Chocolate and pear clafoutis

The renovation and move made me energy less. There was a long waited, special day on Saturday! We packed our belongings and overloaded we crossed the doorstep of our new apartment. I’m learning my new way to work and how to solve things in cabinets. Slowly I’m coming back to cooking because finally I have a kitchen!

I started with a dessert to make our living here sweet!
Recipe from atdownunder.com.

Ingredients (makes 4-5 portions)
3,5 oz (100 g) wheat flour
2,5 oz (70 g) brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup milk
2,5 oz (70 g) dark chocolate
1,7 oz (50 g) butter
2 – 3 medium pears
pinch salt
lemon


Method
Peel pears and cut them cores, drizzle with lemon juice to preserve from becoming dark. In a bowl mix together flour, cornstarch, salt and cocoa. In another bowl whisk eggs with sugar until fluffy, add the flour mixture and milk step by step whisking all the time. Add slightly cooled melted chocolate with butter. Pour batter into the small baking dishes, on top of each place a wedge of pear. Bake for 30 min. in preheated oven to 175 oC. Serve warm (not hot).

Coconut milk chocolate cake

I was expecting something different after this cake. I thought it would be more coconut ( but desiccated coconut I sprinkled over vanilla ice cream compensated my disappointment) and more cohesive. Here I got a surprise because, although the cake was quite heavy it was also full of air bubbles – just delicious!
For sure I’ll make it once again and probably soon, because combinations of strong chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream was a real shot in the eye!
P.s. The cake was supposed to have a glaze, but my husband put it in the sink, thinking he’s washing dirty dishes…

Ingredients
2 oz (55 g) dark chocolate (70%)
3 oz (85 g) cocoa powder
¾ cup boiling water
5 oz (145 g) wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 oz (90 g) butter
8 oz (230 g) white sugar
2 oz (50 g) dark muscovado sugar
2 eggs
275 ml coconut milk


Method
Pour over the chocolate and cocoa powder the boiling water. Whisk until the chocolate the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool. Combine the chocolate mixture with dry ingredients ( flour, baking soda and powder). Stir in sugar until combined. Add one egg and whisk to combine. Ann other egg and whisk for 3 min. Slowly add the coconut milk and the chocolate mixture. Bake in preheated oven to 180 oC for about 30-40 min. Serve it cool with a scoop of ice cream and roasted coconut desiccated.

Beautiful chocolate cake

I couldn’t call it different. The recipe I found almost a year ago in a Coochnia’s website and since then I was thinking about it. I was waiting for a special occasion to bake this cake. And finally I served as a dessert in the before- Christmas dinner.

The cake is amazing! All its parts are harmonized. Butter shortbread base, prune layer with brandy and dark chocolate mousse…

Looking for another occasion to bake it! Seriously!

Ingredients
base:
7,5 oz (210 g) flour
5 oz (150 g) cold butter
2 egg yolks
3 oz (75 g) powder sugar
pinch salt
prune layer
10 oz (280 g) prunes
3 tbsp brandy
chocolate layer:
3,5 oz (100 g) dark chocolate
3 eggs (separate whites and yolks)
10 fl oz (285 ml) slightly whipped cream
3,5 oz (90 g) sugar


Method
Sieve flour, add sugar, salt and chopped butter. When the mixture will start reminds crumbles, add egg yolks and knead until smooth. Wrap in a plastic foil and place for 30 min in a fridge (or for a night). Roll out the dough and fit it into the tart pan. With a fork, make holes in the tart dough to prevent it from rising, place parchment over the shell and place a pile of beans on it as added weight while baking. Bake in preheated oven to 360F/ 180 oC for 20 min.
In a saucepan cook (for about 5-10 min.) prunes covered with water. Sieve prunes, blend them with 3 tbsp brandy. Spread prune mixture evenly on the cake base.

Crushed chocolate melt in a bowl with boiling water. Melted chocolate leave to cool down. Whisking add one egg yolk at the time. Whip the cream. Gently combine chocolate mixture with whipped cream. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gently combine them with the chocolate mixture. Spread chocolate mixture evenly on top of prune layer.

Bake for 40 min. at 360F/ 180 oC. Serve when cooled down.

Ginger, chocolate and pumpkin cheesecake

During this time of the year on every single American website you can find almost only pumpkins! Beautiful, ripe, orange… not too popular in Poland although healthy and delicious. Sour, spicy, sweet, ginger so many pumpkin versions… today with chocolate!

I wasn’t expecting such a delicious dessert. Delicate chocolate with a pastel pumpkin and cream layer… the Autumn poetry!

The recipe is from beantownbaker.com

Ingredients
¾ cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup wheat flour
½ cup cocoa
2 teaspoons cinnamon
drop vanilla essence
pinch salt
8 oz (220 g) cream cheese (i.e. Philadelphia)
1 egg
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp + 2 teaspoons wheat flour
2/3 cup mashed pumpkin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ground ginger


Method
Mix butter with sugar and salt until fluffy. Continuing stirring add one egg at the time. In another bowl mix the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, cinnamon). Gently combine both mixtures. In a separate bowl mix cheese layer ingredients. Spoon the 2/3 chocolate mixture into a medium size lined cake pan (10 inch/ 23 cm), next spoon the cheese mixture in and on top of it the rest of the chocolate mixture. Bake at 340F/ 170 oC for about 40 min., until the toothpick stick in the centre of the cake will come out clean.

Some kind of ‘brownie’

Intense chocolate taste, and delicate texture – something for me! The author suggests making it a day before serving and keeping in a sealed box – that’s how I did.

It’s delicious! Creamy with a deep chocolate colour. I served it with Mascarpone cheese. For me: the champion!

Ingredients
1 ½ cups wheat flour
2 tbsp cocoa
6 oz (170 g) butter
7 oz (200 g) dark chocolate
1 ¾ cups cane sugar
4 eggs
½ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon salt
1 tbsp vanilla essence
to serve (optional) vanilla ice-cream, Mascarpone cheese or whipped cream


Method
Sieve flour with cocoa. Melt the butter in a pot, add chocolate, stirring melt it. In a big bowl beat eggs with sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy. Add sour cream and salt. Gently add egg mixture to slightly cooled chocolate mixture. Combine with the dry ingredients. Spoon into a lined cake pan (8x8 inch/ 22x22 cm). Bake at 350 F/ 175 oC for about 30 min. Serve with a vanilla ice-cream, Mascarpone cheese or without anything.

Caramel chocolate, prunes and walnuts tartelettes

Because of the name day I felt like baking something. The best if this something had chocolate and was small (I have a great weakness for all kinds of cupcakes and tartelettes). I went through some cookbooks, blogs and finally found the inspiration.

Firstly the shortbread, secondly chocolate and prunes and finally chocolate cream. When I combined all those three I got those amazing tartelettes.

Ingredients
pastry :(I used ½ portion, the rest I freeze)
4,5 oz (125 g) room temperature butter
3 oz (90 g) powder sugar
1 large egg
9 oz (250 g) wheat flour
pinch salt
chocolate cream:
2 oz (50 g) brown sugar (i.e. Demerara)
0,7 oz (20 g) butter
2 fl oz (60 ml) sour cream 12%
5,5 oz (150 g) dark chocolate, chopped
3,5 fl oz (100 ml) double cream 30%
prune layer:
3,5 fl oz (100 ml) water
2 oz (60 ml) alcohol (i.e. brandy)
5,5 oz (150 g) dried plums


Method
Pastry: mix butter and sugar in a food processor until well combine. Add one egg at the time, mix for about 30 sec. Add flour, mix again until smooth (not too long as the dough shouldn’t get too hard). Slightly knead the dough, put in a plastic bag, keep in a fridge for about 30 min. Roll out the dough and fit it into the tart rings or molds. With a fork, make holes in the tart dough to prevent it from rising, place parchment over the shell and place a pile of beans on it as added weight while baking. Bake in preheated oven to 360 F/ 180 oC for 5 min. Take the parchment off the shells, bake for another 10 min. until golden brown. Baked cool down.

Prune layer: heat up prunes with brandy and water in a pot. Boil until fruit get soft and all ingredients well combine.

Chocolate filling: heat up the sugar, butter, 12% sour cream in a pot. Keep stirring until sugar melts, bring to boil, cook on a low heat for about 2 min. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate, stir until the chocolate melts. Add double cream, mix again. Leave to cool down.

On a bottom of each shell spoon some prune mixture, sprinkle with walnuts and cover with chocolate mixture. Cool down before serving, the best served in a room temperature.

Chocolate cake – moist and delicious

Today chocolate cake, so aromatic and very moist with in my opinion phenomenal glaze! A delicious classic which I baked when visiting my neighbours. One, two, three – just bowl and spoon! The host also baked chocolate cake and believe me no one was complaining about too much chocolate!

The modified recipe is from ‘Baking’ Emma Patmore.

Ingredients
8 oz (225 g) butter
3,5 oz (100 g) dark chocolate
5 fl oz (150 ml) water
10,5 oz (300 g) wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
9,5 oz (275 g) brown sugar
5 fl oz (150 ml) sour cream
2 whisked eggs
pinch salt
glaze (you can use ½ ingredients)
7 oz (200 g) dark chocolate
6 tbsp water
3 tbsp sour cream 18%
1 tbsp cold butter


Method
Greased a cake pan ( about 11x8 inch/ 30x20 cm). In a pot melt the butter with chocolate. In a bowl mix sieved flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add warm chocolate mixture and mix until smooth. Add cream, eggs and warm water, combine. Spoon the batter into a cake pan. Bake for 40 min. at 380 F/ 190 oC. When cooled spread the chocolate glaze (made with melted chocolate and cream mix with butter) on top.