Chocolate Class

Chocolate Recipes

Hot Chocolate Sauce
2 cups sugar
6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 can evaporated milk
¼ cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla

In saucepan mix sugar and cocoa powder. Add milk and butter. Stir while bringing to boil then reduce heat and cook on low for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. vanilla. Thickens as it cools.

Chocolate Whipping Cream
Whipping cream
Hershey’s syrup
Sugar
Vanilla

Whip cream until soft peaks begin to form. Add chocolate syrup, sugar and vanilla to taste. Continue to beat until right consistency.

Sandy’s Chocolate Cake
Cake:
3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup baking cocoa
1 Tbsp baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 1/3 cups boiling water
Frosting:
½ cup butter or margarine
3 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
3 (1 oz) squares semisweet chocolate
5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with sour cream to creamed mixture. Mix on low until just combined. Stir in water until blended. Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350º for 35 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, in a medium saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Cool several minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, sour cream and vanilla. Add chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. Frost cooled cake.

Chocolate Lava Cake
4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
½ cup butter
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup Splenda (I have used regular sugar)
1/3 cup flour

In a double boiler or bowl over hot water (not touching bowl) melt chocolate and add butter. Remove from heat to cool slightly.
In mixer, beat eggs and egg yolks with sugars until fluffy and light colored about 5 minutes.
Slowly pour chocolate/butter mixture into egg/sugar mixture mixing slowly.
Fold in 1/3 cup flour.
Pour into 9 greased muffin tins or custard cups.
Bake at 450º for 9 – 11 minutes.
Remove from pan immediately and plate with whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Lava Cake
(Recipe #2 – this cake is a little richer)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
5 tbsp butter
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp flour
Pinch salt
4 tsp good (aka expensive) cocoa powder
4 oz dark chocolate 60% cocoa (this one is standard chocolate bar)
1/8 tsp vanilla

Butter 4 (5 ½) ounce ramekins. Mix eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
Melt chocolate and butter – cool and add to eggs. Fold in sifted flour, cocoa and pinch of salt.
Fill ramekins 2/3 full, tap to get rid of air – put in baking dish and cover. Place in fridge 30 minutes. Add hot tap water ½ way up ramekin (bane marie) bake at 425º for 15 – 17 minutes. Cool 15 minutes.

Chocolate Crème Brulee
Williams Sonoma
2 cups heavy cream
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
3 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325º. Have a pot of boiling water ready. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted and blended. Let cool slightly.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 2 Tbsp. of the sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and thick ribbons fall from the whisk, about 5 minutes. Slowly stir in the warm chocolate cream, then stir in the vanilla.

Line a 3-inch deep baking pan with a kitchen towel and place four (6 oz) ramekins in the pan. Pour the chocolate mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Divide the chocolate mixture among the ramekins. Add boiling water to fill the pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins and cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil.
Bake until the custards are just set around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Just before serving, sprinkle 1 Tbsp. sugar evenly over the surface of each custard. Using a kitchen torch, move the flame continuously in small circles over the surface until the sugar bubbles and just begins to turn golden, 20 to 30 seconds per custard. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ cup milk
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup peanut butter-flavored pieces
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups boiling water
½ cup chunky peanut butter
2 Tbsp. chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

In a mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add the milk, oil and vanilla; stir until batter is smooth. Stir in the peanut butter pieces. Spread batter evenly in the bottom of a greased 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker.

In another mixing bowl combine the ¾ cup sugar and the ¼ cup cocoa powder. Stir together boiling water and peanut butter; stir into the cocoa mixture. Pour evenly over the batter in the slow cooker.

Cover; cook on high-heat setting for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until a toothpick inserted 1 inch into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let stand, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes to cool slightly.
To serve, spoon pudding cake into dessert dishes. Sprinkle with peanuts. If desired, serve with ice cream.

Chocolate Ganache
Chocolate ganache can be poured as a coating, chilled and made into truffles or whipped into a delightfully light frosting.

Basic ganache consists of just two ingredients: chocolate and heavy cream. The basic recipe is often enhanced by the addition of butter, flavored liqueurs or spices.

The method for making ganache is always the same:
Bring the cream barely to a boil (with butter or flavoring added at this point, if desired). Remove from heat and pour over a bowl of chopped chocolate.
Cover and let stand for a few minutes to soften the chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Let cool at room temperature.

Variations:
Chocolate Glaze: 1 part chocolate, 1 part cream. After whisking, let stand for a few minutes to firm. Pour over cakes, brownies, éclairs, etc. If you want to make this in advance, you may. When ready to use, heat back up slowly over a double-boiler.
Chocolate Frosting: 1 part chocolate, 1 part cream. After whisking, let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Once chilled, remove from fridge and whip until frosting like consistency. Spread on as you would frosting.
Chocolate Truffles: 3 parts chocolate, 1 part cream. After whisking, let cool at room temperature. Chill in fridge. This will create a firm-textured ganache that can hold its shape. Once your ganache has cooled, scoop little balls using a melon baler or small ice cream scoop. Dip the truffles in an additional layer of coating chocolate, or simply roll in cocoa powder, sprinkles or sugar.

Occasionally you may encounter a dry-looking or even cracked ganache. This is usually due to over-heating or cooling too rapidly. If you allow the cream and chocolate to get too hot, especially when reheating, the oils may separate out of the chocolate and float to the top, leaving you with a dull, dry-looking finished product. You may still use it as truffles, whipped filling or simply melt it and spoon into a glass of warm milk for a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

Sending your ganache straight to the refrigerator after mixing can also cause it to separate. The process of cooling the ganache slowly helps the molecules from the chocolate and cream to bond more securely, giving it a nice shine. It’s best to allow it to cool at room temperature before transferring it to the fridge.