The Last Stretch: Raspberry Truffles and Soft Toffee Candies

I bet a lot less sweets would be eaten if everyone made their own candy: first, it takes quite a lot of time, and second, you really get to see what goes in them! The amount of sugar and fat is just beyond imagination.

But hey, it's Christmas, so we don't really care! (Do we ever? ;) )

Anyway, today I made the last stretch to complete my reverse advent's calendar and prepared two different sweets. First, raspberry truffles that featured in the Finnish Elle magazine a few years ago, and second, soft toffee candies from a really old cookbook I've lost a long time ago. Luckily, a friend still has a copy and e-mailed me the recipe!

To make about 25 truffles you need:

• 300g semi-sweet dark chocolate (I used a 66% one)


• 25g butter


• 25ml heavy cream


• 100ml frozen or fresh raspberries


• 1 Tbsp sugar


• plus cocoa powder, for dusting

And this is how to proceed:

Place the chocolate, butter, and cream either in bain-marie or in a micro-wave-proof bowl. Heat the mixture so that the butter and chocolate melt. Stir well. In a small saucepan, bring the raspberries and the sugar to the boil. Let boil 2-3 minutes or until the liquid has almost disappeared (especially frozen raspberries contain lots of water!). Pour the raspberry mixture into the chocolate mixture, stir, and let cool in the fridge until it's hard enough to handle.

Then, take small teaspoons of the mixture and form into balls. Cover each truffle with cocoa powder ( I rolled them in a small bowl containing cocoa powder). Place your truffles on a plate and let cool again, either in a cool room temperature or in the fridge. Store in a tin box - but not for a long time! Truffles have to be eaten within 2-3 days ;)

And this is what you need to make about 50-60 small toffee candies:

• 100g butter


• 200ml molasses


• 200ml heavy cream


• 300ml sugar


• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder

This is how to proceed:

Melt the butter in a heavy pan. Add molasses, cream, sugar, and cocoa powder. Stir well and bring to the boil. Let simmer over medium heat for about 35 minutes. Stir once in a while - especially towards the end.

Pour the toffee-to-be on a large plate covered with a parchment paper. Let cool in room temperature until the toffee is hard enough to be cut in pieces. You can also cool it in the fridge to make things go faster - my fridge was full of Christmas food and my balcony full of snow, but I wasn't in a hurry. (I wrapped the gifts in the meantime!)

Toffee candies should be wrapped individually in small (tin) papers, because they are somewhat sticky.

Now my advent's calendar is accomplished, and I wish you all a merry Christmas!

Day 17: Chocolate Yule Log

Today, I didn't bake anything for my reverse Advent's calendar.

Instead, I finally made one of my dreams come true: I baked a real bûche de Noël, or a Yule log! (How cool that the word yule exist, by the way - just like jul in Swedish!) Theoretically, I could have kept it for our Christmas dinner - according to some recipes I read, a Yule log can be frozen up to three months.

But this one is going to a very special purpose: a class I'm teaching is going to eat it tomorrow - it's their last French class before their Christmas holidays... Hope they'll be as thrilled as my kids who got to eat the test version today - and made me promise we'll have one for the Christmas dinner as well ;)

At the same time, I got the chance two other things I had never done before: making a real ganache and butter icing - how can I have missed these two this long?! Well, now I know how to make them!

The following recipe is for one log. It's adapted from this recipe - I browsed a lot of different ones, and somehow this seemed perfect. And it was...

I made double this portion, and used about 1/4 to make a small test version, and the rest to build a very big log! I'd say one portion is big enough for 10 people.

I had some serious problems in getting the Swiss roll done properly: it broke in several places when I tried to roll it in. Luckily, everything is covered with that butter icing, so no-one will see that. Anyway, I'd be thankful for some tips about how to make a perfect Swiss roll!

This is what you need for the Swiss roll:

• 4 eggs


• 3/4 cup sugar


• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour


• 1/4 cup cocoa powder


• 1 tsp baking powder


• 3 Tbsp melted butter

For the ganache:

• 180ml heavy cream


• 180g dark chocolate (about 60% or so)

For the butter icing:

• 1 cup butter, softened


• 1,5 cups confectioner's sugar


• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder


• + a bit of heavy cream, if needed

For the decoration:

• marzipan figures


• confectioner's sugar

First, prepare the ganache. Bring the cream to the boil in a saucepan, remove from heat, and add the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate melts. Place in a cool place - this time of the year, even my room temperature was cool enough! Fridge is not a good option, though; try a cold-water bath instead if your house is warmer than mine. Let the ganache-to-be stand about one hour. Then beat the mixture until it gets fluffy and somewhat less dark. This took about 7 minutes with my spiral whisk!

Then it's time to prepare the Swiss roll. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a bowl. Set aside. Beat the eggs and the sugar in another bowl until the mixture is pale and thick. Add sifted flour mixture and the butter and stir until well combined. Pour the batter on an oven tray covered with a parchment paper. Leave a margin on all sides. My cake was about 35cm times 25cm.

Bake in a preheated oven (200C) about 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. In the meantime, place another parchment paper on a baking tray. Sprinkle some sugar on it. Once you take the cake out, reverse it immediately on the sugar-covered parchment paper. Remove the original paper and roll the cake in, starting from the side closer to you. (Like I told you, mine broke in several places. I have no idea what went wrong!) Let the cake cool while you prepare the butter icing.

Soften the butter and beat it until it gets creamy and fluffy. Then add sifted confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder, and rub them in the butter. Add some cream if needed (I didn't need any, but then again, I just couldn't use all of the sugar amount either! It felt horribly over-sweet as it was - with maybe 3/4 of the sugar amount of the original recipe!).

When the ganache and the butter icing are ready and the cake has cooled to room temperature, it's time to build the log. Roll the cake out again, spread the ganache evenly on top of it, and roll in again. Spread the butter icing on your log and, using a small spatula, create a wood-a-like surface (this was really easy with the butter icing! I just love it!). Decorate with any marzipan figures you like, and sprinkle with some confectioner's sugar. We want some snow for Christmas, don't we?!

I made my marzipan leaves and mushrooms myself. I had planned to buy them, but, well, maybe I just don't know the right places to go in Helsinki - or there aren't any available. At least I couldn't find any. So equipped with some natural-coloured marzipan and a bottle of green and red colour I managed some mushrooms, green leaves, and red berries.

The log can be kept 2-3 days in the fridge (if it fits ;) ), or frozen.

P.S. You can flavour the ganache and the butter icing - next time, I'll use some coffee in both! Or how about orange? Or - well, just consult your Flavour Thesaurus for further ideas!



 

Chocolate Mousse Cake

You know the feeling when you get to eat something divine, ask for the recipe and are lucky enough to get it, try it out yourself – only to be bitterly disappointed with the result? Well, this is what happened to me with an absolutely exquisite chocolate mousse cake. A Portuguese friend of mine had served this tempting and delicious chocolate dessert a few months ago.

After the first failed experiment, I decided not to bake that cake anymore. I just couldn't take the disappointment anymore.

Things recently changed. The reason is that I have been drowning in egg whites that have been left over from pastéis (where you only use the yolks). And I got an idea: what if I used a lot of egg whites in the chocolate mousse cake, instead of whole eggs? Luckily enough, it worked! This cake is fluffy, tasty, and dangerously addictive. Bake at your own risk!

For one cake you need:

• 7-8 egg whites


• 2 eggs, whites and yolks separated


• 150g butter


• 250g dark chocolate


• 200g sugar


• 8g vanilla sugar


• 100g all-purpose flour

First, melt the chocolate and the butter in a saucepan or in the microwave. Add the two egg yolks and stir. Let cool a bit. In the meantime, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add sugar and vanilla sugar gradually and continue beating. Now, add flour and the butter-chocolate-mixture to the egg whites and stir gently so that all ingredients get well combined. Pour into a buttered round cake form and bake in a preheated oven (175C) until the sides set but the center is still a bit liquid, or about 15-20 minutes.

Let the cake cool well and serve it plain or with some vanilla sauce or ice cream. And good coffee, of course!

P.S. I asked my daughter if the cake tasted as good as Orlanda's. "Well, almost", was her honest answer!

Miraculous Two-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse

About two years ago, I was desperately looking for vegan chocolate mousse recipes. I thought I’d tried them all: with avocado, with banana, with silk tofu, with whipped coconut cream – you name it. And yet, all of them were a more or less big disappointment compared to the one and only – you know, 3 eggs, 30 grams butter, 100g dark chocolate, a bit of sugar – the one recipe I haven’t had to look up in the past twenty years or so!

Oddly enough, I never came across this recipe when doing my research last time. I only found this amazingly easy recipe when I was looking for quick chocolate desserts. But on top of being really easy to do, this chocolate mousse also happens to be vegan (provided the dark chocolate you use is vegan). No milk, no eggs, nothing except for dark chocolate, and one secret ingredient.

Curious to know what it is? It isn’t tofu, cream, avocado, or banana. Nothing of the like.

It is… water!

Yes, you read right. All you need to do this perfectly tasty and creamy chocolate mousse is chocolate and H2O.

I like my mousse very bitter, very chocolaty, so I used 75% dark chocolate. If you like it sweeter, use 50% or 60% chocolate and/or add some sugar.

This is what you need for 3 smallish portions:

• 125g dark chocolate


• 100ml water

And this is what to do:

1. Measure the water and chocolate in a saucepan and let melt over a medium heat.

2. Remove from the heat, transfer the melted chocolate into a baking bowl over an ice bath (even very cold water is enough).

3. Now, beat the mixture with a mixer or with a twirl whisk for 2-3 minutes (I used a twirl whisk and it took about 5 minutes), or until the mixture starts to thicken.

4. Transfer it into three espresso cups or other small serving cups and let your mousse set either in the fridge or at the room temperature for a couple of hours before serving!

If you like, you can add something to flavour your mousse – how about coffee mousse, with some instant coffee powder? Or a small amount of Cointreau to give a citric twist?

Chocolate Fondue, the No Effort Way

I’m going to make a confession: Before coming up with this idea I had never eaten chocolate fondue. It’s always been a tempting idea, yet I wasn’t ready to invest money and especially cupboard space in those cute little chocolate fondue pots.

But then I realised you don’t need any fondue pots! You can use espresso cups, and make a hot water bath do the job for you – while you’re eating your main dish, of course!

Use any fresh seasonal fruit or berries to dip in the fondue. I bet at least mango, pineapple, peaches, cherries, and bananas would taste awesome! But now it’s the second last week of (at least organic) strawberry season here in southern Germany, so I didn't have a choice, did I?

For one portion you need:

• 2 Tbsp (non-dairy) heavy cream


• 20g dark (vegan) chocolate


• about 15 fruit pieces or berries to dip in the fondue

First, combine cream and chocolate in espresso cups. Then place the cups in an earthenware oven dish. Fill the dish with boiling water just enough for the cups to be covered until the cream-chocolate-level. (If you happen to have pasta for the main dish, think of using the cooking water to do this! Hugely ecological :) )

Once you’re ready to have your dessert, just stir the chocolate-cream-mixture gently with a spoon and remove from the water bath. Serve with fruit – dip them in the “fondue” with a small dessert fork! And don’t forget a spoon – you’ll need it to scrape the rest of that yummy chocolate…!

Magic Chocolate Fondant

There are a lot of instant chocolate cake recipes around, you know the ones made in a microwave. This moist fondant is inspired by them, but made in a traditional oven – I’m not a big fan of microwave…

Besides, it is a magic dessert that makes itself while you’re enjoying your main dish! Just tuck it in the oven when you're about to start your meal. Remember to set an alarm to 12 minutes, then remove the fondants, place them on serving plates – and when you’re ready with your main dish, the fondant will be just the right temperature to be eaten!

I was astonished that this recipe, that involves no beating, melting, and so on - it only takes 2 minutes to make the batter - resulted in the most perfect fondant I’ve ever managed to bake.

Think of replacing the coconut oil by a neutral tasting one if you’re not a fan of coconut. I just love the rich taste of coconut – but the men in my family don’t ;)

 

For 5 portions you need:

• 3 eggs


• 3 Tbsp yoghurt


• 3 Tbsp coconut oil


• 6 Tbps sugar


• 3 Tbps whole-grain flour


• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder


• a pinch of salt

…and 5 pieces (or 2 if they're very small) of dark chocolate

First, combine eggs, yoghurt, and coconut oil (or sunflower oil) in a baking bowl. Stir with a fork. Then add the rest – sugar, flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and stir again. Ready! Don’t worry if the coconut oil remains a bit lumpy – it will melt in the oven, and you won’t notice a thing.

Now, divide the batter into five silicone muffin forms. Tuck a piece of dark chocolate inside each of them – this will be the liquid core of your fondant. Bake in a preheated oven (190 C) about 12 minutes, or until still not quite set from the inside.

Transfer onto serving plates, decorate with berries and a bit of confectioner’s sugar, and serve!

 



P.S. Just think how altruistic I am – to come up with this perfect recipe, I’ve eaten my way through of at least four less perfect instant chocolate cakes ;) So I do hope you like it :)

Orange Chocolate Cookies

I have to apologize - these are no Plätzchen! But I was craving for something with chocolate to finalize my Christmas cookies selection, so I came up with these quadruple chocolate cookies with lot of orange in them. Besides, the recipe is 100% vegan  - it’s always good to have at least one vegan (and thus also lactose free) option when receiving guests :)

For about 25 small cookies you need:

• 125g vegan margarine


• 1 cup all-purpose flour


• 1,5 tsp baking powder


• 3 Tbsp sugar


• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder


• a pinch of salt


• 8g vanilla sugar


• 1 tsp dried orange peel powder


• 3 Tbsp candied orange, in small cubes


• 100g vegan chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used a mixture of rice milk chocolate, vegan white chocolate, and dark chocolate, about 35g each)


• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice


• about 100g dark chocolate with orange flavour for the coating

Combine all dry ingredients in a baking bowl. Add margarine, cut in small cubes, and work with your fingertips until fine and crumbly. Add orange juice and work the dough into a ball. With your hands, take about walnut-sized pieces of dough and form them into round cookies. Bake in a preheated oven (190 C) about 15 minutes, or until firm from the outside but not too dry form the inside.
Let the cookies cool on a rack. In the meantime, melt the orange-flavoured chocolate in bain-marie or in the microwave. Dip one side of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place on a plate. Let dry before eating or storing!

Bärentatzen, "bear paws"

A German friend of mine specifically asked me to bake Bärentatzen, or bear paws, since her mother doesn't normally bake them. Well, I don't blame her. If you follow the traditional recipe and buy the equipment needed, it's very time-consuming and expensive. But if you take some shortcuts, I do recommend you try baking these marshmallow-like chocolate cookies. They are irresistible!

Chocolate Muffins with Beetroot

Now this is what I’d call a perfect scam. Delicious chocolate muffins - that hide a considerable amount of beetroot in them! So far, I've been unable to motivate my kids to eat beetroot in any form. "It tastes good, just give it a try!" "It's healthy!" "See, it's pink, you love pink, don't you?" None of this would work. But today, they were begging for more!

Thanks to the beetroot, the muffins are very moist. Yet you don’t taste the presence of anything unusual. You have to try it out yourself to believe.. For a vegan version, change butter to vegan margarine, cream to a vegan cream, and leave the egg out.

For six muffins, you need:

• 90g butter


• 90g dark chocolate


• 150g cooked beetroot, pureed


• 80g sugar


• 20g cocoa powder


• 100g whole-grain spelt flour


• 1 egg


• 1,5 tsp baking powder


• 1 tsp vanilla sugar

Plus for the topping:

• 50ml heavy cream


• 50g sugar


• 10g dark chocolate

Set your oven to 200C. Melt butter with chocolate in a pan and set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, and baking powder in a bowl. Add sugar and vanilla sugar, then chocolate-butter mixture, egg, and beetroot. Mix until smooth. Bake in a muffin pan for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool on a rack.

In the meantime, prepare the topping:

Measure all ingredients in a pan. Heat until sugar and chocolate have melted in the cream, then let cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture slightly thickens. Set aside, let cool a minute or two (so that you won't burn your fingers when spreading the topping) and using a spoon, spread over the muffins.

Serve with your favourite warm drink!

Chocolate Ice Cream

As most Finns, I eat a lot of ice cream. Or I used to, until I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance. That meant no milk, yoghurt, cream - or ice cream for a long, long time. Then some eight years ago I got an ice cream machine as birthday present! Cool! I could do all kinds of sorbets and soy-based ice creams myself. But when the first lactose free ice creams appeared on the supermarket shelves, I didn’t feel motivated to continue my own production - until I moved to Germany where even most of the sorbets have added lactose in them! Good news for my abandoned Krups Sorbetière - now she’s got something to do again.

I’ve tried a lot of different recipes so far, and this very creamy, very chocolatey one here is among my absolute favourites.

For a portion that fits into my sorbetière, I need:

• 200g dark chocolate


• 500ml double cream, divided


• 200ml milk (I use 3,8% fat)


• some sugar, depending on how bitter your chocolate is and how sweet you like your ice-cream


• optional: 2 Tbsp of any liquor of your liking (Amaretto, Cointreau..)

Bring 300ml cream to a boil in a pan. Set aside and put in the chocolate and sugar. Let melt, then add the milk. Pour into a recipient with a lid, then set in your fridge for a couple of hours. About 30 minutes before serving, whip the rest of the cream into chantilly, add liquor (if using), mix with the chocolate-cream mixture, and prepare the ice-cream according to the instructions of your ice-cream maker. Serve as a dessert - or as part of your Sunday brunch!