Showing posts with label Chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chocolate. Show all posts
This easy tiffin recipe is sure to become a favourite in your home! Creating something sweet that the family will love doesn't necessarily mean heating up the kitchen when the warmer weather comes.
Simple bites like this Chocolate Tiffin Cake help you to keep your cool and are real family pleasers! I think I read somewhere that this was Prince William's and Prince Harry's favourite cake.
In fact I think it was actually served at Prince William's wedding, so not only is it delicious but its Royalty worthy!
Chocolate Tiffin is a kind of refrigerator cake which is made from a simple sweet chocolate base into which broken biscuits and dried fruit are stirred.
Its then pressed into a cake tin, and a quantity of melted milk chocolate is poured over top. In this case I sprinkled some chocolate smarties on top because chocolate is notoriously difficult to photograph!
It usually looks quite unappealing without a lot of editing.
These photos are un-edited, except for cropping, so the smarties did their job . . . however, it is not really normal or necessary to have additional candy on top of the cake.
However attractive it might be, although for a children's party it would be quite acceptable and probably very welcome!
I am guessing that the children's eyes would light right up at the appearance of this tasty treat! I confess my eyes would probably light up if it appeared!
They were rather difficult to cut through however, and mostly shattered when I did my cuts, so . . . there you go. Did you know orange smarties taste like orange???
They do! I don't think any of the others have any flavour other than tasting like smarties however, but could be wrong.
This cake is really easy to make. I think the hardest part is waiting for it to be ready to eat.
You need to leave it in the refrigerator for at least an hour prior to cutting, so that it sets properly, and I actually think its even better, and cuts easier if you leave it longer than that.
It uses Digestives, the North American Equivalent would be Graham Crackers I think, but any plain biscuit/cookie would work.
You want one that crumbles easily. Social tea biscuits also work very well.
And you want to vary the texture of the cake by making some of the cookies into small crumbles, and crumbs and leaving other bits in larger pieces.
The different textures are what makes this cake incredibly moreish!
Other than graham crackers some other North American choices might be Social Tea, short breads, or plain sugar cookies. You don't want anything with a really strong flavour.
Just crunchy and sweet! This is a very sweet cake without the biscuits being overly sweet, unless you like that sort of thing. Single layer biscuits work best.
I used a selection of large seedless raisins for mine. There were red, gold and dark brown and they were quite large as compared to other raisins. You can also add cherries if you like.
*Simple Chocolate Tiffin*
Serves 8
This
is quick easy and delicious. A great way to make a treat for your
family without heating up the kitchen too much! Said to be the two
Royal Princes' favourite cake!
100g butter, melted (7 TBS)
25g soft light brown sugar (2 TBS)
4 TBS golden syrup
3 TBS cocoa powder (not drink mix)
225g digestive biscuits, crumbled (2 1/2 cups, can use graham crackers)
150g raisins (1 cup)
225g milk chocolate, melted (8 ounces)
Butter an 8 inch square pan well. Set aside. Melt the butter together
with the brown sugar, golden syrup, and cocoa powder, until the sugar
has melted and the mixture doesn't feel gritty. Stir in the raisins.
Make sure that you biscuits are a mix of crumbs and some larger bits for
the best texture. Stir into the chocolate raisin mixture. Mix well to
coat all. Press into the prepared pan, making sure you press down
firmly. (I use the bottom of a metal dry measuring cup to do this.)
Pour the melted milk chocolate over top smoothing over to cover
completely. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour prior to
cutting into squares to serve.
There are quite a few versions of this cake out there. This is the basic, simple version. Once you tackle this one, you could probably charge it up with a few changes, such as white chocolate with lotus biscuits and cranberries, etc. You could also add nuts. In any case, I do hope you will give this tasty version a go! Great for picnics and parties! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
This chocolate cake is "The" chocolate cakes to end all chocolate cakes. I always struggle with showing my chocolate bakes in a positive light. They are incredibly difficult to photograph! This is especially disappointing when you know what you have baked is incredibly moist and delicious!
How do other people cope with the "Chocolate" bake? I would love to hear any suggestions you might have that would help me to take better photos. But then again . . .
Its all about how it tastes . . . not how it looks and this tastes incredible.
This has been my go-to chocolate cake for years now. I can't remember where the original recipe came from. I strongly suspect the back of a tin of cocoa powder . . .
It is dense . . . and moist . . . and very chocolatey. If anything it tastes even better the day after you bake it . . . when all of that chocolate ripens and gets ooey scrummy, delish.
*Dark & Delicious Chocolate Cake*
Serves 12240ml milk (1 cup)
Preheat the oven to 180*c/ 350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9
by 13 inch baking tin and lightly dust with flour, shaking out any
excess. Set aside.
Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla and vegetable oil. Beat with an electric whisk for 2 minutes on medium speed, stopping to scrape up the sides and bottom. Beat in the hot coffee. The mixture will be very thin.
Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the tin, placed on a wire rack.
Beat the butter for the frosting until fluffy. Sift together the cocoa powder and the icing sugar. Beat into the butter, alternately with the milk and vanilla until smooth and of spreading consistency. (You may need additional milk or sugar. Use your own judgement) Cut into squares to serve.
Every time I bake this I am incredibly grateful that I have neighbors and friends that don't mind me gifting them with it. Todd is not a fan of chocolate cake at all, and I am not supposed to be eating it at all . . . but every now and then a gal just has to do what a gal has to do. When the kids were growing up it was never around long enough to be a problem! You could also bake it in layers if you wanted to, just reduce the baking time to about 25 to 30 minutes if you do. Bon Appetit!
I can remember when my kids were babies and I was feeding them baby food. I used to love, LOVE the chocolate arrowroot custard that you could get for them.
I am sure you can't get any such thing now for babies, but forty odd years ago, you could. And it was very good. Yes, I ate it too. Bad mommy. Bad, bad mommy. Very bad mommy.
I am not a huge fan of chocolate milk, or chocolate ice cream for some odd reason, but chocolate pudding? I am all over it, and in this case I mean pudding in the North American sense of the word, not the British.
I mean that milky dessert that you can spoon into your mouth like a smooth sweet delicacy . . . all chocolatey and milky and rich.
Back home you can buy box mixes for it, much like you can get custard mix over here. They come in a cooked version and an instant version, and pretty much that is what I grew up having.
I think it was in school Home Economics class that I tasted my first from scratch chocolate pudding and it was love, Love, LOVE at first taste!
There is nothing so delicious on earth as homemade from scratch chocolate pudding, with no preservatives or additives . . .
Not unless you are talking about homemade butterscotch pudding or vanilla pudding. They are equally as moreish!
I was reading a very old recipe for it the other day from a Woman's Day cookery book on desserts that suggested pouring a very thin layer of heavy cream on top of the pudding after you put it into the serving dishes to help prevent a skin from forming on the top.
Oh boy, I thought, that sounds really good and so I did . . . just that.
Talk about manna from heaven. This was gorgeous. Every last mouthful.
Talk about manna from heaven. This was gorgeous. Every last mouthful.
Make sure you use unsweetened dark chocolate for this, not milk chocolate candy bars. They would be overly sweet.
As Goldilocks would say . . . this is just right. So there! Rich. Milky. Chocolaty. Just right.
*Chocolate Pudding*
Serves 4
Drop the chocolate bits into a saucepan with a heavy base. Add the milk. Cook, whisking, over low heat, heating it gradually and allowing the chocolate to melt slowly. It may appear somewhat grainy, but don't worry, it will smooth out in the finished pudding.
Combine the sugar, cornflour, salt and egg in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the chocolate milk mixture, whisking constantly. Return to the pan and continue to cook over low heat, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth and has thickened, and has begun to boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let stand for several minutes to cool slightly then whisk in the vanilla.
Pour into pudding dishes and cover with a thin layer of heavy cream. (This helps to prevent a skin from forming and tastes delicious.) Refrigerate until well chilled before serving.
Once again, do NOT be tempted to use chocolate chips. They would not give you as glorious a finish as this. Trust me.
Happy eating and Bon Appetit!
Happy eating and Bon Appetit!
Today you are going to see something which you do not very often see in my kitchen. CHOCOLATE CAKE! And not just any CHOCOLATE CAKE, but a delicious CHOCOLATE MERINGUE CAKE! Combining two of the things that the Toddster loathes . . . chocolate cake and meringue. ☺ I know . . . he's not normal!
This is a delicious flourless chocolate cake . . . so it's great for those on a gluten free diet. No leavening except for eggs and there are rather a lot of them, but no mind. It was all in a good cause. Too bad it wasn't fat free too, but alas, it is not . . . there is butter and sugar in it too . . . and lots of goooooooooood dark chocolate.
And that is just the base . . . the meringue on top is loaded with plenty of chocolate as well, grated instead of melted . . . and folded in. That way you get a crisp shell . . . with a marshmallow centre, stogged full of lots of flecks of ooey gooey chocolate.
Decadent . . . Tick. Rich . . . Tick. Delicious . . . Tick. Irresistable . . . Tick.
Yes, this one ticks all the boxes. This is a cake that will be very much enjoyed, by all . . . well, maybe not by Todd, but meh . . . you win some you lose some. 😀 More for me.
*Chocolate Meringue Cake*
Serves 8 to 10
A delicious two layer, flourless chocolate cake. This is completely gluten free. It uses a lot of eggs. Use any leftover egg yolks to add with a couple of whole eggs to make an omelete or something.
for the cake layer:
135g of soft light brown sugar (3/4 cup)
150g of butter, softened (2/3 cup)
6 large free range eggs, separated
350g dark chocolate, minimum 70%cocoa solids, melted (12 ounces, 2 1/3 cup)
for the meringue:
4 large free range egg whites
225g caster sugar (1 1/2 cups, super fine)
1 TBS cornflour (cornstarch)
100g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids, grated (2/3 cup or 3.5 ounces)
Preheat the oven to 180*C. 350*F/ gas mark 4. Grease and line (the bottom) of a 9 inch spring form cake tin.
Whisk the sugar and butter together until light and creamy. Whisk in the egg yolks, whisking them in one at a time. Fold in the melted chocolate. Using a clean bowl and beaters, whisk the egg whites until they form SOFT peaks. Using a large metal spoon, stir in one spoon of the egg whites to slacken the dough, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour into the prepared baking tin. Bake for 25 minutes. The centre should still have a bit of a wobble.
While the cake is baking, and using a clean bowl and scrupulously clean beaters, whisk the egg whites for the meringue along with the corn flour until they form stiff peaks. Whisk in the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until you have a stiff, shiny meringue. When the cake is ready, fold the grarted chocolate into the meringue. Spoon this on top of the cake.
Return the cake to the oven and bake for a further 25 minutes or until the meringue is crisp. It will puff right up but sink a bit as it cools. Allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before unmolding and serving.
Hard at work now putting the final touches onto the manuscript of my cookbook. I am getting really excited about its impending publish. It won't be long now.
It has taken a bit longer than originally thought. I don't think my Editor thought I could do or would do as much as I did so it's going to be quite a large book, but having seen the draft, I can tell you now it is also going to be a beautiful book and I am feeling really good about it!
These last few days have been taken up with fixing little bits here and there, going over the manuscript with a fine tooth comb.
With over 800 pages you can imagine the time involved in that. Its well worth it though because I really want it to be a book you will be happy to make a part of your valuable cookery book library!
I have also re-done some photographs of some of the recipes in the book and I thought I would give you a tiny sneak peak here today of what you have to look forward to.
Peppermint brownies. Just one of the several hundred recipes you are going to find in the book! Let me tell you now, the index alone is 8 pages, double columned. That's a LOT of deliciousness to look forward to!
And this recipe is just a sample of what is in there. They are dense and moist . . . and have a beautiful peppermint flavour.
Mint and chocolate go so well together! It is a flavour combination made in heaven.
You could almost cut these into tiny squares and serve them with coffee after a dinner party as an extra special treat! They are so good.
I think they are just about my favourite kind of brownie. They are also an excellent addition to a Holiday Baking Tray.
There is a double whammy of peppermint flavour in the batter. One form comes from peppermint tea that you blitz with the sugar.
The second peppermint blast comes from the use of peppermint extract. Soooo good!
They have a sweet and glistening chocolate ganache topping. This is decorated with a melted white chocolate drizzle that you run a toothpick through to give it an extra pretty finish.
These are some of my favourite brownies ever, which is saying a lot, and so very pretty!
*Peppermint Brownies*
Makes about 30, depending on how large you cut them
Delicious brownies that get even better tasting after a couple of days! Fantastic!
225g unsalted butter (1 cup)
225g of good quality unsweetened chocolate (8 ounces)
2 tsp peppermint tea leaves
383g caster sugar (2 cups)
4 large free range eggs
2 tsp peppermint essence
pinch fine seasalt
140g plain flour (1 cup)
For the chocolate glaze:
60g unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
60g good quality unsweetened chocolate (2 ounces)
60g semi sweet chocolate (2 ounces)
2 TBS golden syrup (can use corn syrup)
For the White chocolate trim:
60g white chocolate (2 ounces)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking tin and line with parchment paper, allowing it to overhang by at least 2 inches above the long sides so that you can lift them out easily once baked and cooled. Butter the parchment paper.
Heat 2 inch of water in a small pot to a gentle simmer. Place the chocolate (chopped) and butter (chopped) for the brownies into a heat proof bowl. Set over the simmering water without allowing the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. Cook and stir, until the butter and chocolate have melted and are uniform, some 6 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat, but leave the bowl over the water.
Place the sugar and the peppermint tea in a food processor. Blitz until the tea is finely ground. Stir this mixture into the melted chocolate mixture. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then stir in the peppermint essence and salt. Sift the flour over top and then fold it in. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bang lightly on the counter to settle and then bake in the heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until well set and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out almost clean. Allow to cool to room temperature in the pan, on top of a wire rack, before proceeding. Once cool, lift out by the paper handles and peel off the paper. Place onto a foil lined board, or tray.
To make the glaze bring the water in the pot back to a gentle simmer. Place both of the chocolates (chopped) along with the butter (chopped) into a bowl and set over the simmering water, again without allowing the bottom of the bowl to touch the water. Cook and stir until smooth and melted. Stir in the golden syrup. Spread the chocolate glaze over the brownies in an even layer using an offset spatula.
Place the whit chocolate in another bowl and set over the simmering water, stirring until completely melted. Drizzle the melted white chocolate over top of the chocolate glaze in lines. Run a toothpick the opposite way through the white chocolate lines to make a decorative pattern. Allow to set for several hours before cutting into squares to serve. Keep well covered and serve at room temperature.
These delicious brownies really make for a delicious change from the regular variety. Its nice to note as well that you can also cut the recipe in half, and bake them in an 8 inch square pan, which is just the right size for my small household. Bon appetit!
This is a chocolate chip cookie recipe I adapted from a soft back cookbook/magazine I bought several years back called Delicious Baking, put out by Delicious magazine. I love Delicious magazine. It is one of my favourites. I used to have a subscription to it, but when I lost my job a few years back I had to cut back and magazine subscriptions was one of the first things to go. *sniff *sniff*
So what makes this chocolate chunk cookie different than other chocolate chunk cookies? How does it shine?
There is nothing unsual about chocolate chunks, or even about using two types of chocolate . . . the difference is that you use DARK chocolate in these, which counterbalances the sweetness of the white chocolate perfectly . . .
I think you will agree with me that white chocolate can sometimes be somewhat cloying, which is why you often find it paired with things which are not so sweet such as rasperries and cranberries.
Another difference is that it uses DARK soft brown sugar, which gives these cookies a light whiff of molasses smokiness . . . oh so good.
Crispy edged . . . with sweet vanilla chunks and bitter dark chocolate . . . with a slight chewiness in the middle. I think you will agree with me when I say that those things all tip these cookies over the edge towards spectacular!
*Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies*
Makes about 16 - 17
Now you might not think the fact that this recipe only makes about sixteen large cookies is a bonus . . . but to me, who has absolutely no self control at all, this is a big plus. There is a lot less cookie danger for me to be tempted by!! Bon Appetit!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons