Category Archives: Chocolate

Gooey Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Cakes, Chocolate, Desserts, Sweets and Biscuits

Makes: 16 square brownies

Ingredients

  • 185g unsalted butter
  • 185g high quality dark chocolate (I use 85%)
  • 85g plain flour
  • 40g cocoa powder
  • 100g white OR milk chocolate
  • 3 large eggs
  • 275g golden caster sugar

Method

  • Chop the butter and dark chocolate into chunks and add to a glass bowl.
  • Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, sit the bowl on top and melt over a medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove the bowl once it’s all melted and mixed and set aside to cool.
  • Get a shelf ready in the middle of your oven and preheat to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4
  • Line and grease a shallow 20cm square tin
  • Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl, ensuring any lumps are gone.
  • Chop the white and milk chocolate into small pieces
  • Break the eggs into a bowl and add the sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until they look thick and creamy like a milkshake.
    You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you’re there.
  • Pour the cooled melted chocolate over the eggy mousse and gently fold with a spatula. The idea is to mix the two without losing the air so do this very gently and as slow as you like.
  • Add the cocoa/flour mix and fold gently again until it’s all mixed in. Make sure you don’t over-mix it.
  • Add the chocolate chunks and stir them through evenly.
  • Pour the batter into your prepared tin and use a spatula to gently even out the top so it’s level.
  • Put in the oven and set an alarm for 25 minutes. When the time is up, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the tin. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin.
  • Repeat as many times as necessary.
  • Remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the tin before cutting it into squares.

“Melt in the Middle” Chocolate Puddings

Cakes, Chocolate, Desserts

Chef’s Tip: I like to put the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking. This helps keep the middle molten when cooking, although you might have to add 1-2mins on.

Ingredients

  • 100g dark or plain chocolate
  • 100g butter
  • 150g soft brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 50g plain flour

Method

  • Put a saucepan on the hob on a medium heat with a bit of water in the bottom.
  • Place a bowl on top of the saucepan with the chocolate and butter in it. Melt the chocolate and butter until smooth.
  • Leave for 15mins to cool down.
  • Stir in the sugar.
  • Mix in each egg one by one.
  • Add the vanilla and finally the flour.
  • Divide the mixture into 4-6 ramekins.
  • At this point you can put them in the fridge for later, or cook them for 10-12 minutes on 200C.

 

Chocolate Buttercream

Chocolate, Desserts

Covers a 20cm round cake. Make a smaller batch just for filling.

Ingredients

  • 150g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 0.5tsp vanilla extract
  • 375g icing sugar
  • 75g white/milk chocolate

Method

  • Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl over a saucepan of water.
  • Cream the butter, vanilla and sugar together.
  • Mix in the melted chocolate and leave to cool.

No-Bake Chocolate Strawberry Tart with an Oreo Base

Cakes, Chocolate, Desserts, Fruit

Chef’s tip: Serve with ice cream or clotted cream. If you’re feeling fancy, you could melt some extra chocolate and drizzle it on baking paper to make pretty patterns. Once it’s dry, you can use these as toppers to the cake.

Original recipe video can be found here so you can follow along: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4fbOGxiFDc

Ingredients (makes 10-12 slices, or halve the ingredients to make 6 slices)

  • 32 (330g) Oreo cookies, whole
  • 110g butter, melted
  • 7 oz/200g milk chocolate
  • 3.5 oz/100g plain/dark chocolate (I use 85%)
  • 200 ml heavy cream
  • 300g fresh strawberries
  • OPTIONAL: chopped nuts

Method

  • Place Oreo cookies (with filling) into a food processor and blend until it turns to crumbs.
  • Pour the melted butter into the crushed Oreos. Process until evenly moistened, or you could mix them with a spoon if you haven’t used a blender.
  • Press cookie mixture with the back of the spoon and your fingers where necessary, into the bottom and edges of a rectangular 5×14 inch (12 x 36 cm) tart pan.
  • Really press it in and up the sides to make a nice edge.
  • Freeze the base while you prepare the filling, just for few minutes.
  • Prepare your strawberries by removing the greenery.
  • Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat on medium-low for a few minutes. No boiling or simmering needed. This doesn’t take very long so keep an eye on it!
  • Remove the cream from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until it has all melted and is smooth. 
  • Pour the chocolate filling into the Oreo crust and make sure it’s level, then get your strawberries and press them gently into the chocolate so that they are half submerged.
  • If you imagine the slices you’ll cut, you can arrange the strawberries alternately in the large part of the slice.
  • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Chocolate Ganache (smooth frosting)

Chocolate, Desserts

This recipe covers a 20cm cake.

Ingredients

  • 200ml double cream
  • 200g plain chocolate

Method

  • Heat the double cream in a saucepan until it’s boiling.
  • Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate has all melted and it’s smooth.
  • Leave it to cool.
  • For a rougher textured finish, you can whip the mixture slightly once it’s cooled down.

Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake

Cakes, Chocolate, Desserts

Ingredients

  • 225g/8oz plain flour
  • 350g/12½oz caster sugar
  • 85g/3oz cocoa powder
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp instant coffee
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 250ml/9fl oz milk
  • 125ml/4½fl oz vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200ml/9fl oz boiling water
  • 1x dark chocolate ganache

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins. If you only have springform tins, make sure you line the bases with a double layer of baking paper which is too big so comes out the sides. The mixture is very liquidy so will spill out otherwise.
  • Place all of the cake ingredients, except the boiling water, into a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, or electric whisk, beat the mixture until smooth and well combined.
  • Add the boiling water to the mixture, a little at a time, until smooth. (The cake mixture will now be very liquid.)
  • Divide the cake batter between the sandwich tins and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
  • While the cakes are in the oven, make your ganache so that it can sit and cool alongside the cakes.
  • Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool completely, still in their tins, before icing.
  • Spread a thin layer of the frosting on top of one cake and sandwich the other one on top.
  • Transfer to a plate or a board and top the cake with the remaining ganache.