From tarts and cakes to ice-creams and mousses, chocolate is the object of many love/hate relationships. Unabashedly indulgent in taste and appearance, it’s a baker’s favourite ingredient. After all, so little compares to the happiness of a well-made chocolate dessert!
What better way to spend the lockdown than baking dishes that ooze of chocolaty goodness?
Coconut cranberry chocolate fudge
400 gm condensed milk
300 gm white chocolate
100 gm desiccated coconut
130 gm dried cranberries
50 gm slivered almonds
Layer a baking pan with a parchment paper and keep it aside. Remember to leave enough paper on the edges so that you can pull the fudge out easily once it is set.
Spread the desiccated coconut out onto a pan and toast it till it turns golden brown.
Pour condensed milk into a saucepan and add finely chopped white chocolate.
Turn the heat on medium and cook the milk until the chocolate melts. Keep stirring to avoid it from burning.
Once it’s done, switch off the heat and mix the toasted coconut, almonds, cranberries and a pinch of salt.
Give it a stir and then pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
Let it set in the refrigerator for 4 hrs and if it’s still not set, leave it overnight. Cut it into bite-sized squares and store it in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator.
Mocha tart
60 ml coffee
25 gm sugar
3 eggs
60 ml cream
125 gm dark chocolate (ideally 50% cocoa)
100 gm flour
20 gm cocoa
75 gm butter vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon
For Ganache
Whisk the two egg yolks with the sugar until they are pale and creamy.
Bring the cream to the boil.
Add the whisked yolks and cook up to a temperature of 90°C.
Add the coffee and stir well.
Pour the mixture over the finely chopped chocolate.
Stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
Cool in the refrigerator.
For the dough
Dice the butter and bring it to room temperature.
Make a well in the flour and cocoa.
Put the butter, sugar and egg into the well.
Mix the ingredients and then add the flour until you obtain a smooth dough. Refrigerate for one hour.
Spread the dough over the base and up the edges of your cake tin.
Use a fork to prick the bottom of the tart.
Bake in a non-ventilated oven at 180°C for 18 minutes.
Using a piping bag, fill the tart with the warm Ganache cream then refrigerate until the cream is completely cool.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave and add it to the mixture. Add vanilla essence and mix.
Slowly add flour mixture in 3 batches and fold it until mixed. Then mix in chopped prunes and fold.
Fill the muffin pans, lined with the muffin liners. Bake them in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until skewers come out clean.
Olive chocolate truffles
175 gm olives
300 gm dark chocolate
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup cream
1 tsp lemon zest
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Heat the chocolate and cream together in a double boiler until it melts.
Take the mixture off the heat and whisk well to smooth out any lumps.
Add some butter to the chocolate and cream mixture with a little bit of lemon zest.
Add the olives to the mixture and fold it in.
Cover the chocolate mixture and let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple hours.
Once the mixture is set, scoop out a spoonful and roll it into a small lemon sized ball. Make these delicious chocolate balls out of the whole mixture.
Refrigerate the prepared truffles for another hour.
Once chilled, dust the truffles with cocoa powder to serve.
Cranberry brownies
3/4 cup plain flour, sifted
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 medium sized eggs
1 tbsp vanilla essence
100 gm butter
1/2 cup dried cranberries
50 gm dark chocolate, chopped
Begin by preheating the oven at 180°C. While it preheats, layer a baking pan with a parchment paper and keep it aside.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Carefully take out the molten ingredients and whisk them well.
Add a dash of sweetness with sugar and mix. Then add the eggs, one at a time. Finally, pour in the teaspoonful of vanilla essence and stir everything together.
Fold in the flour and cocoa powder and pour the mixture into the lined pan.
Add the cranberries to the mix and level the batter evenly to give it a perfect texture.
Bake the brownies for 20 to 25 minutes or until skewers come out clean.
Let it cool before cutting the brownies.
Chocolate prune banana muffin
1+ 1/2 cup plain flour
2 ripened big bananas (mashed)
1 cup prunes
175 g dark chocolate
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp baking soda
1/4 tbsp salt
Preheat the oven at 170°C.
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and soda.
Cream together butter and sugar. Add 1 egg and beat until incorporated well. Then, add another egg and beat again.
Recipes shared by Lavazza India and Del Monte.
READ ALSO: Chocolate love
