Chocolate

Orange and honey truffles

03.24.2015 by georgie // 3 Comments

Its Easter next week! (English that is, Greek Easter is the week after. I get two this year = 2 x chocolate eggs. Winner). Not quite sure how it’s crept up on me but it’s almost here and there is a lot of cooking to be done. I adore Easter, for Greeks it’s an even bigger celebration than Christmas. Growing up in my Grandparents restaurant meant days, even weeks of cooking (and fasting). Resulting in days of church services, midnight mass, flower garlands and massive feasts. We’d close the restaurant on Easter Sunday and have all the family and all our friends round for an enormous meal. Definitely some of my happiest memories.

Needless to say my Yiayia will have a list as long as her arm of the things we need to cook over the next few weeks, but to kick start the Easter preparations I’m posting a foolproof recipe for heavenly chocolate truffles. Laced with honey, orange blossom and citrus, they are so simple to make and are a gorgeous Easter gift. Read more…

Pete’s triple chocolate orange Christmas brownies

12.14.2014 by georgie // 2 Comments

Today Pete and I got to visit a very special little lady, our friends rainbow baby Robyn. She is a gorgeous little pud, a real miracle baby and it was amazing to meet her. We haven’t managed to spend time with many of our friends kids yet but we’re getting there. And I’m really glad we were able to spend a bit of time with this special bub.

Obviously we couldn’t turn up empty handed (and I’ve promised our friends next time we go I’ll take them some more of my slow cooked ragu), but this time it was all about the brownies. Brownies with a little twist, and these dreamboats were inspired by a festive pile of Terry’s chocolate orange in our local corner shop. Who can resist a Terry’s chocolate orange? (We realise too late that it was 2 for £3. Pete was gutted. I think it was probably a good thing. We’ve got a wedding next week and I’m already concerned about the slinky black dress I’m wearing…). So, armed with chocolate and an appreciation for festive flavours we were on our way. However I got deeply engrossed in an episode of Homeland and my crochet so it was all down to Pete. And with barely any guidance these beauties appeared. Boy did good.

PETE’S TRIPLE CHOCOLATE ORANGE BROWNIES

Makes 25

200g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
190g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 large eggs, free range or organic
250g golden caster sugar
110g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Finely grated zest of an orange
75g white chocolate, chopped
Half a Terry’s chocolate orange, broken into segments (alternatively use 75g of chopped orange chocolate)

Preheat your oven to 180/ gas mark 4. Grease and line a square cake tin, around 24cm/ 9″.

Place the dark chocolate and butter into a medium sized pan and gently melt on the hob over a medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Meanwhile whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl or large jug and leave to one side.

As soon as the butter and chocolate has melted, remove the pan from the heat and leave to one side to cool a little. After around 10 minutes whisk in the beaten egg and sugar until you have a glossy mixture. Fold in the plain flour, salt, ground cinnamon and finely grated orange zest with a large metal spoon. Finally stir in the chopped white chocolate and then pour into your prepared cake tin. Top your brownies with the chocolate orange segments, leaving some whole and breaking some up.

Bake the brownies for 20 minutes, until just set with a lovely thin sugary crust. Leave in the tin to cool for at least 20 minutes before turning out. Cut and serve warm with ice cream, or cooled and straight up with a mug of tea. To be honest I think these are even better the next day.

My favourite chocolate cake

11.30.2014 by georgie // 3 Comments

This week I had the privilege of making a special birthday cake for the lovely Jools Oliver. Working for Jamie means I have known Jools for quite a few years now; she is such a lovely lady, incredibly down to earth and a wonderful inspiring mother. She has been very supportive since we lost Archie, her kind and heartfelt words have meant a lot. So when I bumped into Jamie a few weeks ago I mentioned I would love to make her a cake, as a gift for her 40th birthday and a way of saying thank you for her support. When I asked her favourite flavour, I was told ‘chocolate and coffee’. Dream combo. So I took that and went from there…

Needless to say there were a lot of chocolate and coffee components! Including salted pretzel coffee bean caramel, shards of marbled chocolate with chocolate honeycomb pieces and torched homemade marshmallow to finish.

I’ve never made a cake I haven’t delivered myself, so when I let this creation go I was so nervous. I knew it wasn’t being given to Jools until the following day and I just prayed it would make it and stay in one piece! I’m glad to report it did, minus a bit of broken chocolate shard, but I can deal with that. It was a potential mudslide of a cake I was worried about!

So for this blog post I am sharing the base of this creation, the recipe for my favourite foolproof chocolate cake. I use this recipe for all sorts, I even used it as part of our wedding cake. It keeps really well and freezes perfectly too.

Jools' birthday cake — Jools’ birthday cake

MY FAVOURITE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Serves 16

275g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
150g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
300g golden caster sugar
6 large eggs, free range or organic
150g self raising flour
30g good quality cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
A shot of espresso or tablespoon of vanilla extract (optional)

Preheat your oven to 180/ gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm spring form cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.

Bash up the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl with the butter and sugar. Pop the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water. Give it a little stir from time to time, until it is all melted, glossy and smooth. Remove the bowl, and leave it to one side for 10 minutes to cool slightly.

Whisk the eggs in jug, and once the 10 minutes is up gradually whisk the eggs into the chocolate mixture. Do this bit by bit, and whisk vigorously between each addition. Once the eggs are all incorporated sift in the self raising flour, cocoa and sea salt, then fold them in with a large metal spoon until just mixed together. Stir in the espresso or vanilla, if using, and then pour the cake mix into your prepared tin.

Bake in the middle of your oven for around 50 minutes, or until just cooked through. A skewer should come out clean, but still look like the cake is moist. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 – 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. I then slice my cake into 3 even rounds, and finish however my heart desires! Sea salt caramel and cream, black forest gateau, with boozy cointreau and orange frosting… the possibilities are endless.