CHOCOLATE HONEY CAKE: Rosh Hashana

Here's a wonderful recipe for Chocolate Honey Cake to celebrate Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, that begins Friday night. Honey is a traditional food that symbolizes a Sweet New Year. Add Chocolate, and the year is bound to be even sweeter! Heaven knows, we need it to be!

This recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Honey Cake aka Honey Bee Cake. She decorates her Chocolate Honey Cake with the most adorable marzipan bees, but I never get quite that involved.

FYI: Honey cake doesn't have to be dry and heavy. This cake is incredibly moist! As I've mentioned many times, as with most cakes, your final product will be different depending on the type and brand of chocolate and, in this case, the type of honey you use.

Chocolate Honey Cake

Ingredients

Cake:
4 ounces dark chocolate (60-70% cacao), chopped
1 1/3 cups soft light brown sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp DARK cocoa
1 cup boiling water

Sticky Honey Glaze:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
6 ounces dark chocolate (60-75% cacao), finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp confectioners sugar

Directions:
Have all ingredients at room temperature.
Melt chocolate from cake part of ingredients list in large bowl, either in microwave or bowl over pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line 9-inch springform pan.
Beat together sugar and softened butter until airy and creamy, and then add honey.
Add 1 of eggs, beating in with tablespoon of flour, and then second egg with another tablespoon of flour.
Fold in melted chocolate, and then remaining flour and baking soda.
Add cocoa pushed through tea strainer to ensure no lumps, and last of all, beat in the boiling water.
Mix everything together well to make smooth batter and pour into prepared springform pan.
Bake for up to 1 -1/2 hours, checking cake after 45 minutes. If it's getting too dark, cover top lightly with aluminum foil and keep checking every 15 minutes.
Let cake cool completely in pan on rack.

Glaze: 
To make glaze, bring water and honey to boil in pot, then turn off the heat and add finely chopped chocolate, swirling around to melt in hot liquid.
Leave for few minutes, then whisk together.
Add sugar through sieve and whisk again until smooth.

Putting it together:
Choose plate or stand, and cut 4 strips of parchment paper and form square outline on plate. Reason: So when you put cake on it and ice it, icing won't run all over the plate (you can always cut the excess off later).
Unclip springform pan and set thoroughly cooled cake on prepared plate.

Pour glaze over cold chocolate honey cake. It might dribble a bit down the edges, but don't worry too much about it. Glaze stays tacky for some time (which is what gives it its melting goeyness) so ice in time for glaze to harden a little, at least an hour before you want to serve it.

Nigella Lawson decorates this great cake with marzipan bees. For the recipe for the bees, and for her exact recipe, go HERE.

CHOCOLATE HAMENTASCHEN for Purim

The Holiday of Purim starts the evening of March 2, but you might want to start baking--or at least experimenting with a few new recipes. 

Hamantaschen are served during this Jewish holiday. Hamentaschen, a wonderful pastry, are made to resemble Hamen's (the villain of the story) hat! Traditionally, hamentaschen were filled with prune, apricot, or munn (poppyseed). But who's to say that Hamen's Hat couldn't be made of or filled with chocolate? I must mention that this holiday is about a Jewish woman (Queen Esther) who saved her people. How can you not love a holiday that honors a strong clever woman?

In the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on its thirteenth day ... on the day that the enemies of the Jews were expected to prevail over them, it was turned about: the Jews prevailed over their adversaries. - Esther 9:1
And they gained relief on the fourteenth, making it a day of feasting and gladness. - Esther 9:17
[Mordecai instructed them] to observe them as days of feasting and gladness, and sending delicacies to one another, and gifts to the poor. - Esther 9:22

Short summary: The holiday of Purim appears in the Book of Esther. The story is read from the Megillah. So as not to give you the whole 'megillah' here, the story goes that Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin (uncle?) Mordecai, who raised her as a daughter, was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of Ahasuerus' harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther and made Esther queen. But the king did not know that Esther was Jewish. The king’s aide, Haman, wanted to kill all the Jews (yet again, someone wanted to annihilate the Jews). Esther told the king that Hamen was plotting to have her killed -- well he was plotting to have all the Jews killed. When she tells the King that she is Jewish, the King kills Haman instead and saves the Jews.

During Purim, everyone eats hamantaschen. As I mentioned above, they are supposedly modeled after Haman’s three pointed hat. In Israel they are often shaped like Hamen's ears (oznei Haman), but I feel better about eating hats than ears), but if you're so inclined here's a great video and recipe for Haman's Ears with Halva Spreads (one features Bittersweet Chocolate Sea Salt Halva spread) from Jamie Geller at Joy of Kosher! 

So on with the Chocolate!

Following are two great recipes for Chocolate Hamentaschen for Purim. You'll find them quite different, and I suggest you try both. Although the holiday begins Monday night, there's no reason that these great pastries (cookies) can't be made and consumed now (or anytime)!

Victoria Sutton at MyJewishLearning has a really wonderful recipe for Decadent Chocolate Hamantaschen. (Victoria Sutton has a BA from Barnard College, and the Grand Diploma in Classic Pastry Arts from the French Culinary Institute. She works as a freelance chef in New York City.) When I made these I filled them with Nutella. Great addition. So many possibilities. 

The second recipe has a darker chocolate pastry (I use DARK cocoa), and the hamentaschen are filled with jam (I like Bonne Maman Dark Cherry Preserves). The recipe is from Emily at Voila! Adventures in the Kitchen with Emily. Another taste treat  is to fill these with peanut butter.  Of course, you can make your own family recipe for Hamentaschen and fill them with chocolate. Any way you make them, have fun! I've added a third link for yet another Purim treat!

Before you begin, here are some TIPS for making good Hamentaschen.

Dough: Be sure and chill your dough. Put the dough in your refrigerator before rolling out. Roll out dough between pieces of parchment or wax paper rather than adding more flour, so the final product isn't too dense and doughy.

Tip for shaping: Put a dollop of filling in the middle of each circle. Fold up the sides to make a triangle, folding the last corner under the starting point, so that each side has a corner that folds over and a corner that folds under. Folding in this "pinwheel" style will reduce the likelihood that the last side will fall open while cooking, losing its filling. It also makes a better triangle shape.

I. Decadent Chocolate Hamentaschen
Recipe from Victoria Sutton at MyJewishLearning 

Chocolate Pâte Sucree:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces butter, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 egg
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup DARK cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream

Chocolate Ganache Filling:
8 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
8 ounces heavy cream
Dash salt
Rum to taste (optional)

Chopped cherries, cranberries, nuts, or toffee (optional)

To prepare sucree: Cream butter, sugar, salt, and almond extract if using until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until incorporated. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add to butter mixture in two stages, alternating with the heavy cream. More or less cream might be needed depending on the consistency of the dough. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap, and form a flattened disc. Chill for at least one hour.

To prepare ganache: Over a double boiler, heat cream and chopped chocolate. When chocolate is mostly melted, lightly whisk until ganache is smooth and shiny. Whisk in rum (optional) and salt. Chill for several hours.

To form hamantaschen: Roll chilled chocolate sucree to slightly more than 1/8 inch thick. Using a round cutter or glass rim dipped in flour, cut circles of about 3 inches in diameter. If adding dried fruit or nuts, sprinkle a small amount in the center of the cut discs.

Remove ganache from fridge, and using either a small ice-cream scoop or by hand, form about 1 inch round balls and place in center of sucree circles. Carefully fold in the edges to form a triangular shape, and pinch the corners to seal.  Ensure there are no gaps or tears in the dough, to prevent filling from oozing out during baking.

Bake hamantaschen on greased cookie sheets at 350 F for about 15 minutes, until crust is baked through. Ganache will liquify during baking, but will set as hamantaschen cool. 

This second recipe features a really dark chocolate pastry,  and these hamentaschen are filled with jam. This recipe is adapted from Emily at Voila! Adventures in the Kitchen with Emily. Another great taste treat is to fill these with peanut butter.

II. CHOCOLATE HAMENTASCHEN 
Recipe from Emily at Voila! Adventures in the Kitchen with Emily.

Ingredients
Recipe originally adapted from Coconut and Lime
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup DARK cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of any flavor jam, divided

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line with cookie sheet with parchment paper
In large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat thoroughly.
Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, and mix until thick dough forms. Refrigerate dough for about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle  clean work area with powdered sugar. Roll out dough until about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 2 to 3 inch rounds. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
Spoon 1-2 tsp of jam (or peanut butter) in middle and fold sides to create  triangle shape. Pinch corners and lightly smoosh them down so there isn’t a visible seam. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

III. And, here's a recipe to a third recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Chocolate Hamentaschen from With love and Cupcakes.

CHOCOLATE HONEY CAKE: Rosh Hashana

Here's a wonderful recipe for Chocolate Honey Cake to celebrate Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, that begins Monday night. Honey is a traditional food that symbolizes a Sweet New Year. Add Chocolate, and the year is bound to be even sweeter! Heaven knows, we need it to be!

This recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Honey Cake aka Honey Bee Cake. She decorates her Chocolate Honey Cake with the most adorable marzipan bees, but I never get quite that involved.

FYI: Honey cake doesn't have to be dry and heavy. This cake is incredibly moist! As I've mentioned many times, as with most cakes, your final product will be different depending on the type and brand of chocolate and the type of honey you use.

Chocolate Honey Cake

Ingredients

Cake:
4 ounces dark chocolate (60-75% cacao), chopped
1 1/3 cups soft light brown sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup local honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp DARK cocoa
1 cup boiling water

Sticky Honey Glaze:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
6 ounces dark chocolate (60-75% cacao), finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp confectioners sugar

Directions:
Have all ingredients at room temperature.
Melt chocolate from cake part of ingredients list in large bowl, either in microwave or bowl over pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line 9-inch springform pan.
Beat together sugar and softened butter until airy and creamy, and then add honey.
Add 1 of eggs, beating in with tablespoon of flour, and then second egg with another tablespoon of flour.
Fold in melted chocolate, and then remaining flour and baking soda.
Add cocoa pushed through tea strainer to ensure no lumps, and last of all, beat in the boiling water.
Mix everything together well to make smooth batter and pour into prepared springform pan.
Bake for up to 1 -1/2 hours, checking cake after 45 minutes. If it's getting too dark, cover top lightly with aluminum foil and keep checking every 15 minutes.
Let cake cool completely in pan on rack.

Glaze: 
To make glaze, bring water and honey to boil in pot, then turn off the heat and add finely chopped chocolate, swirling around to melt in hot liquid.
Leave for few minutes, then whisk together.
Add sugar through sieve and whisk again until smooth.

Putting it together:
Choose plate or stand, and cut 4 strips of parchment paper and form square outline on plate. Reason: So when you put cake on it and ice it, icing won't run all over the plate (you can always cut the excess off later).
Unclip springform pan and set thoroughly cooled cake on prepared plate.

Pour glaze over cold chocolate honey cake. It might dribble a bit down the edges, but don't worry too much about it. Glaze stays tacky for some time (which is what gives it its melting goeyness) so ice in time for glaze to harden a little, at least an hour before you want to serve it.

Nigella Lawson decorates this great cake with marzipan bees. For the recipe for the bees, and for her exact recipe, go HERE.

Chocolate Chiffon Cake for Passover: Gluten-Free

Today is Chiffon Cake Day, and, of course, that means Chocolate Chiffon Cake to me. These two recipes for Chocolate Chiffon Cake are perfect for today's holiday and for the upcoming Passover holiday, so be sure and bookmark these for next month's holiday. These Chiffon Cakes are also Gluten-free if you use Gluten Free cake meal (Manischewitz, Yehuda or Bob's Red Mill). The first recipe is adapted from Manischewitz. The second recipe appeared in JewishBoston in 2011.

Chocolate Chiffon Cake #1

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Manischewitz® Cake Meal
2 Tbsp Manischewitz® Potato Starch
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla
9 inch two piece tube pan

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In bowl add sugar, Manischewitz Cake Meal, Manischewitz Potato Starch, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. With electric mixer or hand mixer, mix until well blended. Make a well in chocolate chiffon mixture and add oil, egg yolks, water, and vanilla. Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed.
In separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Fold egg whites into batter gently.
Pour batter into ungreased 9 inch tube pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Remove cake from oven and invert pan on a heat resistant bottle until cool.
Remove from pan after cake has cooled.

Chocolate Chiffon Cake #2

This recipe is from David Levy and appeared in 2011 in JewishBoston. It will remind you slightly, but only slightly of charoset. So it's perfect for Passover.

Ingredients
8 eggs separated (bring eggs to room temperature first)
3/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup cake meal
   sift potato starch and cake meal together
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 rounded tsp cocoa
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sweet red wine
10 walnuts coarsely chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff; gradually add half of sugar. Beat yolks with remaining sugar and salt; when yolks are thick and light in color add oil, a little at a time. Then add wine and cocoa, beating at low level. Gently fold cake meal/starch mixture into whites, then fold in yolk mixture, mixing nuts in at same time.
Bake in ungreased tube pan for 50 minutes. Turn over and hang from two-liter bottle until cooled.

CHOCOLATE CHIP NOODLE KUGEL: National Noodle Day

Today is National Noodle Day, and it's also National Pasta Month. Noodles are pasta, but for some reason I always think of noodles as flat wide pasta. So celebrate both holidays today with Lokshen (Egg Noodle) Kugel. This is a great recipe for Noodle Kugel with Chocolate Chips. It's a sweet Kugel anyway, so why not add chocolate chips?

A bit of  history on Kugel. Kugel is a traditional Ashkenazic Jewish dessert or side dish. Kugel is Yiddish for ball, but it is sometimes translated as pudding or casserole, and related to the German Gugelhupf. The first Kugel were plain -- made from bread and flour, and salty rather than sweet. About 800 years ago, their flavor and popularity changed when cooks in Germany replaced bread mixtures with noodles or farfel. Eventually eggs were incorporated. The addition of cottage cheese and milk created a custard-like consistency which is common for today's dishes. In the 17th century, sugar was introduced, which gave the option of serving kugel as a side dish or dessert. In Poland, Jewish women sprinkled raisins and cinnamon into recipes. Hungarians took the dessert concept further with a hefty helping of sugar and some sour cream.

I like Kugel with sour cream, cottage cheese and sugar--and chocolate chips. Many people add corn flakes, graham cracker crumbs, ground gingersnaps or caramelized sugar on top. Some people layer the dish with sliced pineapples or apricot jam. Traditionally, raisins, both dark and golden are added.  Kugel is such a versatile dish. Happy Noodle Day! Enjoy this today or any time! It's such an easy dessert....and so fabulous!

Chocolate Chip Noodle Kugel

Ingredients:
12 oz pkg medium wide noodles boiled & drained
4 Tbsp butter, melted
8 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 pint (16 oz) cottage cheese (large curd)
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla
3/4 cup DARK chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Butter sides and bottom of 9 x 13 Pyrex or another Pan.
Beat together eggs and sugar. Add cottage cheese, sour cream, melted butter and vanilla and mix with wooden spoon.
Fold in noodles and chocolate chips.
Pour mixture into buttered pan.
Bake at 350°F for 40-60 minutes until just set.