Chcolate Lava Cake

How good are recipes?
Recipes are only as good as you make them to be. If you follow a recipe and don’t like the taste, you will say the recipe is bad.
Recipes that have stood the test of time have been around for many years. This means the majority of people like them, and fel they are worthy of being kept around for the next generation.

Here is this week’s recipe:

Chocolate Lava Cake

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients
10 oz (280 g) semi or bittersweet chocolate (preferably 70 % cocoa)
4/5 cup (200 g) butter
8 eggs
1 1⁄4 cup (260 g) sugar
11⁄4 cup (160 g) all-purpose flour

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C).
2. Grease 10 large muffin tins or cups; paper muffin bake cups can also be used.
3. Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it with butter over hot water.
4. Beat the eggs with sugar and mix with flour.
5. Slowly fold in the melted butter and chocolate.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for only 8-12 minutes; the outer part should be cooked and the inner part liquid.

The Chocolate Lava Cakes may be served hot on its own or with custard, whipped cream, ice cream and / or berries. The Lava Cakes may be dusted with icing sugar. If your Lava Cakes stick to the tin/cup after baking, you should try lining the tins/cups with aluminum foil and grease the lined tins/cups well before use. You can also use paper muffin bake cups.

Variations

1. You may use pudding/soufflee cups instead of muffin cups and serve the Lava Cakes in the cups in order to avoid the difficulty of removing the Lava Cakes from the muffin cups.
2. You may add two tablespoons of orange liqueur and finely grated rind of one orange. This gives a delicious orange-chocolate flavor.
3. You may try adding some ground cinnamon and nutmeg or cloves to the chocolate and butter mixture.
4. You may add some mint flavoring.
5. You may add a little coffee essence to mixture.
6. Place moulds in freezer then brush with melted butter to give a thin even coating. Use cocoa powder to "flour" the molds so when you turn out the Lava Cakes there is no white flour marks.
7. Serving suggestion: serve with an orange and star anise ice

Chocolate pound cake

For those of you wanting a low-fat chocolate recipe, here is one.

Chocolate Pound Cake
16 servings

2 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon cake flour
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup prune puree
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup dutch process cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

1. Coat bottom and sides of a loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. flour and set aside.
3. Cream margarine with prune puree.
4. Gradually add sugar and beat well.
5. Add egg whites and beat 4 minutes or until well blended.
6. Add vanilla.
7. Combine remaining flour, cocoa, soda and salt.
8. Add to creamed mixture alternatively with yoghurt (beginning and ending with dry ingredients).
9. Pour batter into prepared pan.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
11. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing.

Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving:
Calories 143
Calories from Fat 31

Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 21%
Protein 8%
Carbohydrate 70%
Totals and Percent Daily Values (2000 calories):
• Fat: 3g (Saturated Fat: 1g)
• Cholesterol: 1mg
• Sodium: 139mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 25g
• Dietary Fibre: 0g
• Sugars: 0g
• Protein: 3g
• Vitamin A: 177 units
• Vitamin C: 0 units
• Calcium: 0 units
• Iron: 1 units’

Tiramisu 2

warning: This week’s recipe is one I would not recommend for those who are alcohol intolerant. If you are making this for guests, then please make sure you don’t use this recipe if they cannot ingest alcohol.

Tiramisu II

2 cups mascarpone cheese
3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons coffee liqueur
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1 (10-inch) sponge cake
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Combine in a large bowl, mascarpone cheese, cream, sugar, vanilla, coffee liqueur, and instant coffee. Whip until stiff.
2. Split sponge cake in half, creating a top and bottom layer. Spread cream mixture on bottom layer, and replace top half of cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Just before serving, dust top of cake with cocoa powder.

Makes 12 to 14 servings.

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Well… there’s not much else to tell you, except for recipes. From this point, I will give out one recipe to try per week. I will cull the recipes from a list I have. Here is this week’s recipe:

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 (8-ounce) package plus 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 cups frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
1 (9-inch) graham cracker pie crust

1. In a saucepan, melt semisweet chocolate chips until smooth when stirred. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and butter until smooth. On low speed with an electric mixer, blend in the melted chocolate. Fold in non-dairy whipped topping until blended; spoon into a graham cracker pie crust. Cover and chill until firm.

Makes 8 servings.