Chocolate Earthquake Cookies

This morning in Berkeley, CA, we had a loud rattling earthquake. It was a 4.1 which isn't really all that strong, but my house was close to the epicenter, so we felt it. My cat and I were enjoying a cup of tea--well, I was--when things started to rock and roll. Nothing broke or fell off, but it was loud and shaking.  So today to relieve a little tension on the fault and in my kitchen, I'm baking up some Chocolate Earthquake Cookies. Earthquake Cookies are called that because of the cracking on the top of these great chocolate cookies.

CHOCOLATE EARTHQUAKE COOKIES

Ingredients
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 ounces dark high quality chocolate (65-75% cacao)
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp Madegascar vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions
Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan on top of saucepan with simmering water.
Remove from heat. Cool.
In large bowl, whisk eggs until well beaten.
Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture.
Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until smooth.
Chill until firm, 2-24 hours
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter one-two baking sheets.
Put powdered sugar in small bowl.
Using teaspoon or small cookie baller, take a lump of cookie dough & roll into ball.
Roll ball in powdered sugar to coat. Place on baking sheet.
Bake 12 minutes.
Cool slightly before removing to wire rack to finish cooling.

Prosecco Chocolate Cake: National Prosecco Day!

Today is National Prosecco Day, and since I love Prosecco, I had to pair it with chocolate. Here's an easy recipe for Prosecco Chocolate Cake. 

Prosecco is an affordable, versatile, appealing, good-quality sparkling wine. The difference between Prosecco and Champagne: 

Sparkling wine can only be referred to as champagne when it originates from the Champagne region of France. Prosecco is specific to the Veneto region in northern Italy. In terms of technique, the two are also made in different ways: for both wines, the grapes are fermented twice, but with prosecco, at least one fermentation takes place in a stainless-steel vat. Champagne is fermented twice in the bottle.

Prosecco Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 cup DARK cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar (superfine is best, regular is ok), divided
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup Prosecco
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
7 large egg yolks
7 large egg whites, at room temperature

Directions
Preheat oven to 325F. Use an ungreased 10" Bundt Pan.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar (reserving 2 Tbsp), baking powder, and salt.
In medium bowl, whisk together champagne, vegetable oil, vanilla, and egg yolks, then pour into dry ingredients and whisk until just smooth.
In another large bowl, using electric mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Add remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar gradually, starting when whites begin to get foamy.
Once egg whites have reached stiff peaks (do not overheat), gently whisk 1/4 of egg whites into Prosecco batter. Gently, working in two additions, fold remaining beaten whites into Prosecco batter until no streaks of egg white foam remain visible and batter is uniform color. Be sure to scrape sides and bottom of bowl well.
Pour into ungreased bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until top of cake springs back when gently touched and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Invert onto wire rack and let cool completely.
Once cooled, run knife around the edges and turn cake out onto a serving platter.
Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa.

Serve with whipped cream and a glass of Prosecco

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TARTE: Raspberry Tart Day!

So many raspberries this season, and so many recipes. Here's yet another for Raspberry Tart Day. Raspberry Tart day is not to be confused with Raspberry Cream Pie Day! I favor Driscoll's Berries, especially since I can find them in the market year round. I live in California, so that's pretty easy. Driscoll's Berries are always sweet and fresh. I love raspberries!

So in honor of the day, here's a recipe for a Chocolate Raspberry Tarte (or Tart)! This recipe is adapted from the Art and Soul of Baking cookbook. Of course, I make a chocolate crust! The crust in this recipe is not the usual one I make from chocolate cookie wafers. This one is made using cocoa powder, and you'll taste the difference. Of course, use only the best ingredients -- the very best cocoa. The original recipe calls for making 15 tiny tartlettes, but you can also make one big tart (or a pie, if you only have a pie pan). A tart is usually made in a shallow fluted pan, usually with a removal bottom -- a tart pan. Tarts rarely have an upper crust.

For the jam at the end, I use Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves, one of my favorites. Of course, if you make your own raspberry or strawberry jam, you'll want to use that!

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TART!

Ingredients
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
3/4 cup raspberry jam (or strawberry)
4 ounces dark chocolate (65-75% cacao), chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces fresh raspberries
1/2 tsp water
powdered sugar

Directions
Beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Use spatula to scrape down bowl and beat another minute if there are lumps of butter. Add egg yolk, beat well, and scrape down sides.
Add flour and cocoa powder. Beat on low speed until dough comes together (but still has small to medium clumps) and looks moist with dark uniform color. Scrape down bowl. Use spatula to incorporate anything not mixed in.
Put dough in tart pan with removable bottom (or pie pan, if that's all you have). Press dough evenly along bottom and up sides of pan. (as with any pie dough, if it isn't working for you, stick it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes)
Use knife to cut off dough that is above top of pan (save left over dough for repairs). Put dough filled tart pan in fridge for 30 minutes. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in lower third. Place dough filled pan on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and use any leftover dough to repair cracks. Bake another 8 minutes.
Remove tart pan to cooling rack and use rounded side of a spoon to press center down and make more room for filling. Let cool completely (in fridge, if you have to).
Put aside Tbsp of jam in small bowl. Spoon rest of jam to cover bottom of tart crust.
Put chocolate in heatproof bowl. Put heavy cream in small saucepan. Heat cream until it just starts to boil, then pour over chocolate. Begin whisking to blend completely and melt all chocolate. Pour ganache into crust.
Refrigerate tart for 1 hour or until filling is firm. Remove from fridge and arrange raspberries on top of tart.
Mix reserved Tbsp of jam with 1/2 tsp of water and heat in microwave for about 15 seconds. Brush jam mixture onto tops of arranged raspberries (just a little to make them shiny).
Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Optional: Sift with powdered sugar before serving.

S'MORES SWIRL BUNDT CAKE: National S'mores Day!

Summertime and the Living is Easy. Summertime is all about S'mores, so it's not surprising that today is National S'mores Day! Celebrate by making this twist on S'mores: S'mores Swirl Bundt Cake. I found this recipe in an old issue of Country Living Magazine. S'mores Swirl Bundt Cake is easy to make and the final product is delicious. I've adapted this recipe by reducing the sugar in the cake because I thought it was a bit too sweet.

S'MORES SWIRL BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients 
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled 
2 1/4 tsp baking powder 
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt 
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 
1 - 1 1/4 cup sugar 
4 large eggs, at room temperature 
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract 
3/4 cup whole milk 

Nonstick baking spray, for pan 

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted 

1/2 cup fine graham cracker crumbs (from about 2 1/2 crackers) 

Chocolate sauce, crushed graham crackers, and mini-marshmallows, for serving 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in the middle position. Coat a 10 - to 12-cup Nordic Ware Bundt pan with baking spray. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. 

Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Transfer half the batter to second bowl. Add cocoa; stir until fully incorporated. Fold graham crumbs into remaining batter. 

Transfer batters to separate plastic zip-top or pastry bags. Cut a 3/4-inch opening in one corner of each bag. Pipe alternating batters into grooves of prepared pan. Squeeze remaining batter in piles on top, alternating colors, then swirl with a butter knife. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to cool. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and sprinkle with graham crackers and mini-marshmallows.