Hot chocolate

As the Parisians make it. A drink for a king! This could be the ultimate way to take chocolate.  (yields 4 x 175 ml cups)

550 ml milk
50 ml good quality water
60 g caster sugar
100 g dark chocolate 70%, finely chopped
28 g cocoa powder, preferably Valrhona, sieved

In a good-sized saucepan, stir together the milk, water, sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the chocolate and cocoa and bring to a boil again, whisking until all has dissolved and the liquid has thickened. Reduce heat to very low and blend with a barmix for 5 minutes until the chocolate is thick and foamy. Allow guests to sprinkle ground cinnamon over if they wish.

Source: ‘It must have been something I ate’

chocolate cake

A building block cake. Great for birthday cakes.

50 g high quality cocoa powder
100 ml milk
100 ml cream
200 g raw sugar
125 g butter
2 eggs
150 g flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Combine cocoa, milk, cream, half of sugar, butter over low heat. Whisk eggs with rest of sugar, baking powder, vanilla sugar, salt until tripled in volume. Fold cocoa mixture gently into egg, alternating with flour.

Bake in 200′ oven for about 30 mins and remove just before cake is fully set in the middle. It will complete cooking as it cools.

From: kogebogen.dk and Georg

fast & delicious chocolate cake (with optional orange or bergamot flavours)

220 g chocolate (min 70%)
8 tbsp butter
4 eggs (at room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla-sugar
½ tsp salt
50 grs sugar
2 tbsp flour
 
optional:
finely grated zest from 2 organic oranges
8-10 drops of bergamot oil (available in pharmacies)
 
total preparation time: about 20-25 minutes.

Melt the chocolate together with the butter in the microwave or over a bain-marie. Meanwhile, beat the eggs together with salt, sugar and vanilla until they have tripled in volume. This takes about 5 minutes with an electric whisk. Sieve the flour over the mixture and slowly and gently work in the chocolate & butter. Optionally, add one of the flavorings, or both. Done. Fill into individual heat-proof cups or into a single round springform 18 cms in diameter, which have been greased and dusted with flour.
Bake at 180 degrees, approx. 8 minutes for the individual cup cakes or approx. 12 minutes for a single cake. Check before the time is up, the center should still be wobbly and undercooked. Serve warm!

adapted from “The Best Recipe” (fallen chocolate cake)

chocolate orange cake

A moist, flourless, scrummy cake made entirely in the food processor. Brilliant!

2 small thin-skinned oranges, c 375 g

6 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

200 g ground almonds

250 g caster sugar

50 g cocoa

Put whole oranges in a pot with cold water, bring to boil, simmer 2 hours. Drain, halve, remove pips, pulp the lot in the food processor, allow to cool. This much can be done the day before.

Add remaining ingredients to the food processor and run until combined but still a little lumpy. Pour into a buttered and lined 30 cm tin. Bake in a 180 ‘ C oven for about an hour. Check after 45 minutes, cover with foil if top is in danger of burning.

Cool in tin then turn out. Decorate with additional orange peel if desired.

From: Nigella Lawson via Roberta

chocolate cake

250g best dark chocolate
200g unsalted butter
4 eggs
250g sugar
100 ml flour

Melt butter and chocolate in a double-boiler. Whisk eggs with sugar. Sift in flour, and combine. Stir in chocolate mixture. Put into a 24 cm tin and bake at 180’C for about 40 mins on the bottom shelf.

Allow to cool and decorate with strands of orange rind.

Consistency is half-way between a brownie and a traditional cake.

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