chocolate

ingredients

• 200g digestive biscuits
• 110g whole pecans, roughly chopped
• 110g pistachio nuts, peeled
• 10 glace cherries
• 2 ready-made meringue nests, smashed up
• 150g unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• 200g dark chocolate

method

This chocolate cake is wicked! And even better, you don't need to do any baking. 

Break the biscuits into small pieces directly into a large bowl. Add the pecans, pistachio nuts and cherries and mix together. Put the rest of the ingredients into a separate heatproof bowl and put on a low heat over a pan of simmering water until the butter and chocolate have melted.

Combine the biscuit mix with the chocolate mixture. Line a 30 x 20 cm plastic container with cling film, leaving plenty of extra film at the edges to help turn the cake out later. Whack everything into the container, place in the fridge to firm up, then turn out and cut into chunky slices.

This cake can be kept in an airtight container for a few days, and it actually improves in flavour!

Belgian Chocolate Cupcakes

Yield 24 cupcakes  Prep Time 15 minutes  Baking Time 15 to 20 minutes  Cooking Time 20 minutes

1/2 cup butter, melted
100 grams bittersweet Belgian chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

For the Belgian chocolate ganache
2 cups cream
400 grams bittersweet Belgian chocolate, chopped

1  In a small pan, melt butter. Stir in chopped Belgian chocolate and whisk until blended. Set aside.
2  Preheat oven to 350ËšF.
3  In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
4  Add eggs slowly and beat until creamy. Stir in cocoa powder and vanilla.
5  Add melted chocolate.
6  Combine dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture alternatively with milk.
7  Beat until smooth (about 1 minute) then scoop into paper-lined muffin pans.
8  Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool before frosting.
9  Make the Belgian chocolate ganache: Put cream in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Cool until thick and use to frost cupcakes.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

Hot chocolate fondant

INGREDIENTS

• 50g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
• 2 tsp cocoa powder, to dust
• 50g good quality bitter chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), in pieces
• 1 free range egg
• 1 free range egg yolk
• 60g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp Tia Maria liqueur
• 50g plain flour, sifted
• Icing sugar, to dust
• Creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream to serve

METHOD

How to make hot chocolate fondant

1. Preheat oven to 160°C/Gas 3.

2. Butter four ramekins (about 7.5cm in diameter), then dust liberally with cocoa, shaking out any excess.

3. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water, then take off the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

4. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar together until pale and thick, then incorporate the chocolate mixture. Fold in the liqueur, followed by the flour. Divide the chocolate mixture between the ramekins and bake for 12 minutes.

5. Turn the chocolate fondants out on to warmed plates. Dust the tops with icing sugar and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate fondant

• Ingredients:
• 50g melted butter , for brushing
• cocoa powder , for dusting
• 200g good-quality dark chocolate , chopped into small pieces
• 200g butter , in small pieces
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 4 eggs and 4 yolks
• 200g plain flour
• Caramel sauce (see 'Goes well with') and vanilla ice cream or orange sorbet, to serve

Directions:

First get your moulds ready. Using upward strokes, heavily brush the melted butter all over the inside of the pudding mould. Place the mould in the fridge or freezer. Brush more melted butter over the chilled butter, then add a good spoonful of cocoa powder into the mould. Tip the mould so the powder completely coats the butter. Tap any excess cocoa back into the jar, then repeat with 1 the next mould.

Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then slowly melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for about 10 mins.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail; use an electric whisk if you want. Sift the flour into the eggs, then beat together.

Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds, beating well between each addition, until all the chocolate is added and the mixture is completely combined to a loose cake batter.

Tip the fondant batter into a jug, then evenly divide between the moulds. The fondants can now be frozen for up to a month and cooked from frozen. Chill for at least 20 mins or up to the night before. To bake from frozen, simply carry on as stated, adding 5 mins more to the cooking time.

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the fondants on a baking tray, then cook for 10-12 mins until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the sides of their moulds. Remove from the oven, then leave to sit for 1 min before turning out.

Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so they come away from the sides, easing them out of the moulds. Tip each fondant slightly onto your hand so you know it has come away, then tip back into the mould ready to plate up.

Starting from the middle of each plate, squeeze a spiral of caramel sauce - do all the plates you need before you go on to the next stage.

Sit a fondant in the middle of each plate. Using a large spoon dipped in hot water, scoop a 'quenelle' of ice cream.

Carefully place the ice cream on top of the fondant, then serve immediately. Repeat with the rest of the fondants.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients

Serves: 6

• 150g (5 oz) digestive biscuits
• 45g (1 1/2 oz) butter
• 110g (4 oz) caster sugar, divided
• 120ml whipping cream
• 150g (5 oz) dark chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder mixed with a little hot water
• 1 (200g) tub cream cheese

• Preparation method

  1.

  Crush the digestive biscuits and mix with the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of the caster sugar. Press into a 18cm (7 in) cake tin and refrigerate.

  2.

  Whip cream until soft peak stage. Add cooled melted chocolate, then the cocoa powder mix. Blend well and set aside.

  3.

  Beat the cream cheese and remaining sugar together. Fold in cream/chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly.

  4.

  Spread into tin on top of crushed biscuits. Freeze for one hour.

  5.

  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, then serve.

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

Serves: 10

• 120g unsalted butter
• 175g icing sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon whisky or rum
• shaved chocolate or cocoa powder

• Preparation method

  Prep:30  mins
  1.

  Place the butter in a bowl with the icing sugar and mix until fluffy.

  2.

  Add the cocoa and whisky or rum and continue to mix. (Adding more than 1 tablespoon of liquid will make it difficult to shape the mixture.)

  3.

  Shape the mixture into small balls, then roll in shaved chocolate or cocoa powder individually, and place them on a tray. Refrigerate for 1 hour.