Recipe: White Chocolate Walnut Bread Pudding

Image by jwinfred via Flickr

White Chocolate & Walnut Bread Pudding

Photo of another version of white chocolate bread pudding. Awesome presentation, wow!


From: O'Donnell's Restaurant, Chef Phil O'Donnell

Ingredients:

1½ quarts milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 large eggs

3 cups sugar

1- to 1 ½ lbs. stale New Orleans style French bread

½ lb. white chocolate

1 cup chopped walnuts


Directions: Add milk and vanilla to a sauce pot and scald. Set aside.

Put eggs and sugar into mixing bowl and whip until doubled in volume.

Slowly whisk scalded milk into egg and sugar mixture.

Add this mixture to the bread in large mixing bowl and let soak for 20 minutes.

Fold in the white chocolate and walnuts.

Put into a 13” x 9” casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check for doneness by placing a toothpick into the center of the dish. If it pulls out clean, the bread pudding is done. Serves 8-10.

I Love You!

Sunday is a great time to thank God for inventing chocolate and wonderful readers like YOU!

Also, let me take this time to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who subscribes via feeds and email. THANK YOU for reading this amusing little chocolate blog! It's a repository of awesome chocolate recipes as I run across them or have the time to transpose them from aging cookbooks in my own collection or cookbooks I find at book fairs.

Thanks for visiting, keep coming back and keep letting me know about new chocolate recipes and products - thanks for your emails!

Recipe: Chocolate Sin Cake

Image by Bev (Sugarbloom Cupcakes) via Flickr

Photo of another kind of chocolate cake as it was so beautiful!

From: Café Sbisa

Ingredients:


2 lbs chocolate chips

1 1/3 lb butter

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup water

16 eggs


Directions: Heat chocolate and butter (chunks) in double boiler. Combine sugar and water in a sauté pan and simmer until dissolved, combine with chocolate mixture. Blend until smooth, then remove from heat. Whisk eggs lightly, avoiding excessive air. Gently combine egg and chocolate mixtures.

Using 2 loaf pans lined with parchment, pour cake mix about 1 ½ inch thick. Place pans into a large roasting pan. Place in oven and fill the pan with water being careful not to float the cake pans. Bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours. Remove and let cool.

Refrigerate to remove from parchment, slice prior to service.

At Café Sbisa, we whip 1 teaspoon finely ground espresso with heavy cream and powdered sugar and top the cake. Add berries and a mint sprig for garnish.

Recipe: Chocolate Waffle Cookie

Image via Wikipedia

From Denny: There are plenty of variations of this one. I like to use brown sugar instead of white sugar. In place of expensive and often too rich unsweetened chocolate squares I use cocoa.

Forget about margarine as it ruins the taste of chocolate, in my not so humble opinion. You can get the no cholesterol benefits by taking a little extra time and clarifying your butter which I do all the time. The taste is awesome, especially when used in a baking recipe.

This recipe is fun just to cook it on a waffle iron! (Nonstick is preferred.)


Chocolate Waffle Cookie

Yield: about 3 dozen small cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup clarified butter

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (no cheating by using imitation!)

6 Tablespoons unsweetened Hershey's cocoa

1 cup all-purpose flour


Directions: In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat. In a smaller bowl combine flour and cocoa. Add flour mixture to butter mixture.

Drop by large tablespoonfuls one-inch apart on a pre-heated waffle iron. Bake for one minute or so. Adjust your baking time as needed as you will have to test this.

Lift the cookie carefully from the waffle iron, easing it off with a fork. Lift gently as you remove it to a wire rack to cool.

To serve: dust lightly with powdered sugar!

Chocolate and Zucchini Cake

From Denny: From the almost 6-year-old blog Chocolate and Zucchini, written by a French woman and offered in American-style very good English as well as French.

It is also in the top 100,000 traffic ranking, an admirable feat for any blog other than an IT one. Congrats to Clotilde Dusoulier for getting recognized as a fabulous blog! For more interesting recipes and reading just click on the title link.

For recipe conversions there is a link for your convenience to that page just below my posting area if you are unsure about any of her measurements.

Chocolate & Zucchini Cake

Yield: Serves 10


Ingredients:

1 1/2 C (180 g) all-purpose flour

1/2 C (60 g) whole wheat flour (of course, you can just use 2 C / 240 g all-purpose flour, I was just trying to be good)

1/2 C (40 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C (110 g) butter, softened

1 C (160 g) light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp instant coffee granules (the Nescafé type, the stronger the better)

3 eggs, at room temperature

2 C zucchini, unpeeled, grated (about 280 g, two medium)

1 C (170 g) chocolate chips

Topping :

40 g (1/2 cup) light brown sugar

1/2 C (70 g) hazelnuts, toasted and chopped


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease a 3 quart (3 L) springform cake pan, and flour it or sprinkle with cocoa powder : this is to help the cake unmold easily, especially if you're not using a magic non-stick pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In your food processor, combine the sugar and butter, and mix until fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and espresso powder, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.

Spoon in the flour mixture, reserving the last half-cup of it. Mix thoroughly, the batter will be thick.

Add the grated zucchini and the chocolate chips to the reserved flour mixture, and toss to coat. Fold in the batter, and blend thoroughly, it's fun. Pour into the prepared cake pan, and flatten the surface with a spatula.

In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients, and sprinkle all over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Turn out on a rack to cool for half an hour, then unmold.

Books and Chocolate

Books and Chocolate: "Give me a stash of books and a sack of melt-in-the-mouth chocolate and you can lock me up in a room and throw away the key. That comes pretty near my idea of heaven, never mind that I might resemble something really not divine by the time you let me out of there! But what are a few extra pounds around the waist in the pursuit of knowledge? I'm kidding!

Pursuit of knowledge? I didn't say anywhere that those books had to be edifying works of literature. In fact while I'm making suggestions I may as well add that crime fiction would do very well, and some gooey nut encased dark chocolate. And do add a box of tissues so that I don't ruin the pages of those books with messy fingerprints.

It happened to me today and I could have wept. Engrossed in the misadventures of a harassed young woman trying hard to find a man (well sometimes you need a break from hardened gumshoes blowing smoke rings in your face) I was also working my way through a decadent block of almond-orange chocolate and as I absentmindedly turned the pages I left an ugly smudge on one of them. Horrors! I hadn't licked my fingers completely clean and the evidence was right there on the pristine pages of a brand new book."

By Feline Prophet @ HubPages

Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Coffee Liqueur

Photo by Svadilfari @ flickr

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Coffee Liqueur

From Denny: OK, have any of you actually ever met a flourless chocolate cake you didn't like? Come on, now, we all LOVE this stuff - and shamelessly! :) This chef makes an awesome version AND it's lighter too. Take a look.


Flourless Chocolate Cake with Coffee Liqueur

From: Chef Ray Johnson of Café Mundo, San Jose, Costa Rica

Yield: 12 servings

Serve this with coffee ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Beaten eggs make this cake lighter in texture than most other flourless chocolate cakes.


Ingredients:


1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

¼ cup coffee liqueur

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

Powdered sugar


Directions: Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 3/4 –inch-high sides. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Stir chocolate, butter, coffee liqueur and vanilla in heavy large saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool to lukewarm.

Using electric mixer, beat eggs and 1 cup sugar in large bowl until thick and pale, and slowly dissolving ribbon forms when beaters are lifted, about 6 minutes. Fold 1/3 of egg mixture into lukewarm chocolate mixture. Fold remaining egg mixture into chocolate mixture.

Place prepared pan on baking sheet. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 55 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Gently press down edges of cake. Cool completely in pan. (Cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.)

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove sides of pan; transfer cake to platter. Remove parchment paper. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar and serve.

Chocolate Quiz for your intellectual nourishment

From Denny: These folks over at flyerchocolate.com are real characters.

Take their quiz "for your intellectual nourishment." And I thought I had the corner on being cheeky...! :)

***

From their recipe section, salivate over these chocolate darlings:

WARM FLYER CHOCOLATE CHEESE CAKE
by Chef Jen Neil

Provence Restaurant, Cape Coral, FL

Number of Servings: 12

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

5 eggs

2/3 C sugar

10 oz. Flyer Gold Plane 4 Fine Dark Chocolate with a Touch of Milk

2/3 C butter

1/3 C sifted flour

2 tbs bittersweet cocoa powder

2 oz. favorite liquor

Pinch of salt

Raspberries

1. Using a Kitchen Aid type appliance or egg beaters, combine eggs and sugar in a bowl and whip for approximately 20-30 minutes.

2. Over a double-boiler melt chocolate and butter together.

3. Once egg/sugar mixture is ready, slowly add the flour. Mix thoroughly. Turn machine off and scrape all sides and bottom of the bowl.

4. Mix again and add the cocoa powder, liquor and salt.

5. Spray individual mold, soufflés or muffin tins with a heavy coating of Pam.

6. Fill molds half way; add two raspberries, then continuing to fill the rest of the way.

7. Bake in a 375 oven for approximately 8-10 minutes

8. To serve, invert the cake onto a plate, garnish with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.

***

FLYER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE


by Chef Claude-Alain Solliard

Seppi's Restaurant, New York, NY

Number of Servings: 8

Preparation Time: approximately 45 minutes, allow at least three hours in refrigerator before eating

16 oz. Flyer Gold Plane 4 - Fine Dark Chocolate with A Touch of Milk

1 pt. of heavy cream

4 egg whites

1 oz. orange liqueur

double boiler, whisk, spatula, individual serving cups or one large bowl

1. Slowly melt the chocolate in a double boiler and stir as needed to prevent burning. Turn heat down or off after initial melting and continue to stir until smooth.

2. Whip the cream to a soft, thick peak.

3. Whip the egg whites to soft peak.

4. Add one-half of the egg whites to the chocolate using a whisk until the egg whites are evenly mixed into the chocolate.

5. Using the spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites and the whipped cream into the chocolate until well-mixed and very smooth. The mixture should now be all the same color and filled with air.

6. Place the mixture into serving cups or the large bowl and then into the refrigerator for at least three hours until it has cooled and set.

***

FLYER DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE!

(Flyer Chocolate Cheese Cake With Chocolate Mousse)

by Chef Claude-Alain Solliard

Seppi's Restaurant, New York, NY


Number of Servings: 8

Preparation Time: 45 minutes + baking and cooling time


The Cake

8 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese

¾ lb. cottage cheese

¼ cup sugar

2 whole eggs

4 oz. Flyer Gold Plane 4 Dark Chocolate

2 tsp. vanilla extract

The Crust

1 oz. butter
8 oz. Graham cracker crumbs

The Mousse


4 oz. Flyer Gold Plane 4 Dark Chocolate

6 oz. heavy cream

1. To make the crust, melt the butter in a pan and thoroughly mix in the Graham cracker crumbs.

2. Place the butter and cracker mixture evenly in a 9 in. spring-form or cake pan.

3. To make the cake, slowly melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

4. While the chocolate is melting, add the cream cheese, cottage cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla to a mixing bowl and thoroughly blend with an electric mixer until smooth.

5. Quickly add the melted chocolate and mix in very quickly to avoid clumping.

6. Place the batter in the baking pan with the crust and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

7. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.

8. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until cold and top with the mousse.

9. To make the mousse, slowly melt chocolate in a double boiler and stir as needed to prevent burning. Turn heat down or off after initial melting and continue to stir until smooth.

10. Whip the cream to a soft peak.

11. When the chocolate has cooled but not begun hardening, fold in the whipped cream, 1/3 of the cream at a time.

12. Smoothly and evenly spread the mousse over the cooled cheesecake and place in the refrigerator until the mousse has set.

Funny Chocolate Quote

From Denny: Of course, when someone threw this talented chef some lemons he made an awesome chocolate cake! Wouldn't you like to invite this guy to come bake at your house this weekend?!

"When life hands you lemons, throw them back and demand chocolates." ~ unknown

Photo of lemon chiffon chocolate cake by stu_spivack @ flickr

Heidi Klum's chocolate-flavoured lips

From Denny: I told you we don't have to give up chocolate to be beautiful! I have it on the highest authority: model Heidi Klum who is quite a fun character.

"Heidi Klum uses chocolate-flavoured lip balm to satisfy her sweet cravings.

The German supermodel often longs for chocolate cake from her homeland, but has discovered a secret weapon to curb her desires.

She is quoted as saying: 'I love chocolate. I have a chocolate lip gloss that tastes like a German chocolate cake. It is very good. It tastes so good that I constantly have to lick my lipstick off and re-apply.'

Heidi isn't the only supermodel who has confessed to secret cravings."

Recipe: Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

From Denny: This is one of those ridiculously simple recipes that can be thrown together quickly. Read that as when you have a chocolate craving you will get satisfaction in about one hour! Even a child can make it and is a good one for a beginner cook.

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

From: The Best of South Louisiana Cooking

Yield: Serves 8


Ingredients:


1 cup flour

¾ cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cocoa

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon milk

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup packed cocoa

1 ¾ cups hottest tap water

Favorite ice cream


Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In ungreased 9 x 9-inch pan, stir together flour, sugar, 2 Tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt. Mix in milk, oil and vanilla with fork until smooth. Stir in nuts. Spread evenly in pan.

Sprinkle with brown sugar and ¼ cup cocoa. Pour hot water over batter. Bake 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes then cut into squares. Invert onto dish. Spoon on ice cream and then sauce that is formed on bottom of cake pan.

Chocolate Facts: Storing Chocolate

Chocolate Facts: Storing Chocolate

Keep in a cool, dry place and away from any light, moisture or odors. Any one of these can affect the flavor and also the texture of chocolate.

Bloom

If chocolate gets too warm it can develop what is known as “bloom.” “Fat bloom” leaves a grayish cast to the surface of the chocolate because the cocoa butter has risen to the surface.

Another kind of “bloom” is a white, crusty formation of sugar crystals. “Sugar bloom” results from the chocolate being stored where there is too much moisture.

Neither kind of bloom will hurt using the chocolate in recipes as they are not indicators that the chocolate has spoiled. What is spoiled is the texture and appearance of the chocolate and it is less appetizing to eat as is.

Storing in the refrigerator

Many people choose to break large amounts of chocolate into smaller pieces, wrap it firmly in plastic wrap and store it well covered in the refrigerator. When ready to use it, take out what you need and allow it to reach room temperature before using in a recipe. If you unwrap the chocolate while it is still cold, moisture can collect on the surface as it warms.

What is so bad about moisture on the surface of the chocolate? Well, you are toast if you plan to melt the chocolate as it will “seize.” What that means is that the chocolate will become dry and stiff as well as lose its attractive glossiness which we find so appealing.

General guidelines for time of storage

Stored properly most bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate will keep a year or longer. Milk chocolate and white chocolate will keep for several months as a general guideline.

How I store my chocolate treasure

I live in the humid sunny South and I don’t use the refrigerator to store my bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate. I place it well wrapped into old-fashioned tins, then store it in a cool, dark pantry, the coldest part of the house.

We do use air-conditioning but when the temperatures are really high I do check the chocolate every week to see how it is doing. “Hey, guys, are ya happy in there?” And they usually reply, “Yep, happy as clams at low tide; shut the lid, lady!”

For me the refrigerator trick doesn’t work well as I often have chopped onion in the fridge. No amount of baking soda is going to keep that odor out of chocolate.

From the grocery store on the ride home

Also, when you buy your chocolate at the grocery store make sure they don’t place it in a bag with fresh garlic and onions. On a summer day the chocolate can absorb the odors on the short trip home. Personal experience, trust me, don’t go there!

*If you have some tips and tricks you would like to share, feel free to email me or leave a comment, much appreciated, thanks!

Recipe: Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Martha Stewart knows her chocolate and her cookies. Check out her site for more tempting cookie treats!

“Two kinds of chocolate plus walnuts and coconut equals one tempting treat.”

From: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:

Yield: Makes about 5 dozen.


1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

2 cups white-chocolate chunks (about 9 ounces)

1 3/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts, (about 6 ounces)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in vanilla.

2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix into butter mixture on low speed until well combined. Stir in chocolate, coconut, and walnuts.

3. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop batter onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 2 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

Copyright 2008 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Recipe: Chocolate and Peanut Butter Streusel Cake

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Streusel Cake

This cake is fast and easy, always getting rave reviews from American kids and their parents alike as well as their French friends.

From: American Debra Sostrin, living in suburb outside Paris, France.

Yield: 12 servings


Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 cups packed golden brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 (12 oz.) package semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)


Directions: Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Using electric mixer beat on low speed until streusel is blended and crumbly. Transfer 1 cup lightly packed streusel to small bowl and reserve.

Add eggs, milk, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda to remaining streusel in large bowl. Beat at low speed until evenly moist. Increase speed to medium and beat until well blended, scraping bowl occasionally, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle with reserved 1 cup streusel and remaining 1 cup chips. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack.

Recipe: Ginger Chicken with Chocolate Reduction

Image via Wikipedia

Ginger Chicken with Chocolate Reduction

Photo: cocoa beans in the pods

For your Sunday dinner try this interesting recipe from a long-time famous French chef we all have watched on TV for years.

From: “A Year in Chocolate: 80 Recipes for Holidays and Special Occasions” by chef Jacques Torres.

Yield: Serves 4.

Ingredients:


4 boneless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons of Olive Oil, divided

1 red pepper, diced

½ cup fresh ginger –peeled and julienned

1 small onion

1 clove of garlic, finely minced

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Paprika to taste

1 cup of white wine

2 Tablespoons 100% cocoa

Directions:

Marinate thighs in honey, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, red pepper, ginger, onion, garlic, salt, paprika, and pepper.

Sauté in pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil until chicken is brown. Honey will caramelize in the pan.

In a separate pan, melt chocolate with 1 tbsp of butter and stir until smooth.

Divide chicken and vegetables evenly among four plates. Deglaze hot pan with wine and reduce by half.
Add in melted chocolate and reduce down. Drizzle over and around the chicken.

Funny Chocolate Quote

"There is nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate." - unknown

Funny Friday the 13th!

Photo by nao-cha @ flickr of dog Cocoa

From friends over at Twitter:

"Very funny page for Friday the 13th, both versions - peterdrew@keithbaxter It's Friday the 13th! Beware...
http://snipr.com/dp10t DUDE!! not nice scaring me like that :=)"

From Denny: Just click on the title as the address is linked. Enjoy!

Recipe: Chocolate Blackout Cake

Chocolate Blackout Cake Recipe

From Denny: In the mood for something totally decadent? Granted, this is more time consuming when you feel like a labor of love afternoon but it's still easy. She takes you through it step by step. You can also link to Karen's fab cookbook for more of her chocolate genius!

Tomorrow: Chocolate Peanut Butter Streusel Cake

From -
Sweet Stuff: Karen Barker's American Desserts

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients for Pudding:

• 3 cups milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons cocoa (preferably Dutch processed)
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

Ingredients for Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa (preferable Dutch processed)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 dozen chocolate wafer cookies

Directions:

1. To make the chocolate pudding: Combine 2 cups milk with 4 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan and bring to just under a boil.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining sugar with salt, cocoa, and cornstarch. Whisk in remaining 1 cup unheated milk. Gradually whisk cocoa mixture into hot milk. Heat, over medium heat, stirring, until mixture thickens and starts to bubble.

3. Whisk together eggs and egg yolks in a small bowl. Temper the eggs by adding a few tablespoons of the heated milk. Add the tempered eggs to the saucepan and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and whisk in chopped chocolate and butter. The pudding should be relatively thick and will firm up when cooled. Cool, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in refrigerator.

4. To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 (8-inch) cake pans and line with parchment. Butter the parchment and flour pans, shaking out the excess.

5. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Reserve.

6. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in vegetable oil. Alternately add dry ingredients with buttermilk, scraping the bowl once or twice. Add the coffee and vanilla to form a thin batter. Divide between prepared cake pans.

7. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert onto cooling racks, peel off paper and cool completely.

8. When cool, split each cake in half with a serrated slicing knife. Spread bottom layer with 1/4 of the reserved chocolate pudding. Repeat with remaining layers, ending with pudding on top.

9. In a food processor, pulse the cookies into crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the cake.

Tomorrow: Chocolate Peanut Butter Streusel Cake

Funny Chocolate Quote

Chocolate Definition - "After about 20 years of marriage, I'm finally starting to scratch the surface of what women want. And I think the answer lies somewhere between conversation and chocolate." - Mel Gibson

Recipe: Alberta Fudge Cake

Basically, this cake has a thick layer of real pecan fudge laying on top as the icing. This cake is so very rich you might want to serve only in very small portions or keep it for the holidays.

Note: Be specific about cooking the fudge until it registers 236 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Alberta Fudge Cake

From: Michael Doumit, from Lafayette, Louisiana, originally featured in Travelhost Magazine.

Yield: Makes a 9x13-inch cake.

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1-1/2 cups flour

6 tbls. cocoa

2 tsps. vanilla

2 cups chopped pecans

Fudge Icing

4 cups sugar

1 stick butter

1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk

12 ozs. semisweet chocolate chips

1 (7-oz.) jar marshmallow crème

3 cups chopped pecans

1 tsp. vanilla


1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line a (9x13x2-inch) baking pan with parchment paper.

2. In mixer, blend butter and sugar until thoroughly mixed and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and blend.

3. Sift flour and cocoa together and add to above mixture. Add vanilla and chopped pecans.

4. Pour into greased or parchment-lined pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool, then top with Fudge Icing.

Fudge Icing

1. In heavy saucepan, combine sugar, butter and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture registers 236 degrees on candy thermometer.

2. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and marshmallow crème. Stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in pecans and vanilla and pour over cake. Cool until fudge sets.

Feedburner Glitch

Now I know why my feed counts have been going up and down wildly. Turns out Feedburner keeps deactivating them: on all 7 blogs! So, apologies, if you have found this maddening; join the club. Guess it's taking Google and Feedburner longer to merge and work out the gremlins than they are telling the public, oh, well... Meanwhile, rest assured I will be now manually monitoring these feeds twice a day to keep them activiated. Thank you for your patience everyone!

Don't you just love this photo of an ass? Such a good fit when things go wrong because that's how you feel and look to others! Might as well have some fun with screw-ups, right! ;)

Thanks go to the folks over at flickr who place their photos in the Creative Commons area for online writers and bloggers like me, much appreciated! They can be so funny.


Photo by gidibao @ flickr

Recipe: Romantic Chocolate Fondue for Two

Romantic Fondue for Two

From: Chocolate Lover's Cookbook for Dummies
by Carole Bloom (Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2002), spokesperson for NCA's fellow industry group, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association

Ingredients:

7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons orange liqueur or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cubes of pound cake or angel food cake

Whole fresh strawberries

Thick slices of banana

Dried apricot halves



Directions: In the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate and water. Stir over warm water until the chocolate melts and is smooth. Add the cream, orange liqueur or vanilla, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Stir until the mixture is smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a fondue pan and keep it warm over a low flame. Arrange the cake and fruit on a serving platter.

Supply each guest with a fondue fork so they can spear the item of their choice and dip it in the fondue mixture.

Yield: 6 servings

Remember: Your fondue mixture must be kept warm so that it will stay liquid. The best way to do this is to use a fondue pot that has room for a candle or a liquid heat source underneath.

1st Photo by Traveling Fools of America @ flickr
2nd Photo by -Gep- @ flickr

Recipe: Chocolate Banana Coconut Cream Pie

What’s the tantalizing secret to this cream pie? A chocolate layer is spread over the pie shell like a hidden secret under piles of banana slices and fluffy coconut filling. This is a fast filling for the convenience oriented so this pie comes together quickly, chilling for about four hours.

Tomorrow: Romantic Chocolate Fondue for Two


Chocolate Banana Coconut Cream Pie


Yield: 8 servings

From: Kraft Foods


Ingredients:


2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 Tablespoon milk

1 Tablespoon butter

1 baked pastry shell (9-inch), cooled

2 bananas, sliced

1 ½ cups cold milk

1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling

1 ½ cups coconut

1 ½ cups thawed whipped topping

Coconut, toasted


Directions: Microwave chocolate, milk and butter in medium microwavable bowl on HIGH for 1 to 1 ½ minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Spread evenly in pastry shell. Arrange banana slices over chocolate.

Pour cold milk into large bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes. Stir in 1 ½ cups coconut. Spoon over banana slices. Spread whipped topping over pie. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Store leftover pie in refrigerator. Makes 8 servings.

Tomorrow: Romantic Chocolate Fondue for Two

Chocolate: Yin & Yang

Yin & Yang
Originally uploaded by mateoutah

Talking about balance written in the chocolate in the form of the Chinese Yin-Yang symbol! Happy Monday!

Chocolate Humor

As I scour the web for chocolate anything I'm always entertained greatly by fellow funny people. They are everywhere! While it would be nice if people would take the extra time to give the attribution to the quotes, it is fun to make up reasons as to why the quote is attributed to Unknown or Anonymous. Also, flickr is a ever-increasing source of amusement. My fellow flickr photographers have a great sense of humor and there is always something new posted every day. These guys are real characters!

The above photo is great because mainly of the title. I mean, who is so creative that they call their cat Fishcake The Chocolate Thief? I love it! My cats have normal names like Pearl-a-nator the black tiny warrior kitty, Mike the majordomo tuxedo cat, Curty Cartier the sweetheart bouncer bruiser weight rippling with muscle golden tiger, and lastly, Leonardo the Love Bandit, a plucky tuxedo and the youngest of the Hurricane Katrina Cat Clan.

Chocolate Humor:
"A balanced diet is a chocolate in both hands." - unknown
(maybe too embarrassed to admit to addiction or in rehab.)

Shameless Self-Promotion: If you are interested in some of my own chocolate recipes I've been developing lately check out my HubPages address where they are stashed (faster than flipping thru these achives):
Denny Lyon @ HubPages

Photo of Fishcake The Chocolate Thief by rileyroxx @ flickr - Is this a great photo AND title or what?! :)

Recipe: Chocolate-Covered OREO Cookie Cake

Tomorrow: Chocolate Banana Coconut Cream Pie


Chocolate-Covered OREO Cookie Cake

From: Kraft


Prep Time: 20 min

Total Time: 1 hr 20 min

Makes: 16 servings



Ingredients:


1 package (2-layer size) devil's food chocolate cake mix

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 package (8 ounces) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

12 OREO Cookies, coarsely crushed


Directions: HEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare cake batter and bake in 2 (9-inch) round cake layers as directed on package. Cool in pans 10 min. Invert cakes onto wire racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 min.

MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP and crushed cookies. Stack cake layers on plate, spreading cream cheese mixture between layers. Spread top with chocolate glaze. Let stand until firm. Keep refrigerated.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Family Fun: This great-tasting cake looks like a giant OREO Cookie.

Cooking Know-How: If chocolate glaze becomes too thick, microwave on HIGH 20 to 30 seconds or until of desired consistency.

Tomorrow: Chocolate Banana Coconut Cream Pie

Photo by ginnerobot @ flickr

Chocolate Humor

Well, now that I've got the tech stuff learned on all these 7 blogs, I thought it was well past time to start putting up more than just cool chocolate recipes. It was also time I start notifying you of when I post in addition to regular time periods. Apologies for not getting to this sooner. One thing at a time, I suppose. Super Woman I'm not, oh well...! Not to worry, I am still devoted to my beloved chocolate recipes and they will always appear on Tuesdays and Fridays for sure. Sometimes, I get so excited when I find some really interesting ones that I put them up on other days of the week in addition to the planned times, so check back often!

Chocolate quotes are always so much fun and give us a chuckle. Right now with the economy the way it is we can use all the laughter we can get!

Chocolate Humor: "Chocolate is cheaper than therapy ... and you don't need an appointment." - unknown
(or afraid to show their face)

Trivia: Did you know because of the current economic situation that chocolate sales are way up? True.

My fellow chocolate friends know it's a cheap fix of a nontoxic nongovernment nonregulated "drug." The love chemical! When economic times get tough the chocolate folks get going. We all need our little pleasures, yes?

Check back tomorrow for the following recipe will be posted: Chocolate-Covered OREO Cookie Cake

Shameless Self-Promotion: If you are interested in some of my own chocolate recipes I've been developing lately check out my HubPages address where they are stashed (faster than flipping thru these achives):
Denny Lyon @ HubPages

Photo by ginnerobot @ flickr

Thank you to new Feed subscribers!

A big hello and hearty welcome to those of you who are now taking the Romancing The Chocolate feed! Thank you for joining my happy little community! (Chocolate folks tend to be that way. The medical community tells us it's just chemicals.)

Let me know if there is something you would like discussed. I'm still hunting for great chocolate recipes. Also, I'm planning to start with the chocolate facts and trivia segment soon. Even I'm bored with only posting recipes! :)

Again, welcome and thank you for coming to enjoy chocolate with me!

Take care,

Denny

Recipe: Coco-Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Do these look awesome or what???!!!


Coco-Cherry Cheesecake Bars

From Pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies

1 egg, separated

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

3 drops red food color

1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, finely chopped, drained on paper towels

1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 13x9-inch pan, break up cookie dough. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat 1 egg white until frothy. Brush egg white over crust. Bake 3 minutes longer or until egg white is set.

3. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add egg yolk, 2 eggs, the condensed milk, almond extract and food color; beat until well blended. Stir in chopped cherries.

4. Pour cherry mixture evenly over crust. Bake 16 to 20 minutes longer or until set. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, heat chocolate chips and butter over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool 20 minutes.

6. Stir whipping cream into chocolate mixture until well blended. Spread over cooled bars. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 6 rows. Store in refrigerator.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

Find more recipes at www.pillsbury.com

Enjoy a Milk Chocolate Facial

Enjoy a Milk Chocolate Facial: "For those who like to go the extra mile for their skin, look no further than chocolate. With remarkably high antioxident levels, this miracle from nature is a prime candidate for fighting the signs of aging."

By Olde Cashmere

From Denny: Now I've heard it all! Using chocolate as a facial, cool!

Recipe: Nigella Lawson Flourless Chocolate Orange Cake

Nigella Lawson Flourless Chocolate Orange Cake Recipe #303266
From the chocolate cake chapter in her book 'Feast'. This is one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever made. I sometimes add the juice and zest of half a lemon to the batter.
by Flowerfairy
3¼ hours | 2½ hours prep

SERVES 12 , 1 cake

2 small thin-skinned oranges, approx. 375g total weight (or 1 large)

6 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

200 g ground almonds

250 g caster sugar

50 g cocoa

orange peel, for decoration

Put the whole orange or oranges in a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 2 hours or until soft.

Drain, and when cool, cut the oranges in half and remove any big pips.

Then pulp everything - pith, peel and all - in a food processor.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C Butter and line a 20cm springform tin.

Add the eggs, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, almonds, sugar and cocoa to the orange in the food processor. Run the motor until you have a cohesive cake mixture, but slightly knobbly with the flecks of puréed orange.

Pour and scrape into the cake tin and bake for an hour, by which time a cake tester should come out pretty well clean. Check after 45minutes because you may have to cover with foil to prevent the cake burning before it is cooked through, or indeed it may need a little less than an hour; it all depends on your oven.

Leave the cake to get cool in the tin, on a cooling rack. When the cake is cold you can take it out of the tin. Decorate with strips of orange peel or coarsely grated zest if you so wish, but it is darkly beautiful in its plain, unadorned state.

© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com

New Tasty Additions to Blog Roll

Just added 13 more wonderful chocolate blogs I've recently found for your enjoyment. It got so bad I had to briefly leave the computer, rummage around in the fridge, pull out the brownies I made yesterday (Dennys Tapas Style Brownies), heat them in the microwave a few seconds and chow down. Let me tell you, some of these blogs are virtual tastes! Good thing our monitors are not smell-a-vision...

Seriously, take a look, you won't be disappointed as all are really interesting. Back to the blog roll hunt!

Recipe: Dennys Tapas Style Brownies

Dennys Tapas Style Brownies: "Want your chocolate brownie but also want a healthier yet tasty version? Read on!

For the past twenty years or so the American brownie has grown to gargantuan proportions. One brownie really could serve four people! The trend has been to undercook the batter to a gooey center. Well, folks, read that as why Americans have gotten so fat."

From Denny: I'm especially proud of this new and healthier brownie recipe. The chocolate taste reigns supreme but in smaller portion form and with a lot less sugar and gluten that cause weight gain.

I had a lot of fun developing this recipe yesterday and just had to share with my fellow chocolate foodies! Enjoy!


Photo by Denny Lyon