Chocolate Almond Cake

My mother sent me a recipe and I am not sure where it was from, but this is my version of it. I made just a half portion (i.e. half of what is here) the first time, as it is so rich.

The recipe suggested this method of baking, but next time I will try it without the water bath.

Ingredients:

340 g dark chocolate

½ cup oil or ¾ cup butter plus extra for the tin

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup coffee

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup ground almonds (or hazelnuts, or other nut)

6 eggs

hot water

Instructions:

1. Melt the chocolate with the oil or butter, vanilla, and coffee.

2. Add in the sugar, salt, and nuts. Stir well.

3. Whisk the eggs and add them in.

4. Grease a cake tin and put the batter in it. Then put the cake tin in a roasting pan and add the water. Loosely cover the tin with foil.

5. Bake at 170 C for 40-90 minutes (depending on if you have made a full portion or a half portion).

Honey Cake

We had some friends over to celebrate one of their birthdays and I wanted to make a cake that had no dairy or soy in it, so M could eat it. I decided to make a honey cake (never mind that I’m allergic to honey!). I made it a day in advance so the flavours could blossom, so to speak.

If you want, you can add a milk glaze (½ cup confectioner’s sugar and 1-2 tbsp milk or rice milk).

Ingredients:

½ cup water

2 tsp instant coffee

3 eggs

¼ cup sugar

½ cup honey

3 tbsp oil

1½ cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ginger (you could also use cloves)

2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Boil the water and mix it with the instant coffee, then leave to cool.

2. Separate the eggs and beat the whites until stiff.

3. Mix the yolks with the sugar, honey, and oil until creamy.

4. Mix the dry ingredients together, then mix into the honey. Add the coffee.

5. Carefully fold the egg whites in.

6. Bake at 165 C for about 35 minutes.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

You can double the recipe and make two cakes, then put frosting between the layers. I used a simple frosting made of cocoa powder, soy cream, and icing sugar. The end result was a chocolatey, gooey cake that was just perfect for a Friday evening.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
½ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup ground almonds
½ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt
½ cup soy milk
175 g (about 6 ounces) tofu
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for the baking tin
¼ cup hot coffee or water

Instructions:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl or food processor.
2. Add the soy milk to the dry ingredients and mix again.
3. Blend the tofu in a blender until creamy. Add the oil and mix again.
4. Add the tofu and the hot coffee or water to the other ingredients. Mix well.
5. Oil the baking tin (or line with greaseproof or parchment paper). Pour the batter in.
6. Bake at 180 C for about 20 minutes. Frost if desired.

Chocolate and Coffee Buttercream Frosting

This recipe makes enough frosting for the cupcakes I posted in the last recipe. I used soy cream, which doesn’t harden as much as regular dairy cream, so I spread this on the cupcakes rather than piping it from an icing bag. It still looks and tastes great, though.

Ingredients:
100 g butter
2 tbsp milk or cream (cream makes it richer; I used soy cream this time)
4 tbsp cold coffee (or more if you want a stronger coffee flavour)
1/3 cup cocoa
1 cup icing sugar

Instructions:
1. In a mixer, mix the butter, cream, coffee, and cocoa together until pretty smooth.
2. Add the icing sugar, about ¼ cup at a time. Mix well.
3. Taste and add more cream or vanilla if needed.
4. Frost the cupcakes (or cake) with the frosting.

Dark Chocolate and Coffee Cupcakes

I’ve been on a cupcake roll. Here’s another of my latest creations.

Ingredients:
100 g butter
½ cup cocoa
60 g chocolate
2 tbsp coffee (I used espresso for an extra strong flavour)
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup yogurt

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter, cocoa, chocolate, and water together over low heat, stirring the whole time.
2. Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, and baking soda together, and then mix the dry ingredients in to the chocolate.
3. Whisk the egg and the vanilla together and then mix them and the yogurt in with the rest of the batter. Stir well.
4. Place in muffin cases. Bake at 180 C for about 15 minutes (7 minutes for mini-cupcakes).

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Lush, creamy chocolate mousse, covering juicy strawberries – this is such a delicious treat. Okay, so it’s unhealthy. So what? Sometimes you need something special, and this is it.

I like it for dessert after a light lunch or dinner. Or, even better, I could lick it off my beautiful and wonderful partner. Yum indeed!

Ingredients:
180 g dark chocolate
2 tbsp hot coffee or water
1½ tsp vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
300 ml double cream
1-4 tbsp sugar (depends on how sweet you like it)

Instructions:
1. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt it over low hit with the coffee or water and vanilla, stirring often.
2. Let the chocolate cool, then mix the egg yolks in (note that there are raw egg yolks in this recipe, so use caution and common sense when eating or serving the mousse).
3. Whip the cream with the sugar.
4. Gently fold the chocolate into the cream. Chill for 30 or more minutes, then serve with fruit or biscuits, cream or ice cream, or a beautiful woman, or just on its own.

Tiramisu

On a recent Saturday, I was feeling low. I’d had a lot of expenses lately and was feeling like things just weren’t going right for me. As I told M, she was the one good thing that happened to me all this year.

So a pick-me-up was needed. And what better pick-me-up is there than tiramisu, which literally means “pick-me-up”? Why is it a pick-me-up? Because it contains caffeine and sugar, so you do get a bit of a high from it. Some people add alcohol, too, though I don’t. And when you’re feeling low, a fattening and energising dish can really help. Well, at least it helps your head, if it doesn’t help your waistline!

My problems weren’t solved by a bowlful of tiramisu, but I did feel a bit better!

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar, plus 2 tsp sugar
1/3 cup milk
220 g mascarpone cheese
½ cup cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 package lady finger (or savoiardi) biscuits
¼ cup coffee or espresso
cocoa powder

Instructions:
1. Whisk the yolks with the ¼ cup sugar in a saucepan. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Boil for just a minute, stirring the whole time. When it has cooled, mix the mascarpone into it.
2. Whisk the cream, the 2 tsp sugar, and the vanilla extract until fluffy with a hand mixer.
3. Slice the biscuits in half lengthwise and soak in coffee so they become soft.
4. Place a layer of biscuits on the bottom of a dish. Add a layer of the mascarpone, then a layer of whipped cream. Sprinkle with cocoa powder. Add a second layer of each item, then sprinkle with more cocoa powder. Serve.