Category: Dessert

Baking · Chocolate · Dessert · Gluten Free · Holiday Food

Flourless chocolate, prune and Armagnac cake

Belinda

Recipe c/o the wonderful, fail-safe Delia Smith

For the cakes:

6 large eggs, separated
150g golden caster sugar
50g cocoa powder, sifted

For the filling:
400g pitted prunes, soaked overnight (or longer if possible) in 120ml Armagnac
1 level tablespoon crème fraîche

To finish:
150g dark chocolate (75 per cent cocoa solids), broken into pieces
1 level tablespoon crème fraîche

Pre-heat the oven to 350F/ 180°C. Grease 2 x 8″ (20cm) loose-based sandwich tins, 1.5″ (4cm) deep and line the bases with baking parchment.

Place the egg whites in a large, clean, grease-free bowl. Put the yolks in another bowl, along with the sugar, and whisk them until they just begin to turn pale and thicken – be careful not to thicken them too much; they need approximately 3 minutes’ whisking. After that, gently fold in the sifted cocoa powder.

With a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until stiff but not too dry. Using a metal spoon, fold a heaped tablespoon of the egg white into the chocolate mixture to loosen it up a little, then carefully and gently fold in the rest of the egg white, slowly and patiently trying not to lose any air.

Divide the mixture equally between the prepared sandwich tins and bake near the centre of the oven for 15 minutes. They won’t appear to be cooked exactly, just set and slightly puffy and springy in the centre, so when they’re taken out of the oven they will shrink (but that’s normal, so don’t panic). Leave the cakes to cool on a rack in their tins, then slide a palette knife around the edges, gently invert them on to a board and carefully strip off the base papers.

To make the filling for the cake, first of all set aside 10-12 of the largest prunes, then place the rest, plus any remaining soaking liquid, in a food processor, along with the crème fraîche, and whiz to a purée.

Place one of the cakes onto a serving plate and transfer the purée straight from the processor on to one half of the cake, then spread the purée out carefully and place the other half of the cake on top.

For the chocolate topping, place the broken-up pieces of chocolate in a large heatproof bowl, which should be sitting over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Keeping the heat at its lowest, allow the chocolate to melt slowly – it should take about 5 minutes to become smooth and glossy. Then remove it from the heat and give it a good stir, then let the chocolate cool for 2-3 minutes.

Take each one of the reserved prunes and dip it into the melted chocolate so that half of each one gets covered. As you do this place them on a sheet of parchment paper to set. When all the prunes are done, stir the crème fraîche into the chocolate, then use this mixture to cover the surface of the cake.

Spread it over carefully with a palette knife, making ridges with the knife as you go. Decorate the cake with the chocolate prunes. Cover the whole thing with an upturned, suitably sized bowl or cake dome, and keep it in the fridge until about an hour before you need it.

NOTES:

Because the cake is flourless, it is good for coeliac guests, but apart from that it has a wonderful texture – not so much cakey as almost mousse-y. The Armagnac-soaked prunes mean that the cake is never too sweet and has a very definite grown-up feel to it, and it does look spectacular when it arrives at the table. I don’t think it needs to be served with anything, but if you insist, I would serve it with a little creme fraiche.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead

Blender chocolate mousse

Belinda

Recipe from the New York Times

“Straightforward, adaptable and extremely satisfying, this is one of those recipes that you want to pass along to as many people as you can. Instead of separating the egg yolks and whites, this technique simply involves pouring hot sugar syrup into a blender with chocolate and whole eggs, then folding that mixture into softly whipped cream. The resulting texture is so creamy and rich, it doesn’t need anything at all, though you can top it with extra whipped cream, if you like.”

Serves 8 (7 cups)

1½ cups heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
12 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped
4 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup strong (brewed) espresso (or very strongly brewed coffee)
¼ cup light or dark rum (or Marsala or brandy)
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp kosher salt

Step 1
In a large bowl, or in a stand mixer on medium speed, whip the heavy cream to glossy, medium peaks, about 5 minutes. Set aside in the fridge. In a small saucepan over gentle heat, melt the sugar with ¼ cup water until dissolved. As soon as the syrup begins to boil, turn off the heat.

Step 2
Add chocolate and eggs to a blender. Blend on medium-high speed while slowly pouring in the hot sugar syrup, which will melt the chocolate and cook the eggs. Keep the machine running until the mixture is extremely smooth, then stream in the espresso, rum, vanilla and salt. Keep blending until the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 1 minute, pausing to scrape the sides as needed.

Step 3
Fold 1 cup of the chocolate mixture into the chilled whipped cream until smooth, then add the rest of the chocolate mixture to the cream mixture and fold until there are no streaks. Pour into individual bowls, ramekins or glasses, and set in the fridge until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve chilled.

Dessert · Fruit

Peach, rosemary & lime galette

Belinda

Recipe c/o Yotam Ottolenghi
“This makes good use of firm, not-so-ripe peaches. By macerating them in sugar and lime juice, you not only soften the fruit, but you also make a beautiful syrup to pour over the dish at the end. Rosemary is a fantastic match for peach, it’s a combination I discovered only recently, and now I can’t get enough of it.”

Serves 4 generously

2 limes – 1 peeled in 7 long strips, the other grated, to get 1 tsp, then both juiced, to get 1½ tbsp
80g caster sugar
2 large firm peaches, stoned and cut into 0.5cm-thick slices (300g net weight)
2 large sprigs rosemary, plus ½ tbsp picked leaves
150g creme fraiche
Plain flour, for dusting
200g all-butter puff pastry
10g unsalted butter, cut into 1cm pieces
1 egg, beaten
¼ tsp cornflour

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

Mix the lime juice with 60g sugar in a large bowl, add the peaches, strips of lime skin and rosemary sprigs. Stir and set aside to macerate for at least 40 minutes, and up to a couple of hours. Strain the peaches through a sieve set over a small saucepan, and discard the rosemary and lime peel: you should end up with about 60ml peach syrup.

Mix the grated zest and a teaspoon of sugar into the creme fraiche and refrigerate until ready to serve.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry into a 26cm-wide circle just under 0.5cm thick, then transfer to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Arrange the strained peaches haphazardly in the middle of the pastry, leaving a clear 6cm border all around the edge, then fold this outer 6cm rim up and over the peaches. Dot the butter over the exposed peaches, then brush the pastry all over with beaten egg. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar evenly over the pastry and bake for 20 minutes, until it’s golden and the filling is beginning to bubble.

While the galette is baking, whisk the cornflour into the reserved peach syrup. Simmer over a medium-high heat until it thickens to the consistency of honey (about two minutes), then pour over the peaches. Sprinkle the rosemary leaves on top and return the galette to the oven for 15 minutes, until the pastry is golden-brown and the filling bubbling.

Leave to cool slightly, then serve with a bowl of the lime creme fraiche on the side.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead

No-bake chocolate cheesecake

Belinda

Don’t you just love those desserts that require no baking? For those in the USA< you can buy Digestive cookies in Costplus World market, Bristol farms or on Amazon.

100g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for the tin
110g dark chocolate digestive cookies
160g digestive cookies
60g porridge oats
3 tbsp Nutella
360g soft cheese
250g mascarpone
60g icing (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted
200g dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly (minimum 55% cocoa solids)
2-3 tbsp whole milk
2 tbsp roasted hazelnuts, chopped

Lightly butter a deep 23cm square cake tin and line with baking paper, ensuring that it comes up and over the sides of the tin, and put it in the fridge.

Reserve two of the dark chocolate digestives, then put the rest of the biscuits into a food processor and blitz until fine. Add the oats, melted butter and 1 tbsp of Nutella, then blitz again until it comes together. Tip the crumbs into the chilled tin, spreading them evenly and into all corners, before compacting flat with the base of a glass. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Use an electric whisk to beat together the soft cheeses and icing sugar. When all the sugar has been incorporated, add the melted chocolate, remaining Nutella and 2 tbsp of milk, and beat until fully combined. If the mixture looks a little thick add the extra 1 tbsp of milk. Spoon the filling onto the chilled biscuit base and spread level with a spatula. Crush the last two digestives to crumbs, mix with the chopped hazelnuts and sprinkle evenly across the top of the cheesecake. Chill for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

When completely chilled, release one side of the cheesecake by gently pulling up one length of the baking paper. Holding the paper firmly, angle the tin and pull to slide the base of the cheesecake flat onto a chopping board. Use a sharp knife to cut into slices or squares. This will keep, chilled, for up to a week.

Baking · Breakfast · Dessert · Do-ahead · Egg based · Gluten Free · Rice

Nigella’s rice pudding cake

Belinda

From Nigella
“This is every bit as wonderful as it sounds: an Italian torta di riso, refracted through the prism of someone who loves a bowl of very British rice pudding. The Italians like to stud their rice cake with candied peel, bake it in a tin lined with breadcrumbs or crushed amaretti, and eat it cold; I sprinkle mine with nutmeg, and serve it warm, most frequently with a jewel-bright jam sauce. But it’s also lovely with poached fruit and I can’t help thinking it would be fabulous with a bit of golden syrup drizzled on top, too.

I’m very happy to eat leftovers cold, should I be lucky enough to get them (very much recommended for breakfast) but first time out, I feel, it must be warm, by which I mean to indicate a gentle warmth, rather nearer room temperature than hot. This means the cake is still quite tender, so I should caution you against trying to remove it from its base.”

Yields: 8-12 slices

¾ cup arborio rice
scant 3 cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 lemon
5 tablespoons soft unsalted butter (plus more for greasing tin)
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
⅓ cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
nutmeg (for grating)

FOR THE SAUCE
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Put the rice, milk and salt into a heavy-based saucepan – I use one of 18cm / 7 inches diameter – and finely grate the zest of the lemon into it.
Over high heat, and stirring regularly, bring to the point where it looks like it’s just about to boil, though do not let it actually boil. Turn the heat down to low, and continue to cook the milk and rice for about 30 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the rice is cooked and the milk is absorbed. Keep an eye on it, as you don’t want the milk to start boiling, nor do you want the rice to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the 75g / 5 tablespoons of butter until melted. Scrape the contents of the pan into a bowl large enough to take all the remaining ingredients. Leave for about 1 hour to cool. Once it’s at room temperature, you can move on, so heat the oven to 160°C/140°C Fan/325°F, and butter a 20cm / 8-inch springform cake tin.

Separate the eggs, letting the whites fall into a large grease-free bowl (which could be the bowl of a freestanding mixer) and drop the yolks into a wide measuring jug (or a bowl). Whisk the whites until stiff, and set aside for a moment. Add the sugar to the yolks, and whisk – I use a balloon whisk with vigor, rather than an electric one here – until pale and mousse-like.
Add the vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons of juice from the zested lemon to the yolks and sugar, and then pour gradually into the cooled rice, folding it in well as you go.

Dollop a large spoonful of the stiffly whisked whites into the rice bowl and stir briskly to lighten the mixture, and then fold in a third of the remaining whites gently but thoroughly, then another third, and when that’s incorporated, fold in the rest. Pour and scrape this mixture gently into the prepared tin.

Grate nutmeg over generously and bake for 45 minutes; by then the top will have set, with no hint of wobble underneath.
Sit on a wire rack for about 1 hour, until it’s just slightly warm.
To ease the unmolding, slip a small spatula all around the edges, unclip the tin, and transfer the cake, still on its base (unless, like me, you don’t mind risking damage trying to remove it), to a flat plate.

Just before you are ready to serve the cake, gently heat the raspberry jam with the lemon juice in a small saucepan, giving it the occasional stir, during which time leave a suitable pitcher filled with hot water in the sink. When the sauce is hot, fill the warmed pitcher (obviously, emptied of its water!) with the garnet-glossy sauce.

Dessert · Do-ahead

Banoffee fridge cake

Belinda

Recipe by Janine Ratcliffe

Everyone knows banoffee pie tastes even better the day after making, when all the flavors have had a chance to meld, so this easy fridge cake takes advantage of that

oil, for the tin
750ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp icing sugar
½ x 397g can Nestlé Carnation Caramel or Nestle “La Lechera” available from supermarkets in the USA
30-32 (about 450g) digestive cookies or Graham crackers
6 small bananas, sliced
50g milk chocolate

Lightly oil a deep 23cm springform tin, then line it with clingfilm (the oil will help the clingfilm stick to the tin).

Whip the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until soft peaks. Scrape the caramel into a bowl and beat with a spoon to loosen it.

Put a layer of cookies in the bottom of the lined tin – you should get about seven in a 23cm tin. Break up another cookie to fill in the cracks.

Dollop over a quarter of the cream and spread out. Top with a layer of banana slices then drizzle over 1 tbsp of caramel sauce.

Repeat with another layer of cookies, another quarter of cream, banana slices and another tbsp of caramel. Repeat again with a third layer.

Add one more layer of cookies but this time only add the rest of the cream, swirling it into a nice pattern. Put in the fridge to chill overnight. Chill the remaining caramel sauce, too.

Unclip the tin and carefully peel away the clingfilm.
Transfer to a flat cake plate. Just before serving, drizzle over more caramel (warm it a little first so it’s drizzle-able) and then sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
Cut into wedges to serve.

Baking · Chocolate · Dessert · Holiday Food

Sticky toffee self-saucing pudding

Belinda

A glorious mash-up of two favorite puddings, this rich recipe is the perfect weekend winter warmer
Recipe by Janine Ratcliffe for Olive Magazine

Serves 8

200g Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
250 ml weak black tea
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
85g unsalted butter, softened
175g dark muscovado sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
vanilla ice cream to serve

TOFFEE SAUCE
250 g dark muscovado sugar
250 ml double/heavy cream

Heat the oven to 350F/180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put the dates and tea in a pan, and bring to the boil. Gently cook for 3-4 minutes to soften the dates. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda.

To make the toffee sauce, put the sugar and cream in a pan with 150ml water. Stir, then put over a low heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Cool a little.

Beat together the butter and sugar with electric beaters until creamy, then beat in the eggs, flour and mixed spice. Stir in the date mixture and pour into a buttered 20cm x 30cm ovenproof dish. Pour the toffee sauce over the top. Don’t worry if it looks messy. The sauce will sink to the bottom and a sponge will form on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is just firm to the touch.

Scoop onto plates and serve with ice cream.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Chocolate Salame

Belinda

Recipe from Nigella Lawson
“I’ve encountered quite a few versions of chocolate salame in Italy – coming to the conclusion that it’s really an Italian version of our chocolate refrigerator cake – and although I am not normally a huge fan of the culinary pun, Christmas does seem the right time of year for such whimsical enterprises. And, I admit, the chocolate salame does have a certain charm, especially when dusted with icing sugar, tied like a proper salame with string.
If I can do the stringing up, then you can, honestly, but if you prefer, you can just dust the unstrung salame with icing sugar and leave it picturesquely on a board.”

Makes: approx. 20 generous slices

9 oz good-quality bittersweet chocolate (min. 70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
9 oz amaretti cookies (crunchy, not soft)
7 tbsp soft unsalted butter
¾ cup superfine sugar
3 large eggs
2 tbsp amaretto liqueur
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup raw almonds (unskinned), roughly chopped
½ cup hazelnuts (roughly chopped)
⅓ cup pistachios (roughly chopped)
2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar (to decorate)

In the microwave (following manufacturer’s instructions), or in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of simmering water (but not touching the water), melt the chocolate until smooth. While the chocolate’s melting, put the cookies into a large freezer bag, seal and bash them with a rolling pin until you have a bag of rubble – not dust. When the chocolate’s melted, remove it to a cold place (not the fridge) and set aside to cool.

Cream the butter and sugar together; I do this in a freestanding mixer, but you don’t have to. You just need to use a large bowl and make sure the mixture is soft and superlight.
Gradually, and one by one, beat in the eggs. (Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled at this stage: all manner of ills will be righted once the chocolate is added later.) Then beat in the amaretto liqueur.

Push the cocoa powder through a little sieve or tea strainer into the cooled chocolate and, with a small rubber spatula, stir till combined, then beat this into the egg mixture, too.
When you have a smooth chocolate mixture in front of you, tip in the chopped nuts and crushed cookies. Fold these in firmly but patiently to make sure everything is chocolate covered.
Transfer this mixture, still in its bowl, to the fridge to firm up a bit for 20–30 minutes. Don’t leave it for much longer than this or it will be difficult to get out of the bowl to shape.

Unroll and slice off 2 large pieces of clingfilm, overlapping them, so that you have a large cling-covered surface to roll the chocolate salame out on. Tip the chocolate mixture out in the middle of this and – using your hands, messy though this is – mould the mixture into a fat salame-like log, approx. 30cm long.

Cover the chocolate log completely with the clingfilm, and then firmly roll it, as if it were a rolling pin, to create a smooth, rounded cylinder from the rough log you started with. Twist the ends by grasping both ends of the clingfilm and rolling the sausage-log towards you several times. Then put it in the fridge for at least 6 hours – though preferably overnight – to set.

Now – once it’s set – for the exciting bit: tear off a large piece of greaseproof paper and lay it on a clear kitchen surface. Take the salame out of the fridge and sit it on the paper. Measure out a piece of string at least 6 times longer than the length of the salame, and tie one end of the string firmly round the twisted knot of clingfilm at one end of the salame. Then trim away as much clingfilm as you can, but without cutting either of the tapered, nose ends, so that you can attach the string to these.

Dust your hands with a little confectioners’ sugar and then rub 2 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar (more if needed) over the unwrapped salame to stop it getting sticky as you string it up. Plus it makes it look more like a salame!
Make a loop with the string, a little wider than the salame, and feed it over the end of the salame, close to where it is tied on. Pull on the trailing end to tighten (but not too tightly) and form another loop of string as before. Work this second loop around the sausage, 4cm or so further along from the first, tighten again and repeat until you reach the far end of the salame, then tie the string firmly round the other twisted nose of clingfilm.

With your remaining length of string, start to feed it back along the salame, twisting it around the encircling string each time it crosses a loop, then tie it again when you come to the end. Repeat these lengths as many times as you want, to make the authentic-looking pattern, but two or three times would be enough to get the effect.

Transfer it to a wooden board, and cut some slices, fanning them out as if they were indeed slices of salame, leaving a knife on the board, too, for people to cut further slices, as they wish. Obviously, when you cut the salame, you will cut through the string, but the many knots and twists keep it securely tied. Serve fridge cold, or very near to it.

MAKE AHEAD NOTE: Can be made ahead, wrapped in clingfilm, then tied with string just before serving. Store in refrigerator and eat within 4 days of making.
Can also be frozen on day of making, wrapped in a double layer of clingfilm and a layer of foil, for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, remove foil and tie with string before serving. Eat within 2 days.

Baking · Dairy-free · Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food

Perfect Panforte

Belinda

We like to use raisins, dried cranberries, mixed peel and/or chopped dried apricots or figs for this decadent dessert, but you can play around with different types of fruit and nuts as long as you keep the quantities constant. You might want to wear a clean pair of dishwashing gloves to mix this dense Italian festive fruit cake as it’s too heavy to mix with a spoon and you need to work fast so the toffee mixture doesn’t set before it’s mixed through the fruit and nuts.
Panforte is very rich, so serve it in very thin slices. It also makes a lovely gift.

Serves 20

2 cups dried fruit, such as raisins, dried cranberries, candied orange or lemon peel and/or chopped dried apricots or figs
1 cup whole roasted almonds
1 cup whole roasted, skinned hazelnuts
1/2 cup plain flour
2 tbsp good-quality cocoa
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
60 g dark chocolate, chopped
icing sugar, to dust

Preheat oven to 325F/150°C
Thoroughly grease a 8″/20cm-diameter springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper.

Combine fruit and nuts in a large bowl
In a smaller bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, spices and salt.
Tip into the fruit and nut mixture and mix well
Combine honey and sugar in a pot and boil until a little mixture dropped into a glass of cold water forms a soft ball.
Remove from heat, add chocolate and stir until melted and the mixture is smooth.
Pour into dry ingredients and quickly mix with a very strong wooden spoon until combined.
Press into prepared tin, sprinkle with icing sugar and bake until set (about 35-40 minutes).
Remove from tin by running wet knife around the outside of the cake.
When cool, dust liberally with more icing sugar.
Stored in an airtight container it will keep for weeks.

Dessert · Holiday Food

5-Minute Pumpkin Parfait

Belinda

A quick, healthier alternative to pumpkin pie, this pumpkin parfait is velvety smooth and packed with comforting fall flavors including cinnamon, nutmeg, nuts, and even dark chocolate!
Recipe from “The Mediterranean Dish”

1 15oz can pumpkin puree or scant 2 cups homemade pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cup Greek full-fat plain yogurt
3-4 tbsp mascarpone cheese
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2-2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Parfait toppings
2 tbsp honey or molasses, more for garnish
Chocolate chips for garnish
Chopped roasted hazelnuts or walnuts for garnish

Place the pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt and the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate chips and nuts, in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand electric mixer or a whisk, mix together until you reach a smooth consistency.
Give it a taste and adjust flavor to your liking (add a bit of molasses or brown sugar to sweeten some more, for example. Or adjust the spices if you want more cinnamon or nutmeg.) Mix again to combine.
Transfer the pumpkin-yogurt mixture to small (3-oz) serving goblets or small mason jars. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.

When ready to serve, top each with a drizzle of molasses, chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts or walnuts. Enjoy!

NOTES

Prepare-Ahead Tip: You can prepare this pumpkin parfait one night in advance. Refrigerate in a tightly closed container or individual mason jars (hold the chocolate chips and nuts for later). When ready to serve, stir the yogurt mixture and transfer it into the serving goblets or mini jars and add toppings.

To serve a larger crowd: Simply double the recipe to feed 12 or more (small 3-oz goblets or mason jars.)