Chocolate Raspberry Crêpe Cake

I... I can't even... I don't know where to begin, really. I almost didn't share this with you. Chocolate, cream, crêpes, more chocolate, more cream, ganache, raspberry jam, truffles, diabetes, chocolate, obesity, cream. In good conscience I couldn't give you this recipe. Luckily for you, I apparently gave up being a good person for Lent this year.

The cake: A dozen or so crêpes layered with chocolate ganache and raspberry jam, covered in chocolate ganache frosting, topped with chocolate truffles, and dusted with cocoa powder. If you enjoy chocolate, the odds are in ever in your favor (Did you see The Hunger Games this weekend? I did, and my inner tween loved it!) of enjoying this cake. This is easily the most ridiculous dessert I've ever made.

I don't wish to know the calorie count of a slice of this cake. It's unfortunate that I'm going to a beach in Florida in less than a month. I apologize to my fellow sand loungers. It's not going to be pretty. This cake is partially to blame, but it was worth every rich, decadent bite. 

Proceed at your own health risk. You may never breathe the same way again, but you will die happy.

         

Chocolate Raspberry Crêpe Cake
adapted from Sprinkle Bakes

Crêpes
yields about one dozen crêpes

Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1 cup cream
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Directions:
Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or a blender and process until well combined.  The mixture will be the consistency of heavy cream.

Brush a 9 or 10 inch skillet with melted butter and place over medium heat until butter just starts to smoke. Pour scant 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet. Swirl the batter with the pan lifted over the stove eye until the bottom is coated with a thin layer of batter.  Place pan on the stove eye and cook until the surface of the crêpe loses most of its glossiness and the top is set. Flip crepe and leave on the stove for another 20 seconds. Slide the crêpe out of the skillet and onto a plate.

Repeat process until all crêpe batter is used. Allow the crêpes to cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache
**half this portion of the recipe if you do not intend on making truffles**

Ingredients:
18 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Roughly chop the chocolate and place it in a medium heatproof bowl.

In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and vanilla over medium-high heat until just boiling.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool slightly before using.

Assembly

Center a crêpe on a serving plate.  Using a pastry brush, very lightly coat the crêpe with chocolate ganache while it is still thin (if ganache begins to set, you can gently heat it in the microwave at 20 second intervals). Thinly spread a little raspberry jam over the ganache and top with another crêpe. Continue brushing, spreading and stacking, ending with a crêpe on top.  Place in the cake thus far in the freezer for 30 minutes to set.

Refrigerate the chocolate ganache. When remaining chocolate ganache is of spreading consistency, use to frost the cake.  Let stand at room temperature until set.  

The remaining amount of chocolate ganache can be chilled and rolled into truffles.  Roll truffles in cocoa powder and garnish top of cake. Dust cocoa powder over the entire cake.

Die happy.

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Chocolate Malbec Cake

This was the birthday cake for my friend Kristen here in Tucson. Kristen is a great cook (the woman makes homemade pasta and a mean meatball), a wine lover, and, as any lady, a whore for chocolate. I had no other choice but to make this chocolate cake with red wine, cinnamon cream cheese frosting, and strawberries.

The egg whites make this cake airy, while the sour cream keep this cake moist. The butter just makes it fattening and delicious. Cinnamon, red wine, and strawberries all pair so well with chocolate that I thought I'd give this master combo a go, and the result was good -- I mean, really good (though I could be biased because 1. I made it, and 2. I had a few glasses of wine before I tried it...). And you can't beat fresh berries!

So to recap: Chocolate and wine. In a cake. You'll be glad you came. Happy Birthday, Kristen!

Chocolate Malbec Cake
adapted from Cooking with Wine

yields 2 8-inch cake rounds

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups red wine (I used a Malbec, if you couldn't tell...)

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter the cake pans, line each pan with a round of parchment paper, and brush again with butter.

Sift flour with the cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

Cream the butter in an electric mixer, beat in the sugar, and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg whites, one by one, and then the sour cream and vanilla, and continue beating 1 to 2 minutes. Sift a third of the flour over the butter mixture and fold them together, using a spoon. Fold in a third of the wine. Add the remaining flour and wine alternately in two batches.

Spread batter in the prepared pans. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted in the center should come out clean. Let the cakes cool 10 minutes in the pans, then turn them out on a rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (same recipe as the Owl Cupcakes)

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons milk

Directions:
Beat butter and cream cheese. Add sugar, cinnamon and milk and beat for 2 minutes. Spread on anything.
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Profiteroles with Blackberry Mascarpone, Chocolate, and Pistachio

Happy New Year! Let us hope 2012 brings happiness to us all. I rung in the new year with these little fellows: flaky profiteroles filled with blackberry mascarpone, dipped in chocolate, and sprinkled with pistachio. I love the colors and the flavors in this dessert. I hope that you'll give them a try sometime this year. Take care, and best wishes and blessings!

Profiteroles

adapted from La Fuji Mama

yields four dozen mini profiteroles

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the butter.  When the butter has melted, add the flour mixture all at once and stir vigorously.  Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate. Remove from the heat and cool slightly (about 1 minute).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one until the dough is smooth.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough about 2-inches apart onto a lined baking sheet.  Or transfer the batter to a pastry bag with a round tip and pipe circles about 2-inches in diameter and about 1-inch apart onto lined baking sheets.  Bake the puffs for about 30 minutes until they are golden brown and puffy.  If the puffs are medium-size, bake for about 25 minutes, and if the puffs are mini-size, bake for about 20 minutes.  Remove the cream puffs from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.

Blackberry Mascarpone

Ingredients:

2 cups blackberries

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

2 tablespoons orange juice 

1/4 cup sugar

16 ounces mascarpone, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Place blackberries, orange zest, orange juice, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Mash blackberries as they cook down. Leave on low for 15 minutes.

Strain blackberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Let cool.

With an electric mixer on low speed, combine mascarpone, confectioners' sugar, and the blackberry mixture until combined.

Assembly

Melt 8 ounces of chocolate on a double broiler. Grind 1/4 cup shelled pistachios into a fine powder.

Pipe blackberry mascarpone into the profiteroles. Dip tops of profiteroles in melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with pistachios. Let chocolate cool and harden. Can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Chocolate Tart with Nutella, Raspberry Curd & Berries

Chocolate and Raspberry. Need I say more, ladies? I think not. However, this tart says plenty more by taking chocolate and raspberry to another dimension: chocolate crust with Nutella and raspberry curd with fresh berries.

Can you believe that I kept this in my fridge for a whole 24 hours just to bring into school to share? 24 hours. 24 long, long hours. I even gave the mini tarts to my roommates. I never had a taste for 24 hours! Ok, fine, that's a boldfaced lie. I had spoonfuls of curd and Nutella, and maybe a berry or thirteen while assembling this tart. I'm only human.

This recipe for Chocolate Tart Dough is adaptable to all your chocolate tart needs (Make this tart and you will discover that you have chocolate tart needs.). This combo is satisfying, to say the least, but pick your own favorite fillings - pastry cream, custard, curd, ganache, fruit, etc. Let me know what you come up with!

Chocolate Tart Dough

Martha Stewart

yields 4 2x4-inch rectangular tarts; or 1 9-inch round tart + some extra for mini tarts

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Add yolks, cream, and vanilla and process until mixture comes together.


Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until ready to use, up to 2 days.

Now it's time to make the tart! Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove dough from fridge and let sit on a floured work surface for 5 minutes. Roll dough about 1/4-inch thick. Press dough evenly into tart pan. Bake for about 20 minutes (You're whole house will smell like chocolate - this is the best part!). Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for an hour.

Fill tart with delicious things. Enjoy.

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Chocolate Crackle Cookies

Cookies, cookies, and more cookies. You've got to eat them while you can before the wave of New Year's guilt, so here's an easy and plentiful recipe to get your end-of-the-year fix.

These cookies are a personal favorite - they look pretty and are made of chocolate. How can you lose?

This dough keeps well in the fridge for a few days so you don't have to bake them all at once. You can divide the dough into balls, freeze them in a ziploc bag and then sugar and bake them at the ready any day. Fresh cookies in an instant!

If you haven't gotten the picture, these are probably not diabetic-friendly snacks, so I apologize, but I don't feel guilty, because it's only Dec 29...

Chocolate Crackle Cookies
from Martha Stewart

yields 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop bittersweet chocolate into small bits, and melt over medium heat in a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and light-brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add melted chocolate. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Divide the dough into quarters, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.

On a clean countertop, roll each portion of dough into a log approximately 16 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, using confectioners’ sugar to prevent sticking. Wrap logs in plastic wrap, and transfer to a baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes. Cut each log into 1-inch pieces, toss in granulated sugar and then toss in confectioners’ sugar, a few at a time. Using your hands, roll the pieces into a ball shape. If any of the cocoa-colored dough is visible, roll dough in confectioners’ sugar again to coat completely. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a Silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake until cookies have flattened and the sugar splits, 12 to15 minutes.

Transfer from oven to a wire rack to let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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Winter Bark

Tis the season for bark, and thank goodness for that, because bark is one of the simplest holiday treats to concoct!

After making cookies, pies, tarts, meringues, cakes, trifles, and truffles, this will almost feel like cheating but the taste is not cheated, not one bit. It's as easy as this: 1) Melt some chocolates. 2) Add some nuts, berries, or candies. 3) Stick in the fridge for an hour and Voila! 4) Marvel at the magic.

And best of all you can be an artist in your very own kitchen. That's right - it's time to break out your inner Matisse...

or Jackson Pollock...

Just have fun with it! You can't mess up the presentation of this, I promise. And even if you do, you can eat it all and no one will ever know ;-)

For this bark I stuck with the simplicity and used only white chocolate, dark chocolate, and peanuts, but feel free to let your imagination run wild.

Winter Bark
adapted from Martha Stewart

yields 1 1/4 pounds

Ingredients:
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
7 ounces (1 1/2 cups) salted cocktail peanuts

Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water, stirring frequently, until chocolate melts. Remove from heat and set aside. Place bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt the same way as the white chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the peanuts.

Spread on a lined, rimmed baking sheet, spreading peanuts in a single layer, and drop spoonfuls of white chocolate on top.

Swirl chocolates with a skewer. Refrigerate until bark is set, about 1 hour. Break bark into large pieces. Bark will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks! Enjoy.

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Nutella Rum Sherbet

For about the past three weeks, every night, roughly around 9:30 p.m., I complain to my friend Kristin on gchat that I desperately want to eat ice cream, even though there isn't any to be found in the house. I don't want to make any because it would take 4-6 hours to freeze. I don't want to bike alone to the store in the dark. I don't want to leave my bed (Ah, the real reason emerges: laziness!). I was forced to put an end to my slothful ways and to satisfy my nocturnal cravings when Tiffany sent me this amazing recipe for Nutella Ice Cream.

If you have never tried Nutella, then you haven't fully lived. If you are allergic to chocolate and/or hazelnuts, then I'm sorry, but you will never fully live. 

Tiffany, my faithful taste-tester, knowing what's good, wished to pay her respects to the Italian, chocolate-spread gods, but is a little lactose intolerant, so I substituted the dairy for almond milk. I also swapped the vodka for rum. 

So to recap: Nutella. Rum. Nutella Rum Sherbet. Go. Go get out you ice cream maker. Go make it now, and live (with a happy stomach).

Nutella Rum Sherbet

Yields 2 cups

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups almond milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup nutella
1 tablespoon extra dry white rum

Directions:
Beat all ingredients together until evenly incorporated and bubbles form.

Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions and freeze for at least 5 hours before serving.

Enjoy.

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No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars

I have found the no-muss, no-fuss bite for you and another no-bake recipe for Kathleen. In less than half an hour, these chewy granola bars will be ready to satisfy both your sweet and salty cravings with plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week.

This is the simplest granola bar recipe I've come across and it's versatile that you can use whatever is hanging out in your cupboard. On this occasion I chose to add chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to the mix, but dried fruits, pretzels, cereal, candy, and marshmallows are all welcome here.

Granola bars are indispensable when it comes down to a snack on the run or breakfast on the fly. You get your grains, fruit, and a little sweet treat all in one. What more could you want?

No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars
adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups granola
1 cup rice/puffed cereal (Rice Krispies, Kashi Go-Lean Honey Puff, etc.)
1/4 cup chocolate chips*
1/4 cup peanut butter chips*

*You can substitute anything you like here or add more.

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves (about 2 minutes). Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Add the granola and rice cereal (and pretzels if using them) to the saucepan and fold the ingredients to evenly coat with the sauce.

Transfer the granola mixture to a 9 x 13 inch ungreased baking pan. Press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill the tray. Gently press the chips onto the top.

Place the pan in the refrigerator until the mixture is firm (about 15 minutes). Cut into 2 1/4 x 3 inch bars.

Store in an airtight container or wrap in waxed paper.
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Best Chocolate Pudding for Kathleen

My good friend Kathleen just moved to Istanbul. I admire her for a great many reasons, but in this case particularly for going to an entirely different place with nothing but courage and enthusiasm. She just began teaching, an unexpected fork in the road, but one that will allow her to share her gifts and knowledge while learning in turn from her experiences about this new culture. I am so proud to be friends with someone who can take up a challenge like that.

Kathleen's between her old life and her new one, and unfortunately this transition does not involve a kitchen with an oven. She asked me if I could post some no-bake dessert recipes. She was tired of only eating fruit and whipped cream, which is a pretty good problem to have as far as problems go, but some days you just want something rich and filling. I have those "some days" every day that ends in the letter y.

Luckily, chocolate is always a solution.

This is my favorite chocolate pudding recipe. It's like being a kid again, but with higher quality chocolate than Jello. The rewards are reaped in under an hour with this pudding, made on the stovetop for 20 minutes and then set in the fridge for 30 minutes.

So I send my chocolate-covered wishes of happiness, hope, and good dessert half way around the globe and into your kitchen. Fruit with whipped cream can be the addition here, not the main focus, allowing you to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Best Chocolate Pudding

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

yields 6 servings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
6 ounces chocolate (I used 71% cacao Swiss dark. Use your favorite!)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract*

*You could add any number of flavorings to this: peppermint extract, orange juice, Baileys, Kahlua, fruit liquors...

Bring 2 inches of water in a medium saucepan to a simmer on medium-low heat. Combine the cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a bowl heatproof bowl (not plastic). Place bowl over the saucepan (double broiler) and slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients.

Stir contents of the bowl occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate (chopped, if not using baking chips).

Whisk for about 3 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the extract.

Pour into serving bowls. If you like pudding skin, pull plastic wrap over the top of the serving dishes before refrigerating. If you dislike pudding skin, place plastic wrap on top of the pudding itself and smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

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Ricotta Chocolate Tart with Strawberries

So, the original recipe for this called for kumquats, but I just couldn't handle that. The word "kumquat" is inherently hilarious. I can't say kumquat with a straight face. Go ahead. Say kumquat without giggling. There's a reason Patrick Henry didn't say, "Give me kumquats, or give me death!" No one would have taken our country seriously for as long as they did.

In order to save myself from cramping of the abdomen and a permanent fracture to the funny bone, I decided to substitute in strawberries. Any fruit would fill your need here (even, dare I say it... the k-word). How can something chocolatey, creamy, and fruity not hit the spot?

It's a simple tart that can be made on the fly, leaving you time to lay on the floor, crippled with amusement after reading the words "discombobulate", "turdiform", and "weenis"* in your dictionary.
*discombobulate (v) - to throw into a state of confusion
turdiform (adj) - shaped like a thrush
weenis (n) - slang for the extra skin on your elbow

Ricotta Chocolate Tart with Strawberries
adapted from Martha Stewart

yields 8 servings

Ingredients:
Crust
5 ounces (~24 cookies) chocolate wafers
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt


Filling
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 strawberries, thinly sliced crosswise

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Pulse wafers in a food processor (or smash if on a low-budget, low-tech life) until crumbs form. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining crust ingredients (melted butter, sugar, salt). Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.

To make the filling, beat together ricotta, cream, sugar, and cinnamon until fluffy.

Fold in half of the strawberries. Pour into cooled crust. Top with the remaining strawberries. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (preferably overnight) before serving.

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