Smart chocolate cake - recipe with step by steo photos

Ingredients:

• 500 milliliters of milk
• 125 grams of butter
• 100 grams of sugar
• 65 grams of flour
• 40 grams of cocoa powder
• 4 eggs

Separate the egg yolks from the whites.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until they double the volume.

Melt the butter and let it cool!

Add the butter over the egg yolks and mix.

Add the cocoa powder and the flour and mix.

Add the warm milk and mix slowly until well incorporated.

Preheat the oven at 180 Celsius degrees.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and incorporate them in the cocoa composition.

Put the composition in an oven tray and let it bake at 180 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until ready.

Do not open the oven while baking!

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Chocolate, raspberry, walnut and honey mousse cake - recipe with step-by-step photos

Ingredients for the dough:

• 300 grams of sugar
• 250 grams of chocolate
• 200 grams of butter
• 50 grams of walnuts
• 30 grams of flour
• 7 eggs
• 2 spoons with water
• salt

Ingredients for the honey mousse:

• 300 grams of fresh cream
• 170 millilitres of milk
• 100 grams of honey
• 50 millilitres of water
• 4 grams of gelatine sheets
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 spoon with flour
• 1 spoon with sugar

Ingredients for the walnut filling:

• 300 grams of mascarpone cheese
• 150 grams of crushed walnuts
• 100 grams of fresh cream
• 2 spoons with sugar

Ingredients for the raspberry jelly:

• 500 grams of raspberries
• 150 grams of sugar
• 4 grams of gelatine sheets

Ingredients for the cover:

• 200 grams of fresh cream
• 100 grams of raspberries
• 60 grams of sugar

Prepare the dough:

Beat the eggs with the flour for 10 minutes.

In a pot add the sugar with 2 spoons with water and let it caramelize. When brown, add the butter and mix until well incorporated.

Melt the chocolate.

Add the caramel and the melted chocolate over the beaten eggs and mix. Add the crushed walnuts and the salt and mix.

Put the composition in an oven tray and let it bake at 180 Celsius degrees for 40 minutes. When ready, let it cool! Divide it in two equal layers.

Prepare the honey mousse:

Mix the egg yolks with the honey.

Add the flour and mix.

Heat the milk and pour it over the eggs. Pour also the water.

Put the composition over a slow fire and mix until creamy: thick, but not quite like a pudding.

While still warm add the hydrated gelatine sheets and mix until well incorporated. Let it cool!

Beat the fresh cream with 1 spoons with sugar. Add the cooled eggs/milk composition and keep it in a cold place until you use it.

Prepare the walnut filling:

Beat the fresh cream with the sugar. Add the mascarpone cheese and the crushed walnuts and keep it in a cold place.

Prepare the raspberry jelly:

Boil the raspberries with the sugar for 15 minutes. Strain the juice and add the hydrated gelatine sheets. Mix well. Let it cool!

Assembling the cake:

On a plate, in a circle, add one layer of chocolate/caramel dough, then the walnut filling, then the raspberry jelly and above, add the honey mousse.

Beat the fresh cream with the sugar.

Cover the cake with the fresh cream.

Boil the raspberries with the sugar for 20 minutes until gets thick and strain the juice. Let it cool!

Add the raspberries jelly in the middle of the cake .

You can decorate it with raspberries and fresh cream.

Enjoy!

Pascal Caffet - cake and chocolate shop in Troyes

While in Troyes we bought some chocolates from (apparently) one of the best dessert chefs in France, Pascal Caffet.

We tried only the chocolate, not the cakes but we were NOT impressed.

Chocolate, cognac and walnuts cake - recipe (including photos)

Ingredients for the dough:

• 90 grams of sugar
• 80 grams of flour
• 15 grams of cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• salt

 Ingredients for the filling:

• 200 grams of dark chocolate
• 150 grams of crushed walnuts
• 150 grams of fresh cream
• 30 grams of butter
• 30 milliliters of milk
• 2 spoons with sugar
• 2 spoons with cognac

Ingredients for the syrup:

• 250 milliliters of water
• 50 grams of sugar
• 2 spoons with cognac

Prepare the dough

Mix the eggs with the sugar for exactly 15 minutes.

In a separate bowl mix the flour with the cocoa powder and the salt and then add it slowly over the beaten eggs.

Pour the dough in a round oven pan (about 18 cm diameter) and put it in the preheated oven at 180 Celsius degrees for 40-45 minutes or until ready. Put it aside to cool!


Now, prepare the filling:

Melt the chocolate together with the butter and the milk.
Once melted, put aside to cool!

Add the crushed walnuts and the cognac and mix. You can keep 30 grams of walnuts for the decoration.

Beat the fresh cream with the sugar and afterwards incorporate it in the filling. Let it rest in the refrigerator!

The syrup:

Mix the water with the sugar and put it at slow fire until the sugar is melted. While still warm add the cognac and let it cool!

 Assembling:

Divide the dough in 3 equally thick circle layers.

Put one layer on a plate, pour a third of the syrup and then spread half of the filling.

Continue with the second and third layer in the same manner.

Cover the last layer with some cream and walnuts.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here

Easy chocolate cake - recipe (including photos)

Ingredients for the dough:

• 100 grams of sugar
• 80 grams of flour
• 80 grams of butter
• 80 grams of chocolate
• 2 big eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• a pinch of salt

Mix the flour with the salt and the baking powder. Put it aside.

Melt the chocolate together with the butter and the sugar.
 

Beat the eggs for a few seconds. Add the eggs and the vanilla over the chocolate mixing until well incorporated.

Add the flour composition and mix.

Bake the cake at 170 degrees Celsius for 25-30 minutes.

You can serve it as is, or you can add some glazing above.

Ingredients for the glazing (just mix everything well together):

• 50 grams of sugar
• 50 grams of cocoa
• 4 spoons of milk
• 4 spoons of butter
• 2 spoons of Sheridan Irish cream
• 2 spoons of fresh cream

Spread the glazing all over the cake and put it in the fridge for a few hours before serving it!

The original recipe can be found here

Perugina chocolate - an Italian brand

Italy is not renowned for its chocolate making tradition. 

However, this Perugina Baci assortment was really good.