All Info About Chocolate Recipes

posted by Carol on Nov 18

Melted Chocolate Running from a Whisk Photographic Print
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Ingredients

Layers
6oz (175g) butter
6oz (175g) castor (fine grained) sugar
1 egg
6oz (175g) plain (all purpose) flour
2 tsp cinnamon

Filling & Topping
3oz (75g) plain (semi sweet) chocolate
1/2 oz (15g) butter
1/2pt (300ml) double (whipping) cream
1tbs castor (fine grained) sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 425 deg F (220 deg C).

2. Cut baking parchment into 5 pieces, approx 10ins square, then mark an 8ins circle on each piece. Place each piece of parchment on separate baking trays.

3. Put the castor sugar and butter for the layers into a bowl and cream until pale and fluffy. Sieve (strain) the flour and cinnamon together and put aside. Beat egg into the butter and sugar mixture, add a little sieved flour if it starts to curdle. When all the egg is beaten into the mixture, carefully fold in the flour and cinnamon.

4. Divide the mixture into five and spread it on each of the pieces of baking parchment in the circles you have already marked out.

5. Bake for around 5 minutes. The circles should be golden brown when ready. Peel off the parchment and leave the layers to cool.

6. Whip the sugar and cream until stiff and sandwich the layers together with it.

6. Break up the chocolate and melt with the butter - see Basic Techniques. Now just spread the chocolate mixture across the top of the layer cake.

posted by Carol on Nov 18

The Victoria sandwich is a classic recipe and the chocolate version is even more delicious.

Ingredients
115g/4oz plain chocolate
200g/7oz self raising flour
150g/5oz softened unsalted butter or margarine
150g/5oz light muscovado sugar
3 eggs
45ml/3tbsp milk
15ml/1 tbsp cocoa powder

Chocolate Buttercream for filling
75g/3oz unsalted softened butter or margarine
175g/6oz icing sugar
15ml/1tbsp cocoa powder
2.5ml/ 1/2tsp vanilla essence

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C/350deg F/Gas mark 4.

2. Grease two 18cm/7in sandwich tins and line the base with greaseproof or other non-stick paper.

3. Put some water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, then turn it down to a slow simmer. Whilst waiting for the water to boil, break the chocolate into small pieces and then put them and the milk into a heatproof bowl which you should put on the saucepan. It should not touch the water. Leave this for the chocolate to soften.

4. Cream the butter or margarine and sugar together until pale, creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs gradually and beat well with each addition. If the mixture starts to curdle, add a tablespoon of sifted flour.

5. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture making sure that it is mixed well.

6. Sift the flour and cocoa together and fold in to the mixture with a metal spoon until well mixed. Do not beat or you will beat the air out and it won’t rise.

7. Divide the mixture evenly between the two sandwich tins and smooth and level the mixture.

8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. It is done when a sharp, dry knife comes out clean or when the top of the cake is pressed and springs back up.

9. Turn onto wire racks to cool.

10. When the cakes are cool, evenly spread the chocolate butter cream (see below) over one half and then sandwich the two halves together. Dust with a little sieved icing sugar and cocoa. If you want to get really fancy you can put a paper doily with a cut out pattern on top of the cake and sieve over that. Remove the doily and voila! you have a pretty pattern on your cake!

Chocolate Butter Cream
Sift the icing sugar and cocoa to ensure there are no little lumps. Put all the ingredients into a bowl together and beat well until you have achieved a smooth consistency.

posted by Carol on Nov 18

This special celebration meringue can be used as a delicious dessert or as a cake when the occasion demands. Makes one 8ins torte.

Meringues on Cake Rack Photographic Print
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Base
4 egg whites
½ cup sugar
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour
3 ozs grated semi-sweet (plain) chocolate

Filling
1 ¾ cups heavy (double) cream
5 ozs semi-sweet (plain) chocolate

Also required:-
baking sheets
parchment paper
Ganache frosting (icing) - see below

Method
1. Prepare the bases and cream filling 24 hours before required.

2. Preheat the oven to 125F. Whisk the egg whites together with the sugar until stiff.

3. Sift the confectioner’s sugar with the cornflour and carefully fold in the mixture.

4. Blend in the chocolate.

5. Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and draw three 8 inch circles.

6. Spoon the mixture into a round tipped pastry bag. Starting from the centre, pipe a continuous spiral to fill each circle.

7. Dry the meringues overnight, leaving the oven door slightly open. Remove frtom the parchment paper with care.

Ganache Frosting (Icing)
Soft textured icing coating
Makes 3 cups

½ cup milk
3 fl ozs cream
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
6 ½ teaspoons glucose syrup
12 ozs semi-sweet (plain) chocolate

Method
1. Mix milk, cream, sugar, water and glucose syrup into a saucepan.

2. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly. Then remove from heat.

3. Add grated or finely chopped chocolate and stir until melted totally.

4. Mix well or use a hand blender, keeping well down in the mixture.

5. Spread liberally over the cold meringues and sandwich three together carefully.

6. Decorate with grated chocolate and serve with whipped cream.

posted by Carol on Nov 18

This delicious cake combines the flavours of ginger and chocolate to great effect and the cake is light and airy because it is made with beaten egg whites.

Ingredients
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup (6oz/175g) castor sugar
1 cup (4oz/100g) cake flour (self raising)

Filling
2oz (50g) butter
1 cup (4oz/100g) confectioners (icing) sugar
4 tbs of finely chopped preserved ginger
4 tbs grated semi sweet (plain) chocolate
1 tbs rum (optional) - if you want either a more gingery or chocolatey taste, you could use a ginger or chocolate liqueur instead of rum.

Frosting (Icing)
3 oz (75g) semi sweet (plain) chocolate
1-1/2 cups (6oz/175g) confectioners (icing) sugar
2 tbs light (single) cream
1 tbs boiling water

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C). Grease and line the base with non-stick paper of an 8 inch cake pan. Sprinkle the pan with a little flour and castor sugar.

2. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks.

3. Carefully fold in the sugar and egg yolks making sure that they are evenly distributed throughout the egg whites.

4. Strain (sift) the flour into the mixture and fold in carefully as you go. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes. The cake is done when it is golden brown and the centre springs back when pressed.

5. When the cake is cooked, take it out of the pan and leave to cool on a rack. When cold, cut it in half horizontally.

Filling
6. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

7. Add the ginger, grated chocolate and the rum or other liqueur. Mix well. Even if you don’t use the alcohol, the filling should be fine without adding other liquid.

8. Spread the filling on one half the the cake and then sandwich the two pieces together.

Frosting (Icing)
9. Melt the chocolate (see techniques). When it is liquid, remove from heat and gradually stir in the sugar.

10. When the sugar and chocolate are well combined, slowly stir in the cream, then the hot water. While the mixture is still hot, spread it over the cake.

posted by Carol on Nov 17

A Piece of Chocolate Cherry Cake Photographic Print
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Ingredients
1 cup (4oz) sieved self raising (cake) flour
2oz butter
1/4 cup (2oz) castor (fine grained) sugar
1 large egg
2 rounded tps cocoa powder
1 tbs warm water

Topping
2oz chopped glacé cherries
1 cup (4oz) icing (confectioners) sugar
1 tbs lemon, rum or other flavouring
cold water

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 425 deg F (220 deg C). Layout a baking tray with about a dozen small paper cake cases.

2. Mix the cocoa and warm water until the cocoa dissolves.

3. Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until it is light and creamy then beat in the egg and cocoa mixture.

4. Fold in the flour.

5. Divide the mixture equally into the 12 paper cases then bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

6. To make the topping just mix the icing (confectioners sugar) with rum or other flavouring and enough cold water until it is loose enough to spread easily over the top of each small cake. Decorate with a cherry on each.

posted by Carol on Nov 17

Here’s a different way to serve cooked apples—in a delicious form of chocolate pastry.

Mele Art Print
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at AllPosters.com

Ingredients
1 cup (4oz) self raising (cake) flour
4oz butter
1/2 cup (4oz) castor (fine grained) sugar
1 large egg
2 level tbs cocoa powder

Filling
4 large cooking apples
1/3 cup (2oz) soft brown sugar
1 tbs rum, lemon or other flavouring
4 tbs cold water

Method
1. Peel, core and cut the apples into slices.

2. Put them in a pan with the water and rum or flavouring of choice and cook gently until they are soft but whole. Drain well and leave them to go completely cold.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 deg F (190 deg C). Grease two 7 inch square cake pans.

4. Put the butter and flour into a bowl and rub in until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the cocoa powder and castor sugar.

5. Beat the egg and stir into the mixture until it is well combined and holding together. Divide it equally into two pieces of dough.

6. Roll out each piece of dough so that they fit the 7 inch cake pans. Put each piece into a cake tin and bake for about 15 minutes until they are just half cooked.

7. Remove from the over and spread the cooked apples over one piece of dough without removing it from the pan. Carefully remove the other half cooked dough from the pan (pans with removeable bottoms are best for this) and place on top of the apple.

8. Bake for about another 15 minutes until the dough is fully cooked.

9. Leave it in the pan to cool then cut into slices.

10. Sieve icing (confectioners) sugar over the tops to serve.