Tag Archives: chocolate

Chocolate Roulade with Raspberry Filling

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Emily

I have a tendency to make things really complicated on myself. When I complete something small, it’s as if a green light goes off to try and accomplish something tediously complex. Sometimes this doesn’t work out as well as the dreamed up plan. It usually ends in stress, disappointment, and sometimes the idea will cease because of sheer boredom for the tedious task.

Generally this is my problem when it comes to art. I’ll concoct these elaborate ideas and pieces in my head, full of color and abstract angles. Pieces that would generally take weeks to complete, but I imagine it to be smooth sailing- a frameworthy picture in days. The concept is hilarious. For one, I’m a heavy user of graphite, and quite afraid of colored pencils and paints. And two, because I work mostly in realism and photo references, most dreamed up fantasy work would explode and turn to mush once I transfered it from brain to paper.

For whatever reason though, even if every art project I tried disintegrated before my very eyes, I still go full force at the next idea that pops into my mind. Maybe it’s incredibly foolish, maybe it’s brave, or daring. Or perhaps it’s because, once in a blue moon, I am able to complete some sort of crazy idea in my head.

I’ve always been into drawing human anatomy, from brains, to bones, to the heart. If my other career choices didn’t work out, I wouldn’t mind going into medical illustration.

In my human biology class, we were given a project that required a diagram of the human heart. I decided to go all out in trying to complete a full blown, realistic interpretation of a heart, while doing two things I normally never do- use color, and have it poster sized. I dusted off my tin of colored pencils, all still sharpened and arranged in rainbow order. It took over 12 hours, a lot of frustration, and layers and layers of shades of blue and red. After all the work, it ended in a product I was immensely proud of, and received a total of three extra credit points. While the payout wasn’t quite as satisfying, it was being able to complete something that I normally do not that made it all worth it. A picture of the finish product can be found here.

Baking this roulade was similar to the drawing of the heart. The task was evidently lined up for failure, being such a complex and daunting cake. From start to finish the whole thing took much longer than anticipated, a big jump from baking simple cupcakes several weeks ago. However, it is yet another experience to tuck away. I mean, how many people can say they know what a roulade is, as well as baking one?

Chocolate Roulade with Raspberry Filling
Adapted from Absolutely Chocolate

Ingredients

For the chocolate sponge cake:

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbs. warm water
Softened butter for the pan
Flour for the pan
9 large eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/8 oz. (6 Tbs.) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted; more for dusting
1/8 tsp. table salt

For the raspberry filling and sauce

12-oz. package frozen raspberries, thawed
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. granulated sugar; more to taste
Table salt
5 oz. (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter, completely softened at room temperature
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice; more to taste

For the chocolate glaze:

3 Tbs. heavy cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 1-1/2 Tbs. water
1-1/2 oz. (1/2 cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp. unflavored powdered gelatin

Directions

Cake:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the warm water. Let cool to room temperature.

Grease the bottom of an 18×13-inch rimmed baking sheet (a standard half sheet pan) with the softened butter. Line the pan with parchment; butter and then flour the parchment.

With an electric mixer, whip the egg yolks in a large bowl on medium-high speed until light in color and beginning to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes in a stand mixer, or 3 to 5 min. with a hand mixer. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar and whip until very thick and pale yellow, about 2 min. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate. With a rubber spatula, stir in the cocoa and salt until blended.

In a clean, dry bowl with clean, dry beaters (any grease will keep the whites from whipping), whip the egg whites with an electric mixer at medium speed until they’re frothy and begin to increase in volume, about 30 seconds. In a steady stream, add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Increase the speed to medium high and whip until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 min. in a stand mixer, or 4 to 6 min. with a hand mixer.

With a rubber spatula, fold the whites into the chocolate mixture in two equal additions. You can fold in the first half vigorously to lighten the yolks, but fold in the second half gently, mixing just until the batter is evenly colored with no streaks of white. Don’t overmix. Scrape the batter into the baking pan, gently spreading and smoothing it to make sure it’s level. Bake until the top springs back lightly when touched, 22 to 25 min.

Meanwhile, spread a clean dishtowel (at least as big as the cake pan) on the counter. Using a sieve, dust the towel with cocoa powder, completely covering it (this will keep the cake from sticking to the towel as it cools).

Filling and Sauce:

Put the thawed raspberries in a food processor and process until completely puréed. Pass the purée through a fine sieve to strain out the seeds. You should have about 1 cup of purée.

Fill a wide pot or straight-sided skillet with 1 to 2 inches of very hot water. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites, 1/2 cup of the sugar sugar and a generous pinch of salt until blended. Set the bowl in the pot of hot water; make sure the water comes up to at least the level of the mixture in the bowl. Whisk until the mixture is almost hot (about 120°F), about 90 seconds. Take the bowl out of the water. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whipe the whites until cool and thick, 2 to 3 min. Reduce to medium speed, add the butter, 1 Tbs. at a time, and mix until the butter is completely incorporated. The filling should be soft and loose; it will firm up as it chills. (If it seems very runny, refrigerate it for up to 20 min.) With the mixer on low speed, blend in 2 Tbs. of the raspberry purée and the liqueur. Set the filling aside.

Make the sauce by stirring together the remaining raspberry purée, the remaining 2 Tbs. sugar, the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Add more sugar or lemon juice to taste.

Glaze:

In a large saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, 1/2 cup of the water, and the cocoa. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, whisking often, until very thick, like hot fudge sauce, 8 to 10 minutes from when the mixture began simmering. Pay close attention: This mixture boils over easily. Remove the pan from the heat. While the mixture is cooling, bloom the gelatin in the remaining 1-1/2 Tbs. of water. Melt the bloomed gelatin over very hot water or in the microwave. Whisk the gelatin into the chocolate mixture and strain the glaze through a medium sieve into a metal bowl. Let the glaze cool at room temperature until thick but still pourable, about 5 to 10 min.; the glaze should be about 110° to 120°F. (If you’ve made the cake ahead, unwrap it and put it on a rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet.)

Pour the glaze over the roulade, using an offset spatula to help the glaze cover the top and sides evenly. Don’t worry about covering the ends; they’ll be trimmed later. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 30 min. or up to 4 hours.

The glaze will have “glued” the roulade to the rack, so slide a metal spatula between it and the rack to release it. Transfer the roulade to a serving platter, using two large offset spatulas to get underneath and pressing the spatulas against the rack as you go. Trim the ends of the roulade. Fill a tall container with hot water and have a dishtowel handy so that you can clean and dry the knife after cutting each slice. Using a long, sharp knife, cut 3/4-inch straight slices, or cut pieces on an angle, rinsing and drying the knife after each slice. Garnish with raspberry sauce and a spoonful of whipped cream.

3 Comments

Posted in Cake, Desserts and tagged chocolate, chocolate cake, raspberry, raspberry filling, roulade. Bookmark the permalink.

Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Emily

I have a confession: I’m slightly addicted to ganache.
It’s my guilty pleasure. Ever since the bakery moved into the plaza 10 minutes from my house, I’ve been hooked. I’d walk the guide dog I was training down to the shop, and grab myself a muffin, or eat the free samples of cake, or stare at the beautifully arranged tortes.

But, the best dessert of the whole bakery are these gluten free brownies, which taste like a blend of fudge and a dense brownie. On top there is a thick layer of rich, creamy ganache, where it is kept slightly chilled. At only a dollar each, it’s hard to keep myself from buying the whole batch, but usually I’d gather up some sort of self control and treat myself to a single brownie. Then I eat it as slow as humanly possible.

A friend of mine asked if he could make cupcakes with my help. I loved the idea, especially because it gave me an excuse to make this one recipe I had been eying that I had found on the Martha Stewart website. The idea of cupcakes covered in bittersweet ganache made my mouth water. So we went shopping for the ingredients I didn’t already have and went with it.

But holy cow, my friend cannot cook. I love the kid, but it was probably the funniest thing that day watching him try to figure things out. When trying to put sugar into a measuring cup, he scooped tiny spoonfuls into it and asked, “is this enough”?

The cup was 3/4 full.

Overall though he was a great help. It was interesting trying to scoop the batter into the paper cups, since I don’t own an ice cream scooper that is a half circle. Instead, we took giant ladles and transfered it to the cups, catching the drips with a spoon. It took us a while until we were able to successfully learn the lag time between scooping, dripping, and transferring.

The cakes turned out nice and dark thanks to the cocoa, and were really moist. The ganache frosting was delicious, creamy, and tasted similar to the bakery’s frosting. The only problem was the little bumps in the frosting, and although it didn’t taste rough or lumpy, it did make them look a bit odd close up. But, I’m sure no one was staring at them, but instead trying to see how fast they could shove them in their mouths. At least, that was my brother’s goal.

Ganache fix: satisfied.

Devil’s Food Cupcakes
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Cupcake- Makes around 30

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

Frosting- Makes 4 cups

1 pound good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup corn syrup

Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.
Beginning near the center and working outward, stir melted chocolate into cream until mixture is combined and smooth (do not overstir).

Refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes, until frosting just barely begins to hold its shape and is slightly lighter in color. Use immediately (ganache will continue to thicken after you stop stirring

To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and garnish with chocolate curls just before serving.

1 Comment

Posted in Cupcakes, Desserts and tagged chocolate, Cupcakes, devil's food, ganache, ganache frosting. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Glazed Éclairs

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Emily

The best kind of snowdays are the ones you don’t expect. All your homework is complete, it’s hardly snowing at 11pm, and the fact that you live in Michigan basically means you’ll be snowshoeing yourself to school no matter how many inches fall.
You don’t see it coming at all. You wake up, turn on the lights, squint at the sudden flash of brightness burning your eyes, and look in the mirror. Just to humor yourself, you decide to check if school might be closed. And it is. That’s the perfect snowday.

I was snowed in, literally. The back door freezes up when it snows and there was too much piled up-blocking the side door. Not that I minded, though, wandering out in a blizzard of falling flakes isn’t my idea of fun. Instead, I laid on my couch wrapped in a blanket, watching reruns of That 70′s Show and doodling in my sketch book. I love these kind of lazy days, where you don’t really have any responsibilities or worries. Where most people freak out when they feel as if they wasted a day, easy-going days like this remind me that I’m still a kid, and my time to be such is running out.

Eclairs take a while to make, but with the whole day I wasn’t worried about messing up. Overall the process of making these guys wasn’t difficult, though I’ll admit when the dough started sizzling on the bottom of the pan after adding flour I began to slightly freak out. Piping them out was the most fun. As a non-baker, I’ve never piped anything out of a pastry bag before. I took to it with a goofy smile on my face and, too afraid to squeeze too hard, completely destroyed my first squiggle of shell. But after the first few I got the hand of it, and I was able to create somewhat uniform shells.

But were they tasty once they came out of the oven, filled with cream and drizzled in ganache? Let’s just say I probably won’t be buying the frozen ones in the grocery store for a while.

Messy is an understatement. But these guys tasted amazing, so I didn’t mind. Oddly enough, my brother refused to eat one. While my mother and I were chowing down, we’d offer, but he’d say no and go downstairs into his man cave. It wasn’t until the second day when I asked him again that he accepted. I arranged an eclair and handed him the plate, and he took a bite out of the pastry. With slight anticipation I asked, “Aren’t they good?”, which he sighed and replied, “Yes”. No one can turn down these, their chocolaty coating calls to you.

Bittersweet Chocolate Glazed Eclairs
From Absolutely Chocolate

Makes about 12 eclairs

Pastry Shells

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut parchment paper to fit a 13×18-inch baking sheet. Using a pencil, draw three sets of two lines spaced three inches apart, running the length of the parchment. These will be guidelines for piping the eclair dough. Place in baking sheet pencil side down.

In a medium saucepan, bring the butter, salt, and 1 cup of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously to combine. Continue to stir, using a figure-eight motion and smearing the dough against the side of the pan to cook the flour and work out any lumps, for 2 minutes. The mixture will be think and look like sticky mashed potatoes that pull away from the sides. During this process, it’s normal for a thin layer of dough to stick to the bottom of the pan and sizzle.

Scrape dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On low speed, mix until the dough feels warm to the touch, not hot, 3-5 minutes.

With the mixer on low, beat in the eggs one at a time. After the dough pulls back together (the dough will separate into “curds” after each egg is added) increase speed to mix the dough well. Reduce speed to low before adding the next egg.

Scrape the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe 3 inches of dough in a tight zigzag pattern. Bake until golden brown, 45-50 minutes. Cool completely before filling or storing.

Vanilla Pastry Cream

1 cup whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons table salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Warm milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear. Meanwhile, in a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Add the cornstarch and salt and whisk well. Pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking until it thickens to the consistency of think pudding, about 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and scrape the cream into a large, clean metal bowl. Whisk in the vanilla and then lay plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

When ready to serve, combine:

1 cup heavy cream, well chilled
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

with an electric mixer until fluffy and forms soft peaks that fold over when whisk lifted. Be sure not to overwhip the cream or it will curdle when you fold into custard.

Whick the vanilla pastry cream until smooth then gently whisk in about one third of the whipped cream over the mixture and, using the whisk in a folding action, gently blend the two until the mixture is smooth.

Bittersweet ganache glaze

1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (55-63% bittersweet)
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

In a small saucepan, warm the cream over medium heat until it begins to simmer around the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate pieces an the corn syrup. Let stand for 5-7 minutes and then stir until smooth.

Finally, assemble!

2 Comments

Posted in Desserts and tagged chocolate, chocolate eclairs, eclairs, ganache. Bookmark the permalink.