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Posts Tagged ‘chocolate’

Danish Marmorkage – Marble Cake

Posted in Danish, Dessert, tagged , , , , on December 20, 2010| 13 Comments »

Marmorkage

This cake was the very first cake I learned to bake and I made it quite often when I was a young girl. It was my favorite cake at that time. It had been years since I last baked this cake that I had almost forgotten about it. Then when I played the blogging game “Tag” I was reminded of it and I decided it was time for a revisit. This version of Marmorkage is a dense cake which is not overly sweet. The original version has more white cake than chocolate, but since I love chocolate I always reverse it.

Marmorkage

Ingredients:

130 gram salted butter (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon)

200 gram sugar (1 cup)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

250 gram flour (2 1/4 cup)

1 deciliter milk (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon)

6 tablespoon cocoa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celcious (340 degrees Fahrenheit). Coat loaf pan with butter and dust with flour, shake out excess flour and set aside.

Place butter in small saucepan and melt over low heat. Once melted, place in a mixing bowl, add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Stir flour and baking powder together. Add flour and milk in small increments until incorporated. Remove 1/3 of dough to a small separate bowl, this will remain the white colored dough. To the remaining 2/3 dough, add cocoa and stir until well blended.

Place 1/2 of cocoa dough in bottom of loaf pan, add white dough, then add the remaining cocoa dough as the top layer. Take a fork and run it up and down the dough layers a couple of times to create a marbeling effect. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy.

Chocolate and white dough, top off with chocolate dough.

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

Posted in Chocolate, Dessert, tagged , , , on December 13, 2010| 9 Comments »

Pistachio Fudge

I first saw this recipe on my friend Stacie’s blog Eating in Denmark and I knew that I had to make this immediately, and so this recipe shoot right up to the top of my mile long to-do-list. It is super delicious, easy and quick to make, and it looks so festive with the green pistachios. I have also made it with coconut, which was equally delicious, and I suppose you could make this fudge with just about any of your favorite filling. Thank you Stacie for this fabulous Fudge recipe 🙂

Pistachios

Mixing in the Pistachios

Ingredients:

12 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped

12 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

a pinch of salt

1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios

Directions:

Line a 9 x 9 inch pan with foil, letting the foil extend out over the two edges.

Melt the chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, butter and salt over very low heat.

While the chocolate mixture is melting, place pistachios in a zip lock bag and break them up into small and bigger pieces by pounding them with a rolling-pin.

Add the pistachios to the melted chocolate mixture and stir to mix well. Pour mixture into prepared pan, smooth out the top and place in refrigerator to cool completely. You can place it in the freezer to help speed up the cooling process.

Once the fudge is completely cooled and set, lift the fudge out of pan using the extra foil extending over edges. Cut into 1 inch pieces. I recommend to keep fudge cooled in refrigerator until serving. Enjoy.

Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

Source: Eating in Denmark Blog (originally from Nigella Express)

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12 Days of Christmas – Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

Posted in 12 Days of Christmas, Christmas, Cookies, Dessert, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 3, 2010| 7 Comments »

Hazelnut Truffles

Truffles, small delectable treasures. These particular truffles have toasted hazelnut in them which gives a slight crunch. Of course, hazelnut paired with chocolate is a match made in heaven. You just can’t go wrong. Or can you? Well not with the truffles themselves but I did have quite a bit of trouble with this recipe, but I worked out the kink. The original recipe instructed me to melt the bittersweet chocolate in the microwave, which turned out to be a horrible mess. I think my microwave oven was heating at too high heat. The chocolate would harden up and become unmanageable after just dipping 1/3 of the truffles. So I tried again, but this time melting the chocolate over a water bath which turned out so much better.  And so, in the end everything turned out alright. Now we can finally enjoy these delicious little truffles.

Flettet julestjerne

Danish Christmas Tradition: Juleklip (Paper cut-outs)

Paper cut-outs such as flettede hjerter (braided hearts), kræmmerhuse (cones), angels, Christmas trees and flettede stjerner (braided stars) is a common part of Danish Christmas decorations. They are made by children and adults alike, possibly at home but always in schools planned as a special day of fun with colored paper, glue, scissors and baked goods. These homemade treasures often times end up as an important part of the Christmas Tree decorations.

I first learned to make the braided star as an adult. I meet once a month with other Danish ladies for an evening of stimulating conversation and good food. It was during one of these evenings many years ago that my Danish friend Lise’s husband Bill taught me how to make the braided star. He would make them at any given time of the year and he was very enthusiastic about making them. I now make them every year around Christmas time and they remind me of Lise and Bill, who has since passed away. It’s a happy memory.

Hazelnut Truffle Ingredients

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

1 (11.5 ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chunks

8 (1 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate squares – chopped

2 cups hazelnut – chopped, toasted and divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (11.5 ounce package) bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao)

Directions:

Chop hazelnuts and toast them on a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant. Stir often to make sure they don’t burn. Remove nuts from heat.

Place chocolate chunks in a medium bowl. Chop chocolate squares and add to bowl. Bring heavy cream to a simmer and then add the hot cream to the chocolate, stirring well to melt the chocolate. Add vanilla and 1 1/2 cups of the toasted hazelnuts. Stir to combine. Place in refrigerator to chill for 1 to 2 hours or until hard enough to keep a shape.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1-inch balls from chocolate mixture and roll quickly between hands to smooth edges. Place on prepared baking sheets and refrigerate for 1 hour or until cold and firm.

Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch water to a simmer. Once water is simmering turn heat all the way down to low. Place bittersweet chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl and place over the saucepan, making sure bowl is not touching water. Stir chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Place chocolate ball on a fork and drizzle warm melted chocolate over the chocolate ball to cover. Use a toothpick to help push the truffle off the fork onto to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts and refrigerate to harden.

Glædelig Jul and Merry Christmas♥

Chocolate and cream

Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

Source: adapted from Taste of the South

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12 Days of Christmas – Florentine Cookies

Posted in 12 Days of Christmas, Christmas, Cookies, Dessert, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 29, 2010| 24 Comments »

Florentine ew

I first made these Italian cookies for Christmas a couple of years ago and it was Love at first bite. Since then, they have become a “several times a year, kinda thing” at our house and they dissapear faster than any other cookie I make. They are nutty and crispy with a hint of orange, 2 cookies held together with a generous layer of chocolate. Orange and chocolate, does it get any better than that?

Almonds

Almonds

Danish Christmas Tradition: St. Lucia (Saint Lucy’s Day)

St. Lucia is believed to be a saint who suffered a martyr’s death around AD 310. The tradition of celebrating St. Lucia was imported from Sweden during WWII as a passive protest against the German occupation. St. Lucia is celebrated on December 13th and it is seen as a procession lead by one girl wearing a crown of candles on her head followed by other girls who hold a single candle in their hands. All the girls are dressed in white and they sing “Sankta Lucia” while walking slowly and carefully. The St. Lucia procession is performed in schools, hospitals and nursing homes where they bring great joy and excitement.

Bring to a rolling boil

Bring to a rolling boil

Florentine Cookies (makes 28 small sandwiched cookies)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups sliced blanched almonds (200 gram or 7 oz)

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

zest of 1 orange (about 2 tbsp)

1/4 tsp fine salt

3/4 cup sugar (155 gram or 5.4 oz)

2 tbsp heavy cream

2 tbsp light corn syrup

5 tbsp unsalted butter (70 gram or 2.5 oz)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 oz semisweet chocolate (170 gram)

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty. Stir together the almonds, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.

Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just until combined. Set aside until cool enough to handle, 30 minutes.

Scoop rounded teaspoons  (for 3 inch cookies) or rounded tablespoons (for 6 inch cookies) of batter and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread.

Bake 1 pan at a time, until the cookies are thin and even golden brown color, rotating pan halfway through baking time, about 8 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with remaining batter.

Chop semisweet chocolate and place in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch water to a simmer and set bowl filled with chocolate over the saucepan, making sure bowl is not touching water. Stir chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth.

Drop a generous amount of melted chocolate (1/2 to 1 teaspoon) onto the flat side of a cookie and press together with a second cookie to form a sandwich. Return to rack and let chocolate set completely.

Glædelig Jul and Merry Christmas♥

Florentine Cookies

Florentine Cookies

Source: Food Network Kitchen

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Icing

Posted in Chocolate, Cupcakes, Dessert, Frosting, tagged , , , , , , on September 19, 2010| 13 Comments »

Chocolate Cupcakes With Nutella Icing

Chocolate Cupcakes With Nutella Icing

So my husband Joe, you know the Blacksmith, had his Blacksmithing buddies over for their monthly meeting. This time I decided to also make them a sweet treat and when Joe saw these cupcakes on Barefoot Contessa’s TV show (yeah, I force him to watch the FoodNetwork…evil laugh) he decided that’s what he wanted. Except the original cupcakes had a Peanut Butter frosting and there is no way, no how, I am making anything Peanut Butter. Sorry, just can’t stand it. So we decided on a brilliant solution, Nutella of course. So here it is, please enjoy Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Icing.

Artist Blacksmith Group of Tidewater

Chocolate Cupcakes With Nutella Icing

Ingredients for cupcakes:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup good cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredients for Icing:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 cup Nutella

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and the 2 sugars on high-speed until light and fluffy (approx 5 minutes). Lower speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, then add vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix together buttermilk and sour cream. In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

On low-speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl. Mix only until blended. Fold batter with a spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.

Divide batter among the cupcake pans, using an ice cream scoop per cup. Bake in the middle of oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Using a toothpick test to make sure cupcakes are done. Toothpick should come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting: place confectioner’s sugar, nutella, butter, vanilla and salt in the bowl of an electrical mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the sides of bowl as you work. Add the cream and beat on high-speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with Nutella Icing. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcake With Nutella Icing

Chocolate Cupcake With Nutella Icing

Source: adapted from Barefoot Contessa

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Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Posted in Dessert, tagged , , , , , on July 5, 2010| 11 Comments »

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Did you know that brownies are a true American dessert, believed to have originated in the New England area. They can be either chewy, fudgy, dense or cake like. I believe that these particular brownies fall into the cake-like category. These are wonderful little brownies and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and freshly made raspberry sauce, they make for a perfect ending to a perfect evening or lunch, afternoon or maybe even breakfast. However, I made the mistake of using raspberry jam with seeds which result in a slight crunching when eating the brownie (a sensation which I really don’t care for). So I highly recommend seedless raspberry jam, unless of course your into the seeds kind-a-thing. Recipe for fresh Raspberry Sauce is posted separately. Enjoy.

Brownie Ingredients

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam

1/3 cup water

5 tablespoon butter

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line bottom of 9 x 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and spray sides with cooking spray.

Combine flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, stir with a whisk. Combine raspberry jam, water and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let jam mixture cool for 10 minutes. Add jam mixture to flour and stir well. Lightly beat together egg and egg white with a fork, add eggs to chocolate/jam mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool in pan. Enjoy.

Brownie with ice cream and sauce

Brownie with ice cream and sauce

Source: adapted from Kitchen Confidante

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Kiksekage (Chocolate Biscuit Cake)

Posted in Danish, Dessert, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 23, 2010| 8 Comments »

Kiksekage

Kiksekage

This is another cake from my childhood. I actually don’t think I’ve had this cake more than a few times but it definitely made an impression on me. It’s creamy, chocolaty and a very rich dessert. Serve it with a dollop of Amaretto Whipped Cream and it’s like a piece of heaven. It’s typically made with a type of Crisco and egg which doesn’t sound too good to me, considering it’s a no bake cake, but then I came across this recipe and I’m so glad I tried it. It’s just like I remember it!  This was one of the desserts I served for my Danish Tea Party and also for my Mother In-law Mary Helen for Mother’s Day and just about the entire cake disappeared. Trust me on this one, it is delicious.

Making Kiksekage

Making Kiksekage

Kiksekage

Ingredients for Kiksekage:

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (227 grams)

1 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (10 oz. or 295 ml)

3/4 cup confectioners sugar (3 oz. or 85 grams)

7 tbsp butter (3.5 oz. or 100 grams)

7 oz butter biscuits (ex. Leibniz)

Ingredients for Amaretto Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp powdered sugar

2 tbsp Amaretto liqueur

Directions:

Line a 9 x 5  in. loaf pan with parchment paper by placing one big piece of paper across bottom and long sides and cut two smaller pieces of paper for the ends of the pan. Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Pour whipping cream and confectioners sugar in to a small cooking pot, stirring occasionally bring to a simmer. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate. Stir the mixture until shiny and smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. Cut butter into small pieces and add to chocolate mix, stir until completely melted. Place mixture in refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool. Cover bottom of loaf pan with chocolate, then place a layer of biscuits, repeat chocolate, biscuit, ending with a layer of chocolate. Cover the top of chocolate with cling wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. The following day gently and slowly lift the cake out of the form. Invert cake onto a plate and slowly peel off parchment paper. Decorate the top of cake with your choice of topping, serve with Amaretto whipped creme, if desired.

Making Amaretto whipped creme: In a small bowl combine whipping cream, powdered sugar and Amaretto. Whisk until desired consistency. Serve with Kiksekage.

Source: madgal.dk

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Napoleonshatte – Napoleon Hats

Posted in Danish, Dessert, Pastry, tagged , , , , , , on May 5, 2010| 6 Comments »

Danish Napoleonshat

Danish Napoleonshat

These delicious little Danish cookies are called Napoleon Hats (remember Napoleon Bonaparte, the French dude with the funny hat). Napoleon Hats were some of my favorite cookies growing up, still is. Whenever we go home to visit I always pick up some of these cookies at the local Bakery, along with a lot of other Danish pastries. These cookies are really easy and fun to make, oh and did I mention that they’re delicious.

Napoleonshat dipped in chocolate

Napoleonshat dipped in chocolate

Ingredients:

7 oz Marzipan (Odense)

1 3/4 cup flour

1 stick + 1 tbsp. butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 egg yolk

1/2 stick vanilla bean

5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

Break up butter into flour and place in a food processor. Pulse to blend. Slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Add powdered sugar, egg yolk and vanilla seeds to flour mixture. Blend until a smooth powdery mix. Remove mixture from food processor and press it together to form a dough ball. Place dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool. Place dough in between two pieces of cling wrap and roll out to 3 mm thickness. Cut out circles using a glass approximate 2 1/4 inch in size. Roll a small ball of marzipan and place in center of round dough. Lift up dough circle and marzipan ball and gently squeeze edges closed using your thumbs and index fingers to form three points (like a Napoleon Hat). Place on parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.

Melt 5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate over a water bath. Once cookies are cooled, dip each corner and bottom of cookie in the melted chocolate. Place on baking rack or parchment paper to let chocolate set.

Making Napoleonshat

Making Napoleonshat

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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