Nutella 2 Ingredient Flourless Cake

I'm all about easy, and this two ingredient Nutella Flourless Chocolate Cake is perfect for my Gluten-Free friends, as well as for the upcoming Passover holiday.  It's truly just eggs and Nutella. The following recipe is only slightly adapted from a recipe by Kirbie's Cravings in 2012. You'll want to check out all of her Nutella recipes..Fab!

Hints from Kirbie about this Two-Ingredient Flourless Nutella Cake: Please take note

* The key to the texture of the cake and to not end up with something “eggy” is the whipped eggs which are whipped until triple the volume. This creates the cake texture and it should not end up just tasting like sweetened eggs because the eggs have so much air whipped into them. So it’s important to whip the eggs long enough with a stand mixer.  

* In addition, when you fold in the eggs and Nutella together, it needs to be done in small batches and not all at once or you risk deflating most of the egg meringue you’ve made. 

* Make sure to weigh out the Nutella, and make sure you get all that Nutella into the actual cake as I know it can be sticky and often people leave a lot of the Nutella behind in their measuring cup. 

* Finally, give the cake sufficient time to cool and rest. This will allow the flavors to full develop, otherwise the chocolate flavor is a little light and the egg flavor a little strong if you eat it right out of the oven. Let the cake cool for at least 1 hour or longer. 

NUTELLA 2 INGREDIENT FLOURLESS CAKE

Ingredients
4 large or extra large eggs
8 1/2 ounces Nutella (weighted, please remember 8 1/2 oz weighted is not the same as liquid ounces)

Directions
Grease 8 inch round springform pan, lined with parchment paper on sides and bottom. (Spray with oil first, so parchment paper sticks)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Beat eggs on highest speed with stand mixer until triple in volume, about 6 minutes. Egg consistency is key to making recipe work, so don't save time on this step. Eggs must be beaten until triple in volume as that is what creates the cake.
Measure out Nutella into glass bowl. Microwave Nutella for 20 seconds to soften. Add in 1/3 of egg mixture. Gently stir with spatula in same clockwise direction until all of egg is mixed in and no streaks remain. Then add another 1/3 of egg mixture and fold again until no egg streaks remain. Pour in remaining third and make sure to scrape foam that sticks to mixing bowl into batter and stir until no streaks remain. Make sure to do this in 3 batches because otherwise the whipped eggs may lose too much of air that has been whipped into them if you try to do it all at once.
3. Pour batter into springfoam pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool completely before removing from pan and cutting and serving. This will allow chocolate flavor to fully develop.

Chocolate Chocolate Mousse Trifle

Happy Chocolate Mousse Day! Here's a recipe from Allrecipes for Chocolate Chocolate Mousse Trifle. The original recipe below calls for brownie mix, instant chocolate pudding, and whipped topping.. That makes it super easy and fast, but you can always make your own brownies and pudding and whipped cream from scratch. You can also add chocolate chips into the pudding layer for more chocolate! And, I add fresh raspberries to the top--you can also add them on top of the whipped cream layers.

Chocolate Chocolate Mousse Trifle

Ingredients
1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix  (or your own brownie recipe)
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix (or your own chocolate pudding recipe)
1/2 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (or real whipped cream)
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping (or real whipped cream)
1 (1.5 ounce) bar chocolate candy

Directions  
(if you're using a glass trifle bowl, you might want to do 3 layers instead of 2)

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares.
In large bowl, combine pudding mix, water, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 ounces whipped topping until no streaks remain.
In trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of brownies, half of pudding mixture and half of 12 ounce container of whipped topping.
Repeat layers.
Shave chocolate on top layer for garnish. (I add raspberries on top)
Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Truffles: National P&J Day

When I was growing up, if a child didn't eat the school or camp lunch, out came the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There were no gluten or peanut allergies being considered. at that time But, I didn't like peanut butter and jelly, and I was a finicky eater as a child. So I often went without lunch, although I didn't say anything. Just gave the sandwiches away. Even now, although I love jelly, and I love peanut butter, I don't like the combination. Unless, of course, there's chocolate!

So for today's food holiday, National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day, here's a simple recipe for Peanut Butter & Jelly Truffles. There are other recipes out there, but I love this one!

PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY TRUFFLES

Ingredients
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 cup dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup grape jelly
Chopped peanuts

Directions
Put cream cheese in bowl.
Melt chocolate and stir into bowl of cream cheese.
Add peanut butter.
Mix together on low speed.
Put mixture into square 8" dish. Spread evenly and chil in fridge for an hour.
Using melon baller or spoon, scoop out and then roll with hands into a ball.
Make a deep depression with thumb in each ball and fill with 1/4 tsp jelly.
Smooth over to seal jelly in ball.
Roll truffles in chopped peanuts.
Place on waxed paper and chill.
Keep in refrigerator until ready to eat.

Chocolate Sourdough Cake: National Sourdough Day!

I used to bake a lot of bread, and I have my own starter in the refrigerator. Some of the bread companies in the San Francisco Bay Area have sourdough starter that goes back well over a hundred and fifty years. There was a time when these bakeries kept their sourdough starter under lock and key. Well, I imagine they still might be doing that. Read Julie Smith's Sourdough Wars. This mystery might be fiction, but there's some real history behind it.  I've had my starter for about 30 years or more. Every baker should have sourdough starter in the fridge!

To learn about a good starter, go to www.sourdoughhome.com. Lots of great information on techniques, maintaining a starter, using a starter, storing a starter and even reviving a starter. Sourdough starter is a living thing, and it needs care.

One thing's for sure, it's easier and better to start with a good starter. Since I'm posting a recipe from King Arthur Flour today, let me suggest you purchase your starter from them. You have two options from King Arthur Flour: Classic Fresh Sourdough Starter or French Sourdough Starter.  The second is expensive, but might be easier for the novice who doesn't want to take care of a live starter culture. Always good to have an option.

A few years ago I posted a recipe for Chocolate Cherry Sourdough Bread. It's wonderful, but if it's too much fuss for you, Zingermann's makes a great Chocolate Sourdough Bread that's available via mail order.

But since today is National Sourdough Day, I thought I'd repost King Arthur Flour's Chocolate Sourdough Cake recipe. It's virtually foolproof. Just make sure you feed your starter the night before.. don't just pull it out of the fridge. It won't work that way! And, don't worry, this cake isn't tangy.. it's just right!

CHOCOLATE SOURDOUGH CAKE

• 1 cup "fed" sourdough starter
• 1 cup milk (whole milk or 2% preferred) or evaporated milk
• 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (not Dutch process)
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
• 2 large eggs

Icing

• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 1 tablespoon hot water

Drizzle

• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup

Directions

1. Combine "fed" starter, milk, and flour in large mixing bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. It won't necessarily bubble, but it may have expanded a bit.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.
3. In separate bowl, beat together sugar, oil, vanilla, salt, baking soda, cocoa and espresso powder. Mixture will be grainy.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Gently combine chocolate mixture with starter-flour-milk mixture, stirring till smooth. This will be a gloppy process at first, but batter will smooth out as you continue to beat gently.
6. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
7. Bake cake for 30 to 40 minutes, until it springs back when lightly pressed in the center, and cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Remove cake from oven, and set it on rack to cool while you make the icing. OPTIONAL FOR ME... I'M NOT SURE IT NEEDS IT.. IT'S SUCH A GOOD CAKE BY ITSELF.
9. Sift confectioners' sugar into large mixing bowl, and set aside.
10. In small saucepan set over medium heat, melt butter and add buttermilk or yogurt. Dissolve espresso powder in hot water, add to pan, and bring mixture just to a boil.
11. Immediately pour simmering liquid over confectioners' sugar in the bowl, and beat till smooth. 12.  Pour warm frosting over cake. If you wait too long and frosting stiffens up, spread it over the cake.
13. Combine chocolate chips, milk, and corn syrup in microwave-safe cup. Microwave until chips soften, then stir till smooth.
14. Drizzle/drip chocolate over icing. You can do this while the icing is still warm, or wait till it's cooled.