Desserts

Chocolate Ganache Cake

capty99 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:21:42 -0600

Cake

What You Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant-espresso powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
Fresh raspberries
Almond Slivers
Gold leaf

For ganache

2 1/2 cups heavy cream
20 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter individual cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour.

2. Whisk together water, cocoa, and espresso powder until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.

3. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl.

4. Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, making sure each is well blended. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing at low speed until just combined.

5. Divide batter among pans smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove parchment, and cool completely.

6. While cakes are baking, bring cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate until smooth. Transfer ganache to a covered bowl, stirring occasionally until thickened but spreadable, about 4 hours.

7. Spread a generous amount of ganache over top and sides of each cake. Garnish with fresh raspberries, almond slivers and a gold leaf.

Christmas Pudding

capty99 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:20:07 -0600

Pudding

What You Need:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup light molasses
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Sauce (Optional)

What You Need:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

For pudding:

Coat the inside of an 8-cup Bundt pan with nonstick spray, then with butter. Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cloves. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then marmalade, molasses and orange peel. Add flour mixture and beat just until blended. Place batter to prepared Bundt pan. Cover, and set aside.

Place steamer rack in large pot. Place pan on rack. Fill pot with enough water to come halfway up sides of mold. Bring water to boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cover pot and steam pudding until tester inserted near center comes out clean, adding more boiling water as needed to maintain level, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Using oven mitts as aid, remove mold from pot. Uncover and let stand 10 minutes. Cut around top center and sides of pudding to loosen. Turn pudding out onto rack and cool 20 minutes. Cut pudding into wedges; serve with sauce.

For sauce:

Combine all ingredients in small bowl, and stir to blend well.

Holiday Coconut Cake

capty99 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:18:50 -0600

Batter:

What You Need:

2 cups all purpose flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs

1/2 cup plus

2 tablespoons light molasses

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted

Frosting:

What You Need:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1-pound box powdered sugar

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans, making sure to coat all sides. Line bottoms with parchment. Butter parchment, and dust pans with flour. Sift dry ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, cream unsalted butter and sugar in large bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add molasses, orange peel and vanilla extract and beat at high speed until well blended, approximately 1-2 minutes. Mix in dry ingredients, along with buttermilk. Add coconut, and mix thoroughly.

2. Divide batter between pans. Bake until cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans on rack 5 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and parchment, and place on racks to cool completely.

Frosting:

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in orange peel and vanilla. Add sugar. Spread icing over top and sides of cake. Top with toasted coconut.

Rosemary Cherry Scones with Chocolate Dipping Sauce

capty99 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:46:09 -0600

The Scones

What You Need:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp baking powder
8 tbsp cold butter
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup dried cherries
1 sprig rosemary, chopped

Method:

1. Mix flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, and dried cherries in mixer on low speed. Cut butter into small pieces and add till mix becomes coarse and sandy.
2. Add milk until ingredients are incorporated. Roll out on floured surface about 1” thick.
3. Cut into triangles. Bake in 375 F oven until light golden brown, about 8 minutes.

The Chocolate Sauce

What You Need:

8 oz semisweet chocolate- chopped.
16oz cream

Method:

1. Heat up cream and pour on top of chocolate. Wait five
minutes and then stir till incorporated.

White Chocolate Lemon Lavender Truffles

capty99 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:27:23 -0600

Ganache

What You Need:

6 ounces cream
11 ounces white chocolate
3 ounces butter
2 tablespoons lavender
zest of one lemon

Method:

1. Heat cream to a boil, take off heat add lavender and zest. Allow to steep for 15 minutes.
2. Strain and return to heat- bring to a boil and pour on top of chopped chocolate. Add butter and mix till all incorporated. Should be shiny and smooth.

For tips on how to mold your chocolates,
follow the directions on this web site:
http://www.baking911.com/chocolate/mold.htm

Mint Brownies

capty99 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:24:20 -0600

Crust

What You Need:

11 oz. chocolate
1 cup butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp salt

Method:

1. Melt butter and chocolate over a double boiler. Once melted, add sugar then eggs.
Combine all dry ingredients and fold in.
2. Place foil down on a sheet pan and pour mixture into pan, making sure to have an even spread. Bake for 10 minutes at 325 F. Allow to cool.

Mint Ganache

What You Need:

2 cups heavy cream
1 lb. semisweet chocolate- chopped up
1 cup butter
3 springs of mint

Method:

1. Heat cream to a boil. Turn off heat, add mint. Allow to steep for 10 minutes.
2. Take out mint leaves. Bring back to a boil and pour on top of chopped chocolate. Add butter.
3. Wait five minutes and then stir till all combine. Pour evenly on top of crust.
4. Allow to chill for 3 hours. Cut into squares and garnish with gold leaf.