MILK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES: National Milk Chocolate Day!

Today is National Milk Chocolate Day. If you've been reading my blog, you know I'm more of a dark chocolate fan, but I have to be fair to those lovers of Milk Chocolate, especially today!

I love this easy truffle recipe from Ghirardelli Chocolate. Ghirardelli makes a great Luxe Milk Chocolate bar. As always, use what you have or like!

MILK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Ingredients
1 pound Milk Chocolate, chopped (I use Ghirardelli Luxe Milk Chocolate)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder -Ghirardelli - or chopped nuts

Directions
Melt milk chocolate, heavy cream and butter in top of double boiler or in saucepan over another saucepan over simmering water. As soon as mixture is smooth, remove from heat and transfer into bowl or baking dish. Cover chocolate mixture with plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator up to 2 hours.
Spread cocoa powder (or chopped nuts) in shallow plate.
Using melonballer, scoop chocolate and roll into balls between your hands. Then roll ball of chocolate in cocoa (or chopped nuts) until well coated. Place truffles on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you finish making all truffles. Allow truffles to set for about an hour.
Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Truffles are best served at room temperature.

MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING: National Milk Chocolate Day

Today is Milk Chocolate Day! I'm a dark chocolate fan, but every once in awhile I crave a Hershey's milk chocolate bar. So what exactly is Milk Chocolate?

Here's a good explanation from HowStuffWorks.com:

Milk chocolate, the most common eating chocolate in the United States today, actually arrived on the scene fairly late in the history of chocolate.
 
Milk chocolate's development was made possible with the invention of powdered milk by Swiss chemist Henri Nestlé in 1867. Previous attempts at mixing whole (liquid) milk and chocolate liquor didn't turn out well. But in 1879, a Swiss chocolate manufacturer and neighbor of Nestlé by the name of Daniel Peter decided to try combining the newly invented powdered milk with chocolate liquor -- and true milk chocolate was born.

Milk chocolate is made by combining chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar, flavorings, and sweetened condensed or powdered whole milk (which one is used depends on the individual manufacturer's formula and production methods). The sugar and milk are first blended together, then they're mixed with chocolate liquor and flavorings and dried to create a substance called "milk chocolate crumb." Next, additional cocoa butter is blended with the crumb, and the mixture is sent through the standard conching and refining processes.
 
All milk chocolate made in the United States must contain at least 10 percent chocolate liquor and at least 12 percent milk solids. Bars of fine milk chocolate typically have a cacao content of between 30 percent and 45 percent, while less-expensive products may have considerably less. Milk chocolate has a sweeter and far more mellow chocolate flavor than dark chocolate, and since a higher cacao content gives a chocolate bar more "snap," milk chocolate tends to be less crisp than dark chocolate.

***

Here's a great recipe for Milk Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting.  This is essentially a three layer chocolate butter cake. Recipe was developed by Sylvia Thompson -- The Birthday Cake Book (1993).

MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Milk Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 Tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 Tbsp salt
6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup water
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to consistency of mayonnaise
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light-brown sugar, lumps crushed, packed
1 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk, room temperature
Milk Chocolate Frosting

Directions
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in bowl.
In medium heat-proof bowl over barely simmering water, melt chocolate in water, stirring occasionally until perfectly smooth. Remove from heat.
In large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Continue beating while sprinkling in granulated and brown sugars, 1 tablespoon at time. Add vanilla and beat until very light. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly blended after each, then beat until very light and creamy. Blend in chocolate. Add flour in 3 parts by sprinkling over bowl. Alternate with buttermilk in 2 parts. Beat on lowest speed just until each addition disappears. Fold batter with large flexible rubber spatula just until thoroughly blended.
Divide batter into buttered 9-inch round cake pans with bottoms lined with wax paper. Smooth tops, then push batter slightly up against sides. Bake 2 layers on middle oven rack and 1 layer on lower oven rack at 350 degrees. Stagger so top pans are not directly over bottom pan.
Bake until wood pick emerges clean from center of cake, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Then turn out onto racks, top sides up, to cool completely.
Up to 6 hours before serving, set thickest layer on platter, bottoms up. Spread with 2/3 cup frosting. Repeat with second layer. Place last layer top side up. Frost top and sides. Keep cool. Do not refrigerate.

Milk Chocolate Frosting 

Ingredients
14 ounces milk chocolate
5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch-processed)
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
7 - 8 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp vanilla

Directions
In medium heat-proof bowl over (not touching) barely simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat.
In food processor or mixing bowl, blend sugar and cocoa. Melt butter with 7 Tbsp milk at MEDIUM  in microwave or over low heat.
Add hot butter to sugar with chocolate and vanilla. Process or beat until smooth. Do not overprocess. If too thick, beat in remaining tablespoon hot milk. If too thin, add sugar. Spread at once.

MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE with MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING: National Milk Chocolate Day

Today is Milk Chocolate Day! I'm a dark chocolate fan, but every once in awhile I crave a Hershey's milk chocolate bar. So what exactly is Milk Chocolate?

Here's a good explanation from HowStuffWorks.com:

Milk chocolate, the most common eating chocolate in the United States today, actually arrived on the scene fairly late in the history of chocolate.
 
Milk chocolate's development was made possible with the invention of powdered milk by Swiss chemist Henri Nestlé in 1867. Previous attempts at mixing whole (liquid) milk and chocolate liquor didn't turn out well. But in 1879, a Swiss chocolate manufacturer and neighbor of Nestlé by the name of Daniel Peter decided to try combining the newly invented powdered milk with chocolate liquor -- and true milk chocolate was born.

Milk chocolate is made by combining chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sugar, flavorings, and sweetened condensed or powdered whole milk (which one is used depends on the individual manufacturer's formula and production methods). The sugar and milk are first blended together, then they're mixed with chocolate liquor and flavorings and dried to create a substance called "milk chocolate crumb." Next, additional cocoa butter is blended with the crumb, and the mixture is sent through the standard conching and refining processes.
 
All milk chocolate made in the United States must contain at least 10 percent chocolate liquor and at least 12 percent milk solids. Bars of fine milk chocolate typically have a cacao content of between 30 percent and 45 percent, while less-expensive products may have considerably less. Milk chocolate has a sweeter and far more mellow chocolate flavor than dark chocolate, and since a higher cacao content gives a chocolate bar more "snap," milk chocolate tends to be less crisp than dark chocolate.

***

Here's a great recipe for Milk Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting.  This is essentially a three layer chocolate butter cake. Recipe was developed by Sylvia Thompson -- The Birthday Cake Book (1993).

MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Milk Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 Tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 Tbsp salt
6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup water
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to consistency of mayonnaise
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light-brown sugar, lumps crushed, packed
1 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
6 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk, room temperature
Milk Chocolate Frosting

Directions
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in bowl.
In medium heat-proof bowl over barely simmering water, melt chocolate in water, stirring occasionally until perfectly smooth. Remove from heat.
In large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Continue beating while sprinkling in granulated and brown sugars, 1 tablespoon at time. Add vanilla and beat until very light. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly blended after each, then beat until very light and creamy. Blend in chocolate. Add flour in 3 parts by sprinkling over bowl. Alternate with buttermilk in 2 parts. Beat on lowest speed just until each addition disappears. Fold batter with large flexible rubber spatula just until thoroughly blended.
Divide batter into buttered 9-inch round cake pans with bottoms lined with wax paper. Smooth tops, then push batter slightly up against sides. Bake 2 layers on middle oven rack and 1 layer on lower oven rack at 350 degrees. Stagger so top pans are not directly over bottom pan.
Bake until wood pick emerges clean from center of cake, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Then turn out onto racks, top sides up, to cool completely.
Up to 6 hours before serving, set thickest layer on platter, bottoms up. Spread with 2/3 cup frosting. Repeat with second layer. Place last layer top side up. Frost top and sides. Keep cool. Do not refrigerate.

Milk Chocolate Frosting 

Ingredients
14 ounces milk chocolate
5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch-processed)
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
7 - 8 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp vanilla

Directions
In medium heat-proof bowl over (not touching) barely simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat.
In food processor or mixing bowl, blend sugar and cocoa. Melt butter with 7 Tbsp milk at MEDIUM  in microwave or over low heat.
Add hot butter to sugar with chocolate and vanilla. Process or beat until smooth. Do not overprocess. If too thick, beat in remaining tablespoon hot milk. If too thin, add sugar. Spread at once.

One Bowl Milk Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Caramel Frosting

I've posted lots of chocolate cake recipes over the years, including Milk Chocolate Cakes, but mostly they use only cocoa as the main chocolate ingredient. Since today is National Milk Chocolate Day, I thought I'd post this awesome recipe from Rhoda Boone at Epicurious,  that uses both cocoa and milk chocolate bars. I'm not much for making chocolate layer cakes, and this One Bowl Milk Chocolate Cake is awesome. The Chocolate Caramel Icing is pretty great, too! I sprinkle the icing with a bit of sea salt. Yum.

ONE BOWL MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CARAMEL FROSTING

Ingredients

Cake: 
1 cup unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
6 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs
2 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Frosting:
9 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, divided
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup store-bought dulce de leche or caramel sauce

Directions

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9" pan and dust with 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder, tapping out excess.
Melt remaining 1 cup butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add chocolate and remaining 1/2 cup cocoa powder; cook, whisking constantly, until smooth. Let cool slightly.
Whisk eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Add sugar and whisk until smooth, lightened in color, and slightly aerated, about 2 minutes. Stream in buttermilk while whisking, then stream in chocolate mixture while whisking until smooth.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into chocolate mixture. Whisk until batter is mostly smooth (there will be a few small lumps). Transfer to prepared pan.
Bake cake until tester inserted into  center comes out clean, 35–40 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cake cool completely.

Frosting: 
Slice 2 ounces chocolate into long, thin shards; reserve for decorating. Coarsely chop remaining 7 oz. chocolate and transfer to a medium bowl. Add vanilla and salt.
Heat cream in  small pot over medium until just starting to simmer. Pour over chocolate mixture and let sit 3 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Whisk in dulce de leche. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Whisk frosting to lighten and loosen, then use spatula to spread over cake. If it's too stiff to work with, let it sit out on the counter for a few minutes. Sprinkle with reserved chocolate shards.  (I sprinkle with sea salt, too!
Cut into thirds lengthwise, then into fifths crosswise (you should have 15 pieces).

Milk Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

Today is Milk Chocolate Day! Well, of course, you can have a cold glass of chocolate milk, but if you're feeling a bit more adventuresome, make this fabulous Milk Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting.  This is essentially a butter cake with three chocolate layers. Recipe was developed by Sylvia Thompson -- The Birthday Cake Book (1993).

MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING


Milk Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 Tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tablespoon salt
6 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup water
1 cup sweet butter, softened to consistency of mayonnaise
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light-brown sugar, lumps crushed, packed
1 1/2 Tbsp Madagascar vanilla
6 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or soured milk, room temperature
Milk Chocolate Frosting

Directions
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in bowl.
In medium heat-proof bowl over barely simmering water, melt chocolate in water, stirring occasionally until perfectly smooth. Remove from heat.
In large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Continue beating while sprinkling in granulated and brown sugars, 1 tablespoon at time. Add vanilla and beat until very light. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly blended after each, then beat until very light and creamy. Blend in chocolate. Add flour in 3 parts by sprinkling over bowl. Alternate with buttermilk in 2 parts. Beat on lowest speed just until each addition disappears. Fold batter with large flexible rubber spatula just until thoroughly blended.
Divide batter into buttered 9-inch round cake pans with bottoms lined with wax paper. Smooth tops, then push batter slightly up against sides. Bake 2 layers on middle oven rack and 1 layer on lower oven rack at 350 degrees. Stagger so top pans are not directly over bottom pan.
Bake until wood pick emerges clean from center of cake, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Then turn out onto racks, top sides up, to cool completely.
Up to 6 hours before serving, set thickest layer on platter, bottoms up. Spread with 2/3 cup frosting. Repeat with second layer. Place last layer top side up. Frost top and sides. Keep cool. Do not refrigerate.

Milk Chocolate Frosting 

Ingredients
14 ounces milk chocolate
5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch-processed)
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sweet butter
7 - 8 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp  Madagascar vanilla

Directions
In medium heat-proof bowl over (not touching) barely simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat.
In food processor or mixing bowl, blend sugar and cocoa. Melt butter with 7 Tbsp milk at MEDIUM  in microwave or over low heat.
Add hot butter to sugar with chocolate and vanilla. Process or beat until smooth. Do not overprocess. If too thick, beat in remaining tablespoon hot milk. If too thin, add sugar. Spread at once.

Milk Chocolate Truffles: Milk Chocolate Day!

Photo: Ghirardelli Chocolate!

Today is National Milk Chocolate Day. If you've been reading my blog, you know I'm more of a dark chocolate fan, but I have to be fair to those lovers of Milk Chocolate, especially today!

I love this easy truffle recipe from Ghirardelli Chocolate. Ghirardelli makes a great Luxe Milk Chocolate bar. As always, use what you have or like!

MILK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES


Ingredients
1 pound Milk Chocolate, chopped (I use Ghirardelli Luxe Milk Chocolate)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp sweet butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder -Ghirardelli (or chopped nuts)

Directions
Melt milk chocolate, heavy cream and butter in top of double boiler or in saucepan over another saucepan over simmering water. As soon as mixture is smooth, remove from heat and transfer into bowl or baking dish. Cover chocolate mixture with plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator up to 2 hours.
Spread cocoa powder (or chopped nuts) in shallow plate.
Using melonballer, scoop chocolate and roll into balls between your hands. Then roll ball of chocolate in cocoa (or chopped nuts) until well coated. Place truffles on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until you finish making all truffles. Allow truffles to set for about an hour.
Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Truffles are best served at room temperature.

Milk Chocolate Chip Pecan Pound Cake: National Milk Chocolate Day

July 28 is National Milk Chocolate Day, and even though Milk Chocolate is not my favorite, I think you're going to love the following recipe for Milk Chocolate Chip Pecan Pound Cake. I left the recipe pretty much as is since I did originally find it on the Hershey's Kitchens website, but, of course, feel free to substitute. It's actually quite awesome with dark chocolate chips, dark cocoa and rich dark chocolate syrup. Oops, reminder to self, this is MILK Chocolate Day.

Milk Chocolate Chip Pecan Pound Cake from the Hershey's Kitchens

Ingredients:
 2 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Chips, divided
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (Margarine in original recipe as option. I don't ever use margarine)
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Dash salt
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
 Powdered sugar(optional)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan (bundt pan). Place 1 cup milk chocolate chips in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted when stirred.
2. Beat butter in large bowl until creamy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate; beat until blended.
3. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to chocolate mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until blended. Add syrup and vanilla; beat until blended. Stir in remaining milk chocolate chips and pecans. Spoon batter into prepard pan.
4. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. 12 to 16 servings. (Who are they kidding? It's so good, it will be gone by 4-8 people in no time!)

*To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup.

Confused about what Milk Chocolate actually is?  Take a look at last year's Post on Milk Chocolate Day.

Photo: Hershey's Kitchens