MARDI GRAS CHOCOLATE BEIGNETS

Oh to be in The Big Easy for Mardi Gras! Unfortunately that's not happening for me this year, so the next best thing is to prepare a Mardi Gras feast. Rice and Beans, Jambalaya? Gumbo? Maybe. But definitely something Chocolate!

Coffee with Chicory is so New Orleans, and you'll want to make David Guas & Raquel Pelzel's fabulous recipe for Chocolate Cupped Cakes with Coffee & Chicory.

What goes with Coffee with Chicory? Well, Beignets, of course, and they should definitely be Chocolate! Might not find these chocolate ones at Cafe du Monde, but they could be on your breakfast table. These Sugared Chocolate Beignets are easy to make, and so delicious. Beignets are usually fried in vegetable oil (cottonseed oil at Cafe du Monde), but this recipe calls for baking (healthier and easier). Recipe is from Sunset's Best Recipes of 2010.


SUGARED CHOCOLATE BEIGNETS
Time: 1 hour, plus freezing time. These doughnuts can be prepared ahead, requiring only a quick baking once your guests arrive.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 sheets (17 ounces total) cold thawed puff pastry dough
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar

Directions
Combine corn syrup and cream in microwave-safe container. Heat in 30-second intervals until boiling. Put chocolate in bowl and pour hot cream on top. Stir chocolate until smooth, then chill, stirring often, until firm, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin, roll each pastry dough sheet into a 12-inch square. Cut each square into 16 smaller squares and transfer to baking sheet.

In bowl, lightly whisk egg and 1 Tbsp water to blend, then brush over pastry squares. Spoon about 1 tsp chocolate into center of each square. Fold 1 corner of each square over to meet opposite corner, forming triangle. Press edges to seal. Use a 2 1/2-inch round cutter to trim corners of triangle and form shape that resembles three-quarter moon. Wrap trays with plastic wrap and freeze at least 1 hour and up to 1 week. (To save space, after 30 minutes of freezing, put pastries in resealable plastic bags in freezer.)

Preheat oven to 400°. Bake pastries, switching pan positions once, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Put sugar in a bowl and turn beignets in sugar to coat.
Serve immediately.

LEMON CHOCOLATE CHIP POUND CAKE: National Pound Cake Day

I have an abundance of Meyer lemons in my garden all year round, and I'm always looking for new recipes. Here's a great recipe that combines citrus and chocolate, a favorite combo. Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake is perfect to celebrate today's Food Holiday: National Pound Cake Day. And, if you want to make this 'look' fancy, you can make these pound cakes in one of these three NordicWare pans. The pans will create a luscious loaf (loaves) with 3-D citrus or citrus fruit blossoms. Amazing! If you want to decorate, just add a simple glaze or sprinkling of confectioners sugar to define the design. Pans are made of cast-aluminum. Great for baking! Available at Williams Sonoma, Amazon, and other baking supply places.

NordicWare Mini Citrus Cakelet Pan

 Nordic Ware Citrus Loaf Pan

Nordic Ware Citrus Blossom Loaf Pan

Lemon Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp grated lemon peel (lemon zest)
1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup dark chocolate chips (use mini-chips if you're making the small pans)
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F.  Butter and flour any of above pans (or regular 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan).
Sift dry ingredients (not including chocolate chips).
In large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest in mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon juice mix until blended. Gradually (on low) beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean.
Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Let stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto plate.

Glaze or sprinkle with powder sugar, if desired.

COOKIES 'N CREAM OREO CAKE ROLL: Post by Judy Clemens-Smucker

I love when my mystery and chocolate worlds collide. Today I welcome back Judy Clemens-Smucker aka JC Lane aka Judy Clemens. J.C. Lane is the author of the thriller Tag, You’re Dead. She also writes mysteries as Judy Clemens, including the Stella Crown series and the Grim Reaper mysteries.

JUDY CLEMENS:

Like many households, mine loves the Great British Baking Show. We watch the bakers assemble their creations and wish we could taste each and every one. (Well, maybe not every one. Those Victorian game pies never look as appealing to me as they do to the contestants and judges.) One of our favorite weeks on the show is when they do the cake rolls. It’s fun to see the flavors they put together, marrying the cake with the filling, and see how they decorate the finished product.

This Cookies ‘n Cream Oreo Cake Roll may not have orange zest, candied walnuts, or spun sugar webs, but it has yummy cream, a soft cake (or “sponge” as they’d say on the GBBS), and a delectable ganache topping. Here are some of the quotes from my family when I served it:

“You got such a nice shine on the ganache!”
“The spiral is nice and tight, with no gaps.”
“The cake has such a nice texture.”

So, there you go, Paul Hollywood. I’m ready for the show!

Cookies ‘n Cream Oreo Cake Roll 

FOR THE CAKE: 
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp brewed coffee (or water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar, to aid in rolling

FOR THE FILLING: 
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp powdered sugar 1 t vanilla extract
12 Oreos, crushed

FOR THE GANACHE: 
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan (10” x 15”) with foil. Grease and flour foil.
2. Make the cake: Beat eggs at high speed for 3 minutes, until frothy and dark yellow. Beat in sugar, coffee or water, and vanilla extract.
3. Whisk together cocoa, salt, baking powder, and flour. Stir into wet ingredients just until blended.
4. Spread in prepared pan. Batter will be in a very thin layer. Use spatula to spread it to all corners of the pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when you lightly poke the top with your fingertip and it bounces back slightly.
5. While the cake is baking, set a clean kitchen towel on a large work surface. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar (about ¼ cup). As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, turn it over onto the kitchen towel. Remove foil carefully.
6. Trim crusty edges, then, working from the short end, fold the edge of the towel over the cake. Roll tightly, rolling up the cake into the towel. Let cool completely while rolled at least one hour (or you can wrap it overnight).
7. Make the filling: Beat heavy whipping cream. Slowly add in powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until whipped cream forms. Stir in crushed Oreos, reserving 2 T for garnish.
8. Assemble cake: Once the cake has cooled, unroll it carefully. Spread the whipping cream on the cake, leaving 1” without filling at either end. Re-roll cake. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least one hour before frosting.
9. Make the ganache: Place chocolate chips and cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high power for 60-90 seconds or until the cream is hot. Whisk until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes.
10. Place cake roll on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet. Pour the ganache over the cake evenly, scooping up what falls on the cookie sheet and re-pouring until you have it as covered as possible. Top with remaining crushed Oreos. Chill until set.
11. Note: The cake should stay chilled until right before serving or the whipped cream filling will get warm and it will be hard to slice.

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BANANA CREAM PIE: National Peanut Butter Lovers Day & National Banana Cream Pie Day

Today is a Two-Fer Food Holiday Post. Today is National Peanut Butter Lovers Day, and tomorrow, March 2, is National Banana Cream Pie Day. So here's a recipe that includes both Food Holidays: Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Cream Pie. It doesn't get much better than that. This recipe is from Kraft Foods. You can always substitute your own home-made ingredients.

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BANANA CREAM PIE

Ingredients
35 Nilla Wafers, finely crushed (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided  (or a high quality dark chocolate)
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
2 Bananas, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into quarters
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2 cups cold Milk
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
2 Tbsp PLANTERS Salted Peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions
HEAT oven to 350ºF.
MIX wafer crumbs and butter until well blended; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 5 to 8 min. or until golden brown. Cool completely. Meanwhile, make chocolate curls from 1/2 chocolate square. Refrigerate.
MICROWAVE remaining 1-1/2 chocolate squares and peanut butter in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min.; stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Place bananas in crust; drizzle with melted chocolate.
BEAT pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in 1 cup COOL WHIP. Spread over bananas; top with remaining COOL WHIP.
REFRIGERATE 3 hours. Top with chocolate curls and nuts just before serving.

Want to make your Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Cream Pie from scratch? Try these recipes from Joy the Baker or EzraPoundCake's Hunk-a Hunk-a Peanut Butter and Banana Cream Pie.

Photo: Kraft