Chocolate Cake - Valentine's Day 2016

February 14, 2016

Woah! It's been a while! I missed blogging so much. I'm still insanely busy, but I'm going to post something at least once a month.

What better way to make an awesome Valentine's Day than to make chocolate cake!? I'm using a modified recipe from Joy of Cooking This is the Devils Food recipe.

I substitute butter for coconut oil and Earth Balance; blended flax seed for eggs; and soy milk for butter milk.

Mix the cocoa powder and the wet ingredients (except the milk and vanilla). Stir to ensure the cocoa has no lumps - then mix in the milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and gently stir until incorporated. Don't over mix or it'll be tough. ... Well, I added more cocoa than the recipe called for and the mix was a little dry. So, I tried to blend in a little apple sauce to compensate. It worked.

Then spread the batter into a parchment lined baking pan (9"x13"). Bake at 175˚C (350˚F) for about 25 - 30 minutes; until a toothpick comes out clean.

While it's baking, prepare some shimmering ganache and crack open a pomegranate.

Ganache is easy: chocolate (or cocoa powder), fat (coconut oil and margarine), glucose (or light corn syrup) and vanilla.

Allow the cake to cool and cut into squares. Why little squares? Because it increases the surface area, which means more hot ganache!

Place the squares on a wire rack and pour over that liquid chocolate. Then top with pomegranate arils and flecks of edible gold. Bam, it looks like like a million bucks!

Serve this sexy dessert to your loved one. Or just eat a pile of this chocolate cake to drown your sorrows. I mean cocoa is technically a fruit and it's topped with pomegranate AND it's vegan. It's totally health food ;-)

Chocolate Pretzels

August 27, 2015

Chocolate and carbs! How could you go wrong?! This is the perfect quick and fairly easy snack. Start by melting chocolate over a water bath. I like to use a vegan dark chocolate. I like to temper the chocolate by reserving half the chips and seed-tempering: simply remove the chocolate from the heat and add the remaining chips. This should cause the cocoa butter crystals form properly and ensure that the chocolate stabilises at room temperature. This isn't necessary, but it makes for a better end result.

Simply dip the pretzels and affix your favourite toppings before the chocolate solidifies. Go wild! I tried pecans, peanuts, and matcha powder. I also tried drizzling chocolate over almonds and pistachios.

My favourite? Peanuts! There's just something magical about peanuts and pretzels and peanuts and chocolate. But the trio, overtakes them all!

Happy snacking!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

March 25, 2015

So often vegan cookies taste "healthy." That is, they're unfit for human consumption. Since it's my mission to make delicious vegan food, here's my composition of plant based chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.

The beauty of this method is that the substitutions work for most cookie recipes.

The most important substitution is egg, replaced by blended flax seed and water. I use the ratio found at King Arthur Flour and blend using this immersion blender.
Butter is swapped out easily for refined coconut oil.

You know my craziness in the kitchen. Not much for a recipe; I mixed things together until they looked right. In any case, it's important to add the flour after all the sugar and liquid ingredients have been thoroughly incorporated. Otherwise, with a lot of mixing, the gluten in the wheat begins to form, making a tough cookie. The very last step is to stir on the oats and chocolate chips. I used a nice vegan Belgian dark chocolate.

It's easiest to portion the cookie dough using a scoop. Onto a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper), flatten the lumps of dough and top with a square of chocolate. Add another dimension of flavour by garnishing the chocolate squares with a couple crystals of Maldon Salt.

Bake at 350˚F until the edges are just browned. This yields a crispy border and a chewy center. Allow the cookies to cool and enjoy!

Made from scratch Hot Cocoa!

February 25, 2015

Mmmm! The perfect thing for these cold winter days! Vegan, made from scratch, hot cocoa!

First, I like to work with fair trade organic cacao nibs. Spread them in a thin layer and toast lightly at 350˚F until they start to darken and sizzle. Then, after they've cooled just slightly, add them to the Vitamix. You may be able to do this with another blender, but the ultra slow speed option of the Vitamix makes the process very easy.

Blend on low until a thick paste forms. Then add a bit of non-dairy milk - just enough to loosen the cacao so it can be easily blended. I like almond milk best for this beverage. Increase the blender speed to the highest setting. In a high powered blender, the friction of the blade will cause the mixture to heat up. Continue blending until the mixture reaches ~150˚F, adding milk as needed to keep the entire mixture available to the blades.

When heated, and smooth, add a bit of vanilla bean and cayenne pepper (if you like things wild). Unless you're using a sweetened milk, it may need sweetening at this point, too. Blend a while longer to ensure that all the ingredients are completely mixed through.

To ensure consistency, be sure to strain the mix through a very fine sieve. Pour up the mixture and garnish with flake salt. I like Maldon or a fleur de sel.

Valentine's Day Macarons

February 9, 2015

Here are two types of macaron, both stylish for Valentine's Day: Chocolate with Mint and Pomegranate - Pink Grapefruit. Byron Talbott and Beth Le Manach both have excellent tutorials for making macarons. Their work continually inspires me. Find links to their youtube channels at the end of this post - just search the channel for "macaron"

I made them both at the same time so the photos both overlap and omit elements. Sorry!

First, the building blocks: egg white, almond meal and icing sugar. Each batch is slightly different so, adjustments are needed from time depending on the behavior of the batter.

Begin by adding the almond meal and icing sugar to a food processor and chop until fine. Then, sift the ingredients. Sift it a lot!

Then, make a meringue. I know it's not the standard way, but I always dump in all the ingredients: egg white, sugar, vanilla and sprinkle of salt. Whip it until soft peaks form.

Add about 1/3 of the meringue to the dry ingredients and fold together. Add the remainder of the meringue and continue folding until the batter is "lava-like" That is, it should be thick and smooth.

Pipe the batter out in even circles on parchment or silicone baking mat. "Slam" the pan down on the counter a few times to allow the batter to settle, removing any bubbles. Then, (one of the most important steps!!!) allow the batter to dry for about 20 minutes. It should be completely non-sticky to the touch.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 350˚F. Allow to cool and fill with delightful things.

I think the pomegranate-pink grapefruit is one of my favourites. The tartness of the fruit balances the sweetness and enhances the macaron experience.

I made a simple butter cream using Earth Balance spread, pomegranate juice and grapefruit zest.

Beth: http://youtu.be/xJ636Y8N6E8

Bryon: http://youtu.be/RZ5GTnE9y5E

Glazed Chocolate Cake [Vegan]

December 14, 2014

I love cake! I've never really tried to make a vegan cake - I always thought it'd be kinda gross. But, since I'm determined to make delicious vegan food, I decided to give it a try. I used a recipe from the book: The Joy of Cooking Cocoa Devil's Food Cake.

I made the following alterations: Coconut oil instead of butter, flax seed instead of eggs, soy youghurt instead of dairy; half the sugar and extra cocoa powder. I also added a bit of baking powder to make sure it raised well.

While it's baking, I made the glaze. It's composed of dark chocolate, Earth Balance, corn syrup and Silk creamer.

Pour the glaze over the cake and garnish with mint and pomegranate.

Gold and Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

February 12, 2014

Yes, this is an over-the-top dessert. But it's a fun splurge for Valentine's Day.

These are actually fairly easy to make. You just need chocolate and fresh strawberries. To make it awesome, you'll need GOLD! You can find it on the Amazon: Just make sure that it's genuine edible gold. An imitation product may not be edible or may be harmful.

First, you'll need a double boiler. Or, if you haven't got one, use a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Choose any chocolate you like, but keep in mind, there are differences. I chose a vegan and gluten free dark chocolate. If you use candy-melts, you needn't worry about tempering the chocolate. Also, if you want a softer paste-like chocolate, you can skip tempering as well. ***

Wash and dry the strawberries and dip them in that magnificent cocoa puddle. Be sure to place them on a nonstick surface to cool: parchment paper or a silicon mat.

When you're done with the strawberries, take the remaining chocolate and stir in a bit of almond/soy milk. This will make the ganache. Place the ganache in a piping bag and pipe any desired decorations or patterns.

Then, the magic. While the ganache is still soft, delicately add the the gold.

Let them cool and enjoy! Admit it, if your sweetheart served you with gold-adorned, chocolate-covered strawberries it'd be a winning endeavour.

*** What is tempering? That's a medium-long story. For details, check out the "How To Cook That" video on chocolate tempering: While you're there, Subscribe!

Angel Food Cake Trifle

December 30, 2013

A bright coloured dessert for celebrating the New Year. Whipped cream and angel food cake provide a visual contrast and taste complement for the pomegranate.

I started with a pack mix cake - because it's easy, and making one from scratch requires a dozen egg whites. Once the cake cools, remove the crust.
Make a simple sauce of sugar, a small bit of cornstarch and pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil, but remove from heat promptly.
Whip the cream with a bit of sugar, vanilla bean and a few drops of Fiori di Sicilia.
Extract the pomegranate arils and the zest of lemon (and/or orange, tangerine, lime).
Add a bit of sauce to the glass and pile in the cream, cake and fruit.

For a richer dessert, use a chocolate sauce (melted chocolate and cream - or non-dairy milk).

Chocolate & Mixed Nut Tarte [Vegan and Gluten Free]

December 17, 2013

The crust is made from ground almonds, walnuts, pecans and oats. Add in a bit of cocoa powder and sugar to make it delightful.

Press the crust into a tarte pan and bake for half an hour. Allow to cool while preparing the filling.

Melt the chocolate - non-dairy dark chocolate - and add a slash of milk and coconut oil. Once melted, stir in an assortment of roasted nuts. I used cashews, pecans, pistachios and hazelnuts. Finally top it with select nuts, coconut flakes and Himalayan pink salt.

Once it's chilled, it's ready to devour!

Chocolate Brownie Avalanche

August 23, 2013

Cut into the brownie and watch the hot ganache overwhelm the plate!

It's easiest to make this with a special tarte cake pan: Norpro Nonstick 8.5 Inch Fluted Round Tart Cake Pan It creates a well in the centre of the brownie to hold the lake of chocolate.

Simply prepare a pack-mix brownie recipe as directed.

Bake as directed, but keep an eye on the progress. With the unique pan shape, it may get done sooner or later than the box indicates.

While it's in the oven, prepare the ganache. Ganache is basically a chocolate sauce that has a paste-like consistency when cooled. It's made by heating chocolate, a splash of cream and a dollop of glucose. I used semisweet chips, almond milk and corn syrup.

When the brownie cools slightly, fill the indentation with the scalding chocolate mix.

I garnished it with a bit of melted white baking chocolate. Drag a knife or toothpick through the top to create the swirly design.

CHOCOLANCHE!!!

Chocolate Lover's Decision Tree

May 31, 2013

It's not much of a decision tree. But then again, it's not difficult to decide to eat chocolate.

Berries in a Basket

May 10, 2013

Strawberries in a chocolate basket!

Cream, sugar, a couple of grates of nutmeg, and vanilla bean. Whipped by hand to perfection:

A few tiny berries:

Chocolate basket: instructions here

Pipe in the whip and top with berries:

Garnished with apple mint. Outrageously decadent.

How to make Chocolate Baskets

May 4, 2013

Start with chocolate chips in a double boiler - or a heat safe bowl over simmering water:

When it's melted, remove from the heat and add in a handful of room-temp chips. This tempers the chocolate. Otherwise it won't set - it'll be mushy at room temperature.

Stir until completely smooth and place into a piping (or ziptop) bag. Using a small opening tip (or cut a small hole in the bag) drizzle the chocolate into an oiled container. I used a fluted ramekin.

You can speed up the setting process by freezing it. Then gently remove it from the container.

Brownie tarte with Strawberries and Mascarpone

April 30, 2013

A flavourful treat. As usual, chocolate takes centre stage.

First, bake and cool a pack mix brownie mix. A tarte pan works well and adds a nice aesthetic.

A ganache can be easily prepared with a bit of (soy) milk and chocolate. Unless you routinely need a double boiler, skip the purchase and use a bowl over a saucepan.

Chocolate: it's a beautiful thing.

Add to a piping bag for easy working.

An added treat - a velvety, sweet cheese: mascarpone.

Top with strawberries, pecans, the ganache and mascarpone.

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