Have Your Own Cake And Eat It Too Individual Chocolate Cakes Food

INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE NUT MERINGUE CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Load nut meringue into a pastry bag fitted with the plain tip. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Pipe a little meringue into each corner to secure paper. Pipe out 6 3-inch disks on each pan, letting the meringue fall from the tip. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes until lightly colored and firm. Allow to cool and remove parchment by peeling it off. You will have 12 disks.
• Place cream in medium heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn off heat and stir in chopped chocolate. Set aside to melt for five minutes, then whisk until smooth and place in the mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat at medium speed until cooled and light. Load ganache into a pastry bag fitted with medium star tip.
• Lay out 4 meringue disks in front of you, flat side down. Pipe out spiral of ganache to completely cover disks. Place 4 mote disks on top and pipe out more ganache the same way. Top with remaining four disks and pipe ganache rosette on top of each. Allow to sit at room temperature 2 hours before serve for texture and flavors to mellow. Serve.

INDIVIDUAL CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY FLOURLESS CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium pan, combine sugar, water and butter. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stir until melted and smooth. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and egg yolks and beat to mix well. Slowly add chocolate mixture and framboise and mix well. Pour into greased molds and bake for 6 to8 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes. Invert onto serving plates and garnish with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.

EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Butter the base and sides of two 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
• In a large bowl, beat together 200g golden caster sugar, 200g softened unsalted butter, 4 large eggs, 200g self-raising flour, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp milk and a pinch of salt until pale.
• Divide the mixture between the prepared tins. Bake for 20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the buttercream, put 100g chopped milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 secs. Leave the melted chocolate to cool for 5 mins.
• Mash 200g softened butter and 400g icing sugar together with a fork, then switch to a wooden spoon or electric beaters, if you have them.
• Sift in 5 tbsp cocoa powder with a pinch of salt and pour in the melted chocolate and 2 tbsp milk. Mix again until smooth.
• On a cake stand or large plate, sandwich the cakes together with half of the buttercream, then spread the rest on top. Decorate with chocolate shards, if you like.
• To make chocolate shards: melt 50g dark chocolate and pour it onto a tray lined with baking parchment or foil.
• Now melt 25g milk chocolate and 25g white chocolate and drizzle them over the dark chocolate before it sets.
• Shake the tray gently to level the mixture then leave to set somewhere cool. Chop into shards.