Chocolate Treat So Sweet!

Chokladcupcakes (Chocolate Cupcakes)

via:call-me-cupcake.blogspot.com

"I know what you're thinking. Cherries in rum? Who the heck eats that? The first thing I think of is the chocolate praline filled with preserved cherries from the chocolate box Aladdin (which we usually eat around christmas in Sweden) which are always the only ones left in the box (except when my brother is around). But I promise, in this case they are delicious! If you know you don't like them, simply exclude them and replace with something else. They really do taste great in this recipe though!

Other than that I'm just looking for excuses to take pictures of cherries. They are so beautiful and very gratifying to photograph!"

Chocolate cupcakes

Makes approx. 10

•200 g flour

•2 tbsp cocoa powder

•0,5 tsp baking soda

•180 g sugar

•50 g butter, at room temperature

•1 large egg

•0,5 tsp vanilla powder

•0,5 dl canola oil

•0,5 dl buttermilk

Filling:

•Preserved cherries in rum (optional)

Preheat oven to 150 degrees C. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add oil and egg beating well.

Add flour mixture and buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down sides of bowl. Fill paper liners about 2/3 full and bake for about 25-30 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool while you make the frosting. Cut a hole in the center of each cupcake and fill with a (or more if you want to) preserved cherry.

Whipped cream cheese frosting

•150 grams cream cheese

•1,5 dl heavy whipping cream

•0,5 teaspoon vanilla extract

•1 dl powdered sugar

Whip the cream in a large bowl. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla in another bowl. Mix everything together and whip until smooth. If the frosting is runny, put the bowl in the fridge for a while.

via:call-me-cupcake.blogspot.com

whoa, more chocolate please.

Cookies ‘N Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies

via:kevinandamanda.com

Cookies ‘N Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies

1 box Brownie Mix

eggs & oil (as called for by the brownie mix)

1 heaping half cup (6 oz) Cookies & Cream ice cream

1/4 Cup hot fudge topping (chilled or room temp)

1 pkg Oreos (regular, Double or Mega Stuffed! Your choice! 

Preheat oven according to directions on the box and spray an 8×8 baking dish generously with cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil as directed on the back of the box, but do not add the water. Add ice cream and hot fudge to the brownie batter and stir to combine. Pour half of the brownie batter into the baking dish, layer with Oreos, then top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes or as directed on the back of the box.

 recipe via: kevinandamanda.com

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hi Hat Cupcakes

Ohhh, a yummy treat just in time for Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hi Hat Cupcakes (Gluten Free)

via:pineappleandcoconut

Author: Shanna

Recipe type: Valentine’s Day, Cupcake, Gluten Free

Prep time: 60 mins

Cook time: 18 mins

Total time: 1 hour 18 mins

Serves: 20

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Hi Hat Cupcakes (Gluten Free) Makes 20 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1 cup all purpose gluten free flour

¾ cup granulated sugar ( I use Zulka)

½ tsp salt

¾ tsp baking soda

4 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

½ c cocoa powder ( not hot chocolate mix)

½ cup water

½ cup strong coffee

2 large eggs, room temperature

⅓ c coconut oil, melted

3 tsp white vinegar (not white wine)

1½ tsp vanilla extract

For the ganachen filling

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

4 ounces heavy cream

¼ c strawberry jam

⅓ cup fresh strawberries, finely diced

For the Frosting

3 large egg whites

1½ cup sugar

¼ tsp cream of tartar

¼ tsp salt

⅓-1/2 cup strawberry puree

For the chocolate coating

12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

3 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 Deg. F

Prepare two cupcake pans with 20 cupcake liners

Make the Ganache

Place the chopped dark chocolate in a small non-reactive bowl ( preferably stainless steel) and set aside. Heat the cream until small bubbles form on the edges, but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 5 min. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is very smooth. Add in the strawberry jam and diced strawberries and stir again. Chill until firm enough to scoop spoonfuls, about 30 minutes.

Make the Cupcakes

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a small bowl add the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder. Heats the coffee and water until steaming and pour over the chocolate cocoa mixture, stir until all the chocolate is melted, and set aside to cool a few minutes. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add this to the chocolate mixture and mix well. Combine the wet mixture with the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Let sit for 5 minutes. Scoop out 20 rounded teaspoon sized balls of the ganache and set aside.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake pans, about ⅔ full. Bake for 8 minutes, the tops will still be liquidy, and quickly open the oven and without removing the pans, place one ganache ball in each of the cupcakes and push it in slightly. Bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting

Set a pan of water over medium heat and bring to a simmer. In a bowl of a stand mixer combine the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl over the pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom doesn’t touch and whisk the mixture for 7 minutes or until 160 Deg F on a candy thermometer.

Place the bowl on the stand mixer and whisk for 2 minutes on high using the whisk attachment. Add in the strawberry puree one tablespoon at a time until you reach desired flavor. Whip again on high 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form.

Quickly add the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe swirls onto the tops of the cupcakes, about 2 inches high. Place the cupcakes in the freezer to firm up the icing.

In a double boiler or microwave, melt the chocolate and coconut oil and mix until smooth. Place in a small deep bowl. Dip the frozen cupcakes one at a time, just enough that almost all of the frosting is dipped. Place on a tray and repeat with remaining cupcakes. Chill in refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat. Serve at room temperature.

Chocolate covered strawberry goodness in cupcake form. Happy Valentine’s Day!

via:pineappleandcoconut

Ooh- Dessert Dreamy: S’mores Cake

S’mores Cake 

(by Momofuku / Christina Tosi via Bon Appetit)

(chocolate + malt + marshmallow)

OK, this looks simply incredible... I must make this! 

via:alanabread.com

"I do not have a clever anecdote, relevant life story or poignant statement in relation to this cake, instead I can offer a few simple home truths. It was my friend Felicia’s birthday yesterday, she’s a pastry chef and therefore deserved a spectacle more thoughtful and curious than the usual birthday fare; rich chocolate cake, malty and salty ganache, crunchy crumbs and chewy, charred marshmallow. Sound legit? Well. This cake ended up so intense it made the aperture blades in my brand new lens seize up (no joke, I’m now spending my day off tomorrow visiting the camera service centre). This s’mores cake literally forced my camera into a food coma just by looking at it.

The directions, dare I say gospel, according to Momofuku’s class act via Bonappetit were followed to a tee however their signature naked-cake style was abandoned in lieu of my penchant for a good chocolate drip cake. It was kept messy all ’round since successfully hiding behind the guise of rustic when in actual fact I lack kitchen finesse is my greatest aesthetic flaw trait. If you enjoy your sweet treats tall and gooey this might just be the cake for you, a Momofuku recipe with a heavy-handed twist."

S’mores Cake (by Momofuku / Christina Tosi via Bon Appetit)

Milk Crumbs

3/4 cup milk powder

1/2 cup flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons corn flour

3/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes

80g butter, melted

12 tablespoons Ovaltine mix

80g white chocolate, melted

Malt-fudge sauce

1 1/3 cups Ovaltine mix

120g dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)

1 teaspoon molasses

Pinch of sea salt flakes

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup glucose / corn syrup

1/4 cup sugar

Chocolate cake

60g dark chocolate

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup dutch-process cocoa

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

170g butter, room temperature

2 1/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons glucose / corn syrup

3 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Malt soak

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons Ovaltine mix

Assembly

2x packets mini marshmallows (sorry didn’t make note of the grams!)

Brûlée torch

Milk crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 130°C. Combine milk powder, flour, sugar, corn flour and salt in medium bowl; toss to mix evenly. Add melted butter and stir with fork until clusters form. Spread mixture evenly onto baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake until crumbs are dry and crumbly but still pale, about 10-15 minutes. Once cool toss in a bowl with Ovaltine mix and white chocolate. Toss until completely coated and allow to dry.

Malt-fudge sauce

1. Place Ovaltine, chocolate, molasses and salt in a bowl and set aside. Combine cream, corn syrup, and sugar in bowl and microwave until everything has dissolved. Pour cream mixture over chocolate mixture and let stand for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Whisk until sauce is glossy. Set aside.

Chocolate cake

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Coat three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of each pan with parchment round and coat parchment with nonstick spray. Place chocolate in small bowl and microwave in 15-second intervals just until melted, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Combine butter, sugar, and glucose in large bowl and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and add eggs. Beat to incorporate then increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add melted chocolate and beat briefly until blended. Add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and beat until pale brown, about 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until blended. Divide batter among pans.

3. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes. Cool completely in pans on racks.

Malt soak

1. Stir milk and Ovaltine in small bowl.

To assemble

1. Rewarm sauce until just pourable. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of it in the centre of your cake board and place the first chocolate cake round on top (this is to ensure it stays put). Brush over a few tablespoons of the malt soak, cover with some chocolate sauce, just under a third of it (allowing some to ooze over the edge if you feel so inclined), add a third of the malt crumbs and a quarter of the mini marshmallows. Torch the layer of marshmallows lightly for that charred, s’morsey feel. Add a little drizzle of chocolate sauce and add the second cake round. Repeat adding malt soak, chocolate sauce, crumbs marshmallows, torching and more sauce. Add the third cake round. This time top the cake with more sauce then the remainder of the marshmallows. Torch those bad boys then sprinkle with the remainder of the milk crumbs and drizzle the rest of the chocolate sauce on top (a word of advice: if it begins to do the leaning tower of Pisa thing, don’t sweat it; it’s rustic and beautiful). 

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Dessert Delight

Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut Pies

via: www.marinmamacooks.com

Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut Pies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 10

Ingredients

6 tablespoons Earth Balance

2 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil

32 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

12 ounces dark chocolate

1 can regular coconut milk, chilled overnight

Instructions

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F and grease a muffin tin.

Place 1 cup of the coconut into a food processor along with the Earth Balance and coconut oil. Pulse for thirty seconds until the Earth Balance appears well-blended with the coconut.

Remove the mixture and place it into a large bowl with the remaining coconut. Combine everything with your fingers until it is all mixed together well.

Taking a few tablespoons of the mixture at a time, press it into the muffin tin, shaping it up the sides to form a crust. Continue until you have used all of the mixture which should make ten mini pies.

Cover muffin tin with a sheet of tinfoil and then feel for the center of each one and poke a hole with a sharp knife. Pull the tinfoil back so that hole is about 2 inches in diameter.

Place muffin tin in the oven and cook for ten minutes and then check to see if it is starting to brown on the edges. If so, then remove foil and cook for another five minutes until light golden brown. If not, cook for another five minutes before removing the foil and cooking uncovered for five minutes. The coconut can burn if you don’t keep an eye on it, so be sure to stay in the kitchen while you’re baking the crust.

You can start making the filling while the crust is cooking by heating a sauce pan over medium heat. Pour off the liquid from the top of the coconut milk then pour the remaining cream into the pot. It’s okay if the cream isn’t completely solidified, just pour the liquid in the pot and heat until it starts to bubble. Chop your chocolate with a knife or break it apart with your fingers then add it to the saucepan. Turn the heat to low and stir until chocolate and coconut cream are well-combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the chocolate mixture into each muffin tin and then put it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

via: www.marinmamacooks.com