Extremely Dark Chocolate Truffles

While I was walking through Trader Joe's the other day, I saw this HUGE bar of chocolate. I didn't even think about what I could make with it, I just bought it, and I'm glad I did. What else can you make with a huge block of chocolate but chocolate truffles? I like to call these truffles "Extremely Dark Chocolate Truffles" because of the 73% Cacao. I think most people use 60% or below, but the darker, the better. 

Truffles are surprisingly easy to make and require 4 (yup, you read that correctly) ingredients: heavy cream, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and bittersweet chocolate. Easy, peasy!

Here's the line-up:

First off, you want to chop the chocolate and heat the heavy cream until it just starts boiling.

Next, pour the heavy cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for about a minute before you stir. You can also add 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

Stir the mixture until it looks like melted chocolate. Cover and put in the fridge for a couple hours.

Once the chocolate is nice and chilled, take it out of the fridge. Use a spoon to dig out little balls of chocolate. You're going to want to work quickly because the warmth of your hands melts the chocolate.

Put them on a piece of parchment. Roll the little balls in some cocoa powder.

Voila! 

Dark Chocolate Truffles from here:

8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup of heavy cream

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Cocoa powder

1 In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer.

2 Place the chocolate in a separate bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate, add the vanilla, and allow to stand for about a minute, then stir until smooth.

3 Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator for two hours. Remove and roll out balls of the chocolate. Roll in your hands quickly and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

4 Roll in cocoa powder.

You can serve it chilled or at room temperature.

Yield: Makes 30-40 chocolate truffles.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

There's no other flavor combination I like better than chocolate and raspberry. The smooth, rich taste of chocolate balances well with the slight tartness of raspberries. And there's no other season in the year when I crave this combination the most than fall. There's something so comforting about driving to the nearest Starbucks and ordering a tall hot chocolate with a shot of raspberry. Yum.

It's been a long time since I last baked a dessert with these two goodies. The last thing I baked many moons ago was the chocolate raspberry loaf. I don't know what took me so long to experiment with another kind of dessert. But here we are!

I adapted a simple chocolate cake recipe from here. It's a recipe for cake, but I turned it into cupcakes.

Directions for the chocolate cupcakes: (Makes about 24-26 cupcakes)
Ingredients

1 3/4 c	all purpose flour
2 c	sugar
3/4 c	cocoa powder
2 tsp	baking soda
1 tsp	baking powder
1 tsp	salt
2	eggs
1 c	boiling water; dissolve 2 tsp instant espresso
1 c	buttermilk
1/2 c	vegetable oil
1 tsp	real vanilla extract

Directions
1.   Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer.

2.   Combine eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients

3.   Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Batter will be thin.

4.   Pour batter into the cupcake pan that is lined with cupcake liners.

5.   Bake at 350 degrees for about 17 minutes.

6.   Cool before frosting.

Directions for Raspberry Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients

1. 2 sticks of butter, softened (unsalted)

2. 1/2 cup of seedless raspberry jam (not preserves)

3. Confectioners' Sugar (around 3-5 cups). Add 1 cup at a time until you reached your desired consistency.

Chocolate Raspberry Loaf

A good friend came over today for a baking party. I love baking parties. There's nothing like baking something yummy and sharing it with a friend. Too bad I'm still on my diet and was only able to eat a bite-sized piece of this absolutely delicious chocolate raspberry loaf. Is there anything better than the combination of chocolate and raspberry? I think I may like it more than chocolate and strawberry. On a side note, whoever thought chocolate and orange would go well together must've been out of their mind.

Anyways, I found a wonderful recipe online, and we tweaked it so that it was a little diet-friendly. This loaf smelled absolutely wonderful out of the oven! The fresh raspberries really up this chocolate loaf. I think next time, I will double the recipe so that the loaf is bigger and add raspberry extract to the batter as well. It seems like the extract will enhance the aroma of raspberries even more. The result was a light, delicious, raspberry, chocolate loaf, not too sweet either which is a bonus to any Asian palate. Today's baking party = Success!



Recipe taken from this blog:

1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (use a high quality one)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup raspberry puree, strained
Vanilla extract
1 stick and 1/4 butter, softened, at room temperature
1 cup sugar (Used splenda)
3 large eggs

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.
Combine the raspberry puree with the extract and set aside.
3. Beat the softened butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat the 3 eggs together in a small pitcher. Drizzle them into the softened butter & sugar mixture slowly, all the while beating the ingredients together.
5. After the mixture has come together (it must be smooth), add in 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Fold this in gently.
6. Fold in half of the raspberry puree mixture.
7. Fold in the remaining half of the dry ingredients, followed by the rest of the raspberry puree.
8. Finish off with the last third of the dry ingredients.
9. Bake this in a loaf tin (or any other tin you desire...) until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10. Consume the warm cake with joy in your hearts, and your house will smell like heaven.

Healthy Brownies for a Healthy Lifestyle

Are you on a diet? I am. Having friends who want every food that they can't have when they go off to school is cause for a few extra pounds on the scale. For a couple weeks, I willingly and enjoyably tagged along to all these yummy eateries with friends who needed their "last hurrah" before leaving. It was a happy time. However, when they left, all that was left of their presence was my double chin. Yum~ So I've decided to go on a diet in the meantime to shed all those fish and shrimp tacos, carne asada fries, sushi rolls, sandwiches, and countless amounts of desserts.

BUT I'M A BAKER AND CHOCOLATE ADDICT! The diet wasn't too bad to begin with, but my chocolate craving started creeping up on me into the 4th day. I frantically looked all over the internet for something that I could enjoy. The result: these healthy brownies made with NO flour or butter. Let me tell you right off the bat, these are not going to taste like normal brownies -- those chewy, dense, full-fat chunks of chocolate and butter. No, this recipe is for those who don't want to break your diet, but can't resist a little chocolate pleasure. This is the recipe for you.

Traditionally, brownies are made with flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and cocoa. I took the same concept, but exchanged the flour for almond meal, sugar for splenda, and butter for oil. Yeah, it doesn't sound like the brownies would taste very good, but remember?? We're on a diet.

almond meal


ghirardelli's cocoa


Don't get me wrong, I think the brownies taste good. The final product came out not as dense, a little nuttier flavored, and not as sweet. I would make this again in the future in order to save a few pounds.

Here's the recipe for the healthiest brownie you will ever try. If you want to try this recipe in its normal form, I heard it produces pretty good brownies.


Cocoa Brownies

Ingredients

1/2 cup oil (I used vegetable oil)

1-1/4 cup white sugar (Used Splenda)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (used almond meal)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour 8-inch square pan.

In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Gently stir in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry....CHEESECAKE!

There was a small meltdown in my kitchen for the past 2 weeks. I thought my baking skills were starting to fail me! 3 times, yes 3, have I tried to make a SIMPLE banana bread, only to see it deflate after coming out of the oven. It was just plain weird! Then I read a comment by someone saying that their oven temperature was wayyyy off from the actual temp. *light bulb* That's it! So I went to the market, purchased an oven thermometer and realized that MY oven was 25 degrees off! 12 bananas and countless amounts of flour and sugar later, I finally created a wonderful, FULLY-COOKED banana bread. Phew~ meltdown over.

Anyways...on to my cheesecake!
I wanted to make this cheesecake the moment I laid eyes on it. This is the reason why I believe in love at first sight. (just kidding) All the things I love are jam-packed into this little baby - strawberries, chocolate, and cheesecake. After making a gigantic mess and doing two loads(?) of dishes, this cheesecake is now baked and chillin' in the fridge.

It all started with some eggs...


Chopped chocolate. 60% bittersweet chocolate to be exact.


Some strawberries for decoration.




And blueberries. How can you say no to these little guys?? You just can't.


I was a little worried because my cheesecake started cracking, but then realized that it was okay because I had chocolate ganache on top to cover all ugly-ness.


Here's the final product. I wish I could take credit for my design, but I literally copied it exactly from the person whose recipe I used. And when you try this recipe, I give you free reign to copy this decoration exactly the way I did it. :) Happy baking!


The recipe from Annie's Eats: (Gotta love a person who shares the same name!)

Ingredients:
For the strawberry puree:
10 oz. frozen organic strawberries, thawed
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the crust:
1½ cups crushed graham crackers
¼ cup sugar
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake filling:
16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
12 oz. sour cream, at room temperature
2/3 cup strawberry puree

For the ganache:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4½ oz. heavy cream
½ of 1 large egg, beaten

Directions:
To prepare the strawberry puree, set the thawed strawberries in a fine strainer set over a bowl to collect the excess juices. Press down on the berries to extract as much juice as possible. You should have about 4-6 oz. of juice. Transfer the juice to a small sauce pan over medium-high heat and simmer to reduce to about 2 oz. Mix in the sugar and stir to dissolve. Blend in the lemon juice and the reserved solids. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. *(To use fresh strawberries, hull and slice the berries. Toss the berries with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and set in the strainer placed over a bowl. Let sit for 1-2 hours to extract the juices. Press down on the berries to extract as much juice as possible. Transfer the juice to a small sauce pan over medium-high heat and simmer to reduce to about 2 oz. Blend in the lemon juice and the reserved solids. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.)

Mix together all the ingredients for the crust and press it down and 1" up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake in the oven at 350˚ F for 6-8 minutes until it is a nice golden brown. Take it out and let it cool on a wire rack until you're ready to fill it with the filling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚ F. To make the cheesecake filling, combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla and salt. Mix in the sour cream until well incorporated. Blend in the strawberry puree.

Wrap the outside of the springform pan tightly in a double layer of aluminum foil. Pour the batter into the crust. Place the springform in a larger pan with a water bath. Bake for 55 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven but maintain the oven temperature. To make the ganache, place the chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let stand 1-2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the egg. Spread the ganache mixture over the still hot cheesecake, being careful not to pour it all in one place (the cheesecake is still delicate). Smooth the top with an offset spatula if necessary. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the ganache is set around the edges.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cover with a large bowl inverted over the top to help cool slowly. When it comes to room temperature, transfer to the refrigerator. Chill at least 8 hours before unmolding from the springform (and be sure the ganache is completely set before covering with plastic wrap). Transfer to a serving platter. Slice with a thin knife run under hot water and wiped dry between slices. Serve.

The ultimate chocolate cake

I did it! I finally found a chocolate cake that I love. This will now and forever be my go-to chocolate cake for any occasion! And that's saying a lot! In the past, I have only found mediocre recipes that made even more mediocre cakes -- dull, lifeless, slightly dry pieces of flour and chocolate. Gross.



Many thanks to the worker at Williams and Sonoma who passed on this recipe to me. Her rave reviews about this cake made me really curious. In her exact words, "This is the best chocolate cake in the world!" Now, I don't know if it's the best chocolate cake in the WORLD, but it's pretty darn good. :) The secret is the mayo! Sounds strange, but it works. Apparently, it provides the moist texture that makes this cake so darn yummy.



This is any girl's chocolate dream and will satisfy any craving!




Ingredients
cake

* 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
* 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 3/4 cups boiling water
* 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
* 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
* 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise (do not use reduced-fat or fat-free)
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

frosting

* 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
* 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 3 cups powdered sugar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

special equipment

* Three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides

Preparation
cake

*Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Combine chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in medium metal bowl. Add 13/4 cups boiling water and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
*Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder into another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars and mayonnaise in large bowl until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with chocolate mixture in 3 additions, beating until blended after each addition and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Divide batter among prepared cake pans (about 2 1/3 cups for each).
*Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 32 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 20 minutes.
*Run small knife around sides of cakes to loosen. Carefully invert cakes onto racks and let cool completely.

FROSTING

*Place chopped chocolate in medium metal bowl; set bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Carefully remove bowl from over water; let melted chocolate cool until lukewarm, stirring occasionally.
*Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth and creamy. Sift powdered sugar over butter and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add melted chocolate and beat until well blended and smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.
*Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over top of cake layer to edges. Top with second cake layer; spread 3/4 cup frosting over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting decoratively over top and sides of cake. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and let stand at room temperature.