littleladydaily:

Delightful cake recipe taken from http://sarahs-loft.com/; so do visit her blog site…. it’s brilliant!

Serves 8

175g butter, softened
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
175g golden caster sugar (I used regular caster sugar as golden caster…

visuallyanise:

Indulgent Chocolate Torte Recipe by Betty Crocker Recipes on Flickr.

qualityrecipes:

Cuatro Leches Cake
makes one double-layer 9-inch cake

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar, divided
4 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the leche glaze:
1 cup coconut mlk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the topping:
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 fresh coconut, flesh removed and shredded, about 1 cup

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Grease and flour a 9-inch x 2-inch round cake pan and line with a circle of parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Using either a stand mixer, electric mixer, or a wooden spoon, cream the butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar. Beat in the egg yolks until mixture is uniform in texture and pale yellow. Stir in the evaporated milk and vanilla until well-combined.

In another clean, dry bowl (if using a stand mixer you will need to use a clean bowl or transfer the egg mixture to a separate large mixing bowl) beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until glossy and stiff.

Fold in one third of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in one third of the dry mixture. Alternate in this manner until the ingredients are combined.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan. Bake 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the cake springs back when touched lightly across the middle. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes on a cooling rack then remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, while the cake is baking, prepare the leche glaze. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium until bubbling, stirring constantly. Remove the glaze from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

When the cake is cooled completely, slice it horizontally into 2 even layers. Place each layer on a large plate and spoon the leche sauce evenly over the cake layers, 1/4 cup at a time, waiting about 5 minutes between pours to allow the cake to absorb the glaze. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible.

When layers are chilled, prepare the topping. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.

Assemble the cake by carefully peeling each layer off their respective plates. Place three strips of parchment in a triangle on a cake platter. The triangle should be large enough for the cake to rest on top without sections of the plate showing between the cake and the parchment. Place the original bottom layer, cut side up, on a cake platter. Using an offset spatula or a wide knife, spread a thin layer of the topping across the cut side. Then dump about a cup of topping in the middle and spread evenly across the top right up to the sides. Carefully place the second layer, cut side down, on top and top the rest of the cake with the remaining topping, pushing the cream across the top and down the sides.

Decorate the tops and or side of the cake with the shaved coconut, pressing it carefully into the topping.

Carefully pull away the parchment strips, leaving a clean plate.

smilingfork:

cafcaf:

Malted Chocolate Mousse Cakes

adapted from Pichet Ong’s The Sweet Spot
Makes about 8 2 1/2” round cakes Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (45 g) cocoa powder

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

5 large eggs, separated

2/3 cup (125 g) sugar

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 up (50 g) vegetable or canola oil

3 tablespoons buttermilk

Malted Chocolate Mousse

3/4 cup (168 g) whole milk

1/2 cup (98 g) sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (37 g) malted milk powder

6 large egg yolks

1 1/4 teaspoons powdered gelatin, dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water

5 ounces (150 g) bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1 cup (226 g) whipping cream

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 11 x 17 baking pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again. If you can find a pan with a rim at least 1” high, that’s probably best - some jelly roll pans might a little too shallow.

Sift the cocoa, flour, and cornstarch into a bowl and set aside.

In stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites at medium-high speed until soft peaks star to form. Add 1/3 cup of the sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue whisking medium-soft peaks have formed. Do not overwhip the whites. Scrape the whites into a bowl, and clean the mixer bowl and whisk.

Place all 9 egg yolks in the clean mixer bowl and whisk on medium until they are combined. Add the salt and remaining sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue whisking until the mixture is pale yellow and very thick.

Whisk about half of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture by hand to lighten it up. Fold in the dry ingredients carefully until almost fully incorporated. Fold in the rest of the egg whites carefully.

Whisk the oil and buttermilk together in a bowl. Fold into the batter until fully incorporated.

Spread the batter into the pan and even out the surface with an offset spatula. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through. The surface should be just dry and springy to the touch. Let cake cool on rack.

To make the mousse, combine the milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat on stove over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and bubbles are starting to form around the edges. Whisk in the malted milk powder and cook until fully dissolved. Remove mixture from heat.

Whisk the egg yolks together in a large bowl. Pour in about half of the malted milk mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent the egg yolks from cooking. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and return to the stove. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove saucepan from heat and add the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Add in the chocolate and stir until fully melted and incorporated. Let mixture sit and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Fold gently into the chocolate mixture. The mixture may look very liquidy now but it will firm up as it cools and the gelatin sets.

When the mousse seems thick enough to spread, you can assemble the cakes. Place 8 cake rings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Use a 2 1/2” round cookie cutter to cut out circles from the cake. You want to have 3 circles of cake for each cake ring. Place a circle of cake into the bottom of a cake ring. Spoon some mousse in. Top with another circle of cake, some more mousse, and the final circle of cake. If you have room you can spoon some mousse on top, but depending on how soft your mousse is it might make it trickier for the cake to hold its shape.

Chill cakes in the refrigerator overnight. Unmold cakes shortly before serving them. Dust a little cocoa powder on top if desired.
(via Dessert First: Chocolate Malt Memories)

smilingfork:

 Chocolate Chip Cookies by The Kitchn

Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 stick butter (salted), softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Spray the cookie sheet with nonstick spray or you can use a liner.
   
   
2. Mix together the two sugars. Be sure to break apart any hard chunks of brown sugar and get the two sugars fully mixed.
   
   
3. Mix the softened butter into the sugar in globs. 
   
   
4. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Crack the eggs directly into the bowl with the butter-sugar mix, and then use a spoon to lightly beat the eggs before stirring them into the butter and sugar.
   
   
5. Measure and mix in the vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Mix the batter as much as possible right now. Break apart any remaining clumps and make sure the batter is a consistent color throughout. If you prefer, you can mix the salt and baking soda with the flour in a separate bowl instead of adding them now. This ensures that these dry ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the batter, but we’ve never had any trouble adding them in at this point.
   
   
6. Add the flour all at once. At this point, you want to mix the batter as little as possible to avoid forming too much gluten. Stop mixing as soon as there is no more visible flour on the dough or in the bottom of the bowl.
   
   
7. Add the chocolate chips all at once and use a folding motion to incorporate them into the batter.
   
   
8. Scoop the batter onto your baking sheet, spacing the balls of dough roughly 2 inches apart. We use a tablespoon and measure out slightly rounded balls.
   
   
9. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. Take them out when they look puffy, are set around the edges, and dry to the touch. Let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet. As they cool, they will collapse back on themselves.
   
   
10. Transfer the cookies to a rack to finish cooling completely. Bake the rest of the cookies in batches.

(via jojochao)

smilingfork:

Ferrero Rocher® White & Dark Cake

Difficulty: ★★★★☆ (Hard)

Yield: 12

Ingredients:

Cake

• 175 g (6 ounces) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 100 g (4 ounces) white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 100 g (4 ounces) dark chocolate (70% cocoa), coarsely chopped
• 3 eggs
• 100 ml (3 1/2 ounces) whole milk
• 175 g (6 ounces) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
• 200 g (8 ounces) self-rising flour, sifted
• 2 tablespoons very strong coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ganache

• 285 ml (9.6 ounces) heavy cream (35%)
• 200 g (8 ounces) dark chocolate (70% cocoa), coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Frangelico® (optional)

Decoration

• 50 g white chocolate, melted
• 5 – 6 Ferrero Garden®
• 5 – 6 Ferrero Rondnoir®

Preparations:

Cake

1. Heat oven to 160° C (325° F). Butter and line with non-stick baking paper, 2 X 20 cm (8 inch) round baking tins; set aside.
2. Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set over a saucepan of just simmering water, and stir with a spatula until melted and smooth, set aside. Repeat with the dark chocolate.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed, mix together the butter, eggs, milk, caster sugar, baking powder and flour and beat until creamy.
4. Divide the batter into two separate bowls.
5. Add the coffee to the melted dark chocolate and stir to combine. Add the vanilla to the white chocolate and stir to combine.
6. Add the dark chocolate mixture to one of the bowls of batter and stir to combine. Pour the batter into one of the prepared baking tins.
7. Add the white chocolate mixture to the remaining bowl of batter and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the remaining baking tin.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Ganache

1. Place the chocolate in a medium-sized, heatproof bowl.
2. Bring the cream just to a boil in a small saucepan set over low-medium heat.
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand, without stirring for 5 minutes or until the chocolate begins to melt.
4. Using a medium-size spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream until completely combined; begin stirring near the centre and slowly work your way toward the edge of the bowl, pulling in as much as possible, until the mixture is smooth.
5. Add the Frangelico® (if using) and stir to combine.
6. Let stand until cool and thickened.

Decorating

1. Using a large bread knife, slice the cooled cakes in half horizontally.
2. Transfer one of the dark chocolate cake layers to a plate (cut side up). Using an offset spatula spread a layer of the dark chocolate ganache on top of the cake. Lay one of the white chocolate cake layers on top of the dark chocolate ganache (press down gently) and spread a layer of dark chocolate ganache. Repeat with another layer of dark chocolate cake and dark chocolate ganache. Place the final layer of white chocolate cake, cut side down (press down gently). Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining dark chocolate ganache.
3. Spoon the melted white chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle (or use a sandwich bag and snip off the end instead). Pipe the white chocolate in a zigzag motion over the cake.
4. To finish the cake, garnish with Ferrero Garden® and Ferrero Rondnoir®.
5. Slice and serve.