If you are anything like me winter gets old…….fast!
February can’t be over quick enough!
Living in the northeast we are programmed to pretend like we love the winter… like we planned it.
Skiing, Sledding, Hot Chocolate! Yeah!
Well, that only lasts so long. Some time in my mid twenties the reality sank in…..
Shoveling, School Cancellations, Heating Bills! Yeah!
Summoned to indoor projects I naturally turn to the kitchen. Thank God for the kitchen! The winter months are when I get acquainted with my oven. I have an open kitchen that sits in the center of my house, so when I start baking the oven doubles as a furnace….killing two birds here. Baking raises the temperature of my home by 3 degrees, no lie, I track this sort of thing… I told you winter makes me CRAZY.
Rather than sit and stew in my own seasonal pity-party, I seek out palatable pleasures beyond chicken soup. With Valentine’s Day acting as the official Hump Day of the Month; and all the good press around the subject; I focus on chocolate. Researchers have some news for chocolate lovers; it may be good for you. Who knew? Scientists reported preliminary evidence recently that cocoa and other chocolates may keep high blood pressure down, your blood flowing and your heart healthy. In addition, it will put a smile on your face!
Here I present to you the Chocolate Trifecta.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache and White Chocolate Drizzle.
You can find the Flourless chocolate cake recipe listed on my website www.powell-co.com Trust me, it's an easy recipe if you follow the directions. If you've never made a flourless cake don't try to improv here, stay to the recipe! The flourless chocolate cake is very nice on it's own with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dusting of powdered sugar. But we have winter blues to contend with.. that's when the ganache and white chocolate get involved. Her are the simple steps to bring these three decadent individuals together.To make the Fourless Chocolate Cake visit my website, http://www.powell-co.com/, listed under 'recipes' you will find it. Bake the cake a day in advance. Let cake cool in the spring form pan, cover and store it in the fridge overnight. When ready to frost remove from springform pan and set cake on wax paper , wire rack or cake plate.
Prepare the Ganache
8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
Place the chocolate chips in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth.
To frost the cake be sure cake is cold. Brush any loose crumbs from the cake and place cake on wax paper, wire rack or cake plate. (Put the wire rack on a baking sheet. In this way if the ganache drips it will end up on the baking sheet, which makes clean up easier). Using a cake spatula, cover the sides and top of the cake with about 2 tablespoons ganache. This is called a crumb coat and seals in any cake crumbs so that your cake will have a smooth finish. Refrigerate cake for 5 minutes to set the crumb coat. If you have any air bubbles or crumbs in your ganache, pour through a strainer. To cover cake, pour the remaining ganache into the center of the cake. Working quickly, spread with a spatula, using big strokes to push the ganache over the sides of the cake, to create an even coating of ganache. If there are any bare spots on sides of cake, cover with leftover ganache. Refrigerate.
Prepare White Chocolate Ganache
Follow the ganache recipe, substituting the semisweet for white chocolate. When whisked and smooth, divide white chocolate drizzle into two batches. Add 1/2 teaspoon of pink food coloring gel to one batch (I am using a neon pink! I love it!) and whisk until coloring is even throughout. Fill a squirt bottle with the White chocolate. In one direction 'Drizzle' the white chocolate back and forth - or use the fork drizzle method by dunking a fork into the white chocolate ganache and drizzle over cake. Pop the cake back in the fridge to let it set a little. Using another squirt bottle or fork method, repeat the same 'drizzle' in the opposite direction. Place the cake back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before decorating with strawberries or raspberries.
Tip: Work quickly with Ganache as it thickens as it cools. To revive your ganache into a smooth workable texture microwave in 15 second intervals to achieve desired consistency.
Photos by Ed Nute
