Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with White Chocolate Mint Cream

Well, I just liked saying this one. It sounds all fancy and I was definitely nervous to make it. But I found it really simple. The mint cream was a little to minty, but otherwise I didn’t make many changes. I found the recipe on Smitten Kitchen. I started using a kitchen scale with this recipe and I have to say, I’m obsessed. It makes life so much easier. It really is an essential tool. 

I also wish I brought my camera out, but I was so in the zone I probably wouldn’t have used it. I only took some photos with my iPhone at the end. Sorry for the quality.

I made some changes and needed 24 cupcakes - this was just enough for two muffin sheets.

Ingredients

Soufflé Cup-cake

• 340 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 12 tablespoons  (172 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• Heaping 1/2 teaspoon (2 gram) espresso or instant coffee powder
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 12 tablespoons (194 grams) sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Mint Cream

•  112 grams white chocolate, finely chopped
• 6 ounces heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Instructions

Start with the White Chocolate Mint Cream

1. Place the white chocolate in a small bowl.
2. Bring the cream to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate.
3.  Whisk well.
4. Add the peppermint extract and whisk again. (Be sure not to pour over the bowl, excess isn’t so great)
5. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the cream. Chill until very cold, about two hours.

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line 9 standard-size (3-ounce) muffin cups with paper liners. (This is ESSENTIAL)
3. Stir chocolate, butter and espresso powder together in heavy medium saucepan over low heat mostly melted, then remove from the heat and whisk until it is fully melted and smooth.
4. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.
5. Using electric mixer  beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl until mixture is very thick.
6. Briefly beat lukewarm chocolate mixture, then vanilla extract, into yolk mixture.
7. With clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until soft peaks form.
8. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and all of the salt, beating until medium-firm peaks form.
9. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions.
10. Divide batter among prepared cups, filling each three-fourths of the way.
11. Bake cakes until tops are puffed and dry to the touch and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 15 to 20 minutes. You might see some cracks, which is fine.
12. Cool in pan on a cooling rack, where the cupcakes will almost immediately start to fall. According to Smitten Kitchen, its to make room for the cream.

Topping

1. Once cupcakes are completely cool, beat mint white chocolate cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form.
2. Remove cupcakes from pan, arrange on a platter.
3. Fill each sunken top with a healthy dollop of white chocolate mint cream. Top with shaved dark chocolate, if you’re feeling fancy. These should be served when complete.

PREP AHEAD: I did the cupcakes the day before, prepped the cream.Then when the meal was almost finished, I beat the cream and finished them off.

Orange Cake w. Chocolate Orange & Honey Glaze

For a Passover cake this was incredibly fluffy but there wasn’t a wow factor. Out of all the desserts, this was my least favorite. I think it has potential and definitely want to play with the recipe.

This cake was also one of the harder ones to make and I didn’t realize the glaze took 2 hours. You can make this a day in advance but if I were to do this again, I’d make it first. I found the recipe on Bon Appetit.

Ingredients

Cake

• 7 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 3 tablespoons grated orange peel
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup matzo cake meal
• 5 tablespoons potato starch

Glaze

• 3/4 cup  unsalted butter (if you’re really kosher, use parve margerine)
• 1 1/2 pounds bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 3 tablespoons honey

Instructions

Cake

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
   
2. Line bottom of 10-inch-diameter springform pan with foil; brush foil with oil. Cut cardboard into 9-inch round. Wrap with foil.
3. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in large bowl until soft peaks form.
4. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff glossy peaks form.
   
5. In another large bowl, beat egg yolks, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice concentrate, orange peel and lemon juice until blended.
6. Sift cake meal and potato starch over yolk mixture and beat at low speed just until blended. Gently fold whites into yolk mixture in 2 additions.
7. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
8.  Cool cake in pan on rack. 

PREP: This can be done  one day in advance, wrapped and stored at room temperature

Glaze

1. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over low heat.
   
2. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
   
3. Mix in orange juice concentrate and honey.
   
4. Let cool until thickened but still spreadable, about 2 hours.

Construct Cake

1. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Release sides.
   
2. Cut cake in half horizontally, leaving cake bottom on pan bottom.
   
3. Place top half of cake, top side down, on foil-wrapped cardboard round.
   
4. Spread chocolate glaze over top.
   
5. Place bottom half of cake, pan side up, onto glaze.
   
6. Remove pan bottom; peel off foil.
   
7. Spread 1 cup chocolate glaze in thin layer over entire cake, anchoring crumbs.
8. Refrigerate cake 30 minutes.
9. Rewarm remaining chocolate glaze over very low heat until just pourable.
   
10. Place rack on baking sheet; place cake on rack.
    
11. Pour glaze over cake, coating entirely and smoothing sides with metal spatula. Chill cake on rack until glaze is firm.
    
12. Transfer to platter. 
13. Garnish cake with orange peel strip if desired.

PREP: This can be made up to three days in advance. Refrigerate and let stand for an hour before serving (or allow enough time for it to come to room temperature.

Chocolate Macaroons (Passover)

This recipe was really easy and quite good, though I did learn it is really important to wait for the chocolate to cool to room temperature before adding it to the egg whites or the macroons will be more like macarookies. That term was coined by my brother. I did have one batch come out pretty perfect. I’m not sure what possessed me to make the second batch at 10 PM. For some reason I was nervous there wouldn’t be enough dessert. 20 people, and there was enough sweets for 50 people.

I found the recipe on Epicurious and I only made slight variations. 

Ingredients

•  6 ounces of chopped dark chocolate
• 1/3 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Place shredded chocolate in a double boiler or bowl over a pot of boiling water and melt chocolate. Whip chocolate until smooth, remove from heat.
4. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in medium bowl until soft peaks form.
5. Gradually add sugar, then vanilla, beating until whites are thick and glossy.
6. Fold in melted chocolate and coconut.
7. Then add remaining 1/3 cup chocolate chips. 
8. Drop batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart.
9. Bake cookies 10 minutes.
10. Reverse sheets.
11. Bake until tops are dry and cracked and tester inserted into centers comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 10 minutes longer.
12. Cool cookies on sheets on racks.
13. Store airtight at room temperature up to 2 days.

Divine Chocolate Walnut Drops (Passover)

This is the third year I’ve made these and every time it gets the ‘Oh my god’ response from my grandmother and aunts. I originally found it on Smitten Kitchen but have made some changes over the years.

I didn’t take a picture of them alone but I did of the entire dessert spread with my iPhone, they are on the top right.

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups walnut halves
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 1/2  tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spread the walnut halves on a large  baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 9 minutes. They will get fragrant.
2. Let cool slightly, then transfer the walnut halves to a cutting board and coarsely chop them.
3. Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and lower temperature to 320.
4.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. 
5. In a large bowl, whisk the confectioner’ sugar with the cocoa powder and salt followed by the chopped walnuts.
6. Beat on medium speed while adding the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened - Be sure not to let the whites stiffen
7. Spoon onto the baking sheets in small mounds (it will melt a bit on the cookie sheet, and bake for 7 minutes.
8. Reverse baking sheets and bake for another 7 to 8 minutes. You’ll know its finished when the tops are glossy and lightly cracked.
9. Be sure to let cookies cool completely (slide parchment paper to racks)
10. Good for up to 3 days

Strawberry Hazelnut Macaroon Tart (Passover)

Last night my mom had 20 people over her house for Passover Sedar. Family, Friends and Friends of Family all stopped in. I decided this year I was going to make a TON of dessert. 5 Different Recipes to be exact. I’m going to blog each recipe separately so its easier to find and work with them.

I’m going to start with this Strawberry tart because it was the biggest hit and definitely my favorite. I prepared the crust and the filling the day before and I assembled in the morning. I should have waited till just before the sedar to assemble as it got a little drippy, though I think that might have been a good thing, to make the crust more manageable. This was sweet, tart, savory.

I found the recipe on Bon Appetit and made just a few changes.

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 12-ounce baskets strawberries, stem removed, diced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons Passover brandy
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of ground cloves

Crust

• Matzo cake meal
• 2 cups husked toasted hazelnuts - I roasted and removed the skin, and added a little extra salt.
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 1-pint baskets strawberries, stems removed, thinly sliced

Instructions

Filling

• Combine all ingredients in heavy large skillet.
  
• Stir over high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to boil.
  
• Boil until very thick, stirring frequently, about 18 minutes. Cool in pan. Transfer to small bowl, cover and refrigerate. Good for up to two days
  

Crust

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.
• Line 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom with heavy-duty foil, pressing firmly into scalloped sides of pan. Grease foil and dust with matzo cake meal.
  
• Finely grind nuts, sugar, salt and cloves in processor.
  
• Add egg and extract and process until mixture just holds together. Reserve 1/2 cup dough for another use. Using moistened fingertips, press remaining dough onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. (I also dipped my hands in matza meal which helped with the stickiness.)
  
• Bake until crust is golden, crinkled and feels dry, about 13 minutes.
•  Cool crust completely in pan on rack. Remove tart pan sides. Carefully peel foil off crust. Return crust to pan. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature. Good for one day
  
• Spread filling over crust. Starting at edge of tart, cover tart with berry slices in overlapping concentric circles, with first circle leaning against crust edge. Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Chill.
• Remove tart from pan. Cut into wedges and serve.