ZESTY FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

VALENTINE’S DAY IS COMING UP!

Flourless Chocolate Cake is one of our favorite desserts. Creamy, chocolate-y, sweet, intense, decadent but not too much. Not until I took it to a new level, that is. First, I added orange zest to the batter. Not a lot, but enough to give the cake a brighter flavor. Chocolate and orange is another one of those culinary matches made in heaven, if you ask me. This cake proves it. But what really took care of decadence was adding a ganache on top, and then shaving Valrhona chocolate all over. OMG, this was stupendously good.

ZESTY FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
(adapted from this recipe)

7 oz extra bittersweet chocolate
14 Tbs unsalted butter (1 + 3/4 sticks)
5 large eggs, separated
1 Tbs vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of half a large orange
pinch of salt
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
for the ganache:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, cut in small pieces
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Shaved chocolate to taste for final decoration

Heat the oven to 350F. Grease a 10-inch springform pan.

In a small bowl, sift the sugar and combine it with the orange zest. Rub the zest with your fingers to release the oils into the sugar. Reserve.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water, heating until fully melted and smooth. Transfer to a bowl, let it cool slightly for a few minutes, and whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla. Add the sugar/orange mixture, salt, and cocoa powder, while constantly stirring.

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Gently mix about one-third of them into the chocolate mixture, fold the remaining whites trying to deflate them as little as possible. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan. Place in the lower rack of the oven and bake for 25-28 minutes.

Remove the cake to a rack and immediately loosen the sides of the pan. Allow the cake to cool before icing. If the cake is too uneven, shave the protruding parts with a serrated knife to even out the surface, but no need to make it perfectly flat. Usually the edges will be a bit too high, with a collapsed center.

Make the ganache by heating the whipping cream in a small saucepan until bubbles appear along the sides. Place the chocolate in a small bowl, and add the hot whipping cream and the vanilla on top. Mix gently until the chocolate is fully incorporated, very smooth. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then pour over the cool cake. I like to do that by placing the cake back in the springform pan, so that the icing is contained. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Open the pan and remove the iced cake to a serving platter, leaving it at room temperature for half an hour or so before slicing it (a wet knife is a must).

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I’ve always been partial to a classic flourless cake in which at most a delicate shower of powdered sugar would be added for cosmetic reasons. The surface of a flourless cake tends to be a bit cracked and uneven, as the cake puffs up in the oven, but then collapses in all its fugdy glory. A dollop of whipped cream would show up in real special situations. But those who follow my blog might remember that my husband firmly believes that a cake is not a cake without frosting. Or icing. Or whatever indulgent concoction is added on top of it. Powdered sugar would not suffice. I made this cake the day before we would be hosting a reception at home, and Phil started his Movement For Frosting right away. I caved. Made a simple ganache and poured all over it early next morning. Then shaved some Valrhona chocolate on top. Decadent? Perhaps. But I tell you, this was one awesome cake. Try it, serve it for your friends, sit back and wait for the compliments. Once they stop moaning, that is…

I apologize for not sharing a picture of the sliced cake, but I do not like to take pictures when we are having a get-together. Just imagine a very dense, moist, perfect slice, that when you cut with your fork, will leave a nice coating of slightly melted chocolate on its tines. You then use your lips – with as much elegance as humanly possible – to clean the fork, and repeat the process. Ad libitum.

Have I mentioned that Valentine’s Day is coming up?
(wink, wink)

ONE YEAR AGO: Maple Pumpkin Pecan Snacking Cake

TWO YEARS AGO: Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup

THREE YEARS AGO: Sweet Fifteen!

FOUR YEARS AGO: Sesame and Flaxseed Sourdough

FIVE YEARS AGO: Green Beans with Miso and Almonds

SIX YEARS AGO: Saturday Morning Scones

SEVEN YEARS AGO: White Bread

11Oct2016

TWO IDEAS FOR HALLOWEEN

Posted in Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

I made these treats for our Halloween party last year, and waited to blog now, so there’s plenty of time for you to make them in case you are hosting a party, or just feel like sharing something with friends on Halloween week. Very easy and fun. First, Screamingly Cute Chocolate-Covered Pretzels.

They were fun to make, even if slightly messy. But that could very well be operator-error. I am not that skilled when it comes to melted chocolate. You will need a bag of pretzels, melting chocolate (the best kind is this one, according to many sources), and eyeball candy. Sounds scary, right? Well, it’s for Halloween, it must be scary!

Second, even simpler to put together: Witch Brooms. Peanut Butter Cups with a strategically placed Pretzel stick. The flavors all work well together too. Hardest part of making them, is unwrapping the peanut butter cups. Be Zen. And enjoy the moment.

If you make the Screaming Pretzels, handle the eye-ball candy with impeccably clean hands. Any chocolate that gets to the white candy will be hard to clean once you place them on the pretzel. Tweezers help. It will be easier to glue them while the chocolate is not fully set, but then it’s best not to try to re-adjust their position. Work slowly and you’ll get the hang of it. I am sure it will surprise you that I had never had the combo of pretzel with chocolate. It works! It is really a delicious combination, a little crunch, a little salt, a lot of chocolate.

A call from the past… one of our favorite Halloween costumes, back in 2002. John and Olivia…
Hey, who said scientists cannot be a little silly?

ONE YEAR AGO: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cake

TWO YEARS AGO: Sourdough Rye Bread with Flaxseeds and Oats

THREE YEARS AGO: Apricot-Raspberry Sorbet: A Farewell to Summer

FOUR YEARS AGO: Marcela’s Salpicon

FIVE YEARS AGO: Pork Kebabs

SIX YEARS AGO: Fondant au Chocolat

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Got Spinach? Have a salad!

7Mar2016

SIXTEEN SWEET YEARS!

Posted in Desserts, Desserts, Sweets, General by sallybr

Seasons may change, weather blows, but you still leave a mark on me!

Our song…

Photograph king, watches you go
Fashions may change, heaven knows,
but you still leave a stain on me
Supplement queen,
your colours may fade
Seasons may change, weather blows, but you still leave a
mark on me

Wrong-negative fades-never the twain, reckless and tame

I like the beat of your drum
I like to look in your eyes
I like to look thru your things
I’d like to beat on your drum

I like the smell of your flesh
I like the dirt that you dish
I like the clothes that you wear
I’d like to beat on your drum

Disco brat-follow the pack
Watching you peel, heaven knows, prison can’t hold all
this greedy intention

Vanity’s child-picture you now
Music may change-hi-di-ho keen to follow your nose

Wrong-love out of tune
Sweet is the night,
bright light destroys me

I like the beat of your drum
I like to look in your eyes
I like to look thru your things
I’d like to beat on your drum

I like the smell of your flesh
I like the dirt that you dish
I like the clothes that you wear
I’d like to beat on your drum

May we always be the perfect match!

Thomas Keller Bouchons au Chocolat & Whipped Cream

For the recipe, click here.

(comments are shutdown for this post)

25Oct2015

SECRET RECIPE CLUB: CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Posted in Desserts, Secret Recipe Club by sallybr

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Pieces
The last Monday of October is here in all its pre-Halloween glory, and chilly not-so-glorious mornings! It is Reveal Day of The Secret Recipe Club, and here I am to disclose the blog I was assigned to cook from: The Colbert Clan, hosted by Kate. Now, I must confess that this month I almost decided to skip participating because we traveled so much. I kept the blog going normally, but we barely stayed home. First a trip to Santa Monica, CA, back home for 24 hours, then we caught a plane to São Paulo, Brazil. I knew that my only chance of sticking with the Secret Recipe Club would be to jump on the assignment right away. So, I took a slightly different approach to it, and went straight with a search for a cake. Cake? Me, the anti-cake-baker? Yes, you got that right. I wanted to take a chocolate cake to the department and that’s what I searched for. The choice was easy, painless, and very sweet: a Chocolate Zucchini Cake, adorned with a luscious buttercream frosting which yours truly made with only minor boo-boos. It was an almost painless baking experience, which is saying a lot. But let me tell yo a little bit about Kate. She is a young, stay-at-home Mom of three kids, and her blog reflects life-style of someone who needs to get good food at the table for a family of five. I am sure it’s not easy, kids can be picky, and juggling everyone’s desires is like a full-time job! Kudos for her… I could not resist browsing a little bit through The Colbert Clan, and was tempted to make her Mini-snickers Cheesecakes, which are simply adorable with a drizzle of caramel on top. I am sure my colleagues at the department would be absolutely thrilled… And, since we are on the subject of cuteness, how about these Macaroon Kisses? Definitely something to consider as a baking project… But, chocolate cake was on my mind, and without further ado, let me share the recipe with you.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING
(from The Colbert Clan)

for the cake:
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

for the frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 and spray your 9×13 pan.

In one bowl mix together oil, sugar, vanilla, egg and milk until combines. Add grated zucchini.In a second bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

Pour dry ingredients into wet mixture and mix.

Pour into your 9×13 pan and bake for 28 to 30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting: Beat the butter until fluffy. Mix in vanilla and milk. Mix in cocoa and powdered sugar, whip until the mixture is smooth and creamy. I did not have to use all the powdered sugar mixture.

Cut in squares and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I’ve always wanted to make a chocolate cake with zucchini in it, because it’s so intriguing! Of course, I am very fond of a particular type of carrot cake from my childhood, and zucchini is not too far from carrots as far as food is concerned. Plus, chocolate can make many things taste delicious and decadent, even the humble zucchini. This cake is simple to prepare, the hardest part was shredding the squash. Now, a piece of advice for novice bakers: if you are a neat freak like I am, and decide to rinse the sieve after making the cake batter, make sure it is 100% dry before you go sifting the cocoa powder for the frosting. If there is water in it, you’ll have a big mess on your hands, especially if you are puzzled about the cocoa not going through and decide to “help” it with your fingers. Enough said.

The cake was a big success with our colleagues, and of course Phil had to remind me of speeches he gave me in the past, like “The Importance of Frosting on Any Cake,” and “Why Cakes are Not Real Cakes If Not Smothered in Frosting.” He is thrilled that I seem to be getting his point, after so many years of food blogging. Our marriage only gets better and better.

Kate, I hope you had a great time cooking from your assigned blog!
I invite my readers to browse through the collection of goodies made by my fellow virtual friends from The Secret Recipe Club with a click on the blue frog at the end of the post.

ONE YEAR AGO: Pecan-Crusted Chicken with Honey-Mustard Dressing

TWO YEARS AGO: Bewitching Kitchen on Fire!

THREE YEARS AGO: Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

FOUR YEARS AGO: Chiarello’s Chicken Cacciatore

FIVE YEARS AGO: Donna Hay’s Thai-Inspired Dinner

SIX YEARS AGO: Panettone

21Jul2015

CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

It’s hard to make a case for one more chocolate chip cookie recipe, but this one is worth talking about… What makes this recipe special is its shortbread nature. No eggs in the dough. As Sue described in her original post, shortbread cookies were probably the first versions “invented” by bakers. Think flour, butter and sugar. Beautify it with your favorite additions. And that’s pretty much it. The texture is completely different from a regular cookie. I think I slightly over-baked this batch, as the edges turned just a tad too dark compared to hers. It did not compromise the deliciousness of the final product, though. Trust me.

MILK CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD COOKIES
(from The View from Great Island)

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350F.

Cream the butter and the sugar together. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Add the flour, a little at a time, until the dough comes together. Fold in the chips just before it all comes into one mass. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and bring it all together with your hands. Form it into a plump disk and then roll it out, flouring your rolling-pin as necessary, to about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick.

Cut cookies with a 3″ cookie cutter, pressing down firmly to cut through the chocolate chips. Reform the dough as needed to use it all up. Arrange the cookies on a cookie sheet and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the whole tray for at least an hour.

Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes. You want them to be every so slightly golden just around the edges, and be slightly firm to the touch. Let them cool for a few minutes on the tray and then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Such a nice dough to work with! It rolls smoothly, each cookie hiding the perfect amount of chocolate chip goodness… I rolled mine straight on the countertop, nice and easy.These cookies don’t spread much, so cut them in the size you’d like to enjoy them. You might be surprised to see milk chocolate instead of dark, but I think the extra sweetness is perfect in the shortbread environment. Of course, you can use this basic recipe to make many variations. Think white chocolate and dried cranberries, toffee bits and dark chocolate would be awesome too. Not to mention macadamia nuts, a little lemon zest… Ok, I’ll stop here, but you don’t have to, put your imagination to work…

I’d never had a shortbread cookie before. With the first bite, I asked myself “do I like it?”… one more bite…. “Hummmmm, I think I do like it!“….. After two cookies disappeared in lightning speed, I realized they won me over, big time! If you’ve only had “regular” cookies until now, open your baking horizons with a batch of these.

Sue, as usual it took me quite a while to blog on this recipe… I checked my files and noticed I baked these cookies back in January, can you believe it? But better late than never to say thank you for the inspiration!

😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Chicken in Green Pipian Sauce, Sous-vide Style

TWO YEARS AGO: Classic Shrimp Gobernador Tacos

THREE YEARS AGO: A Walk Towards the Sunset

FOUR YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen

FIVE YEARS AGO: Heavenly Home-made Fromage Blanc

SIX YEARS AGO: A Perfect Sunday Dinner