Easy to Make Chocolate Dip

Ingredients
300 g chocolate chips
1 c heavy cream

Procedure
Melt the chocolates together with the cream in a double boiler.

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The Ever Fudgy Chocolate Carrot Cake w/ Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

 

One excuse to eat chocolate cakes is to add carrots!  My daughters love carrots so everytime I cook something for them, I would always make sure as much as it can possibly done, to add carrots to it.  Carrots.  I am happy that they can get lots of nutrients from eating the carrots.

I was reading an article last night about carrots and I've realized that eating them has so many benefits.  If you are interested in reading this just go to http://carrotmuseum.co.uk/nutrition2.html

Anyways, you can bake this yummy cake anytime you want and get adventurous with your toppings.  You can even get your little ones to help you with it.  Just that I did not ask my girls to help me out or we won't be able to finish decorating because the girls will feast on it.

Ingredients
1 c plain flour
1/2 c cocoa powder (cadbury)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c canola or vegetable oil
1 1/2 c grated carrots
1 c chocolate chips

Procedure
Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl (except sugar).  Mix well and set aside.
Beat eggs until pale.
Add in Sugar and vanilla.
Pour in the oil.
Continue mixing while adding the dry ingredients in batches.  Mix well.
Pour half of the batter into a lightly greased springform pan.
Scatter the chocolate chips on top of the batter.
Cover them with the remaining half of the batter.
Bake for 30 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.
Cool in a rack.
Spread the honey-cream cheese frosting and decorate w/ chocolate chips and/or sprinklers.

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Eggless Fudgy Cake with Almonds and Dates

 For this yummy cake, I used the recipe for the other Fudgy Chocolate cake I baked which you can also find in my Foodblog.  Just click this Fudgy Chocolate Cake.  Then follow the recipe below for the Part 2 to finish the prep process.

Ingredients

Toasted Almond Flakes (just enough to cover the top.
1 c chocolate chips
1/2 chopped dates

Procedure
After the fudgy chocolate batter is prepared.  Fold in the chopped dates and choco chips.
Pour the batter onto a springform pan.  Make sure that you lined it with baking paper but if you're using the non stick pan (like I do) just lightly grease the pan.
Top with toasted almonds.
Bake in a 180C preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cake springs back or just use the toothpick method.
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Cream Cheese Covered Brownies

Brownies are our family's fave anytime, anywhere and that's why it's nice to experiment each time you bake them.  This time I tried to dillute the sweetness of the brownies with the cream cheese mixture and it did work!  The marriage between the two made this goodies yummier.

Cream Cheese Mixture
3/4 c cream cheese, softened (easier if you use the one in jar)
45 g butter, softened
1/3 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp vanilla

Brownies
You can use the ready mixed brownie
or use the following:
1 c plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
250 g chocolates
75 g butter
1/2 c cocoa
3 eggs
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla

Procedure
Cream Cheese
Cream butter and sugar.
Add in the cream cheese.  Mix until fluffy.
Add in eggs one at a time while mixing.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.
Set aside.

Brownie
In a double boiler, melt together chocolates, cocoa, and butter.
Cool a bit.
In a bowl, mix together all the other ingredients.
Pour in the choco mixture onto the flour mixture.
Mix until well blended.

Place baking paper in a baking pan.
Pour the brownie batter into the pan.
Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter.  Make sure the chocolate batter is well covered.
Bake for 30 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.

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Choco-Banana-Walnut Loaf

What do I do with the over riped bananas? That's always a problem in our house.  My husband would always buy bananas but forget eating them...$4+ a kilo goodness!  Wish I were in the Philippines!  We definitely have better bananas and at a cheap price too...hehe!
Ohh how I miss the binutuan, senyorita and lakatan.

Anyway, this recipe calls for cocoa.  Since I have two girls who are a bit picky with bread and cake, I decided to add cocoa to make them happy.  The result was really yummy...moist loaf with rich chocolate and banana flavour.

Ingredients
1 c plain flour
1/2 c self raising flour
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
125 g butter, softened
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 c walnuts, chopped

Procedure
Cream butter and sugar.
Add in eggs one at a time.
Add in vanilla.
Add in cocoa, salt, and baking soda.
Put in the mashed bananas.
Add in the flour, half a cup at a time.
Fold in walnuts.
Bake for 40 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.

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Chocolate Rice Bubble Nests

Having 2 kids who are quite picky with food makes me think all the time on what dish to prepare that they would eat.  We bought Kellog's Rice Bubbles for them and it seemed like that they loved it the first few days until they get bored.  I decided to do the recipe at the back of the box hoping the kids will be interested again in it.  I have changed some the amounts of ingredients to suit my taste and the kids' tastes.   I also did a small twist to it , instead of jelly beans, I put football chocolates which look more eggs.  They loved the nests!!!  I also loved them...I am actually eating one of the nests while typing this recipe...hehe!

Ingredients
4 c rice bubbles
1 c dessicated coconut
3/4 c icing sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder (cadbury)
250 g copha (solidified coconut oil)
15 patty paper cups
30 chocolate footballs

Procedure
Sift the sugar.  Mix in all the ingredients except the copha. Set aside.
Cube the copha.  Slowly melt in a saucepan.  Let cool a bit.
Pour the copha onto the rice bubble mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Scoop enough mixture onto the patty cups and make a shallow well at center (like a nest).  Put a couple of chocolate footballs on top of the nests.  Refrigerate until firm.

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Chocolate Revel Bars

One excuse in eating chocolates is to add oats on them hehe!   These chocolate revel bars are soooo sinfully delicious that would really make you get a slice each time no one notices.  That's how yummy they are! 

This is just my first time to bake such fudgy revel bars and I think I would do it over and over and over again.  The combination of the oat mixture with vanilla and the chocolates are soooo awesome.  I do recommend this to everyone.  Try and tell me what you think.

Ingredients

Oatmeal Part
250 g butter, softened
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 c plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 c quick cooking oats

Chocolate Part
2 tbsp butter
250 g chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 tin condensed milk

Procedure
Oat Part
Cream butter and sugar.
Add in eggs, one at a time.
Stir in vanilla.
Mix in flour, baking soda and salt.
Mix in oats. 
Set aside.

Chocolate Part
Mix together -- butter, chocolate chips, vanilla and milk.  Heat them in a saucepan until completely mixed.

Assembly
Press 2/3 of the oat mixture onto a greased and floured pan. 
Pour in the chocolate mixture onto the top of the oat mixture.
Use fingers in adding the remaining oat mixture by dots.

Bake for 175C preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

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Chocolate Crinklers

I have always loved the yummy chocolatey chocolate crinklers that my students from years ago would give me every Christmas.  They are a bit crunchy on the outside and soft inside. 

I think you can also buy them from Goldilocks Bakeshoppe which I understand has international branches now.  My hubby and my daughters have grown to love this too and it is always on top of the list of request.

I remember too that when I brought this to the Catholic Church here in our place when the then Bishop of Toowoomba, Bishop William Morris visited our parish. The parishioners brought some food and goodies to be shared after the evening mass. Everyone was asking who made the chunkie but chewy chocolatey goodies. One of them asked me, and gee I felt flattered when I was told that it's really yummy! The bishop and our parish priest and some parishioners even asked if they could just bring the left over home. I didn't know how they managed to divide the crinklets but one thing good about it, the container is empty.

Ingredients
2 c all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla essence
125 g chocolate chips, melted
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 c confectioners sugar

Procedure

Cream the butter in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer
Whisk the granulated sugar in and continue mixing for 2 minutes

Add in the cocoa powder and melted chocolate then mix again for a minute

Put-in the eggs and vanilla essence then continue to mix until the texture becomes fluffy

Add-in the flour, salt, and baking powder then mix again until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Cover the mixing bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours
Remove the cover and scoop the mixture using 1/2 tbsp measuring spoon

Form a ball of chocolate mixture and then roll onto the confectioners sugar.

Place balls in a baking paper lined cookie sheet.
Make sure that they have enough spaces in between.
Bake in a 175C preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

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Sinful Double Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Who doesn't love chocolates? Chocolates are considered to be aphrodisiac...and the more you eat it the more you want to have more of it.  In our family, it is my mother who's a chocoholic.  She would always ask us to buy her a bar of cadbury chocolates each time we would go to the town center or I go to work in Quezon City years ago.  And I am very very sure that she would love this double chocolate fudge brownies that I have baked today...but then she's in Melbourne...so I would probably bake some more when she visits us here in Queensland.

Actually, my plan today was to bake chocolate crinklers or crinklets which my husband loves so much. I ended up baking double chocolate fudge brownie and it's also worth it.  It's so sinfully chocolatey!

Ingredients
250g dark chocolate chips, melted
1 3/4 c caster sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup cocoa
125g dark chocolate chips (not melted)
icing sugar to decorate

Procedure

Beat the caster, eggs and vanila.

Add the melted chocolate, flours and cocoa.
Stir in the extra chopped chocolate.

Line a baking pan with baking paper.
Grease the side of the baking pan.
Pour chocolate batter into the prepared tin.
Bake in a 160C preheated oven for 45 minutes until firm.

Cool in the tin.

Dust with icing sugar and cut into small bars or chunks.
Use sifter to make the job easier.

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Easy to Make Chocolate Ganache

Have you ever wondered how those yummy chocolatey explosion of the toppings or icing of chocolate cakes are made?  It is less much complicated than you think.  Here is a simple chocolate ganache that yo can make for your cakes.

Ingredients
140 g dark chocolates
1/2 c thickened cream
25 g unsalted butter

Procedure
Place the ingredients in heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. 
Stir until melted and smooth.
Remove from heat.
Chill for 20 minutes or until it's spreadable.

Note: If you want the ganache to be a bit tangy, you can add 2 tbsp ginger wine.  If you want it to have an alcohol taste on it, add a tbsp of rum.

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Choco-Vanilla Marble Cake

Marble Cakes are just too yummy to resist.  When I first made my marble cake many months ago (This one is my 4th), I was a bit concern if I would be able to achieve such marble look cake that I used to buy when I was in the Philippines. 

I was really thinking that it could be so complicated which I have found not true after I saw the result of the one I baked.  It was really delish!  The second time I baked it, I added some chopped walnuts and the husband loved it. This time though, I would revert to the original marble cake that I have made before for the sake of the kids.  Nuts might give them problems and I do not want that to happen.

Today, I checked my pantry if I still have enough self raising flour to use for the cake.  Unfortunately I could only have a cup of it.  To solve the problem, I decided to add a cup of plain flour.  To make the cake rise,  I also added 1 tsp of baking soda and 1 tsp of baking powder.  The result is quite the same actually.  Best of all, the cake's center did not sink. 

I also topped it with chocolate ganace and sprinkles.  To make this type of icing just click this one --->chocolate ganache.

Ingredients
2 cups, self raising flour, sifted
3/4 caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
125 g butter, melted
80 g chocolates, melted
2/3 fresh milk
2 eggs

Procedure

Cream the butter and sugar.
Pour in the vanilla.

Put in eggs, one at a time.  Continue mixing until it is light and fluffy.
Fold in the sifted flour alternately with milk until just mixed.
Divide the mixture into 2.
Put 1/2 of the mixture into another bowl.  Pour in the melted chocolates and stir until just mixed.
Grease a springform round cake pan.

Pour in the vanilla mixture alternately with the chocolate mixture. 
Use a metal spoon and stir the mixture in a dollop motion.

Bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 160C.

Top with chocolate ganache and sprinkles.

Note:  If your marble cake appears to be like a plain chocolate cake on the outside, that's alright.  The surprise is when you slice the cake.  That's when you will see the marble - like look of the cake.

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Easy Bake Chewy Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't like chewy chocolate chips? Everybody loves them! And it's always best to make homemade ones that buying those in jars.  This recipe that I did, has this nice chocolaty goodness in it.  I guess the more chocolates the better.  You see the family is chocolate lover...not a chocoholic though.

This particular type of cookie is actually a drop cookie (meaning you just have to drop a spoonful or so in your baking sheet and the heat in the oven will do the rest).  It originated in the US and has distinctive ingredients that you wouldn't miss --- chocolate chips.  There are so many recipes of this cookie in the internet and cookbooks. Some have nuts and others have oatmeal.  I prefer to add oatmeal though...convincing myself that this cookie is healthy...haha! According to a cookie book that I have read before, it was accidentally discovered by Ruth Graves Wakefields in 1930 in Whitman, Massachusetts. I should try to find the original recipe and I will share it with you after I tried it.

Anyway, here's the recipe.

Ingredients
2 1/4 c plain flour
1/2 c cornflour
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 c butter, melted
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
350 g chocolate chips
2 large eggs (or 3 medium ones)

Procedure
Cream the butter and the sugar in a big bowl.  Add one egg at a time.
Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cornflour in a smaller bowl.  Add the oats and mix well with hands.
Slowly add the dried mixture to the butter - sugar - egg mixture.  Do it a little at a time to make sure that everything is well blended and the dough would not stick to your hands. 
Put in the chips and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Shape the dough into a size of a golf ball or a little bigger than that.
Bake in 10 minutes at 180C or until the cookies are barely brown.
If they get brown in color the cookies would be quite tough when they cooled.
Remove from oven and let the cookies rest for awhile. When they are not too hot, put the cookies in the cooling rack.

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Chocolate Brioche Cup

 Brioche is a French pastry which is highly enriched type of bread due to the amount of eggs and butter that you add to it. It has a dark and crispy crust caused by the eggwash which was applied.

You make it in the basic way that you make your bread but only adding more eggs and butter. Sometimes raisins, berries, chocolates and even meat are added to it. It's not as sweet as ordinary bread as you would only add a small amount of sugar to brioche. It is quite famous in France and even Jean Jacques Rosseau mentioned it in his autobiography. It is also recorded that the term "brioche" was first used in 1404 and it was of Norman origin. It is also interesting to note that Greeks make this bread every Easter Weekend.

Brioches come in many forms -- cup, muffin, braided, loaf, bundt but it doesn't matter how it looks like though.

At first I didn't know what a brioche was.  I didn't even know how to pronounce "brioche."  Good thing I am an avid fan of My Kitchen Rules Australia!  The other night the sisters, Carly and Emily, from Victoria, Australia, baked Blueberry Brioche Cup in Labneh Yoghurt, and that's where I've learned the correct pronunciation of brioche.  I would try their recipe which became the people's choice at that episode.  I would like to start though with the less complicated brioche recipe.  I got this recipe from one of my cookbooks that my husband subscribed for me as a gift more than a year ago (still receiving more copies).  My husband and I had brioche with vanilla ice cream and cream and it's quite a yummy combination.

Here's the recipe that you might want to try doing...

Ingredients

500 g white bread flour + extra for rolling

1 tsp salt

7 g easy - blend yeast

6 large eggs

75 ml milk plus extra to glaze

250 g unsalted butter

75 g caster sugar

200 g dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

Procedure

Place the dough, salt and yeast in a food mixer fitted with a dough hook (spiral looking one).  Beat eggs and milk in a jug and with the mixer low, pour onto the flour in batches.  Allow the mixer to knead the dough for 5 minutes

Meanwhile, beat together the butter and the sugar in a mixing bowl until creamy.  Add to the dough, a little at a time, with the machine still on a low setting.  Knead the dough for another 5 minutes in the mixer.

Cover the bowl with palstic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for 2 hours until it doubles in size.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 1 minute.  Cover and chill for 4 hours until doubled in size.

Grease a 12 hole muffin pan.  Lightly knead the dough, then roll out into a 40.5 x30.5 cm (16x12 inches) rectangle.  Scatter chopped chocolates and roll up.  Cut into 12 equal portions and place in the muffin pans.  Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 200C.  Brush the buns with the milk and bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and golden.  Allow to cool a little int he pans before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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