Bittersweet Chocolate Orange Poppy Seed Layer Cake Food

ORANGE & POPPY SEED CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease a 20cm springform cake tin or line a similar-size cake tin with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, combine 200g butter and 200g sugar in a large bowl. Beat until light and creamy, about 2 mins, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after you add each one. Tip in the flour and baking powder, mix for a few secs, then add the orange juice, zest of 2 oranges and poppy seeds. Stir everything together, then pour into the cake tin. Bake for 50 mins, then remove from the oven. Cool completely in the tin.
• Meanwhile, make the candied orange zest by combining the remaining zest (finely sliced), 25g sugar and 100ml water in a small pan. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins until thick. Remove the zest with a slotted spoon onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper.
• For the sauce, heat the cream in a small pan until nearly boiling. Put the chocolate and remaining butter into a bowl, then pour the hot cream over it and leave for 1 min to melt. Stir together until smooth, then let it sit until the cake is cool (if it hardens, just reheat gently). Drizzle the sauce over the cake, sprinkle with the candied zest and serve.

DANA'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C Grease cake tin. Put all the main ingredients into a food processor and mix. Pour into the prepared tin. Bake for at least 50 minutes. (I found I need less time than this). The cake will rise a lot and when cooked the centre should spring back when gently pressed.
• ICING: Mix above ingredients together with enough water or milk to make the icing consistency right. NB: You can make extra icing for a filling if you cut the cake in half horizonally.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan.
• Place a large heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Put the butter and chocolate in the bowl, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts. Take the bowl off the heat and set aside.
• First, whisk the sugar into the chocolate mixture, then whisk in the eggs, coffee, and salt, whisking until the mixture is combined and smooth. Sprinkle on the flour and fold it in with a rubber spatula until it's incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it on a sheet pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (see Cook's Note), until the top puffs up and cracks and the cake doesn't wobble when you jiggle the pan. (A toothpick will not come out clean.) Remove from the oven and cool completely on a baking rack. The cake will deflate as it cools. Run a small knife around the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Cut the cake in wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with sweetened whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or crème fraîche.

POPPY SEED CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour 9-inch-diameter spring-form pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Melt 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water, stirring chocolate until smooth. Remove melted chocolate from over water. Cool chocolate 10 minutes.
• Using electric mixer, 3/4 cup sugar, unsalted butter and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add melted bittersweet chocolate; beat until just combined. Mix in poppy seeds. Using electric mixer fitted with clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold half of beaten egg white into chocolate mixture. Fold flour into remaining beaten white. Fold egg white mixture into chocolate mixture.
• Pour batter into prepared spring-form pan. Using spatula, smooth top. Bake until tester inserted into center of torte comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer pan to rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and store torte at room temperature.)
• Cut around sides of pan to loosen torte. Remove pan sides. Sift powdered sugar over torte. Place on platter. Serve with whipped cream.

BITTER ORANGE & POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter a deep, medium-sized loaf tin (about 20 x 10cm, measured from the top), then line the base with a rectangle of non-stick baking paper. Put the marmalade into a small pan, heat gently until melted (or use a microwaveproof jug or bowl, then cook on High for 30 secs). Beat in the yogurt, then let cool for a few mins.
• Put the remaining cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until smooth. Quickly beat in the yogurt and marmalade mix, then pour into the prepared tin. It will be quite runny. Leave the mix mounded in the middle of the tin rather than levelling the top, to help it rise and crack in the middle.
• Bake for 1 hr-1 hr 10 mins until golden and well-risen; a skewer should come out clean. Take a look at the cake after 45 mins; if it has taken on a lot of colour, loosely cover with baking paper. Meanwhile, heat the orange juice and marmalade in a small pan over a gentle heat until the marmalade melts (or use the microwave as before). Set aside to cool, stirring now and again, until you have a thick, but still runny, glaze. When the cake is ready, cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn onto a rack. Spoon the topping over the cake while it's just warm. The cake is best served the day it's made, but will keep for up to 3 days tightly wrapped in an airtight container. Will freeze for up to 1 month, un-glazed.

ORANGE POPPY SEED BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, ground almonds, poppy seeds, baking powder and baking soda) together in a bowl.
• Combine the zest, egg, egg whites and extract in a second bowl. Add the dry mixture and mix well. Form the dough into 2 logs each 8-9 inches long.
• Place logs onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly and cut diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Put cut slices soft sides down back on the cookie sheets and bake slices another 8 to 10 minutes until dry.
• Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

ORANGE POPPY-SEED POUND CAKE (LIGHTEN-UP RECIPE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease and flour 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2" loaf pan.
• Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt; reserve.
• On medium speed beat granulated sugar, oil and egg whites until blended. On low, beat in poppy seeds, 1 1/2 t zest and flour mixture.
• Beat in 3/4 c milk until smooth.
• Pour batter into pan.
• Bake 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
• Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar with remaining 2 t of milk and 1/2 t zest; pour over cake.
• Garnish with orange zest strips, if desired.

DENSE BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter the sides and bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and set aside.
• In the top of a double boiler, combine the butter, chocolate and coffee and melt slowly, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
• Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until frothy.
• Whisk the eggs into the melted chocolate until combined.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 1 hour and cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
• Remove the sides of the pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, before serving.

LEVANA'S ORANGE POPPY SEED CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the cake: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest.
• Set aside.
• In an electric mixer, combine the eggs and sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
• Add the oil and vanilla and beat until just combined.
• Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the 3/4 cup orange juice.
• Mix slightly after each addition, just to incorporate.
• Add the poppy seeds and mix to incorporate the seeds into the batter.
• Pour the batter into a greased 10-inch springform pan.
• Bake for 1 hour, or until the point of a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• To make the syrup: While the cake is baking, place the syrup ingredients into a small saucepan and heat until thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
• When the cake is done, immediately unmold it from the springform pan.
• Prick it all over with a skewer and brush the syrup all over the top and sides of the cake while it is still hot.
• The cake will absorb all the syrup.
• Let the cake cool completely before serving.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE POPPY-SEED LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Make the filling: In a bowl, stir together the sour cream, heavy cream and the granulated sugar (first 3 ingredients), and let the mixture stand, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 24 hours. In a metal bowel set over barely simmering water melt the chocolate, stirring until it is smooth and let it cool. Whisk the 8 ounces chocolate, the 2 tsp zest and the Grand Mariner into the cream mixture and chill the filling, covered, for 1 hour.
• Make the cake: Line a buttered jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 inches x 1 inch with wax paper, butter the paper, and dust the pan with flour, shaking out the excess. In a small bowel, stir together the buttermilk, the poppy seeds, and the zest and into another bowl sift together the flour, the baking soda, and the salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and the sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy and beat in the egg yolks and the vanilla, beating until just combined. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating well after each addition until the batter is just combined. In another bowl with cleaned beaters beat the egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks, stir one fourth of them into the batter to lighten it, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly, and bake the cake in the middle of a preheated 350F oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden and the cake springs back when touched lightly. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack, invert it onto the rack and remove the wax paper carefully. With a serrated knife cut the cake crosswise into 3 equal pieces.
• Make the glaze: In a heavy saucepan melt the chocolate with the butter and the cream over low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth, and let the glaze cools to room temperature
• Assemble the cake: On a rack set over a jelly-roll pan arrange one of the cake layers, spread it with one third of the filling, and top the filling with another cake layer. Spread the cake with half the remaining filling and top it with the remaining cake layer. Spread the remaining filling onto the top and sides of the cake and chill for 30 minutes, or until filling is set. Pour the glaze evenly over the cake, smoothing it over the sides, and chill the cake for 30 min or until the glaze is set.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE ORANGE POPPY-SEED LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Filling:.
• 1 day before: In a bowl, stir together the sour cream, heavy cream and sugar and let the mixture stand, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 24 hours.
• At least 1 hour before: In a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, melt the cocolate, stirring until smooth, and let it cool. Whisk the chocolate, the zest, and the Grand Marnier into the cream mixture and chill the filling, covered, for 1 hour.
• Cake:.
• Line a buttered jelly-roll pan (15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1-inch) with wax paper, butter the paper, and dust the pan with flour, shaking out the excess.
• In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, poppy seeds, and the zest.
• In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla until the mixture is just combined.
• Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating well after each addition until the batter is just combined.
• In another bowl with cleaned beaters, beat the egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks; stir 1/4th of them into the batter to lighten it.
• Fold the remaining whites gently but thoroughly into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly, and bake the cake in the middle of a preheated 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden and the cake springs back when touched lightly. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack.
• Invert the cake onto the rack and remove the wax paper carefully. With a serrated knife, cut the cake crosswise into 3 equal pieces.
• Glaze:.
• In a heavy saucepan, melt the chocolate with the butter and cream over low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Let the glaze cool to room temperature.
• Assembly:.
• On a rack set over a jelly-roll pan, arrange one of the cake layers. Spread it with 1/3 of the filling; top the filling with another cake layer. Spread the cake with half of the remaining filling and top it with the remaining cake layer.
• Spread the remaining filling onto the top and sides of the cake and chill the cake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set.
• Pour the glaze evenly over the cake, smoothing it over the sides, and chill the cake for 30 minutes or until the glaze is set.