Spring Hill Ranchs Chocolate Chile Cake Food

SPRING HILL RANCH'S CHOCOLATE CHILE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. NOTE: 10 hours of cool-down and chill time are NOT included in the above preparation time
• 2. Adjust an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan by cutting a circle of parchment the size of the removable bottom of the pan. Fit the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan. You will be using a bain marie (water bath) in the baking, so put your water on to a boil. To assure no water seeps into your pan, tear off an 18-inch length of heavy duty aluminum foil, center the pan over the sheet of foil and crumple and crimp the foil all around the sides of the pan.
• 3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, bring the espresso, brown sugar and the cinnamon sticks to a simmer. Simmer the mixture until the syrup has thickened a little and has become very fragrant, about 20 minutes. A cube or two at a time, stir in the butter, adding more as it melts. Stir in the cayenne pepper. Set aside.
• 4. Place the semi-sweet and the unsweetened chocolates in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the hot coffee mixture and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the beaten eggs until they are completely blended and the mixture is smooth.
• 5. Scrape the batter into your prepared spring-form pan. Set the pan in a large, deep, oven-proof skillet or roasting pan and set it on the oven rack. Pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the pan. The cake will bake from the edges inward. If you take a peek at it after about 40 minutes, the outer 1/2-2/3 will appear cooked while the rest will still be soft. Bake it until the center is set and barely wiggles when you shake the pan gently, 50 to 70 minutes.
• 6. Carefully remove the cake from the water bath and place it on a cooling rack to cool it to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove the foil and chill the cake in the pan in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Run a wet knife around the sides of the pan then pop the spring to release the sides. Place a platter on top of the cake and flip it over. Remove the bottom of the pan, and peel off the parchment. Keep the cake in your refrigerator until about half an hour before serving. Store any that might escape being eaten in the refrigerator.

SPRING HILL RANCH'S CHILE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet (or 2 half-sheets) with parchment paper.
• 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using a paddle blade, cream the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until they are light and fluffy. One at a time, add the eggs, mixing after each addition to make sure they are well combined. Mix in the vanilla.
• 3. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chili powder. I use a whisk to make sure they are well mixed.
• 4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix everything until the ingredients are fully combined, but do not over-beat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips.
• 5. Using a #50 scoop (1 1/3 Tablespoons), or slightly rounded Tablespoons, drop the dough on your prepared sheet 2" apart. Bake the cookies until they are nicely cracked but still appear a little raw inside, about 10-12 minutes. Let them cool for 5 minutes before removing them to a rack to cool completely.

SPRING HILL RANCH'S CINNAMON ICE CREAM

Steps:

• 1. NOTE: The preparation time above does not include the 1 hour steeping time or the chilling time
• 2. In a non-reactive saucepan over medium heat, combine the half-and-half, vanilla bean and seeds, cinnamon sticks, cinnamon and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil to scald it, and then remove the saucepan from the heat. Cover the pot and allow it to steep for 1 hour.
• 3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars and egg yolks. Set them aside.
• 4. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, fish the vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks from the half-and-half mixture. Over medium high heat, stirring often, reheat the mixture just to a boil.
• 5. Whisking rapidly and continuously, about 1/4 cup at a time, add a couple cups of the half-and-half mixture to the beaten eggs and sugar. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. With the heat at medium, cook, stirring/whisking constantly, for 5 to 6 minutes, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (or the temperature reaches 170-175°). Remove the pan from the heat. If there are lumps, strain through a fine mesh sieve. Stirring often, cool to room temperature or chill it in an ice bath. Cover with plastic wrap (covering the top of the custard) and refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours or overnight.
• 6. Pour the chilled ice cream mixture into your ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer's instructions for churning time. Place the ice cream into a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 4-8 hours.

SPRING HILL RANCH'S CHOCOLATE TURTLE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• 1. Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 325°. Put a couple quarts of water on to boil for the bain marie. Cover the bottom of a 9" spring-form pan with two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil to create a water-tight seal. Butter the inside bottom and sides of the spring-form pan.
• 2. In a food processor or blender, break up the chocolate sandwich cookies, complete with their filling, into pieces. Process them in pulses until they are about the consistency of wet sand. Transfer the crumbs to a medium mixing bowl and combine them with the melted butter until they are thoroughly mixed. Press the mixture evenly into your prepared pan, covering the bottom and about 2" up the sides.
• 3. In a small microwaveable mixing bowl, microwave the caramels and milk on HIGH in 1 minute increments, stirring after each minute, until the caramels are completely melted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pecans. Pour half the mixture into the crust. Refrigerate the pan for 10 minutes. Refrigerate the remaining caramel mixture for later use.
• 4. Using a hand- or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until they are well blended. One at a time, add the eggs, mixing on low speed after each just until it is blended. Pour this mixture over the caramel layer in the crust.
• 5. Place the spring-form pan into a roasting pan and add boiling water up to half the height of the spring-form pan. Slide the pan into the preheated oven and bake it until the center is almost set, but with the center still a little jiggly, about 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove the cheesecake (still in the bain marie) and run a sharp knife around the rim of the pan to loosen the edge of the cheesecake. It will shrink slightly while cooling and if you have not loosened the edge, the top may crack. Allow the cheesecake to cool for 1 hour in the water bath and another 1 hour on a cooling rack before removing the pan's rim. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours.
• 6. Microwave the reserved caramel mixture for 1 minute and give it a stir. Pour it over the cheesecake. Melt the chocolate as directed on the package and drizzle it over the cheesecake.

SPRING HILL RANCH'S APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°(365º above 6,000 feet). Lightly grease a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or (if you must) a 9"x13"x2" pan.
• 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, apple sauce, melted butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Peel, core and finely (≈3/8") chop the apples, stirring them in as you go. Stir in the pecans.
• 3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon until everything is well combined. Make a "well" in center of these dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the dry and wet ingredients together just until the flour is dampened. You will find this to be a very thick batter, In fact it's more like a cookie batter. And while it may seem like there are way too many apple pieces, but it all works out in the end.
• 4. Turn the batter into your prepared skillet or baking pan, patting down the top so it's even. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is lightly browned and an inserted knife comes out almost clean.
• 5. Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before serving. Think seriously about serving this cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and/or cinnamon spiced whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE-CHILE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan: Cut a circle of parchment the size of the removable bottom of the pan. Fit the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan. Tear off an 18-inch length of aluminum foil. Center the pan over the sheet of foil and crumple and crimp the foil all around the sides of the pan. (The foil will prevent water from seeping into the pan during baking.) Set the pan aside.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the espresso, brown sugar and the cinnamon sticks to a simmer over very low heat. Simmer until the syrup is very fragrant, about 20 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted, and then stir in the cayenne pepper. Set aside.
• Pulse the chocolate in the food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a deep bowl. Pour in the warm coffee syrup and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the beaten eggs until completely blended.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan in a large, deep, oven-proof skillet or a roasting pan and set on the oven rack. Pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake until center is set and barely wiggles when you shake the pan gently, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Cool the cake to room temperature. Remove the foil and chill the cake in the pan at least 8 hours. Run a wet knife around the sides of the pan then pop the spring to release. Place a platter on top of the cake and flip over. Remove the bottom of the pan, and peel off the parchment. Serve with cinnamon ice cream and raspberries.

CHILLI CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
• Add the sugar, butter, eggs, fresh chilli and dried chilli. Beat this together until you end up with a soft mixture that falls off a spoon when you hit it against the bowl. Add a drop or two of water if you think your mixture is too stiff.
• Divide the mixture into two baking tins (I recommend 7 inch diameter) and bake at 170 degrees C (325F) for 30 minutes, or until springy in the centre and a knife inserted into the sponge comes out clear. Allow to cool for one hour after cooking.
• To make your filling for the middle and frosting for the top melt the chocolate over a medium heat. My method of doing this is to boil a pan of water and put a heat proof bowl on top of the pan, drop the chocolate in the bowl and stir until melted.
• Once melted take the chocolate off the heat. Stir in the chillis, butter and cream. Cover with cling film and allow it to cool. When cooled, put the mixture in to the fridge for around an hour or until thickened enough to easily spread (but not set hard).
• When thickened, spread the chocolate mixture as a filling and topping for your cake. Decorate with crushed pistachios and finely chopped fresh red chillis. Enjoy!