Sasha's Kitchen: Mini Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes

This was my first attempt at making a molten chocolate lava cake. The recipe came from the cookbook Rose's Heavenly Cakes, the bible on cake baking. The result was delicious but the lava didn't flow quite as much as I had hoped. The recipe calls for a souffle cake, with a molten dark chocolate ganache center. I think the key to getting the chocolate in the center to flow is using 60-62% cacao dark chocolate for the center. However, I had some fabulous 72% dark chocolate from my visit to the Mast Brothers' chocolate factory in Williamsburg, so I went with that. The result was delicious, but I'd like it to flow a bit more next time.


Rose's Molten Chocolate Souffle and Lava Cakes
Ganache Center
2 oz dark chocolate (60-62% cacao)
1/4 cup plus 2T (3oz) heavy cream

Batter
1.5 oz dark chocolate (60-62%)
1/4 cup plus 1/2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
3T unsalted butter
3 large eggs, separated, plus one large egg white
3 T creme fraiche or heavy cream
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3 1/2 T granulated sugar

First, make the ganache centers. Melt the chocolate using a double boiler, stirring frequently with a silicon spatula. Do this over simmering water and do not let the bottom of the container with the chocolate actually touch the water.

Heat the cream until warm and gradually stir the chocolate into the cream. Line an egg create with plastic wrap and press into the cavities of the egg create. Pour a spoonful of the ganache into nine cavities. Cover with a second piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours until firm enough to mold into balls. Refrigerate balls until ready to bake the cakes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees before preparing the cake batter. Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate, cocoa and butter for the batter. Whisk together the yolks and creme fraiche. Lightly whisk 1/2 cup of the egg whites for easier pouring. Measure out 2 T of the egg whites an stir these into the chocolate mixture.

Beat the remaining egg whites in your mixer using a whisk attachment until foamy on medium speed. Add the cream of tartar and raise the speed to high. Continue beating until soft peaks form and gradually beat in the sugar, continuing beating until stiff peaks form. Using a wire whisk, stir in the chocolate mixture into the egg whites and fold in the remainder.

Using nine 3 oz silicon molds or 4 7 oz silicon cupcake containers, fill each three quarters fill with the chocolate souffle batter. Gently place the cold ganache balls in the center of each, but avoid pushing them down.  Bake the cakes for 10 minutes in the 3 oz containers or 14 minutes in the 4 oz containers.

Cool the cakes for 20-30 minutes until they have pulled away slightly from the edges. Carefully invert and gently un-mold each. When ready to serve, reheat each cake for 10-15 seconds on high power in the microwave.

Sasha's Kitchen: Mini Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Vanilla-Dark Chocolate Cupcakes and Dr Seuss Cupcakes

More cute cupcakes? But of course! A couple of weeks ago, I visited Brooklyn's Mast Brothers Chocolate factory and tasting room where they make delicious, vegan bean to bar craft dark chocolate.  I bought some dark chocolate chips (really pellets) for use in making vanilla dark chocolate chip cupcakes because I liked the chocolate there so much. You can read my post about my visit and tour of Mast Brothers here.

At any rate, I was initially intending on making a series of Dr Seuss cupcakes with these but my vision on creating the designs I wanted wasn't well thought out enough. I am sure I will get back to doing that series one of these days soon. I did do one Cat In The Hat cupcake design which is featured below, before simply making some pretty and delicious teal cupcakes with the vanilla and dark chocolate flavors. I still plan on doing Thing One and Thing Two and a better cat in the hat, as well as green eggs and ham for a future cupcake series that is all-Seuss.

Sasha's Vanilla Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour plus 1 tsp
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 stick butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2/3 of a cup Mast Brothers' chocolate chips, chopped in a nut chopper

Frosting
1 1/2 stick of butter
4 oz lowfat cream cheese
1 small box (about four cups) confectioner's sugar
drop of teal colored gel food coloring
Fondant and red gel food coloring (if you wish to make Dr Seuss hats)

To make the cupcakes, beat together the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes at high speed in a stand mixer until smooth. Then, beat in the eggs, one by one, followed by the vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients (minus the extra teaspoon of flour) in a bowl and then add the dry ingredients to the mixer, alternating with the mix, and mix until combined and smooth. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full (this makes about 15-16 cupcakes). Chop the chocolate in a nut chopper and mix with the tsp of flour to coat. The flour keeps them suspended and from all sinking to the bottom of the cupcakes. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean (the cupcakes should not brown or the bottoms will be burnt).

Beat the ingredients for the frosting in a stand mixer until smooth. Add a drop of teal food coloring and beat until combined and fluffy. Pipe with a frosting bag.

Sasha's Kitchen: Vanilla-Dark Chocolate Cupcakes and Dr Seuss Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Visit to Mast Brothers Chocolate

I live in Park Slope, but recently I've discovered some great places in Williamsburg/Dumbo as well. A couple weekends ago, my husband and I visited and took a tour of brooklyn's "bean to bar" craft chocolate producer, Mast Brothers Chocolate.  You can buy tickets for the tours, which cost about $10 here.

At Mast Brothers, they make all of their lovely wrapped chocolate bars on site from start to finish. All are different types of vegan dark chocolate. Some of my favorites include Madagascar, Fleur de Sel, Almonds & Sea Salt, Hazelnut and Serrano peppers - all ingredients lovingly mixed with handmade dark chocolate.

Mast Brothers uses the bean to bar approach, which means all of the dark chocolate is made directly from cacao beans, by extracting the cocoa right here in Brooklyn. The whole process uses the finest organic ingredients, a wholesome handcrafted approach and some beautifully wrapped chocolate bars. We enjoyed the tour to learn how the chocolates are made, and tasted all of their delicious dark chocolates in the tasting room. Below are some pictures from the time we spent there.

Above is a picture of me with some of the chocolate, while below is one of the cacao pods. Chocolate is made from the beans inside. There is also a bit of fruit inside which apparently tastes like mango. Who knew?

Below is where they wrap and package the chocolate.

Mixing, from the ground up beans . . .

Tempering of the chocolate, below . . .

Sasha's Kitchen: Visit to Mast Brothers Chocolate

Sasha's Kitchen: Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee

Dark chocolate is my favorite kind of chocolate. I like milk chocolate alright, I suppose, but when I get a chocolate craving, it is almost always for dark chocolate.  I often use dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate in baking and in fondues, so I decided that it was time to experiment with a dark chocolate creme brluee, since I have tried just about every other kind of creme brulee since investing in my mini kitchen torch.  Creme brulee is quite easy to make and if you are craving chocolate and brulee, this actually isn't as hard to make as it might sound. I'm planning on working on a new chocolate recipe tomorrow, before venturing to New Hampshire for the long weekend - chocolate peanut butter mascarpone brownies, so stay tuned for that recipe, sometime next week.

Sasha's Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz dark chocolate (start with small pellets)
4 egg yolks
1 T sugar

To prepare this recipe, heat the cream over medium heat and dissolve the chocolate.  It should not boil, but should simmer until the chocolate is dissolved, as you stir constantly.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and vanilla and add to the cream mixture.

In the meantime, bring a pot of water to boil.  Place four creme brulee dishes in a roasting pan and add the brulee mixture to each dish, filling to the top.  Then, very carefully, add the hot water to the pan filling it to the middle of the outside of each brulee dish.  This is easier than it sounds - be careful not to get any water in the brulees themselves, or they will be ruined.  Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes until firm.  Then chill for two hours.  Sprinkle the top of each brluee with an even coat of sugar and use your creme brluee torch to caramelize the sugar.  This was decadent and delicious!

Sasha's Kitchen: Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee