CHOCOLATE

Chocolate is a delicious, magical and erotic product.

                                       VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE No II

This is a fudgy, moist chocolate cake of which I have no words.

195 g (1 ½ cups) self-raising flour

65 g (½ cup) cocoa powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

225 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) sugar

Pinch of salt

Tiny pinch of Cayenne pepper

1/3 cup sunflower oil

1 vanilla

1½ tsp balsamic vinegar

250 ml (1 cup) water

Icing sugar for dusting over 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350F) and line the base of a round tin with oiled baking parchment.  Also, brush the sides of the tin with oil.

Mix all the dry ingredients together and stir in the wet ingredients until well combined and smooth.   Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the cake shrinks from the edges of the tin and a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Reverse on a dish and serve dusted with icing sugar.

                             CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH RUM CUSTARD

One of our favourite desserts.

Cake:

195 g (1½ cup) self-rising flour

45 g (¼ cup) sifted cocoa

1 vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

115 g (3.8 oz) butter, softened
250 g (8.8 oz) sugar

1 egg

125 ml (1/2 cup) yoghurt
125 ml (1/2 cup) boiling water

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line the base of a tin with buttered baking parchment and brush the sides with melted butter.

Mix the five first ingredients of the cake together.   Whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the egg and yoghurt and whip until well combined.  Add the dry ingredients and the boiling water and stir until the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and wait for 10 minutes the reverse on a dish and allow to cool.

Rum Custard:

687.5 ml (2¾ cups) milk

125 ml (½ cup) dark rum

1 vanilla

3 egg yolks

100 g (½ cup) sugar

3 tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp butter

Simmer the milk the rum and the vanilla for 5 minutes and whip the egg yolks with the sugar and cornflour until creamy and thick.  Allow the milk to cool for 5 minutes and ladle it into the egg mixture, beating constantly as you add.  Return the saucepan to the fire and simmer gently, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens, about 15-20 minutes.  Stir in the butter, cover with cling film and set aside to cool.  Then place it in the fridge for ½ an hour.

Cover the chocolate cake with the rum custard and make a pretty design on the top with the help of a spoon and refrigerate covered.

Bring to room temperature before serving. 

                            CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH MASTIC LIQUEUR

250 g (1½ lb) dark chocolate cut into small pieces

30 g (1 oz) butter, cubed

4 tbsp water

4 eggs, separated whites whipped to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt

1 liqueur glass or more mastic liqueur

Melt chocolate and butter, over very low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth and glossy.   Remove from the stove to cool.

Stir the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture, one at a time, then add the mastic liqueur and finally, gently fold in the whipped whites until no traces are evident.

Serve in glasses garnished with a mint leaves.

                                        BANANA AND CHOCOLATE CAKE

An aromatic cake.

175 g caster sugar

175 g self-raising flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

4 tbsp cocoa

100 g finely chopped chocolate

100 ml sunflower oil or

100 g melted butter

200 g bananas, mashed

3 medium eggs, separated, whites whipped stiff with a pinch of salt

50 ml milk.

Heat oven to 160 C.  Grease and line a tin with baking parchment or alternately use 2 loaf tins.   Mix all the dry ingredients well together in a bowl, also mix the wet ingredients well together in another bowl.   Stir the two mixtures together and gently fold in the whipped egg whites until no traces of white are evident.  Bake for about 1 hour.  Cool in the tin/tins, and, finally spread with chocolate ganache.

            CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH ALMOND POWDER AND CAYENNE PEPPER

A wonderful cake

200 g dark chocolate (Ygeia’s Pavlidou), finely chopped

200 g butter

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 tsp instant coffee

(Melt butter and chocolate, add the Cayenne pepper and instant coffee, mix well together and set aside to cool)

300 g sugar, * three tbsp. reserved for the egg whites

6 eggs, separated, whites whipped to soft peaks with a pinch of salt, then whipped stiff with the reserved sugar

1 vanilla

60 g self-raising flour mixed with

40 g almond powder or more and

½ tsp baking soda

Ganache:

100 ml cream

100 g finely chopped chocolate (Ygeia’s Pavlidou) 1 tsp honey

(Heat the cream, pour over the chocolate and honey and mix very well together)

A few hulled strawberries for garnish

Beat the yolks with the remaining sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.   Add the flour/almond flour mixture and stir well together.

Pour in the chocolate/ butter mixture and stir until no streaks are visible.   Gently, but thoroughly, fold in the whipped egg whites and place the batter in buttered tin, lined with

baking parchment.  Bake in an oven preheated to 180 C for 30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin, then reverse on a dish, spread with ganache, garnish with strawberries and serve.

                                   TWO LAYER CHOCOLATE CAKE

A superb chocolate dessert.

180 g (6 oz) bitter dark chocolate, melted

180 g (6 oz) butter

625 g (1 ¼ lb) sugar

4 eggs

1 vanilla

250 g(½ lb) plain flour sifted with

1½ tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

250 ml (1 cup) milk

Icing:

210 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (I use Ygeias Pavlidou a lovely Greek chocolate), chopped

210 ml (7 fl oz) cream

2 tsp Greek honey

(Heat the cream almost to the boiling point, pour over the chopped chocolate and the honey and whip well until thick and shin. Cool)

Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F).  Brush a cake tin with butter and layer the base with buttered baking parchment.

Beat the sugar and butter until, light and creamy     CHICKPEA CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Then fold in the melted chocolate and the vanilla.  Add the flour in three portions alternately with the milk mixing very well each time.  Scrape into the prepared tin and bake for35-40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and reverse the cake on a rack to cool.

                                  .  CHICKPEA CHOCOLATE MOUSE

Try preparing this chocolate mousse with chickpeas for your vegetarian friends

200 g (almost 7 oz) dark chocolate melted (I use Ygeias Pavlidou an excellent Greek chocolate) chopped and melted

250 g (½ lb) chickpeas, boiled and

350 ml (1¼ cup) of the chickpea cooking liquid

90 g (3 oz) icing sugar, separated

1 vanilla

Praline:

4 tbsp honey

90 g (3 oz) almonds, peeled

500 ml (2 cups) coconut cream iced and whipped to soft peaks with 2 tbsp icing sugar

Blend the chickpeas with their liquid until smooth and add 60 g (2 oz) icing sugar and mix 1 moment more.  Fold in the vanilla and the melted chocolate, gradually together, until homogenous in colour.

For the praline heat the honey until it caramelises add the nuts and stir to cover with caramel.   Pour over a sheet of baking parchment and allow to cool. Then crush and fold into the mousse.  Pour the mousse into ramekins and set aside to cool.   Cover with cling film and refrigerate until needed.

Serve with whipped coconut cream.

I Always Use Ygeias Pavlidou  Greek Chocolate.