Torta Caprese (Chocolate Almond Cake)

Although we have been to Campania a number of times, during our latest trip in September it was the first time that we got to enjoy a slice of Torta Caprese, which was at Villa Rosa. It is a flourless … Continue reading Torta Caprese (Chocolate Almond Cake)

Chocolate Pomegranate Tart

When I saw the chocolate pomegranate tart on REMCooks, I knew I was going to bake it as dessert for Christmas dinner. The pomegranate aryls are so photogenic and Christmaslike. I thought the combination of chocolate and pomegranate would work well, and it did! The pomegranate really helps to lighten the chocolate and it was delicious. So thanks to Richard McGary, I was whacking pomegranates to get those pesky seeds out on Christmas morning 😉 Continue reading “Chocolate Pomegranate Tart”

Walnut Chocolate Cake

I wanted to end my Piemonte-themed wine and food evenings with a nice dessert. The first thing I thought of was bounet, but I had already made that before for a similar evening so I asked my friend Resi (who is from Piemonte and helps me with my blog in Italian) for suggestions. She suggested a walnut cake with chocolate pastry cream as typical dessert from Piemonte. That sounded great and like a good combination for the barolo chinato I had made.

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The resulting cake was absolutely delicious. It has a very full walnut flavor and it’s not surprise that the chocolate pastry cream was nice as well. If you like dark chocolate, you can add cocoa powder to the chocolate cream to give it a more hefty chocolate flavor. The resulting cake will pair better with the barolo chinato.  Continue reading “Walnut Chocolate Cake”

Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat)

Mousse au Chocolat is one of the standard desserts of France, along with the perhaps even more common Crème caramel. My first attempt to find a simple recipe failed miserably, as the mousse turned out way too dense. I found the solution in a recipe by Delia Smith, which is to use water. This makes for a nice light mousse. To make things a little more interesting I decided to substitute half of the water with amaretto liqueur, but that is not at all necessary for a great result. If you have a stand mixer or another way of whipping egg whites, this is relatively easy to prepare and oh so good if you like chocolate. And who doesn’t?! Here’s my version.
Continue reading “Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat)”

Chocolate-packed Brownies

Many recipes on the internet claim to be “the best”. After trying PutneyFarm’s recipe for the “Best Brownies Ever”, I have to say that in this case I agree. The recipe is the result of Carolyn’s experiments to pack as much chocolate into brownies as possible, and although I haven’t challenged the recipe by trying to pack more chocolate into them, these brownies certainly taste that way. They are no more difficult to make than other brownie recipes, but they are a hell of a lot more delicious! I also like that these brownies fool you a little. Did you … Continue reading Chocolate-packed Brownies

Chocolate Muffins

I wasn’t sure if I would post about how to rescue wilted basil, but I’m glad that I did because that post received the highest number of views and likes on the first day of all of my posts so far! Today it’s back to muffins, with the fourth batch of the five that I baked to celebrate my birthday at the office. The recipe I used from Joy of Baking  is a keeper because it was a big hit at the office, especially with my female coworkers. I made a few minor changes: I used 70% dark chocolate chips and … Continue reading Chocolate Muffins

Black Forest Cake

I’ve always liked Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, but this is the first time I’ve made a Black Forest Cake from scratch. It turned out great, although my cake-decorating skills are not outstanding. Ingredients For the cake (24 cm/9″ springform pan) 75 grams butter 140 grams dark chocolate 100 grams flour 15 grams baking powder 50 grams corn starch 6 eggs 180 grams sugar (preferably vanilla-scented by keeping used vanilla beans in the sugar jar) For the filling 500 grams (net weight) pitted sour cherries with syrup from a can or jar, preferably Italian amarene 70 ml kirsch (cherry brandy) 750 ml whipping cream … Continue reading Black Forest Cake