe and overcompensated for the frozen dough by upping the cooking time too much. (2) The cheesecake portion of the dish did not want to set, so I kept cooking it (slightly burning the top, which I cut off after it puffed too much and served as a lovely breakfast on the day of cooking) and likely burned the cookie crust more. (3) My springform pan let the kahlua and possibly butter leak out, removing much needed moisture. I need to work on forming a better seal with it. Luckily, the crust certainly did not sink the dish!
Two other comments: SK says for a 9" inch pan instead of 10" to use 3/4 of the cheesecake layer. I put the full amount in and it fit, so go ahead and make the full amount. Leftovers can always be placed in other dishes or trimmed! I weighted the cream cheese using my scale. Eyeballing it though, 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese appeared to work out to roughly 3 250g packages minus about 1/4 cup or so of the last package.
One year ago: Tomato Sausage Risotto (If you haven't tried this recipe yet, make it this week!)
Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake (from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Bon Appetit)
Ingredients
Crust
1 9-ounce box chocolate wafer cookies or 9 ounces of homemade chocolate wafers
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
7 tablespoons hot melted unsalted butter
Ganache
1 1/2 cups heavy or whipping cream
20 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur
Filling
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese (for metric, see note above), room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee crystals
1 1/2 tablespoons ground whole espresso coffee beans (medium-coarse grind ... I used the ground espresso I have on hand for my morning drink which is a finer grind)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons mild-flavored (light) molasses (I think I used dark)
3 large eggs
Topping
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Make crust:
1. Finely grind cookies, chopped chocolate, brown sugar, and nutmeg in processor. 2. Add butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together, scraping down bowl occasionally, about 1 minute (my processor wasn't big enough, so I stirred together by hand).
3. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides.
4. Wrap plastic wrap around fingers and press crumb mixture firmly up sides to within 1/2 inch of top edge, then over bottom of pan.
Make ganache:
5. Bring cream to simmer in large saucepan (I heated in the microwave with the chocolate to save time).
6. Remove from heat; add chocolate and Kahlúa.
7. Whisk until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth.
8. Pour 2 cups ganache over bottom of crust.
9. Freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes.
10. Reserve remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for decorating.
Make filling:
11. Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F.
12. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until blended.
13. Beat in flour. Stir rum, espresso powder, ground coffee, vanilla, and molasses in small bowl until instant coffee dissolves; beat into cream cheese mixture.
14. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.
15. Pour filling over cold ganache in crust — it will go nearly all of the way to the top, don’t panic.
16. Place cheesecake on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until top is brown, puffed and cracked at edges, and the center two inches moves only slightly when pan is gently shaken, about one hour.
17. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Cool 15 minutes while preparing topping (top of cheesecake will fall slightly, making room for topping). Maintain oven temperature.
Make topping:
18. Whisk sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl to blend.
19. Pour topping over hot cheesecake, spreading to cover filling completely.
20. Bake until topping is set, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack.
21. Refrigerate hot cheesecake on rack until cool, about three hours.
22. Run small sharp knife between crust and pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides. Transfer cheesecake to platter.
23. Spoon reserved ganache into pastry bag fitted with small star tip and decorate as desired.
24. Chill until lattice is firm, at least 6 hours.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Mini Chocolate Pavolvas with Raspberry Curd
A series of posts on foodbuzz and foodgawker had planted in my mind the idea of making little cups of meringue and filling it with some kind of fruit curd. A white meringue seemed a bit boring though, so inspired by last month's daring baker's challenge of chocolate pavlovas, I settled on a chocolate meringue. The fruit choice was simple ... raspberries, of course. They're plentiful and delicious right now.
Sadly, my piping skills leave something to be desired, so instead of being cups or nests of meringue, these turned into round blobs of meringue with curd piled on top. Thankfully, they taste so good that I don't care.
I made a full batch of raspberry curd using the method from desserts for breakfast. The version I'm linking to has lime in it which sounds even more amazing, but I didn't think would mesh particularly well with chocolate. You'll have plenty of raspberry curd left over, but you could use it as a tart filling, between layers of cake, spread of biscuits, or just off the spoon. It should keep for about a month in an air-tight jar.
Mini Chocolate Pavlovas with Raspberry Curd (meringue from B More Sweet)
Ingredients
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
raspberry curd (see below)
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300F. Line two baking sheet with silpat or parchment and set aside.
2. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.
3. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)
4. Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)
5. If you're ambitious, you could try forming these into little cups using a piping bag. If not, you can just form little meringue cakes on the baking sheet. I made about 5.
6. Place in oven and immediately lower temperature to 250F. Bake for 1 hour or until outside appears to be dry (don't open the oven!). Turn off oven and allow to cool inside without opening the door.
7. When cooled, top with raspberry curd.
Raspberry Curd (method from Desserts for Breakfast)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/3 cup boiling water
1. In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries until smooth.
2. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually blend in the raspberry puree.
3. Add the egg yolks and butter, blending until smooth.
4. Gradually add in the boiling water, stirring constantly.
5. Place the saucepan on medium high heat and bring to a full boil, stirring gently with a spatula and scraping the bottom (to prevent burning). Once the mixture begins to thicken, reduce the heat and simmer for one minute.
6. Remove the curd from heat and let cool.
Sadly, my piping skills leave something to be desired, so instead of being cups or nests of meringue, these turned into round blobs of meringue with curd piled on top. Thankfully, they taste so good that I don't care.
I made a full batch of raspberry curd using the method from desserts for breakfast. The version I'm linking to has lime in it which sounds even more amazing, but I didn't think would mesh particularly well with chocolate. You'll have plenty of raspberry curd left over, but you could use it as a tart filling, between layers of cake, spread of biscuits, or just off the spoon. It should keep for about a month in an air-tight jar.
Mini Chocolate Pavlovas with Raspberry Curd (meringue from B More Sweet)
Ingredients
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
raspberry curd (see below)
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300F. Line two baking sheet with silpat or parchment and set aside.
2. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.
3. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)
4. Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)
5. If you're ambitious, you could try forming these into little cups using a piping bag. If not, you can just form little meringue cakes on the baking sheet. I made about 5.
6. Place in oven and immediately lower temperature to 250F. Bake for 1 hour or until outside appears to be dry (don't open the oven!). Turn off oven and allow to cool inside without opening the door.
7. When cooled, top with raspberry curd.
Raspberry Curd (method from Desserts for Breakfast)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/3 cup boiling water
1. In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries until smooth.
2. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually blend in the raspberry puree.
3. Add the egg yolks and butter, blending until smooth.
4. Gradually add in the boiling water, stirring constantly.
5. Place the saucepan on medium high heat and bring to a full boil, stirring gently with a spatula and scraping the bottom (to prevent burning). Once the mixture begins to thicken, reduce the heat and simmer for one minute.
6. Remove the curd from heat and let cool.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Chocolate Orbit Cake with Blackberry-Cassis Sauce
This cake is nothing short of sensational. It's rich, decadent, and well simply amazing. The blackberry-cassis sauce is the perfect complement to the cake. I scaled the cake recipe down (original below) and made a full version of the sauce, so there's plenty left over. I can't wait to find something to do it justice.
I used a mixture of semisweet and regular dark chocolate and it came out just fine. The original sauce recipe called for 1 bag of frozen blackberries and 1 - 2 baskets of fresh blackberries. I had no idea how much that should be (and don't have easy access to frozen foods right now), so I just used 12 ounces of fresh blackberries.
Chocolate Orbit Cake with Blackberry-Cassis Sauce (from Desserts for Breakfast) (from Room for Dessert by David Lebovitz)
Ingredients
for cake
1/2 pound butter, in small chunks
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
for sauce
12 ounces fresh blackberries
1/3 cup creme de cassis
1/4 cup sugar, approx.
juice of 1/2 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
1 tspn cornstarch
Cake directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line the bottom of a 9" round pan with parchment paper and butter the bottom and sides.
3. Combine the butter and chocolate in a double boiler. Cook until melted. (I just microwaved it together to save time.)
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and the eggs.
5. Whisk in the melted chocolate to the sugar and eggs.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and place this cake pan into a water bath, with warm water reaching about half-way up the sides.
7. Cover tightly with foil.
8. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cake appears set and your finger comes away clean when you touch the center.
9. Remove from oven and water bath and let cool completely.
Sauce directions
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the blackberries, until they begin to release their juices.
2. Add in the creme de cassis, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and bring to a simmer.
3. When the liquid begins to simmer, spoon about 1/4 cup of the liquid into a small bowl. Add the cornstarch to the liquid in the bowl and whisk thoroughly until the cornstarch is dissolved. Return the cornstarch mixture to the berries cooking in the saucepan.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow to boil for about a minute.
5. Reduce heat to a simmer until the liquid begins to be syrupy. Remove from heat--serve warm immediately or reheat in microwave before serving (if you are freezing the sauce for later use).
I used a mixture of semisweet and regular dark chocolate and it came out just fine. The original sauce recipe called for 1 bag of frozen blackberries and 1 - 2 baskets of fresh blackberries. I had no idea how much that should be (and don't have easy access to frozen foods right now), so I just used 12 ounces of fresh blackberries.
Chocolate Orbit Cake with Blackberry-Cassis Sauce (from Desserts for Breakfast) (from Room for Dessert by David Lebovitz)
Ingredients
for cake
1/2 pound butter, in small chunks
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
for sauce
12 ounces fresh blackberries
1/3 cup creme de cassis
1/4 cup sugar, approx.
juice of 1/2 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
1 tspn cornstarch
Cake directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line the bottom of a 9" round pan with parchment paper and butter the bottom and sides.
3. Combine the butter and chocolate in a double boiler. Cook until melted. (I just microwaved it together to save time.)
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and the eggs.
5. Whisk in the melted chocolate to the sugar and eggs.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and place this cake pan into a water bath, with warm water reaching about half-way up the sides.
7. Cover tightly with foil.
8. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the cake appears set and your finger comes away clean when you touch the center.
9. Remove from oven and water bath and let cool completely.
Sauce directions
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the blackberries, until they begin to release their juices.
2. Add in the creme de cassis, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and bring to a simmer.
3. When the liquid begins to simmer, spoon about 1/4 cup of the liquid into a small bowl. Add the cornstarch to the liquid in the bowl and whisk thoroughly until the cornstarch is dissolved. Return the cornstarch mixture to the berries cooking in the saucepan.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow to boil for about a minute.
5. Reduce heat to a simmer until the liquid begins to be syrupy. Remove from heat--serve warm immediately or reheat in microwave before serving (if you are freezing the sauce for later use).
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Oscars are just another excuse to bake!
I don't normally pay much attention to the Oscars. Sometimes I manage to have it on in the background, but actually paying attention to it? I can't remember the last time that happened ... until this year. This year, I decided it was the perfect excuse to have people over for dessert and managed to watch all of the Oscars!
We ended up with quite a spread ... cheese, more cheese, hummus:
Chuy's Mango Margaritas (from Robb Walsh's The Tex-Mex Cookbook)
Note: This cookbook is amazing for giving some background on the glories of Tex-Mex cooking and the fact that this recipe is associated with one of my favourite Austin places for gigantic burritos and queso just makes me incredibly happy ... although Baby A's does have slightly better margaritas IMO! This recipe makes 2 margaritas according to the notes ... scale up!
Ingredients
2 shots silver tequila
1 shot Cointreau
1/4 fresh mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
juice of 1/2 lime
1 cup crushed ice
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until slushy.
1 cup cocoa
1 tspn salt
2 tspn baking powder
2 tspn baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup veggie oil
1 cup milk
1 cup boiling water (I substituted some freshly brewed espresso)
peppermint dark chocolate ganache (recipe below)
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add veggie oil and milk. Mix to combine.
4. Add the eggs, oil, and milk to the dry ingredients, beating to combine thoroughly.
5. Add boiling water or coffee/espresso. Combine thoroughly.
6. Fill the souffle dishes 1/2 full. Place a tbsp or so of peppermint ganache in the middle of the batter. Cover the ganache with a tiny bit more of batter. Be careful not to overfill the molds, as they will overflow.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until done. (The toothpick test probably doesn't work here, since the insides are filled with chocolate ganache. Use your sense of smell, your intuition, and make sure the cakes aren't jiggly before you pull them out!)
We ended up with quite a spread ... cheese, more cheese, hummus:
See the thing that looks like orange juice? That's a mango margarita. Before Christmas, one of my friends suggested everyone bring back an alcoholic beverage from the holidays that is typical of their home. We're a fairly diverse group, so it seemed like a great idea. I thought about bringing back some Lone Star, but really when I think of Texas and alcohol, I think of frozen margaritas. The international liquor party hasn't happened yet though and I'd gotten impatient to try the mango margarita recipe I found ... so I decided the timing was right for mango-y goodness.
After the cheese, came the chocolate. One person made the chocolate souffle cupcakes again (and did a better job with the cream than me!). Someone else brought some delicious chocolate and cream cheese cupcakes:
But what was I going to make? I'd been on a lemon streak the week before and felt a little burnt out on citrus (it might've had something to do with making a batch of lemon curd, not being entirely happy with it, so not sharing it, and then finishing it all myself!). I also wanted to make something that wasn't easily transportable, because isn't that one of the benefits of hosting a party? I thought about the cappuccino fudge cheesecake that I've wanted to taste for the past three months, but it seemed a little too involved for a weekend where the weather is so perfect all you want to do is spend time outdoors! Finally, I settled on mint lava cakes from a new blog that I think may soon become a favourite. Success!
Chuy's Mango Margaritas (from Robb Walsh's The Tex-Mex Cookbook)
Note: This cookbook is amazing for giving some background on the glories of Tex-Mex cooking and the fact that this recipe is associated with one of my favourite Austin places for gigantic burritos and queso just makes me incredibly happy ... although Baby A's does have slightly better margaritas IMO! This recipe makes 2 margaritas according to the notes ... scale up!
Ingredients
2 shots silver tequila
1 shot Cointreau
1/4 fresh mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
juice of 1/2 lime
1 cup crushed ice
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until slushy.
Note: The original recipe says it makes 36 cupcakes. I cut it in half and used it to make 8 lava cakes in souffle dishes. I probably would've been better off making 6 as the cakes were a little short! For the peppermint ganache, I thought about scaling in half, but then decided I might as well use up the dark chocolate so ended up scaling to 3/4. I had a little ganache leftover ... not necessarily a bad thing! The original recipe is included below.
2 cup sugar
2 cup flour1 cup cocoa
1 tspn salt
2 tspn baking powder
2 tspn baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup veggie oil
1 cup milk
1 cup boiling water (I substituted some freshly brewed espresso)
peppermint dark chocolate ganache (recipe below)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a mixer bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Combine thoroughly.3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add veggie oil and milk. Mix to combine.
4. Add the eggs, oil, and milk to the dry ingredients, beating to combine thoroughly.
5. Add boiling water or coffee/espresso. Combine thoroughly.
6. Fill the souffle dishes 1/2 full. Place a tbsp or so of peppermint ganache in the middle of the batter. Cover the ganache with a tiny bit more of batter. Be careful not to overfill the molds, as they will overflow.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until done. (The toothpick test probably doesn't work here, since the insides are filled with chocolate ganache. Use your sense of smell, your intuition, and make sure the cakes aren't jiggly before you pull them out!)
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Ganache (the original calls for peppermint schnapps and candy canes ... I skipped these)
8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbpsn butter
1 tbsp peppermint extract1. Place chopped dark chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cream and butter. Stir and bring to just barely a boil.
3. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and pour over the prepared dark chocolate. Allow to sit for two to three minutes, then stir until the chocolate melts into the cream.
4. Stir in the peppermint extract.
5. Allow the ganache to set in the fridge overnight before use. (I was running behind and stuck it in the freezer for a while to harden. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have cooled it to let it harden as it made it a little too difficult to scoop into the souffle dishes!).Saturday, February 27, 2010
Hockey and Baking
The other meals I made this week created a ridiculous amount of leftovers, but still I had the urge to cook something. TV has been dominated lately by the Olympics coverage and in Montreal, that means hockey. I'd never watched a hockey game before moving here. It's one of those mysterious sports that doesn't really seem at all relevant to Texas where football dominates all other sports. I'm finding myself getting excited by it though ... and after baking during the two winning Canadian men's games following the defeat to the USA, I decided that it was required for me to bake during the semi-final game. For the Germany game, it was nutella chocolate lava cake. For the Russia game, it was a raspberry and lime tart. For the Slovakia game, it was chocolate cupcakes with espresso buttercream frosting. I'm also including a bonus lemon buttercream frosting recipe from the cupcakes I made for a movie afternoon last weekend.
Chocolate Nutella Molten Lava Cake (from bell'alimento)
The original recipe makes 4 lava cakes. I scaled it down to be 1/3 of the original recipe. The baking dish I used was a little on the large side, so it made one giant lava cake (slightly too much for me to eat alone)... I really need to buy some ramekins! 1/2 tsp of instant espresso powder would probably enhance the flavour nicely, but I was making this late at night and didn't bother.
Ingredients
2 oz of semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 tbsp of Nutella
2 tbsp of Flour
~3 tbsp of Unsalted Butter
1 whole eggs + 1 additional egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar
1. Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave (or a double-boiler if you're feeling fancy). Stir until fully melted and well combined.
2. Place the eggs & sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. With the whisk attachment mix on medium-high speed until they become light & thick (about 8-9 mins).
3. When light and thick, add flour to the eggs and mix.
4. Slowly and carefully, pour the chocolate into the egg mixture. Mix on low until well combined and develops a glossy sheen - about 5 or 6 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a ramekin with cooking spray.
6. Ladle batter halfway up the side of the ramekin. Spoon nutella into the ramekin. Cover with remaining batter.
7. Bake for 10 - 14 minutes until outside is solid and top is soft, but not jiggly. Invert on a plate and serve.
Raspberry and Lime Custard Tart (from epicurious)
I needed to use up some limes, raspberries, heavy cream, a pie shell, and eggs and found this gem. The original includes a recipe for the pie shell, but I'm not enough of a baker to make them myself and just used a premade shell.
Ingredients
1 9" pie shell
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
1 cup raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, heavy cream, eggs, lime juice, and lime zest.
3. Pour custard into tart shell. Reduce oven heat to 250F. Bake tart on baking sheet in middle of oven 30 minutes and transfer to rack to cool. (Custard will continue to set as tart cools.)
4. In a small saucepan cook 1 cup raspberries and sugar over moderately low heat, mashing with a fork and stirring occasionally, 5 minutes and pour through a fine sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard solids and cool raspberry mixture.
5. Pour cooked raspberry mixture over custard.
Chocolate Nutella Molten Lava Cake (from bell'alimento)
The original recipe makes 4 lava cakes. I scaled it down to be 1/3 of the original recipe. The baking dish I used was a little on the large side, so it made one giant lava cake (slightly too much for me to eat alone)... I really need to buy some ramekins! 1/2 tsp of instant espresso powder would probably enhance the flavour nicely, but I was making this late at night and didn't bother.
Ingredients
2 oz of semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 tbsp of Nutella
2 tbsp of Flour
~3 tbsp of Unsalted Butter
1 whole eggs + 1 additional egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar
1. Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave (or a double-boiler if you're feeling fancy). Stir until fully melted and well combined.
2. Place the eggs & sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. With the whisk attachment mix on medium-high speed until they become light & thick (about 8-9 mins).
3. When light and thick, add flour to the eggs and mix.
4. Slowly and carefully, pour the chocolate into the egg mixture. Mix on low until well combined and develops a glossy sheen - about 5 or 6 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a ramekin with cooking spray.
6. Ladle batter halfway up the side of the ramekin. Spoon nutella into the ramekin. Cover with remaining batter.
7. Bake for 10 - 14 minutes until outside is solid and top is soft, but not jiggly. Invert on a plate and serve.
Raspberry and Lime Custard Tart (from epicurious)
I needed to use up some limes, raspberries, heavy cream, a pie shell, and eggs and found this gem. The original includes a recipe for the pie shell, but I'm not enough of a baker to make them myself and just used a premade shell.
Ingredients
1 9" pie shell
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
1 cup raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, heavy cream, eggs, lime juice, and lime zest.
3. Pour custard into tart shell. Reduce oven heat to 250F. Bake tart on baking sheet in middle of oven 30 minutes and transfer to rack to cool. (Custard will continue to set as tart cools.)
4. In a small saucepan cook 1 cup raspberries and sugar over moderately low heat, mashing with a fork and stirring occasionally, 5 minutes and pour through a fine sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard solids and cool raspberry mixture.
5. Pour cooked raspberry mixture over custard.
I never knew that real buttercream frostings are egg based and not just a mixture of powdered sugar and butter/shortening! It's surprisingly fun to make. This recipe has been cut in half from the original. It makes about 9 cupcakes, maybe 12 if you fill them a little less (mine came out rather tall). The original has espresso buttercream between the layers and a chocolate ganache poured on top. I'm sure it would be amazing with the ganache as well, but it's great with just the espresso buttercream. I think my favourite chocolate cake recipe remains this one though.
Ingredients
Cake
3/4 cups sugar
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large eggs
6 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons very hot water (or freshly brewed coffee!)
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large eggs
6 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons very hot water (or freshly brewed coffee!)
Frosting
2 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon very hot water
2 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon very hot water
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners. 2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt at medium speed until blended (I did all of this by hand to save having to wash the mixer before making the frosting and it was fine!).
3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
4. Gradually beat egg mixture into flour mixture, about 5 minutes. Shift mixer to low speed; add hot water until blended.
5. Pour batter into muffin tins. Bake until toothpick comes out of the center clean, 20 minutes. Cool completely.
6. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg yolks at medium speed until they become lemon colored and ribbon like when beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium-low heat, swirling pan occasionally, until sugar completely dissolves and syrup just comes to a boil. Increase heat to high; boil syrup until it registers 238°F on a candy thermometer (I just let it come to a nice boil ... it worked out!).
8. With the mixer on medium speed, immediately add syrup to beaten egg yolks in a thin, steady stream. Beat mixture until it cools to room temperature and is light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
9. Gradually add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until completely incorporated.
10. In a cup, dissolve espresso powder in hot water; beat into buttercream.
11. Frost cupcakes with buttercream.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting (from Country Living, City Style)
A much easier buttercream recipe! It's delicious, but in need of the perfect lemon cake recipe! I scaled this down by roughly 1/4 when I made it, but am including the original amounts below.
Ingredients
1. With a paddle attachment, beat the butter in an electric mixer.
2. Add sugar one cup at a time, beating continuously.
3. Continue beating and add lemon zest.
4. Add lemon juice.
5. Add cream to think a tiny bit and beat.
3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
4. Gradually beat egg mixture into flour mixture, about 5 minutes. Shift mixer to low speed; add hot water until blended.
5. Pour batter into muffin tins. Bake until toothpick comes out of the center clean, 20 minutes. Cool completely.
6. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg yolks at medium speed until they become lemon colored and ribbon like when beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium-low heat, swirling pan occasionally, until sugar completely dissolves and syrup just comes to a boil. Increase heat to high; boil syrup until it registers 238°F on a candy thermometer (I just let it come to a nice boil ... it worked out!).
8. With the mixer on medium speed, immediately add syrup to beaten egg yolks in a thin, steady stream. Beat mixture until it cools to room temperature and is light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
9. Gradually add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until completely incorporated.
10. In a cup, dissolve espresso powder in hot water; beat into buttercream.
11. Frost cupcakes with buttercream.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting (from Country Living, City Style)
A much easier buttercream recipe! It's delicious, but in need of the perfect lemon cake recipe! I scaled this down by roughly 1/4 when I made it, but am including the original amounts below.
Ingredients
1 cup of salted butter
4 cups of icing sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cream
1. With a paddle attachment, beat the butter in an electric mixer.
2. Add sugar one cup at a time, beating continuously.
3. Continue beating and add lemon zest.
4. Add lemon juice.
5. Add cream to think a tiny bit and beat.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with Mint Cream
This is bliss in a cupcake. I accidentally ended up over-whipping the cream so it turned into butter, but it was still delicious. I made these the night before and let the mint butter and liquid cream soak into the cupcakes overnight. I think it was even better that way. The insides became gooey and minty. Either way though, these are definitely worth a try.
These made 12 cupcakes for me, but I think it all depends on how fluffy your egg whites get.
Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with Mint Cream (from Smitten Kitchen) (Cupcakes very generously adapted a Bon Appetit recipe; whipped cream brilliance via a Claudia Fleming recipe)
Ingredients
Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon espresso or instant coffee powder
3 large eggs, separated
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
White Chocolate Mint Cream
2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
3 ounces heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
Get the white chocolate mint cream ready for later (I ended up just microwaving to save dirtying a dish):
1. Place the white chocolate in a small bowl.
2. Bring the cream to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate.
3. Whisk well. Add the peppermint extract and whisk again.
4. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream. Chill until very cold, about two hours. (I didn't chill this long, perhaps that's why it didn't whip properly!)
Make cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 standard-size \muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Stir chocolate, butter and espresso powder together in heavy medium saucepan over low heat mostly melted, then remove from the heat and whisk until it is fully melted and smooth.
3. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.
4. Using electric mixer (I hand mixed for this part as I don't have a hand mixer) beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 2 minutes.
5. Briefly beat lukewarm chocolate mixture, then vanilla extract, into yolk mixture.
6. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until soft peaks form (this is where I busted out the stand mixer).
7. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and all of the salt, beating until medium-firm peaks form.
8. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions.
9. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each three-fourths of the way.
10. Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry to the touch (some may crack, embrace it) and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a cooling rack, where the cupcakes will almost immediately start to fall. It will be all the better to put your mint cream on them.
Finish your masterpiece:
1. Beat mint white chocolate cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form. (or get frustrated and walk away only to discover your mixer is making butter like I did!)
2. Remove cupcakes from pan, arrange on a platter. Fill each sunken top with a healthy dollop of white chocolate mint cream. Top with shaved dark chocolate, if you’re feeling fancy.
These made 12 cupcakes for me, but I think it all depends on how fluffy your egg whites get.
Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with Mint Cream (from Smitten Kitchen) (Cupcakes very generously adapted a Bon Appetit recipe; whipped cream brilliance via a Claudia Fleming recipe)
Ingredients
Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon espresso or instant coffee powder
3 large eggs, separated
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
White Chocolate Mint Cream
2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
3 ounces heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
Get the white chocolate mint cream ready for later (I ended up just microwaving to save dirtying a dish):
1. Place the white chocolate in a small bowl.
2. Bring the cream to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate.
3. Whisk well. Add the peppermint extract and whisk again.
4. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream. Chill until very cold, about two hours. (I didn't chill this long, perhaps that's why it didn't whip properly!)
Make cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 standard-size \muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Stir chocolate, butter and espresso powder together in heavy medium saucepan over low heat mostly melted, then remove from the heat and whisk until it is fully melted and smooth.
3. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.
4. Using electric mixer (I hand mixed for this part as I don't have a hand mixer) beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 2 minutes.
5. Briefly beat lukewarm chocolate mixture, then vanilla extract, into yolk mixture.
6. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until soft peaks form (this is where I busted out the stand mixer).
7. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and all of the salt, beating until medium-firm peaks form.
8. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions.
9. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each three-fourths of the way.
10. Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry to the touch (some may crack, embrace it) and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a cooling rack, where the cupcakes will almost immediately start to fall. It will be all the better to put your mint cream on them.
Finish your masterpiece:
1. Beat mint white chocolate cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form. (or get frustrated and walk away only to discover your mixer is making butter like I did!)
2. Remove cupcakes from pan, arrange on a platter. Fill each sunken top with a healthy dollop of white chocolate mint cream. Top with shaved dark chocolate, if you’re feeling fancy.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)