Coffee chocolate cake / Chocolate cake (for) coffee.

After last week filled with crazy temperatures, unusual heat and so much sunshine that even my sun batteries went to overheat mode, I'm really looking forward to fall. I never thought I would ever say it, since summer is my favorite season but this year I feel like I have had enough and with a big smile on my face looking forward to a bit colder season.

This summer was super intense, with traveling, working, summer visitors and overdue get-togethers with friends. So finally when this weekend seemed to be empty, I sighed with relief - ufff.... Maybe I will find a little moment to catch up with dusted-over hobbies...?

And a lazy weekend like this calls for something sweet. No more fruity cakes, sweet ice creams or sour sorbets - this weekend we are craving chocolate in big amounts, a cake that would go well with a cup of coffee or ...  why not combine those two into a coffee chocolate cake?

Coffee Brownies
prep time 15min, baking time 30min

125g dark chocolate
125g butter
150 g flour
1 teaspoon spoon baking powder
3 eggs
150g sugar
50g wallnuts
3 tblsp strong coffee
*opt 80g raisins/cherries

1. Melt chocolate in a thick-bottomed pan. Add butter constantly mixing.
2. In a separate bowl, beat 3 eggs with sugar for about 5min. Add melted chocolate/butter, then flour, baking powder, nuts, raisins and coffee.
3. Pour into previously buttered baking form (see picture). Bake for 30min in 180 degrees.

The idea comes from my brownie book, as usual slightly modified. Since before baking I quickly cleaned  the cabinets and found there some dry cherries, they also ended up in the cake, adding a nice touch of moist fruity taste to the deliciously dry chocolate-coffee substrate. 

A feel good cake, or brownies at work.

Brownies, or chocolate cake is the very first cake I remember baking myself. I still remember the piece of paper on which I wrote the recipe, slightly yellow and with grease stains from the ingredients. I got it from a friend of mine who mastered the cooking skills way before me. She could instantaneously or using her magical powers make a big plate of crepes, hot cocoa, or chocolate cake. In my house I never even dared starting the oven - mom and dad were responsible for feeding us and I always knew that I'll learn when the right time comes.

The right time didn't come for a while until one day I met this very special someone that loves homemade meals... No other choice - and that's how I fell in love with mixing, tasting, and the idea of offering every single day something made with love....

I don't have anymore the little faded piece of paper with the chocolate cake recipe. I remember it's taste and many times try to recreate it. No success so far.

This attempt was a 'happy bday' cake for someone at work. I'm very lucky to work in a big office with 20-something people and many many birthdays to bake for. Who knows maybe one day I manage to recreate that cake I remember, meantime discovering many others....?

Brownies - a feel good cake.
prep time 10min, baking time 35min

120g flour
1/2 tea spoon baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa
150 g butter
250g sugar
80g nuts (hazelnuts or walnuts) chopped
4 eggs (beaten)
200 g dark chocolate (150g melted + 50 g chopped into small pieces)


1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and flour an 35x 30cm baking pan.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder and cocoa.
3. Melt butter and sugar on low heat constantly stirring. When well combined set aside to cool.
4. In a separate pan, also on very low heat, melt 150g of chocolate then set aside to cool.
5. In a mixer, beat eggs (about 3min) then add butter/sugar/baking powder, constantly mixing. When all well combined add melted chocolate and then slowly flour mix, hazelnuts and chopped chocolate.
6.Spread batter into prepared pan and put to bake for 35min. 

This recipe comes from my very first cooking book Pascal Brodnicki ' just cook' vol 2. It reminds me a bit the American brownies and they definitely make everyone feel good!

TGIF and chocolate cake for adults

Friday - the hole weekend ahead of me. Ever since I remember Friday evenings were longer than all the other evenings. They're more stretchy, they melt and flow. Get back from work, having the hole evening ahead of me, then a bunch more hours in the couple weekends days to fill. What to do, what to do.....

Just a quick check of emails, speedy tour of cyber news, a glance at my to do at home list and then I'm off to the world of Swedish crime, just a few pages left  before I can start a new journey of another crime novel. The tea is ready, the white chair too....

There is no dessert to go along with the tea, surviving on some swiss chocolates instead, and the the memories of one chocolate cake....

My multiple experiments proved that chocolate is good all year long... The judges? The crowd at work, who never says no to brought the next day half eaten cakes, cookies or muffins. When I entered the office with a bag and a box inside, I see big smiles, still half awake eyes that shine. Then, almost immediately it's coffee time, and what goes better with morning coffee then a slice of deliciousness? Some chocolate recipes are more successful then others but nothing ever lasts all day. And that's exactly how I know how successful the recipe was....

My newest creation was gone is 60 seconds. Never had so much success.... Everything except the last bite - no one ever wants to eat the last piece....

 (picture of just few pieces of cake shortly after it  the big part was devoured. Other pics temporarily unavailable)

Chocolate Cake (for adults)
prep time 35min, baking time 35min

140g of prunes
4tbsp of Kirsch (or other cherry alcohol)
100g of butter
2tbsp of cocao
140g of dark chocolate, chopped (I used one with almonds)
100g og caster sugar
50g of muscovado sugar
4 large eggs (2 with separate eggs/yolks)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
100g of ground almonds
1tbsp of plain flour

1. Heat over to 180C. Gently heat the prunes and cherry alcohol over a low heat until hot. Remove from the heat and leave for about 1 hour or until prunes have absorbed almost all of the liquid. Whizz the prunes and any remaining buzz in a food processor until roughly chopped.
2. Prepare the tin (round, 20cm) - butter and dust with 1tbsp of cocao. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. When all melted, put aside and cool. Add prunes mix.
3. Combine the sugars, 2 eggs and 2 yolks until pale, thick and double in volume. Fold the chocolate mixture and vanilla into the egg mixture - add ground almonds, flour and remaining cocao.
4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the mixture. Pour all into the tin, bake for 20-25min, or until a light crust has formed. Cool and serve!

As said - a big success. The cake keeps the moisture inside, and the kirch/prune combination is to die for! I call it for adults, because even after the cherry alcohol evaporates, it still leaves a sweet note of cherry ...
The original recipe comes from this months issue of Good Food. It came with a booklet of 40 cakes, so I guess I'm not done with experimenting with chocolate!

Chocolate oatmeal balls

Weekend has passed too quickly again.

 

Friday can’t get here fast enough; in my mental calendar each weekday is seen based on its relation and distance to Friday. Wednesday is two units away from Friday, Thursday means almost weekend. And then suddenly it’s Friday 6pm, I’m almost skipping instead of walking. Just a tram way away from the weekend, patiently sitting and looking out of the window with many others like me – tired but with a tiny spark in their eyes – so called weekend happiness.

 

Nothing on the agenda, yet so much to do. Is it all going to fit into my weekend? Laundry, quick visit to the supermarket, chat with the neighbor in the staircase, phonecall to my best friend, walk by the lake, reorganizing the tall stack of papers, an afternoon with books and cookies, a lazy nap….? Shouldn’t Saturday and Sunday by law have more hours in them? Maybe then I would fit in them then an extra hour with the French vocabulary and some jogging…?

 

And suddenly, it’s Monday again. Sitting by the same computer, with a second cup of tea. Weekend still so close, I can almost feel the coziness of it, the sun sneaking through the gaps of the curtains, and the taste of the freshly baked chocolate oatmeal balls. So close yet so far already.....

 

 

 

Back to reality - with longing looks at the calendar on my desk – Monday, 4 days away from Friday, 4 early mornings before the solace of another weekend…..

 

 

 

Chocolate Oatmeal Balls 

prep time 15min, baking time 10min

 

130g of cane sugar

300g of rolled oats
125 g of butter
1 egg 

5 tbl spoons of milk

2 tea spoons of vanilla sugar
1 cup of flour (self raising or regular + a teaspoon of baking soda)
50 grams of dark chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Melt butter, sugar, and chocolate in a deep pot. Add rolled oats and stir until all liquid ingredients are well absorbed (about 10min on low heat)

2. When cooled off - transfer to a bowl with previously mixed flower and vanilla sugar. Add egg and milk, then stir until all well mixed together.

3. Roll little balls (use more flour if the consistency is too sticky) - the size of a big walnut, then bake for 10min.

 

The inspiration for this recipe comes from this blog. It’s one of those things that I’ve been longing for for years, without realizing it. And then I saw it and could almost taste it. I’ve altered the proportions; it somehow seemed more true to more childhood memories. The result – yummy! And I guess it’s a kind of healthy dessert with all the rolled oats…..