All you need is love … and some mouthwatering chocolate creations to make Valentine’s Day extra special
What better way to delight your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day than with some homemade chocolate creations?
Or try this new take on the classic Eton Mess sweet treat.
The chefs from Capsicum Culinary Studio shared two chocolate creations guaranteed to impress your beloved.
flourless chocolate cake
Ingredients
- 675g dark chocolate
- 350g salted butter
- 9 eggs
- Spray & Cook
- Cocoa powder for dusting
Method
- Preheat oven to 220°C. Spray a cake tin with Spray & Cook and dust with the cocoa powder, making sure to cover the entire surface area of your tin.
- In a bowl over a double boiler, whisk eggs over a medium to low heat until the mixture starts to take on a custard-like consistency. Make sure you are whisking constantly and that the water in the pot never makes contact with the base of the bowl. Your sabayon is ready when there are no longer bubbles visible in the custard.
- Strain the egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
- Melt the chocolate and butter in a separate bowl over the double boiler, stirring occasionally. Stream the melted chocolate mixture into the sabayon while whisking until both mixtures are well incorporated. Strain again.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and gently tap the tin on the countertop to level out the mixture.
- Place the tin in a deep tray and pour hot water that comes to about halfway up the height of the tray. Cover the tin with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 5–10 ten minutes.
The cake should be set, but slightly wet in the centre, use a skewer to check. - Remove from the water bath and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and set in the fridge for at least 8 hours before serving.
- Warm the exterior of the tin by dipping it in boiling water to help remove the cake from the tin before slicing. Use a knife dipped in hot water to slice the cake.
*Chef’s notes: This flourless cake goes well with vanilla ice cream, peanut brittle and caramelised banana, or Chantilly cream with a berry compote
If you still want to treat your sweetheart, but are concerned about too much chocolate, try this raspberry and lemon sponge cake or these red velvet pancakes
red velvet chocolate chip cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbs cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp bicarb of soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 125g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- ¼ cup of white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2–3 tsp red food colouring
- ¾ cup chocolate chips (dark, milk or white)
Method
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, corn starch, bicarb and salt.
- In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and food colouring. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until fully combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Scoop equal size balls with a tablespoon and place in the lined tray about 5cm apart.
- Bake the cookies for 7–10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for about 10mins before transferring to a wire rack.
