Belgian Chocolate Cake Food

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts on a baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel; rub to loosen skins. Butter a 9-by-3-inch springform pan well; coat with cocoa, tapping out any excess.
• In a food processor, grind nuts with granulated sugar until fine but not pasty; transfer to a large bowl; stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In a heat-proof bowl, whisk together cocoa and boiling water until smooth. (Mixture will thicken as it cools.)
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar on high until lightened and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until well blended.
• Stir buttermilk and vanilla into cocoa mixture. Mixing on low, add half of dry ingredients to creamed mixture; when blended, pour in the cocoa mixture, and add remaining dry mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely. Place cooled cake on a 9-inch cardboard round.
• Place half the ganache in a bowl; place in a larger bowl of ice water; whip with a balloon whisk until lighter in color and spreadable, removing bowl from ice bath and returning it as necessary.
• Spread the whipped ganache smoothly on top and sides of cooled cake, and chill the cake. Gently stir remaining ganache every 5 minutes until thickened and cool.
• Place cake (still on cardboard round) on a wire rack over a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. Working with a small ladle, pour ganache over top of cake, moving the ladle in a circular fashion while in contact with the cake, letting the ganache run down sides. Scrape up excess and reserve for another use. Let cake stand at room temperature until set. Garnish with nuts and chocolate curls.

MELTING BELGIAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Butter 6 (6 oz) custard cups.
• Lightly sprinkle unsweetened cocoa over interiors; shake out excess.
• Set cups on baking sheet.
• In microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butter.
• Microwave on medium 1-3 minutes or until almost melted.
• Stir until smooth.
• With whisk, beat eggs, egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and beer in large bowl until well blended.
• Stir in chocolate mixture.
• Stir in flour until thoroughly blended.
• Divide mixture evenly into custard cups (filled cups can be held in refrigerator for up to 2 hours before baking).
• In another large bowl, beat all cream ingredients at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
• When ready to serve, bake cakes on baking sheet 12-13 minutes or until tops are dry and outside edges just begin to pull away from edge of cups (centers may be slightly sunken but will rise as they sit).
• Place on wire rack; cover loosely with foil.
• Let stand 4 minutes.
• With hot pad or towel, hold each cup and run knife around edges to loosen cakes; unmold hot cakes onto serving plates.
• Serve immediately; pass whipped cream separately.
• Store in refrigerator.

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and line a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep).
• Put 200g chopped dark chocolate in a medium pan with 200g butter.
• Mix 1 tbsp instant coffee granules into 125ml cold water and pour into the pan.
• Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - don't overheat. Or melt in the microwave for about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Mix 85g self-raising flour, 85g plain flour, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 200g light muscovado sugar, 200g golden caster sugar and 25g cocoa powder, and squash out any lumps.
• Beat 3 medium eggs with 75ml buttermilk.
• Pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir everything to a smooth, quite runny consistency.
• Pour this into the tin and bake for 1hr 25 - 1hr 30 mins. If you push a skewer into the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit).
• Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the cold cake horizontally into three.
• To make the ganache, put 200g chopped dark chocolate in a bowl. Pour 300ml double cream into a pan, add 2 tbsp golden caster sugar and heat until it is about to boil.
• Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool until it is a little thicker but still pourable.
• Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smooth over any gaps with a palette knife.
• Decorate with 50g grated chocolate or 100g chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line a 22 x 22cm square tin with baking parchment. Put the chocolate, butter and sugar into a large pan with 100ml hot water and gently melt together. Set aside for 2 mins, then stir in the soured cream followed by the eggs. Finally, stir or whisk in the flour and cocoa until lump-free, then pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 50-55 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Sit the tin on a wire rack to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the icing. Gently melt together icing ingredients in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, then chill or cool until spreadable.
• To decorate, carefully turn out the cooled cake and peel off the baking parchment. Spread the icing over the top and scatter with hundreds and thousands, then cut the cake into triangles or fingers before serving.

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE - (3.5/5)

Steps:

• Cake: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel; rub to loosen skins. Butter a 9 by 3 inch springform pan; dust with cocoa, and tap out any excess. 2. In the bowl of a food processor, grind nuts with granulated sugar until fine but not pasty. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. 3. IN a medium heat-proof bowl. Whisk together cocoa and boiling water until smooth. (Mixture will thicken as it cools) 4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. 5. Stir buttermilk and vanilla into cocoa mixture. Mixing on low, add half the flour mixture to butter mixture until well blended; pour in cocoa mixture, and add remaining flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven; let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely. Place cooled cake on a 9-inch cardboard round. 6. Place half the ganache in a bowl set in an ice bath; whip with a balloon whisk until pale and spreadable; removing bowl from ice bath and returning it as needed. 7. Spread the whipped ganache smoothly on top and sides of cake; chill the cake in the refrigerator. Gently stir remaining ganache every 5 minutes until thickened and cool but still pourable. 8. Place cake (still on cardboard round) on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper. Using a small ladle, pour ganache over top of cake, moving the ladle in a circular fashion and letting the ganache run down the sides. Scrape up excess, if desired, and reserve for another use. Let cake stand at room temperature until set. Garnish with candied nuts and chocolate curls. Ganache Glaze: Place chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl Bring cream in a small saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat; pour over chopped chocolate. Let stand 10 minute. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir chocolate and cream until well combined. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until cooled and just thickened, 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the temperature of the room. Candied Hazelnuts and Chocolate Curls: 1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Spread nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and toasted, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel; rub to loosen the skins. Bring sugar and the water to a boil in a medium-sized skillet. Stir with a fork over medium-high heat until dissolved; let boil 3 minutes more without stirring. Add nuts. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let cool. 2. Once nuts are cool, place half the bittersweet chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl. Set over a pan of simmering water, stir until chocolate is melted and hot. Add remaining chocolate to bowl; remove bowl from pan of water and let stand about 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. 3. Pour half the chocolate onto an inverted baking sheet; spread with bench scraper until 1/8 inch thick or slightly thinner (chocolate should be opaque on surface). Let stand until just tacky. Holding scraper at a 45-degree angle, scrape chocolate off surface, forming curls. 4. While curls set, add candied nuts to remaining chocolate in bowl, and stir until coated. Spread nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let stand until set. Sift cocoa powder on top of dried nuts, and toss to coat.