Cake Léger au Cacao et Muscovado

Voici une idée pour vos goûters! Simple, rapide et savoureux. Plus vous choisissez un cacao de qualité, meilleure sera la saveur de ce cake. J'ai opté pour un sucre non raffiné typé et très parfumé: le muscovado. En plus, riche nutritionnellement: il apporte des vitamines B, du calcium, du magnesium et du phosphore!
Avec cette recette, voici ma participation au concours: " les bons goûters de maman" pour Sandra et Marie, ici

Ingrédients

150 g de farine
2 c à soupe de purée d'amandes complètes
2 c à soupe d'huile d'olive
120 g de sucre muscovado
3 c à soupe de cacao
3 oeufs
2 gouttes H.E d'orange
15 cl de lait ribot
1/2 sachet de levure chimique

Préparation

Préchauffez le four th 6/ 180°.
Mélanger la purée d'amandes et l'huile d'olive avec les 2 gouttes d'H.E d'orange. Ajoutez le sucre, bien mélanger . Sans cesser de fouetter, ajoutez les oeufs un à un, la moitié de la farine et la levure chimique. Ajoutez le lait ribot à la préparation.
Versez la farine restante et fouettez pour bien mélanger l'ensemble. Verser l'appareil dans un moule à cake tapissé de papier sulferisé et mettez à cuire dans le four jusqu'à ce que le gâteau soit gonflé, moelleux et doré. Environ 30 mn. Laissez tiedir et démoulez.


Vous aussi vous pouvez participer jusqu'au 25 octobre à ce concours!

Piquant Silken Chocolate Mousse

 Chocolate mousse is one of the most classical but exhilaratingly delicious dessert providing you use high quality chocolate.  This version contains no eggs and is much lighter than the traditional version. I discovered it a while back on Valerie Cupillard's blog
As you know I love experimenting new combinations. An unforgettable moment was tasting Patrick Roger's chocolate ganache with lime. So why not try it with sancho powder. Sansho powder is a Japanese pepper with an elegant lemony, minty, basil flavor.
Sansho and chocolate come together alluringly well in this richly flavored vegan tofu mousse. With a food processor or blender, this dessert takes just a blink of an eye to prepare! The hardest part is waiting until the next day to eat this mousse!

Ingredients

• 1  package  silken tofu 
• 4 ounces  semi-sweet chocolate ( I used cacao Barry)
• 1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbs agave syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon sansho powder

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Place the tofu in a food processor or blender. Purée until creamy, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Fold in the cocoa . Purée until well blended, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the syrup, melted chocolate, and sansho powder. Purée until smooth. Transfer to individual dishes . Cover and chill several hours or overnight.
Yield: about 4 servings.

Pour les français:

• 200 g de tofu soyeux
• 100 g de chocolat noir à pâtisser ( cacao Barry)
• 1 c à s. de cacao
• 1/2 c à café de poudre sansho
  
  
  

 Faire fondre le chocolat dans une  casserole au bain marie. On verse le tofu soyeux dans le bol blender du robot. On mixe. On ajoute le cacao, le sirop d'agave, la poudre sansho, le chocolat fondu et on mixe longuement (2 à 3 minutes) jusqu’à obtention d’une crème très lisse et légèrement mousseuse.Ensuite, on couvre et on met au réfrigérateur jusqu’au lendemain !

Chocolate and Chesnut Sparkle Cookies

Need an idea for a last minute homemade gift? Dark, moist, sensual, these truffle-like cookies are flourless. I was inspired by a recipe clipping from the Los Angeles Times. The journalist travelling to Vancouver, British Columbia fell in love with this cookie from the Senses Bakery created by Thomas Haas. I added ground chestnuts to the original recipe.

For about 36 cookies

1/4 pound dark chocolate
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar for rolling
3/4 cup ground almonds
3/4 cup ground chestnuts
Powdered sugar , for garnish

-Melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat and add the butter cut into a few pieces and mix into the chocolate until melted.
-Beat the eggs with a food processor, gradually adding the sugar until ribbons form. Fold in the chocolate-butter mixture. Gently add the ground almonds and chesnuts. Cover and refrigerate over-night.
-Heat the oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- With a spoon form 1 inch balls. Roll the balls in granulated sugar, place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 9 to 12 minutes. When slightly cool, lightly dust the cookies with powdered sugar.

Cheesecake-marbled Brownies with Tonka Bean

This recipe was a hit at a party I went to a few days ago. Always on the look out for twists to a brownie batter as long as it's chewy, fudgy and decadent... I was asked if I added caramel. Nope! Why not? Next time, I'll give it a try in the cheesecake batter!!

For brownie batter
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 Tbs cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 tonka bean, grated
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

For cheesecake batter
8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Tbs flour

Preparation
Make brownie batter:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

Heat butter and chocolate in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, tonka bean, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

Make cheesecake batter and bake brownies:
Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife .

Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pour les français
Brownies marbrés au cheesecake, adapté d’Epicurious

Pour environ 16 brownies

Ingrédients :

Pour la pâte de brownies :

- 85 g de chocolat noir à 70%
- 1 c à soupe cacao type Van Houten
- 1/3 fêve tonka rapé
- 90 g de farine
- 113 g de beurre non salé, coupé en dés
- 150 g de sucre de canne blond
- 2 gros oeufs
- pincée de sel


Pour la pâte de cheesecake :

- 230 g de cream cheese (type Leader Price),à temperature ambiante
- 1 oeuf
- 65 g de sucre
- 1/4 càc d’extrait de vanille pur
- 1 c à soupe de farine





Pour préparer la pâte de cheesecake, mélangez tous les ingrédients ensemble pour obtenir une crème de texture lisse. Réservez.
Préchauffez votre four à 180 C.
Recouvrez un moule mesurant 20 x 20 cm de papier sulfurisé.
Pour préparer la pâte de brownies, faites fondre le chocolat et le beurre au bain-marie. Laissez légèrement refroidir.
Battez les oeufs avec le sucre et le sel jusqu’à blanchiment.
Ajoutez 2 càs de chocolat fondu et mélangez avant d’incorporer délicatement le reste. Faites attention à garder la préparation aussi aérée que possible.
Saupoudrez de farine et incorporez-la délicatement.
Versez cette préparation dans le moule.
Ajoutez la pâte de cheesecake dessus et faites un dessin avec un couteau.
Cuisez au four pendant 30 min. A ce stade, les brownies seront encore un peu coulants au milieu. Si vous les préférez plus cuits, augmentez le temps de cuisson de 5 min, ou plus.
Laissez refroidir dans le plat avant de découper. Conservez-les emballés au frigo, et sortez-les à l’avance pour les déguster à temperature ambiante

Exquisite Matzoh Crunch

Inspired by Marcy Goldman's now classic Passover treat. I prepared some for last Saturday's Seder! Really easy and quick to prepare...Yummy!!!!!


4-6 unsalted matzohs
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup coarsely chopped chocolate

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large (or two smaller) cookie sheet completely with foil. Cover the bottom of the sheet with baking parchment — on top of the foil.
Line the bottom of the cookie sheet evenly with the matzohs, cutting extra pieces, as required, to fit any spaces.
In a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter and the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzoh, covering completely.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning (if it seems to be browning too quickly, remove the pan from the oven, lower the heat to 325°, and replace the pan).
Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the matzoh. While still warm, break into squares or odd shapes. Chill, still in the pan, in the freezer until set.


Pour les français:

4-6 tranches de pain azyme (matza)
120 g de beurre( 200g normalement mais j'ai diminué les proportions)
200 g de sucre brun
200 g de chocolat rapé

Préchauffer le four à 190°. Sur une plaque à pâtisserie disposer une feuille de papier d'aluminium et par dessus du papier cuisson. Casser le pain azyme en morceaux et bien remplir tous les espaces. Préparer le caramel avec le sucre,le beurre et un peu de citron. Faire bouillir pendant quelques minutes. Verser sur le pain azyme et cuire au four pendant 15 minutes en verifiant régulièrement que le mélange ne brûle pas.Le cas écheant diminuer la temperature. Retirer la plaque du four . Laisser refroidir pendant 5 min et ajouter le chocolat. Mettre au réfrigérateur...

Chestnut and Tonka Bean Brownies

I saw this recipe here.
Just couldn't wait to make them... I adapted the brownies to my taste by putting less sugar, less flour,less eggs . I'm a huge fan of chesnut and chocolate. Will definitely make them again!

Ingredients:

7-9 whole roasted chestnuts,
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
(1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 grated tonka bean

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.

Coarsely chop the chestnuts; you should have 1/2 cup.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisking to combine them. Set the bowl aside in a warm spot. In a clean medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

Transfer the chocolate and butter mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugars and beat on medium speed to combine the ingreidnets thoroughly, about 30 seconds. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract , scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients, followed by the chestnuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the brownies have begun to pull away from the sides the pan, 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.

They are easiest to cut after being chilled several hours or overnight; after cutting the chilled brownies, allow them to come to room temperature before serving.

Fudgy Cocoa Cookies with Ricotta

I needed a quick and easy recipe for a gift.Not enough time to bake a cake.An irresistable dark,crunchy,fudgy cookie...not too heavy in calories.So, no butter in my batch.I replaced it by margarine and grounded almonds with some ricotta!

Ingredients for 12 cookies
-2 Tbs of unsweetened cocoa
-1 ts cinnamon
-1/4 cup margarine
-1 Tbs ricotta
-1/2 cup brown sugar mixed with Rapadura sugar
-1/2 cup grounded almonds
-1/2 cup flour
-1/2 ts baking soda
-pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour,baking soda, salt .
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar,cocoa,margarine,ricotta. Pour into flour mixture and stir until almost combined.Add cinnamon. 
Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350F, or until cookies are just set .
Cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pour les français:
conversion dosages pour 12 cookies:
-50g de Cacao type Van Houten(1 cuillère à soupe=25g)
-1 cuillère à café de cannelle
-30 g de margarine
-1 cuillère à soupe de ricotta
- 100g sucre(1/3 rapadura,2/3 sucre de canne blond)
-70 g d'amandes en poudre
-125 g farine
-1/2 cuillère à café de bicarbonate de soude
-1 pincée de sel

Light and Moist Chocolate Cake

What I had in mind was to make brownies and here is the result...I was so disappointed because as I stated in a previous post I hate cakey brownies.But before throwing "it" out and preparing another batch for the bbq party I was invited to that evening,I decided to taste the darn cake...I couldn't believe how delicate , moist and chocolaty it was(well dah...I put some Lindt 85% dark chocolate).This accident was due to the zucchini!Yes,zucchini...the secret ingredient nobody could guess at the party.So next time try it ,add 1/2 cup of zucchini to your brownie dough.

Hazelnut and Chocolate Muffins

My objective when making these muffins was to make them appealing to my nephew who usually doesn't appreciate my 85 % cocoa chocolate cakes...I added chesnut flour to enhance the fluffiness and the moistness of the texture and some big chunks of milk chocolate in the middle for the "fondant"taste.

Makes 6 large muffins.

-1/2 cup of flour
-1/2 cup of chesnut flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
-1/2 cup grounded hazelnuts
-1/2 cane sugar
-1 Tbs cocoa powder(Van Houten)
-1 egg
-2 Tbs of crème fraiche
-1 tsp vanilla
-6 squares of milk chocolate

In bowl combine dry ingredients.Mix well.

In another bowl,combine egg,crème fraiche,cane sugar,and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients and mix till moistened.

Spoon batter into muffin cups.Add chunks of chocolate in the middle of each muffin.
Bake in preheated 375F/190C oven for 25 minutes.Enjoy!

#27 SHF Aromatic Bilberry Brownies

This month's Sugar High Friday is hosted by David Lebovitz and the theme is chocolate by brand.For my first contribution as a new food blogger I decided to pick from my bookmark "bar "of recipes.This is an adaptation of Katherin Hepburn's Brownies.
Deciding which brand I was going to use wasn't easy.Being a chocophile and having tasted some of the most exquisite ones from La Maison du chocolat,Weiss,Alain Furet,Valhrona,Bernard Dufoux,made me all the more hesitant?So..???Well,I don't think you need to use the finest brand for brownies and I wasn't going to hesitate for hours: my choice :Poulain Dessert 64%, is good enough for home baking,available at my grocery store. It's a traditional good quality ,French chocolate.The result was chewy,with a crakly top .Scrumptious and dense regarding the taste.I sure didn't want them to have a spongy,cakey aspect.They were difficult to cut in squares though...as you can notice on my picture!

Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 4 ounces of chocolate
-1/4 cup flour
-2 eggs
-1 cup sugar
-1 cup bilberries
-"chai blend":cardamom,cinnamon,ginger,fennel seeds,sechuan pepper)

Melt together chocolate and butter with spices.Stir in sugar,add eggs and beat well.Add bilberries.Bake for about 40 min
at 325° F.