Tofu Chocolate Silk Pie

Buy 1 graham cracker crust or chocolate graham cracker crust from the store.

OR

Follow directions for crust below to make the pie vegan.

NOTE: This has rave reviews on Minimalist Baker’s website, and the tofu is said to be undetectable. Nonvegans seem to like it too.

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST:

1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
1 heaping (packed) cup pitted dates, soaked for 10 minutes in warm water and drained

FILLING:

12 ounces silken tofu, drained, patted dry
1 3/4 cups dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup light or full fat coconut milk (or another dairy-free milk)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare the crust by pulsing walnuts and cocoa powder in a food processor until it reaches a fine meal. Remove and set aside.
2. Place soaked dates in the food processor and process until small bits remain and it’s sticky. Add back in the walnut-cocoa meal and process until well combined.
3. Transfer to a glass pie pan lightly oiled with coconut oil. Alternatively, place parchment in the bottom for easy removal. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the crumbs and press with your hands to form a uniform crust that goes up the sides (see photo). Pop in the freezer to set.
4. Melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second increments. Once melted, work quickly to add to a blender along with the tofu and coconut (or other dairy free) milk. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed.
5. Pour over crust and smooth. Cover and freeze until set. Alternatively, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until pretty firm. For easiest serving and longer storage, freeze.
6. Serve and top with coconut whipped cream. Will keep in the fridge for several days, though best when fresh. Freeze for up to a few weeks, covered well.

Adapted from: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/moo-less-chocolate-pie-recipe-1938390

ALTON BROWN RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

FILLING:

ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup coffee liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound silken tofu, drained
1 tablespoon honey
1 (9-inch) prepared chocolate wafer crust, recipe follows

CHOCOLATE WAFER CRUST:

6 1/2 ounces chocolate wafer cookies
1 tablespoon sugar
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

DIRECTIONS:

Place enough water in the bottom of a 4-quart saucepan to come 1 inch up the sides. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Melt the chocolate chips with the liqueur and vanilla in a medium metal bowl set over the simmering water, stirring often with a rubber or silicone spatula. Combine the tofu, chocolate mixture and honey in a blender or food processor and spin until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the filling sets firm.

CRUST:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spin the cookies and sugar in a food processor until fine crumbs. Then drizzle in the butter, pulsing to combine. Press this mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom, up the sides and just over the lip of a 9-inch metal pie pan.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven until crust is set and appears dry, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely, about 1 hour.

NOTE: For vegan, replace butter with vegan alternative in pie crust.

Chocolate Rye Cookies

Chocolate Rye Cookies

Makes: 24 cookies
Takes: 10 minutes
Bakes: 13 minutes

100g unsalted butter
100g brown sugar
75g white sugar
1 large egg
175g rye flour (Hodgson’s)
150g chocolate chips (Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips)
100g chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 tsp salt (Kosher)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cream butter and sugars in kitchenaid.
3. Add egg. Mix.
4. Add flour and salt. Mix.
5. Add chocolate and nuts. Mix.
6. Use 1.5 in cookie scoop to make balls. Place on cookie sheet lined with silpat. I got a dozen cookies on the cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 13 minutes, the sides of the cookie will be brown, the tops lightly golden, but they will NOT looked cooked. These cookies do NOT spread. When you take them out of the oven, they will look EXACTLY the way they did (shape-wise) as when you put them in. All in all, these are very ugly cookies. But, they taste great!
8. Right out of the oven, let the cookies rest on the silpat for a minute. Then just pick up the silpat and set it on a cooling rack to cool all the rest of the way.
9. For the second batch, I use a second silpat.
10. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!

NOTE: Using a kitchen scale, this is a one bowl recipe. Yay, no clean up! 🙂

German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

From Recipe Revival: Southern Classics Reinvented for Modern Cooks by the Editors of Southern Living

NOTE: This recipe alone is worth the cost of the book.

Makes: 2 dozen (or a 13 x 9 pan full).
Hands On: 20 min
Total: 3 h 20 m

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c powdered sugar
3/4 c cold butter, cubed
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 c semisweet chocolate morsels
3/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 c light corn syrup
1/4 c butter, melted
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c sweetened flaked coconut
3 c toasted pecan halves and pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line bottom and sides of 13 x 9 pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 in to extend over the sides. Lightly grease the foil.
3. Pulse the flour and next three ingredients (powdered sugar, cold butter, unsweetened cocoa) in food processor 5 or 6 times or until the mixture is crumbly. Press the mixture on the bottom and 3/4 in up the sides of the prepared pan.
4. Bake the crust at 350 F for 15 min. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle the chocolate morsels over the crust. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 min).
5. Whisk together the brown sugar and next three ingredients (corn syrup, melted butter, eggs) until smooth. Stir in the coconut and toasted pecans, and spoon into the prepared crust.
6. Bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 min or until golden and set. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Chill 1 hour. Lift from the pan, using foil sides as handles. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into bars.
7. Enjoy!

Chocolate Fruit Cake (UK)

Nigella Lawson Recipe

INGREDIENTS
Makes: about 10 slices

350 grams prunes
250 grams raisins
125 grams currants
50 grams piece candied orange peel
175 grams soft unsalted butter
175 grams dark brown muscovado sugar
175 millilitres runny honey
125 millilitres tia maria or other coffee liqueur
2 – 3 oranges (juice and zest)
1 teaspoon mixed spice
4 tablespoons cocoa
3 large eggs (beaten)
150 grams plain flour
75 grams ground almonds
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

METHOD
Preheat the oven to gas mark 2/150°C/300°F. Line the sides and bottom of a 20cm / 8-inch round, 9cm / 3½ inch deep, loose-bottomed cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment. Before proceeding any further, read the following which explains how to do it if you need the encouragement. The paper should come up higher than the sides of the tin; think of a lining that’s twice as deep as the tin. Cut out two circles of paper, and two very long rectangles that will fit along the sides of the tin coming up from it like a top hat. Before you put the rectangular cut-out paper in, fold one long side in of both pieces, as if turning up a hem of about 2cm / 1 inch, and then take some scissors and snip into this hem, at intervals of about 2cm / 1 inch – as if you were making a rough frill. Grease the tin, lay one circle on the bottom and get one of your long pieces, then fit with the frilly edge along the bottom, which you press down to sit flat on the circle to hold it in place. Press the paper well into the sides, and repeat with the second piece. Now place the second circle of paper on the bottom of the tin, but on top of the two pressed-down frilly edges, which will also help to hold the pieces around the edge in place. Finally, wrap the tin with brown parcel paper, again making it higher than the sides, and tie it in place with kitchen twine.
Put the fruit, butter, sugar, runny honey, Tia Maria, orange juice and zests, spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan and bring to the boil gently, stirring as the butter melts. Simmer for 10 minutes, and then take off the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
After the 30 minutes are up, it will have cooled a little (though you could leave it for longer if you wanted). Add the beaten eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, however you like, to combine.
Pour the fruit cake mixture into the prepared cake tin. Place in the oven and bake for 1¾–2 hours, by which time the top of the cake should be firm but will have a shiny and sticky look. If you insert a cake tester into the centre of the cake it will still be a little gooey in the middle.
Put the cake on a cooling rack. It will hold its heat and take a while to cool, but once it has, unmould it from the tin and, if you don’t want to eat it immediately (and like any fruit cake it has a very long life), wrap it in baking parchment and then in foil and place in a tin.

French Chocolate Cake

translated from here

INGREDIENTS:

125 g flour
125 g butter
250 g sugar
200 g dark chocolate
4 eggs
1.25 tsp yeast

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Melt chocolate in saucepan with a little water.
3. Take the saucepan off the stove, add butter, flour and yeast.
4. In separate bowl, beat together egg yolks, sugar and a little water; add to the chocolate mixture.
5. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until frothy. Add to chocolate mixture.
6. Pour batter into buttered pan with high sides and bake for 35 min.
7. Add icing sugar or melted chocolate to decorate the top of the cake if desired.

NOTE: This is a translation from a French recipe. When I try this recipe out, I will add more details. I realize that it could use more details. I’ve never seen a recipe for a yeasted chocolate cake, have you? I find it very unusual.

NOTE: Recipe comments say 200g or even 175 g sugar is sufficient for this recipe. One person said 125 g of sugar was sufficient. I’d taste it and go from there.

NOTE: People bake times varied from 25-40 min. I’m guessing this is because they changed the amount of sugar in the recipe.

 

 

Hershey’s Chocolate Cake

CAKE

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE FROSTING. Makes 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:

ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

FROSTING

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
2. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Surprise Cookies

Martha Stewart Recipe

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally

COOKIE DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.

3. Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. (12 fit on a full sized sheet pan; the cookies don’t spread much). Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 9 minutes.

4. Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begin to melt, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

5. Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.

FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

9 oz chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet, chopped)
1 c heavy cream
1 tsp dark rum (optional)

FROSTING DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. (Whip in kitchenaid for 5 min, let color turn from dark brown to light brown – if you don’t whip it, it will be more like a ganache than a frosting). Stir in the rum if desired.
2. TO USE AS GANACHE: Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a cake. Start at the center of the cake and work outward.
3. TO USE AS A FROSTING: For a fluffy frosting or chocolate filling, allow it to cool until thick, then whip with a whisk until light and fluffy.

BROWNIE COOKIES SHORTCUT:

Make your life simple, sub in a brownie mix. I use Ghirardelli brownie mix from Costco. It’s awesome. You’re welcome.

1 box brownie mix (18.4 oz)
1/2 c butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS FOR BROWNIE COOKIES:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Open box of brownie mix, and set chocolate pouch aside.
2. In large bowl, beat sifted brownie mix, melted butter and egg until batter is smooth. Stir in peppermint crunch baking chips and semisweet chocolate chips.
3. Shape dough into tablespoon-size balls. Place on cookie sheet.
4. FOR BROWNIE COOKIES: Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are puffed and cracked, but still appear a little shiny. Cool completely.
5. FOR SURPRISE COOKIES: Go back to the top of this post and follow on from Cookie Directions #3.

NO BUTTER BROWNIE MIX COOKIES INGREDIENTS:

1 box brownie mix
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tbsp water

NO BUTTER BROWNIE MIX COOKIES DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Mix all ingredients well and follow from Cookie Directions #3 above.

Bourbon Biscuits

My mom loves these biscuits, she used to eat them growing up in India. They are not very available here in the U.S. I hope this recipe is close to her memory of the cookies.

From: Nic Cooks

Homemade Bourbon Biscuits (makes 40 ish)

Biscuit:

300g plain flour
75g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
125g unsalted butter
150 raw caster sugar plus extra for dusting (blended white sugar)
1 egg
50g golden syrup (or palm syrup)

Chocolate Filing:

200g dark chocolate
100g cooking cream (whipping cream)

DIRECTIONS:

BISCUIT:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C (325F).
2. Put the flour, cocoa powder bicarbonate soda and salt into a food processor and whiz to combine.
3. Add the butter and continue to blend until combined. It will start to look like fine breadcrumbs.
4. Add the sugar and whiz again.
5. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg then add the golden syrup and continue to beat until mixed.
6. Add the egg mixture to the food processor and whiz until the mixture starts to form a dough.
7. Tip the mixture out onto a clean surface and knead briefly to form a dough. place in the fridge to rest for at least an hour.
8. Roll the dough between two pieces of baking paper or cling wrap/film until it is about 2-3 mm thick. The dough is fairly delicate so this has to be done carefully but the thinner they are the crispier the biscuit will be.
9. Using a 30cm ruler, cut out lengths of dough to the width of the ruler. Then cut into rectangles about 7cm long. This sounds like an arduous job but if the biscuits are not the same size they won’t look very good when they are sandwiched together
10. Lay the rectangles on a non-stick baking tray or silicone mat. Using a skewer, prick ten holes (five each side) along the long edges of each biscuit to give that authentic bourbon look. The real biscuits also have the name written on them but my skills didn’t stretch to that.
11. Re-roll any dough scraps and continue until all dough has been used up. This amount of dough makes about 40 biscuits so you will probably have to bake in batches.
12. Bake for 12 minutes at 170C (325F). Once cooked remove from the tray immediately and lay on a sheet of baking paper on a hard, flat surface to cool. This will ensure that any biscuits that have curled during baking cool flat. While they are still warm sprinkle with a little of the leftover caster sugar.

FILLING:

1. While the biscuits are cooling make the filling.
2. Melt the chocolate then stir in the cream, place in a piping bag to cool slightly or do what I did and use a sandwich bag and snip a tiny bit off the corner.
3. Match the biscuits into evenly sized pairs. Pipe the chocolate onto the bottom of one biscuit then top with a second biscuit. Push down gently so they stick but not too hard so the filling doesn’t burst out of the edges.
4. Allow to cool then eat. They taste better the following day.

 

Alternate Recipe here: http://www.thelittleloaf.com/2012/05/07/real-bourbon-biscuits/

And here: http://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/08/real-bourbon-biscuits.html

And here: http://www.mrsbishopsbakesandbanter.co.uk/2015/06/homemade-bourbon-biscuits-recipe.html

 

Chocolate Espresso Dacquoise

Chocolate Espresso Dacquoise

 

Meringue
3/4 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Buttercream
3/4 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons amaretto or water
1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons corn syrup
12 whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted

For the meringue:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Using ruler and pencil, draw 13 by 10 1/2-inch rectangle on piece of parchment paper. Grease baking sheet and place parchment on it, ink side down.

Process almonds, hazelnuts, cornstarch, and salt in food processor until nuts are finely ground, 15 to 20 seconds. Add 1/2 cup sugar and pulse to combine, 1 to 2 pulse.

Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. With mixer running at medium-high speed, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold nut mixture into egg whites in 2 batches.
With offset spatula, spread meringue evenly into 13 by 10 1/2-inch rectangle on parchment, using lines on parchment as guide. Using spray bottle, evenly mist surface of meringue with water until glistening. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven and allow meringue to cool in oven for 1 1/2 hours. (Do not open oven during baking and cooling.) Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. (Cooled meringue can be kept at room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.)

For the buttercream:

Heat milk in small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering.

Meanwhile, whisk yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in bowl until smooth. Remove milk from heat and, whisking constantly, add half of milk to yolk mixture to temper. Whisking constantly, return tempered yolk mixture to remaining milk in saucepan. Return saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is bubbling and thickens to consistency of warm pudding, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pastry cream to bowl. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before using, warm gently to room temperature in microwave at 50 percent power, stirring every 10 seconds.

Stir together amaretto and espresso powder; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter at medium speed until smooth and light, 3 to 4 minutes. Add pastry cream in 3 batches, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Add amaretto mixture and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes longer, scraping down bowl thoroughly halfway through mixing.

For the ganache:

Place chocolate in heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Pour cream mixture over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Stir mixture until smooth. Set aside to cool until chocolate mounds slightly when dripped from spoon, about 5 minutes.

Carefully invert meringue and peel off parchment. Reinvert meringue and place on cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle, repeated scoring motion, trim edges of meringue to form 12 by 10-inch rectangle. Discard trimmings. With long side of rectangle parallel to counter, use ruler to mark both long edges of meringue at 3-inch intervals. Using serrated knife, score surface of meringue by drawing knife toward you from mark on top edge to corresponding mark on bottom edge. Repeat scoring until meringue is fully cut through. Repeat until you have four 10 by 3-inch rectangles. (If any meringues break during cutting, use them as middle layers.)

Place 3 rectangles on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Using offset spatula, spread 1/4 cup ganache evenly over surface of each meringue. Refrigerate until ganache is firm, about 15 minutes. Set aside remaining ganache.

Using offset spatula, spread top of remaining rectangle with 1/2 cup buttercream; place on wire rack with ganache-coated meringues. Invert 1 ganache-coated meringue, place on top of buttercream, and press gently to level. Repeat, spreading meringue with 1/2 cup buttercream and topping with inverted ganache-coated meringue. Spread top with buttercream. Invert final ganache-coated strip on top of cake. Use 1 hand to steady top of cake and spread half of remaining buttercream to lightly coat sides of cake, then use remaining buttercream to coat top of cake. Smooth until cake resembles box. Refrigerate until buttercream is firm, about 2 hours. (Once buttercream is firm, assembled cake may be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

Warm remaining ganache in heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until mixture is very fluid but not hot. Keeping assembled cake on wire rack, pour ganache over top of cake. Using offset spatula, spread ganache in thin, even layer over top of cake, letting excess flow down sides. Spread ganache over sides in thin layer (top must be completely covered, but some small gaps on sides are OK).

Garnish top of cake with hazelnuts. Holding bottom of cake with 1 hand, gently press almonds onto sides with other hand. Chill on wire rack, uncovered, for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours. Transfer to platter. Cut into slices with sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water and wiped dry before each slice. Serve.

Austrian Chocolate Cake

Cake:

2 c milk
1.5 c sugar
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs, separated
2 1/3 c sifted cake flour
2 tsp baking powder

Praline powder:

1 c sugar
1/2 c almonds, toasted and finely chopped
1/2 c filberts, toasted and finely chopped

Praline butter cream:

1 stick butter, softened
1 c praline powder (recipe above)
1/4 c confectioner’s sugar

Garnish:

toasted almond halves

Directions:

1. Combine milk, sugar, butter and chocolate, and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Let cool slightly and beat in egg yolks and  the flour sifted with the baking powder.
3. Beat 5 min by hand or 2 min with electric beater at med speed.
4. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry, and fold into the chocolate mixture.
5. Pour into well buttered 10 in ring mold.
6. Bake in 325 F oven for 50 min.
7. DO NOT bake until dry and too firm – cake should be moist in the center when it is removed from the oven.
8. Let the cake cool in the mold for 15 min before turning out.

Praline powder:

1. Melt sugar in heavy 10 in pan.
2. When melted and lightly colored, add finely chopped nuts.
3. Pour into buttered flat pan to cool.
4. When cool and set, crush to a powder with a rolling pin or in the food processor.

Praline butter cream:

1. Cream butter in electric mixer.
2. Gradually add praline powder and sugar, beating until smooth and creamy.

Putting it together:

1. Cut cake in half horizontally.
2. Spread with butter cream.
3. Put halves back together.
4. Decorate the top of the cake with the toasted almond halves.