Posts Tagged ‘chocolate’
Written on September 7th, 2010 by Kevinno shouts
Ok so I might be blowing my trumpet a little too hard here but do you know what… this recipe has produced the best cake for me time and time again, I have a fantastic cake guaranteed which is in my opinion why its so superb. It has the best chocolate icing topping, crisp and rich and a fluffy sponge with just the right texture not to soft and not too dense. I know you’re dying to know my secret recipe so here goes: Warning this cake is so good you’ll want to make it again and again…my appologies in advance because your thighs won’t be thanking me.
Ingredients:
2oz/50g cocoa powder
10oz/275g caster sugar (fine sugar)
6oz/175g unsalted butter
3 eggs beaten
9oz/250g plain flour
1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
Icing Ingredients:
3oz/75g unsalted butter
12oz/350g icing sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
Filling Ingredients:
3oz/75g unsalted butter
6oz/175g icing sugar
CAKE METHOD:
Preheat your oven to 180oC/350oF/gas mark 5
Grease two round sponge tins (4cm/1 ½” Deep- 20cm/8” Round) pop a layer of grease proof paper on the bottom of the pan it will give you a nice clean result.
Blend together cocoa with 8floz/240ml of boiling water
Soften butter and place in a mixing bowl with the sugar and 4 tbsp of the cocoa mixture. Beat the ingredients together until they are light a fluffy.
Gradually beat in the eggs and the remaining cocoa mixture, it may look as though it is separating, don’t worry it will all be OK.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into the mixture, gently folding in all the ingredients together.
Divide the chocolaty mixture between two cake tins and bake for 25 minutes until the cake has risen and it is firm to touch.
Once the cake has cooked leave in the tin for five minutes, turn out onto a wire rack and make sure it is cooled completely before filling and icing.
ICING METHOD
In a saucepan place the milk and butter and heat gently until melted.
Sift in icing sugar and cocoa and mix thoroughly until it is smooth and glossy.
Keep aside 4 tablespoons of the mixture for the filling.
Pop the rest into the fridge until you are ready to decorate your cake.
FILLING METHOD
Beat the butter and sugar together, when it is a smooth consistency start to blend in the reserved icing.
ASSEMBLE
Spread the filling evenly across the top of your base cake. Pop on the second layer and evenly spread across the icing, voila a chocolate cake to die for.
Variations: This is such a fantastic recipe that you can’t really go far wrong. Just by adding a few different ingredients you can make this recipe your own, for example if your a fan of the humble jaffa cake, the richness of the topping works well with the addition of some orange zest. I like to leave the zest in but you can strain out the zest once it has had a little time to infuse into the icing. To make a double kick of orangy-ness you can also add some orange essence or zest (my prference)to the cake batter.
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Written on April 29th, 2010 by blogno shouts
Chocolate bars of candy and then for preparing food and baking have already been around for many years. During the Eighteen Hundreds, Daniel Peter, a ex – candle manufacturer in Vevey, Swiss, decided to try to produce a real milk chocolate candy bar. It was a project which he done for several years right until he ultimately been successful. The milk chocolate has been so flourishing that the need for the product has been more substantial rather than his capability to supply that. He next gone to be employed by his friend Nestle and took his merchandise with him. He worked for the Nestle Corporation right until 1919 when he passed away at the age of ninety. To this day the top chocolate presumably originates from Switzerland.
There isn’t a end of precisely what it’s possible to make using chocolate bars or chocolate sea shells. Got a fight with your spouse? No matter whether man or woman it is possible to appease them with chocolate. Are looking for an intimate event? Chocolate may help. They are available in most styles: several with nuts and also fruits and several having marshmallow as well as mints.
There is something about chocolate that gives a person that emotion of happiness and also safety. Every single man, woman and child have several enjoyable recollection or maybe activity that they may relate along with chocolate. Chocolate snack is supplied in all kinds via drops, bars, nice styles of cremes as well as covering fruit and its peels. Who would not like chocolate fudge, cookies or cake? Very few people do not genuinely like chocolate.
Some people could confess never to liking the dark chocolate nonetheless take pleasure in white or pink chocolate. The white and pink chocolate candy bars are comparatively new in the marketplace. Whichever kind of chocolate you enjoy you will in no way be depleted as chocolate is here to stay for a lot of decades in to the future. There may possibly be changes and upgrades nevertheless the fundamentals of the chocolate bar will invariably continue to be. Chocolate will keep on to produce pleasurable and passionate thoughts and also provide sweet dreams to the more youthful and older ages. Create some of your unique favorable memories by just delivering someone you adore a box of chocolates or perhaps, just a few chocolate bars or a delightful chocolate gift basket.
Written on October 30th, 2009 by Kevinno shouts
What is the finest type of chocolate? Gourmet dark chocolate, of course.
Dark chocolate has the richest flavor of any other chocolate products. The reason is actually quite simple. As the name implies, “dark” chocolate does have a darker look than regular chocolate. The difference in appearance is due to the higher concentration of cocoa that it contains. The extra amount of cocoa is what gives gourmet dark chocolate its extra rich taste and flavor.
Gourmet dark chocolate has a harder texture compared to regular chocolate, but it is still smooth. A characteristic that gourmet dark chocolate is known for is snapping when you break it instead of bending or crumbling, which often happens with non-gourmet chocolates.
Bars are the most popular gourmet dark chocolate items, but other products are available as well. Gourmet boxed chocolates, truffles, clusters, and hot cocoa mixes are all made in dark chocolate varieties. Many gourmet gift sets include also dark chocolate items.
Gourmet dark chocolate has recently become more popular due to the health benefits that have been found to be associated with it. Medical studies have found that small servings may have beneficial effects on blood pressure and prevention of heart disease. These same effects are not found with milk chocolate or white chocolate, only the dark variety.
So if you are looking for the finest type of chocolate around, look no further than gourmet dark chocolate. For it’s rich and smooth flavor and potential health benefits, it is the finest choice in gourmet chocolates.
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Written on October 29th, 2009 by Kevinno shouts
Enjoying fine food is definitely one of the pleasures of life. There is so much fast food and bland tasting dishes today because of the lack of time to really prepare food right, that when you do get to enjoy gourmet fine food, it’s a special treat. So what makes any food or drink qualify to be called “gourmet”? Well, in general it means that a particular food or drink is considered above average in quality, and will appeal even to those who have the most discriminating tastes. It also usually means that a lot of time and effort has gone into it’s preparation too. What comes to mind when you think of gourmet foods? Here is a list of many fine foods and beverages that can be found in the gourmet food category: 1. Coffees – Gourmet coffees include many exotic coffee blends from around the world and flavored coffees. Frequently you can get a nice mixture of various gourmet coffees that allow you to sample them before buying more of each kind. 2. Teas – There are several specialty teas from all over the world that qualify to be called gourmet tea.They can be either green, black, oolong or herbal teas. Again, you can often get sampler packs of these exotic teas to try them out first. 3. Chocolates – Whether milk, dark or white chocolate,gourmet chocolate assortments often come with fruit, nuts, and cream centers that are just incredibly delicious. 4. Caviar – If you really want to taste the good life, enjoy any of the various kinds of caviar, from the American Golden to the Russian Dark variety. Of course this is one type of gourmet food that can get really pricey fast, but there is a caviar for pretty much any budget if you look carefully enough. 5. Seafood – There are lots of seafoods that have been specially prepared as gourmet foods including smoked herring, oysters, shrimp and lobster rolls and bisques. There’s lots more in this category too and again you can often get samplers for taste testing in advance. 6. Fish – Some of the favorite gourmet fish foods are salmon, tuna, and halibut. 7. Meats – This is one of the largest gourmet categories and lately has become very popular. Entries in this field include ribs, roasts, steaks, and even some dried and cured meats. 8. Poultry – There are any number of gourmet foods prepared with chicken, but duck and turkey is also top favorites for special dishes. So where can you use gourmet foods? Almost any special occasion is a good time to include gourmet foods, drinks, or desserts on the menu. Everything from intimate dinners for two to large social gatherings are all acceptable places to include the delicious taste of gourmet foods to help make that occasion truly special and unforgettable. Thankfully, the internet makes shopping for gourmet foods quick and easy. There is a large selection available in all of the categories listed above, and when ordered, modern shipping techniques allow you to receive gourmet foods through the mail in short order and in fresh condition. So why not sample a few gourmet foods today and start enjoying some of the finer pleasures of life? Duane Smith – [http://www.all-about-gourmet-foods.com/]All About Gourmet Foods is a site that provides free information and resources for gourmet foods like chocolate, fish and seafood, caviar, gourmet meat and more. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Duane_Smith http://EzineArticles.com/?Gourmet-Foods-For-Every-Occasion&id=13521