I adore brownies, and I definitely don’t make them often enough. Although there are now dozens of variations on the brownie theme (even blondies), for emotional satisfaction I still find that nothing surpasses the simple all-chocolatey goodness of the original.

This simple recipe from Everyday With Rachael Ray has stood the test of the time as I have made it several times since first posting it in this blog way back in 2007. It calls for very simple ingredients (most of which should already be in your pantry) and takes no time to put together. Cleanup is minimal and the taste is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Amazingly enough, these brownies only get better the longer they sit. Fresh out of the oven they are light, airy, and oh so chocolatey… but as they sit they slowly get moister and fudgier… oh the decadence. Give it a try, you won’t regret it!

Even though this recipe calls for 4 serving sizes, as brownies I cut the cake sheet into 12 portions and found these portions much more acceptable. If I was entertaining though I would defnitely serve the quarter portions, especially with an additional dollop of vanilla icecream and a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce. MMMMMM No one would ever guess that it took you practically no time to bring together

Fudgy Chocolate Cake
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Recipe By: Everyday With Rachael Ray
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275°. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate chips with the milk and heavy cream over low heat. Add the butter and sugar and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

This post was originally published June 9, 2007. It has been updated once since then.

This post has been submitted to “Any One Can Cook”

Valentine’s Day is less than a month away, a time of year when it seems our chocolate consumption rises exponentially – whether or not we are in a relationship! My Valentine’s Day menu and tablescapes will be up in the next few days, until then, feast your eyes (and hopefully more) on the following Top Ten Chocolate Recipes on Trinigourmet I can definitely vouch that you will want to make them again and again

	1. Espresso Cake (recipe) Light, moist and incredibly intense in flavour this recipe for Espresso Cake hides one little ’secret’, wholewheat flour! If you’ve never tried wholewheat flour in a dessert recipe I strongly suggest that you give it a try. It adds a whole other level of richness without any of the heaviness that you might expect.
	2. Upside Down Chocolate Pudding (recipe) The recipe was a cinch to put together and seems to be practically foolproof in nature with results that are so decadent and beautiful that no one has to be any the wiser. The pudding had a thin biscuit crust that covered a cake like fluffy layer that gradually got denser as it reached the thick creamy fudge like frosting on the bottom… YUM!
	3. Raw Vegan Brownies (recipe) 2009 was the year I started dabbling in raw food recipes. Although I never became a purist I have maintained the shift towards fresh ingredients and conscious eating that it encourages. Raw food desserts are surprisingly rich in flavour and comforting in texture, something that this recipe has successfully proven.
	4. Fudgy Chocolate Cake ‘Brownies’ (recipe) This recipe wins on every front. It calls for very simple basic ingredients (most of which should already be in your pantry), it takes no time to put together, cleanup is minimal and the taste is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Amazingly enough, these brownies only get better the longer they sit. Fresh out of the oven they are light, airy, and oh so chocolatey… but as they sit they slowly get moister and fudgier… oh the decadence.
	5. Coconut Scented Rum Truffles (recipe) I decided that I would try my hand at something that I’m calling Coconut Scented Rum Truffles (for now) I decided to make the filling with bittersweet chocolate, coconut cream and rum. The coating is semisweet chocolate. Half of the truffles were also sprinkled with light brown sugar for some disco-tastic sparkle.
	6. Easy Hot Spiced Mexican Chocolate (recipe) I suspect that my readers in colder climes are behind the strong showing of this recipe, but maybe I’m wrong
	7. Chocolate Valentino & Raw Vanilla Softserve (recipe) Chocolatey, gooey, with a thin, crackly brownie-like crust… so light but rich, it melts on your tongue… and.. not a drop of flour in sight!
	8. Mexican Turtle Cheesecake with Banana Rum Sauce (recipe) Without a doubt this is the creamiest and smoothest cheesecake that I’ve made to date. I had intended to play around with the recipe a little bit more to get the flavours a little more intense, but that never happened. Maybe this year. Until then, I’m glad you all liked it as much as you did!
	9. 15 Minute Magic Chocolate Amaretti Torte (recipe) More gluten-free decadence! Once a baking test, now a Pesach tradition
	10. Chocolate Armagnac Cake (recipe) What happens when you take a Dorie Greenspan recipe and put a Trini Twist on It? Awesomeness, that’s what! And what happens when you take an awesome Trinified Dorie Greenspan recipe and make it gluten-free? Well you’ll just have to click on the header to find out

This post was originally published on July 15, 2007. It has been updated twice since then.

Chocolat (2000): Nominated for 5 Academy Awards(R) including Best Picture, Best Actress (Juliette Binoche — THE ENGLISH PATIENT), and Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench — SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE), CHOCOLAT is the beautiful and captivating comedy from the acclaimed director of THE CIDER HOUSE RULES! Nobody could have imagined the impact that the striking Vianne (Binoche) would make when she arrived in a tranquil, old-fashioned French town. In her very unusual chocolate shop, Vianne begins to create mouth-watering confections that almost magically inspire the straitlaced villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness! But it is not until another stranger, the handsome Roux (Johnny Depp — SLEEPY HOLLOW), arrives in town that Vianne is finally able to recognize her own desires!

Chocolat is a movie that when it came out barely registered on my radar. Even its numerous Oscar nominations failed to pique my interest. Then, as I became more interested in food cultures, and the intersection of food and film I saw its name appear over and over again. Still, I never got around to watching it. That is until Susan of Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy and Marc of No Recipes came along with their Dinner and a Movie challenge

Join us each month on a delicious journey though some of our favorite films. Each month we will select a new movie to watch, which will hopefully inspire you to cook or bake something fabulous. Watch it, run with an idea, then share it with all of us. The trick is that not every movie chosen will be a “foodie film”, so you’ll really have to get creative. But, we know you can do it!

Now I had no choice. It was time to finally see the phenom that was ‘Chocolat‘. As J and I leaned back I think we both shared varying degrees of trepidation.

Me: Is this gonna be another overhyped flick that will never be able to live up to the expectations I now have of it?
J: “Is this gonna be a chick flick? Am I going to fall asleep? Will there really be chocolate?”

A little less than 2 hours later, as the credits began to roll. We both tried to wipe silly grins off our face. A modern-day fairy tale, it really resonated with our inner sentimental mushy selves and left us feeling extremely amorous..

… for hot chocolate

You see hot chocolate is a recurring motif in the film. One that is used to draw secrets and stories out of people. To comfort and warm. To strengthen bonds and to soothe. Each time a mug of hot chocolate was poured we ooh and aahed. It was torturous!

So, with the screen faded to black it was time to draw up a batch of hot spiced Mexican Chocolate that, like the chocolate in the movie, combines the velvety warmth of melted chocolate with the fiery jolt of red pepper.

As I chopped and melted pieces of my recently acquired block of Callebaut chocolate and the aroma filled the house, J and I recounted our favourites pieces of the film to each other. And as we leaned back and drank from our respective cups, we both agreed on one thing. We can’t wait to see what film Susan picks next!

I have a Midwestern friend who has waxed poetic to me, on occasion, about how making hot chocolate from scratch is becoming a lost art. Well, I must confess I had always considered ‘from scratch’ as opening a tin of MiLo or Ovaltine and taking a scoop out

After making this recipe though I can understand what my friend was talking about. There is absolutely no comparison between this and instant chocolate mixes, and I certainly won’t be going back to the latter! Rich, full bodied, and thick to the point of almost mousselike, I instantly felt my body relax and warm. In fact I almost started to fall asleep on myself with a hint of a smile, it was that good!

The bright red chili powder gives it a tingly kick that is not overwhelming, and does not detract from the sweetness of the overall medley.

P.S. If using unprocessed local cocoa bars be sure to strain before serving, otherwise you may get a rather unpleasant mouthful of grit at the end of your drink

Easy Hot Spiced Mexican Hot Chocolate
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Recipe By: Food Network / Michael Chiarello
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon instant espresso
1 pinch salt
2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, the best quality possible, grated
2 cups whole milk
chili powder

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean and add to the boiling water. Add
sugar, cinnamon, espresso, and a pinch of salt. Simmer for 1 minute and add the
bittersweet chocolate. Whisk until it gets thick. Add milk and simmer 1 minute.

Serve immediately with sprinkling of chili powder on top, and you can add a dollop of
vanilla ice cream if you wish.

NUTRITION FACTS

Servings: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 297
Total Fat: 6.14g
Cholesterol: 12mg
Sodium: 90mg
Total Carbs: 57.70g
Dietary Fiber: 1.05g
Sugars: 56.34g
Protein: 4.69g

This post was originally published January 23, 2007. It has been updated once since then.

It was coming down to the wire for Sugar High Friday #27. The theme was chocolate and I still had no clue what I was going to make. Everything that I could think of required a trip to the supermarket which I wasn’t willing to do. Especially since I had already used my supermarket budget for this week. What could I make with ingredients that I already had on hand? I decided to turn to my copy of The Good Home Cookbook: More Than 1000 Classic American Recipes for the second time in the past 5 days. This book is already turning into a trusty sidekick, a very good sign!

As I flipped through the index I saw recipes for chocolate cookies, cake (there was a promising one-bowl recipe in particular, but it called for more mayo than I have on hand), and mousse… and then I saw it … a recipe for Upside Down Chocolate Pudding. I have seen recipes for molten chocolate puddings and cupcakes before. The descriptions and photos always intrigued me but I had never made one. Looking through the ingredient list I saw that I had everything on hand that I needed. This was gonna be my entry. This was it!

At first I pulled out my generic Canadian baking chocolate, but I thought, no this recipe was special enough to dip into my Trinidadian trinitario chocolate stash.

I don’t know why I don’t use my local Trinitario chocolate more. It’s cheaper and repeated accounts state that it is among the best (if not the best) cocoa in the world. It is also infinitely cheaper than the imported brands that line the shelves. Maybe it is because it seems so special and smells so heavenly and decadent that I feel I should squirrel it away? After the results of this recipe though I realize that there is no reason to let this extremely affordable gem go to waste away anymore!

All in all I think that this is a great recipe for entertaining on short notice (or on a budget), as well as for those who consider themselves ‘baking challenged’. The recipe was a cinch to put together and seems to be practically foolproof in nature with results that are so decadent and beautiful that no one has to be any the wiser The pudding had a thin biscuit crust that covered a cake like fluffy layer that gradually got denser as it reached the thick creamy fudge like frosting on the bottom… YUM!

Upside-Down Chocolate Pudding
(from a recipe in The Good Home Cookbook: More Than 1000 Classic American Recipes)

INGREDIENTS:

1 ounce (1 square) baking chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 to 2/3 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I replaced these with chocolate chips!)
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (preferable Dutch processed)
1 cup cold water

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat

4. Meanwhile, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, the baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
5. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract, then add the chocolate mixture and beat until smooth.
6. Stir in the nuts and pour the batter into the prepared baking dish

7. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, the brown sugar, and cocoa powder until smooth.

8. Sprinkle evenly over the pudding batter
9. Pour the water evenly over all

10. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top layer appears set
11. Serve warm

Serves 6

For this and other dessert recipes visit the Breads, Baking and Desserts section of Veni Mangé - The Trinigourmet Amazon Store!

Fifteen-Minute Magic: Chocolate Amaretti Torte
Page 276-277, Baking: From My Home to Yours

Makes 8 Servings

6 large double Amaretti di Saronno or 18 mini amarettini cookies (2.75 oz) (other brands can be used as well)
3/4 cup almonds (blanched or not; whole, sliced or slivered)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

For the Glaze:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

For the Almond Whipped Cream (Optional):

1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

1 or 2 amaretti or amarettini, crumbled, or a few spoonfuls of toasted sliced almonds, for decoration

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8×2-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment or wax paper and butter the paper. Dust the inside of the pan with flour, tap out the excess and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Put the amaretti and almonds in a food processor and pulse to grind them finely and evenly. Turn out onto a piece of wax paper and set aside.

Put the butter, sugar and eggs into the processor and process for about 3 minutes, until the batter is very smooth and has a satiny sheen. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed so the ingredients blend evenly. Pour in the amaretti and almonds and the melted chocolate and pulse just until they are thoroughly incorporated. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out almost clean – streaky is more what you’re looking for. The cake will dome slightly and the top will look dry; it might even crack – don’t worry. Transfer the cake to a rack to cool for 15 minutes.

Run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake onto the rack. The cake will be very thin. Peel off the paper liner, invert the cake and cool to room temperature right side up.

When you are ready to glaze the cake, put the cake, still on the rack, over a sheet of wax paper (the drip catcher).

To Make the Glaze:

Put the chopped chocolate in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup or in a bowl with a spout.
Stir the cream, sugar and water together in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate and wait for 1 minute, then, using a small rubber spatula, gently stir until the glaze is smooth, blended and shiny. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake and, with a long metal icing spatula, spread it over the top, allowing it to spill over the sides of the cake; then smooth the glaze over the sides. Refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes to set the glaze.

To Make the Optional Almond Whipped Cream:

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a medium bowl, whip the cream on medium-low speed until it holds soft peaks. Beat in the almond extract. Sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl and fold it into the cream with a rubber spatula.

Slice the cake and top each slice with a spoonful of almond whipped cream, if you have it, and a sprinkling of crushed amaretti or toasted almonds.

Playing Around:

Dorie says: I like to use this cake as the base of a hot fudge sundae. Top each wedge of cake with a fat scoop of ice cream, cover with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce and top with a respectable amount of whipped cream, some toasted almonds and, if you’re the old-fashioned type, a maraschino cherry.

Individual Tortes:

Prepare four 4-inch round cake pans, divide the batter among the pans and bake for about 25 minutes. If you need to make more servings, the recipe is easily doubled.

It’s been far too long since my last Tuesdays with Dorie post. Truth be told, I think I was extremely disheartened after the disaster that was my attempt at the Coconut-Pineapple Dacquoise. Not that it tasted bad, but I put so much time, energy and money into it, that any disappointment was really too much for me with my stress levels at the level they were at. Now, I’ve cooled off, had a chance to restabilize and ready to put the flour back on my hands!

These Espresso Cheescake brownies combine a dense chocolatey brownie base with a light creamy espresso cheesecake layer. Brownie batter is also swirled through the cheesecake layer to create a lovely marbled pattern.

I ended up loving the marble effect so much that I was loathe to cover it all with the suggested sour cream icing. Still, I wanted to give it an honest try, so I decided to test the icing on a quarter of the brownie. After giving the result a taste I decided that I could forgo topping the rest, and I really don’t think that the brownies have suffered for it.

So how do they taste? I wish I could say that they were jaw droppingly good, but I was a little underwhelmed. The textural difference between the brownie batter and the cheesecake filling was a little disconcerting for me, but the flavours were solid and satisfying. It’s a bit of a shame as the visuals are just so stunning In the future though I think I’ll keep my brownies as brownies and my cheesecakes as cheesecake and never again shall the two meet

For this Espresso Cheesecake Brownie Recipe turn to pages 104-5 of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours or visit Melissa of Life in a Peanut Shell

Did ya think I’d forgotten ya? Hardly! However from now until the end of June I’m focused on some work-related activities that are extremely time and energy consuming, so my apologies from now that updates will be rather sparse. However if all goes as planned I will be able to resume a much more prolific schedule again

This time around I’m back with today’s Tuesdays With Dorie challenge, Chipster Brownies. After the success of the Tiramisu Cake (I even got offers to make it for $$$! :O ) I was a little underwhelmed by some of the other recipes that were picked since which is why I hadn’t participated. This week however the challenge was brownies, and who doesn’t love brownies? I know I certainly do (they are probably the most well-represented dessert here on TriniGourmet.com )

As always, Dorie gives a well-worn favourite an unexpected twist, by including a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough ontop of the brownie batter. I wasn’t sure how this would work out, especially since my cookie dough seemed a LOT heavier than the brownie batter (maybe cos I omitted the walnuts?). Thankfully the ingredients sorted themselves out in the baking process, and as you can see the brownie batter rose a lot!

Contrary to the title I didn’t get many chips in my ‘chipster’ the chips seemed to settle halfway through the brownie batter, forming a gooey almost fudge like layer between the crisp cookie topping and the cake like brownie base. Can’t say I’m complaining

For this Chipster-Topped Brownies Recipe turn to pages 94&95 of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours or visit Beth of Supplicious

Here it is, down to the wire. Still über busy but I wasn’t gonna let the posting date for this month’s Daring Baker’s Challenge pass me by!

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.
I have made cheesecakes in the past but it’s been a long while and I was very excited to try this challenge because the recipe provided was more of a template than a blueprint. Not only did the hosts provide variations for us to choose from, they really encouraged us to let our imaginations run wild re: accompaniments

Using the basic recipe (available at Jenny Bakes) as my guide I decided to add in some chocolate, cayenne and cinnamon to make the Mexican Turtle adaptation.

For my crust I decided to try out a local pre-made mixture (that was quite excellent actually, Sharon’s is yet to let me down) and as the side I came up with a Banana Rum Sauce (due to a surplus banana supply courtesy of a birthday fruit basket).

Another change that I made to the original recipe was I placed a pan of water below the cheesecake rather than immersing the cheesecake in the water itself. This was more because I was using a springform pan and didn’t want to risk leakage. I must say I am intrigued by the water immersion method though, and am considering using a regular or disposable cake pan to give it a try sometime

Even though the cake looked slightly odd when it first came out the oven (the surface had bubbly mounds that reminded me of a pizza) J told me to relax and let it settle overnight as recommended. Sage advice as everything looked a lot better the next morning. There was more cracking around the circumference than I would have liked and I wonder if this had to do with using a black springform pan, or not immersing it in the water? More trial and error may be necessary in the future. Still, at the end of the day, a recipe’s success for me lies in its taste.

So how was it? It definitely hit it out of the park. Without a doubt this is the creamiest and smoothest cheesecake that I’ve made to date. The amount of chocolate, cayenne and cinnamon in the variation left a very delicate impression which though pleasing was probably a little less bold than I was going for, so when making it again I think I will double (or maybe even triple) each

And the banana rum sauce? It was sublime and really complemented the mild chocolate flavour of the cheesecake. Be sure to caramelize the bananas and the sauce until a deep golden brown color is achieved. The bananas really should be almost seamless texturally from the sauce itself I think this sauce would also be great with milder flavoured icecreams, such as vanilla as well, and with pancakes. Play around why don’t ya?

Sarina’s Banana Rum Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup brown sugar
1 thinly sliced banana
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons rum

METHOD:

1. Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, bananas, salt and water
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until bubbly
3. Turn heat to low and let simmer until bananas are golden brown
4. Add butter and rum and stir until butter is melted
5. Cool

It’s with bittersweet reluctance that I bid February goodbye. Never has one month seen me cook and consume SO MUCH CHOCOLATE! Although my tastebuds do not approve of the inevitable shift that leaving the ‘month of love’ will bring, I can only think that my own waistline is relieved by the new page on the calendar!

Still, if ever there was a recipe to end a chocolate high on this is the one! Titled Chocolate Armagnac Cake it is this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie pick. Found on pages 279-281 of Dorie’s book Baking: From My Home to Yours, it outlines how Dorie’s own liberal reinterpretation of a classic patisserie offering got her fired for ‘creative insubordination’. Creative insubordination is definitely something I can throw my full weight behind, and I definitely took a few liberties with this recipe that qualified as a dash or two of rebellion on my part!

When this recipe was first announced more than a few bloggers expressed alarm that it included prunes. Prunes and chocolate? You could feel a collective gag reflex setting in. I have no idea why people were so disturbed by prunes, let alone by prunes in cake. You see once I saw that the cake included alcohol and prunes I could think of only one cake. Trinidad Black Cake! This local holiday favourite consists of little more than macerated dried fruits (predominantly prunes and raisins) soaked for insanely long periods in alcohol. Rich and moist, all I could think was that if this cake could somehow be combined successfully with chocolate then I would have found my own personal sweet tooth Shangri-La!

For this reason, I immediately eschewed the recipe’s directions to chop 12 prunes, cook them briefly and then set them alight with armagnac. Instead, I turned to my own personal jar of ‘set fruit‘. This is a jar of fruit that has been storing my own stash of prunes and raisins since 2007 for my own annual black cake forays. I add and take from it throughout the year so I have no idea how old any particular part of it is, and that’s part of the appeal Each time I have left over raisins, dates, or prunes from a recipe, I add it to the jar, give it a stir and top it off with dark rum or cherry brandy. With the fruits macerating as long as they have, they are fully infused with a deep liqueur flavour, and are soft enough to completely break down during the baking process without any chopping needed.

I measured out a cup of ‘set fruit’ and set it aside

For the chocolate batter and icing I melted significant portions of a block of Callebaut chocolate that I had found at a local gourmet store a few days earlier. I had never heard about Callebaut before, but I was very pleased with the taste and feel Definitely a worthwhile investment, it’s gonna be hard to go back to Hershey’s now!

With my chocolate melted and cooling slightly, it was time for my next act of mini-insurbodination, making the cake gluten-free Honestly, the recipe only calls for a quarter cup of flour (this recipe is basically a slightly more tricked out version of a Chocolate Valentino) so replacing that with cassava flour was a no-brainer. I had used cassava flour successfully last year when I made a gluten-free Black Cake for my mother so I knew it would add to the moistness of the cake without weighing it down

At this point assembly went without a hitch, and I didn’t experience any of the problems with overbaking/underbaking that some other bloggers encountered.

Rich, moist, with bursts of heady liqueur flavour, this was without a doubt my favourite chocolate discovery for February! For the full recipe check out Lyb of And Then I Do The Dishes

Look at that cake! So perfect for this month’s Daring Bakers Challenge! Chocolatey, gooey, with a thin, crackly brownie-like crust… so light but rich, it melts on your tongue… and.. not a drop of flour in sight! *record scratch* …

Yup, you heard me! A chocolate cake, luscious, decadent and gluten free! I loved dropping this piece of information on people, especially my mother as I offered her up a slice! Flourless cakes are not something new to me. I am used to making them at Passover time, but this one really ‘takes the cake’! I have filed the recipe away to resurrect this Passover season, as it is relatively labour-free, and only requires 3 ingredients!!!

After past disasters with flourless cake recipes I have learnt the hard way that it’s really important to fold the egg whites until not a speck of white can be seen. Be aware that any white left in the batter will only harden, and you will have tough lumps of egg white in your cake slices. *SHUDDER*

Once your batter is well blended you can pretty much rest assured that the scariest part of the recipe is behind you. The cake bakes at a fairly high temperature for a relatively short time. After leaving it to cool for a while you are ready to slice and serve! The texture is very similar to a brownie. Light crackly exterior, gooey, luscious center. As the cake continues to cool it gets increasingly dense. Knowing which result you prefer can be a determining factor in when you want to serve it. I myself prefer it still warm and moist. This is when it is lightest and seems to melt your tongue! All you need is a light dusting of confectioner’s sugar on top and your guests will be going WOW!

This month’s challenge included creating an icecream ‘side’ to our cake. Well nothing could be quicker or easier than a Raw Banana Softserve! It’s even pretty dang nutritious! Just the thing to assauge the guilt of a chocolate hangover

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

METHOD:

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Raw Vanilla Softserve
Source: GoneRaw.com

INGREDIENTS:

4 large bananas, frozen
1/4 cup raisins, soaked
2 tablespoon ground chia seeds (I use ground flaxseed)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or the equivalent amount of vanilla bean)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
10 drops stevia (I use agave or honey)

METHOD:

1. First, process the soaked raisins until they are relatively smooth.
2. Then add in the bananas, vanilla, ground chia, spices and stevia, and continue to process until the mixture is completly smooth and creamy.
3. Try the ice cream, and add more stevia or vanilla to taste.

4. At this point, it will seem like a cold pudding, so freeze the ice cream for 1-2 hours.
5. Stir before serving. Dig in!

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.