Did you know…

Chocolate comes from cacao beans. It is ground and roasted, and the resulting product is cocoa. Cocoa is actually very bitter. The chocolate you buy from the shops is sweet because they have added sugar to it. It was used by the Aztecs as a form of currency, and as a beverage.

This week’s recipe:

Rich Chocolate Mousse Cake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

4 egg whites
½ cup (100 g) sugar
5 oz (140 g) hazelnuts, finely ground
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
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9 oz (250 g) dark semi or bittersweet chocolate (60-70%)
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup (60 g) sugar
¼ cup + 1 cup (0.6 + 2.4 dl) whipping cream

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C).
2. Line a 9 inch (23 cm) cake tin with greaseproof or other non-stick paper and grease the tin.
3. Whisk the eggs whites until stiff and in peaks by using an electric mixer, gradually add the sugar and whisk well each time sugar has been added.
4. Mix with finely ground hazelnuts and cocoa powder.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool the cake.

Filling

1. Melt finely chopped dark chocolate over hot water.
2. Beat the egg yolks with 2 oz sugar until white.
3. Heat ¼ cup whipping cream to the boiling point, and whisk in beaten egg yolks.
4. Fold in melted chocolate. The mixture will immediately thicken. Cool to approx. 100 deg F / 38 deg C.
5. Whisk 1 cup of whipping cream. Fold with the egg and chocolate mixture, one tablespoon at a time until the filling becomes soft, then the remaining part of the cream.
6. Transfer to the cake tin, and place in the refrigerator for several hours.

If served cold the filling appears more like chocolate truffle than mousse. If you prefer a more sweet flavor of the filling you can use semisweet chocolate (40-45%) instead of the recommended type.

Nutritional information:

Calories: 352, calories from fat: 179, total fat: 29g, saturated fat: 9g, trans fat: 0g, cholesterol: 96mg, sodium: 63mg, total carbohydrate: 40g, dietary fiber: 3g, sugars: 35g, protein: 7g.

Chocolate and dessert and recipes

There are recipes, and then there are chocolate dessert recipes. Most people enjoy that, but where to get the recipes, then what recipe to use? This blog aims to give you a recipe to try every week. It will either involve chocolate, a dessert or both at the same time. Give you loved ones something special after dinner with one of these recipes each week.

Here is this week’s recipe

Chocolate-Amaretto Cheesecake

1/4 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1 1/2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese (for a total of 12-ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips

1. Sprinkle chocolate wafer crumbs in the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
2. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process cream cheese, sugar, cottage cheese, unsweetened baking cocoa, flour, amaretto liqueur, vanilla, salt and egg. Fold in semi-sweet chocolate chips. Slowly pour over the crumbs in the springform pan.
3. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 65 to 70 minutes. Cool, cover, then chill for 8 hours.

Makes 12 servings