Chocolate Honey Cake for a Sweet New Year

As I've mentioned in my last few blogs, September is National Honey Month, so here's another Chocolate Honey Cake Recipe. I posted a Chocolate Honey Cake recipe before, and I really like that Chocolate Honey Cake. It's quite different from the one below.  Either of these cakes would also be great to make to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, that begins on Wednesday night. Honey is a traditional food that symbolizes a Sweet New Year. Add Chocolate, and the year is bound to be sweet!

If you read my blog, you'll know I'm quite taken with many of Nigella Lawson's recipes, especially those with chocolate. Here then is my adaptation of her 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. Too bad, because they're really beautiful.  And, honey cake doesn't have to be dry and heavy. This cake is incredibly moist! As I've mentioned before, though, 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 (50-65% cacao), broken into pieces
1 1/3 cups soft light brown sugar
2 sticks soft sweet butter
1/2 cup local honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon DARK cocoa
1 cup boiling water

Sticky Honey Glaze:
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
6 ounces dark chocolate (50-65% cacao), finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

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

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

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

3. Pour the glaze over the cold chocolate honey cake. It might dribble a bit down the edges, but don't worry too much about it. The glaze stays tacky for some time (which is what gives it its melting goeyness) so ice in time for the 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 them, and for her exact recipe, go HERE.

Chocolate Honey Truffles

Since September is National Honey Month, here's something fun and easy to make recipe that will make your honey fall in love all over again. These Chocolate Honey Truffles will change their flavor with the type of honey you use, as well as the brand of chocolate and amount of cacoa. These truffles are honey infused, so mix it up and have a Chocolate Honey Truffle tasting. Here's what I used the last time I made these.

Chocolate Honey Truffles

4 ounces 70% Madegasse dark chocolate, broken up
1 teaspoon Sonoma County Spring Wildflower Honey
1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
Some unsweetened Dark cocoa powder
A pinch of salt

1. Melt the broken pieces of dark chocolate with the whipping cream in the top of a double-boiler or a pot on top of a pot of simmering water.
2. Continue to whisk mixture until the chocolate is fully blended with the cream.
3. Continue stirring as you add the honey and salt.
4. Either transfer the chocolate mixture to a bowl or put the pot you're using in the refrigerator for a few hours (or the freezer for a shorter time if you're in a hurry). Be sure and cover with aluminum foil.
5. Take out when the chocolate hardens but is still soft enough to shape it into balls.
6. Have a shallow bowl or plate ready with the cocoa.
7. Using a melon baller, shape the chocolate into small balls.
8. Throw (o.k. drop) the chocolate balls into the powder and roll around a bit so they're well coated.

Now make them again with a different type of honey and a different type of chocolate!

Cabernet Day: Molten Spiced Chocolate Cabernet Cakes

Today is #Cabernet Day on social media sites! There will be at least 41 'realtime' meetups and many more virtual. I've blogged about Cabernet and Chocolate before in two recipes: Double Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies and Chocolate Wine Brownies (substitute Cabernet for Merlot in the first recipe, but the second uses Cabernet).  I know I'll have a big glass of Cabernet tonight, but in the meantime, I thought I might mention some of my favorite chocolate cabernet sauces, a recipe and a few other things.

Two of my favorite Chocolate Cabernet Sauces: Anette's Chocolate Cabernet sauce and B.R. Cohn's Chocolate Cabernet sauce. Perfect on strawberries, ice cream, cheesecake, brownies and lots of other desserts.

Want to make something that includes both cabernet and chocolate? This recipe for Molten Spiced Chocolate Cabernet Cakes is fabulous. Don't be intimidated by the spices. It's really delicious. It's a version of Molten Lava Cakes. Adapted from the McCormick Gourmet Collection,  I add more wine, of course,  and a regular, not baking only, chocolate. It's all about quality, after all. Since it's a McCormick recipe, I've tried it with their Saigon cinnamon. Very different flavor. Again, this is really easy. 15 minutes to make, 15 minutes to bake! Great way to celebrate Cabernet Day.

Molten Spiced Chocolate Cabernet Cakes

Ingredients

4 ounces dark chocolate (65-75 % cacao) broken up
1/2 cup  sweet butter
2 tablespoon Cabernet Sauvignon
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Cinnamon, Saigon or 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Roasted Saigon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Ginger, Ground

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter 4 (6-ounce) custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.
2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in wine, vanilla and confectioners' sugar until well blended. Stir in eggs and yolk. Stir in flour, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Pour batter evenly into prepared custard cups.
3. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully loosen edges with small knife. Invert cakes onto serving plates. Sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.

Tips from McCormick's:
Make Ahead: The chocolate mixture can be prepared up to 1 day ahead of time. Pour the batter into prepared custard cups; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

Test Kitchen Tip: Molten cakes prepared with Saigon Cinnamon will have a warm, flavorful cinnamon taste. Use Roasted Saigon Cinnamon for a robust, sweet-spicy cinnamon flavor.

National Honey Month: Honey Chocolate Brownies

September is National Honey Month, so I thought I'd begin posting some chocolate/honey recipes. I'm a huge fan of HONEY, as you know from reading this BLOG. One of my favorite honey places is Beekind in Sebastopol, and they now have a place at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. I love that BeeKind carries honey from all over the Bay Area-- so many microclimates with different vegetation for the bees. Beekind also carries honey from other locales. Great to go in and taste.

This first Honey/Chocolate recipe this month is for Honey Chocolate Brownies. This Recipe won the 2000 Huron County Fair Blue Ribbon. I've adapted it slightly. Just as different cocoa will change the taste of these brownies, so will the honey. Try these brownies with different honey and chocolate combinations.

HONEY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

1 cup softened sweet butter
½ tsp. Salt
1 ½ cups honey
1 cup flour
3 eggs beaten
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. Madagascar Vanilla extract
1/3 cup dark cocoa

In mixer, beat butter until creamy.
Slowly add honey, mixing constantly.
Add eggs, vanilla and salt. Add cocoa.
Add flour.
Fold in nuts.
Make sure it is mixed completely.
Pour batter into greased 9x13x2 inch. deep pan and bake at 350* for 30 to 35 minutes.