Swiss Chocolate Almond Cake

This has got to be one of my favourite combinations: chocolate with almonds. Make sure the chocolate is good quality and you cannot go wrong with this recipe. YUM!

Ingredients:
200 gr butter, softened
200 gr sugar
1 pinch salt
6 egg yolks
200 gr Chocolat Noir 64%, crumbled
120 gr flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
100 gr ground almonds
6 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Preparation: 
1.) Whisk butter, sugar, salt and egg yolks with hand mixer until the mixture turns paler.
2.) Melt chocolate in a double boiler, add.
3.) Mix flour, baking powder and almonds, fold into the mixture.
4.) Fold stiffly beaten egg whites into the dough, pour mixture into the prepared cake form.
5.) Bake approx. 45 minutes in the middle of oven preheated to 180°C.

Brownie Raspberry trifle

A smashing Valentine's recipe easy and fast to prepare and sure to make an impact!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
8 baked brownies, crumbled into pieces (about 2 cups)
2 cups fresh raspberries or dark sweet cherries, pitted
1 cup chocolate ice cream topping
Unsweetened chocolate shavings (optional)

Preparation:
1.) In a chilled large mixing bowl combine whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form; set aside.
2.) Divide half of the crumbled brownies between 4 large parfait glasses or water goblets.
3.) Divide half of the raspberries, ice cream topping, and whipped cream between the glasses, creating layers.
4.) Repeat layers with remaining brownies, raspberries, ice cream topping, and whipped cream.
5.) If desired, sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
6.) Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 4 hours.

Chocolate cake

Nothing tops a real Swiss chocolate cake. This is a recipe we use for all the kids' birthday cakes. It never fails! Yummy and scrumptious. You could also adapt it for a Valentine's Day cake.

Ingredients:
150 gr margarine
230 gr sugar
6 eggs
1 pinch of salt
5 gr of vanilla sugar
200 gr dark chocolate (e.g. Crémant)
125 gr ground almonds
125 gr ground plain biscuits
375 gr powder sugar
4 tablespoons chocolate powder

Preparation:
1.) Stir margarine until foam-like.
2.) Add sugar, yolk of the 6 eggs, salt and vanilla sugar, stir again.
3.) Melt chocolate with 3 tablespoons of hot water and add to the mixture.
4.) Add almonds and biscuits.
5.) Whip the whites until stiff, add to the mixture and mix well.
6.) Grease mold with butter, pour mixture into 24 cm diameter cake mould.
7.) Bake on lowest position in oven at 180°C for 50 to 60 minutes.

Frosting:
1.) Mix powder sugar with 4 tablespoons of water. Put 1 tablespoon aside.
2.) Add chocolate powder to the rest of the mixture, add a few drops of water and stir.
3.) Let cake cool off after baking. Pour chocolate mixture evenly over cake.
4.) Form a small, funnel-shaped paper with a tiny opening. Put the mixture set aside beforehand into paper cone and draw 8 concentric circles on cake.
5.) Use a small knife and pull 8 lines from the center towards the edge and 8 lines from the edge towards the center alternating.

Coeur au Chocolat

For Valentine's Day I will treat you with a very special recipe from Le Cordon Bleu. The Chocolate Heart is taken from their cook book: The Chocolate Bible.

The Chocolate Bible contains 170 recipes clearly described in several sections of the book with step-by-step photos. The recipes are dedicated to chocolate desserts in all forms: cakes, tarts, creams and mousses, iced desserts and drinks, snacks and cookies, and chocolate confectionary.

But let's get down to work.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (355ºF). Butter and dust with flour a heart-shaped cake tin (or a 24 cm round cake tin).

Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake
140 g butter
225 g dark chocolate, chopped
4 egg yolks
150 g sugar
4 egg whites
50 g flour, sifted

Ganache
250 g dark chocolate
250 ml whipping cream

Decoration
Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries

Preparation:

Chocolate Cake:
1.) Melt the chocolate and the unsalted butter over a bain-marie; stir until smooth.
2.) Beat the egg yolks and 75 g of the sugar until they are pale and thick.
3. ) In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites, gradually adding the remaining sugar until they are smooth, shiny and stiff peaks form.
4.) Fold the sifted flour into the egg yolks-sugar mixture and combine with the melted chocolate-butter mixture.
5.) Whisk 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it; carefully fold in the remainder in two separate batches.
6.) Rest the batter for 5 minutes before pouring it into the prepared cake tin.
7.) Bake for 40 minutes. Cool on a rack before turning the cake out; refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Ganache:
1.) Coarsely chop the chocolate and place in a bowl.
2.) Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering and pour over the chocolate; stir until smooth.
3.) Set the ganache aside for about 10 minutes at room temperature, until it can be spread easily.
4.) When the chocolate cake is cold and fairly hard, cut a thin slice from the top to level it; use a long serrated knife and cut in a sawing motion. Spread the ganache evenly over the entire surface of the cake.
5.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm. Decorate with berries.

CHEF’S TIP:
The cake can be kept refrigerated for 2-3 days. It can also be served with crème anglaise or whipped cream.

Banana & white chocolate chip muffins

Breakfast in bed, brunch party or snack? These fabulously delicious and healthy muffins make great snacks for all ages. Kids love banana’s so they’ll love this special recipe including the tasty icing to top it all off! Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:
200g wholemeal flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
90g unsalted butter
150g sugar
65 g white Chocolate chips
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
butter, for greasing

Icing: (optional)
200g cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
80g Icing sugar, sifted

Preparation:
1.) Preheat the oven to 180C.
2.) Lightly grease a 12-hold muffin tin or line with paper cases.
3.) Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and chocolate chips in a bowl.
4.) In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until combined well and there are no lumps.
5.) Add the flour to the mixture and blend well using a whisk. The consistency should be dry and a bit crumbly.

6.) Next, stir in the eggs and then fold in the mashed bananas.

7.) Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin, filling each paper case about two-thirds full.
8.) Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and golden brown on top.
9.) Cool in a tin for 5 minutes, then take out and cool completely on wire rack before icing.
10.) To make the icing, ensure the cream cheese is cold and put in a bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract until just blended. Gradually beat in the icing sugar until smooth. It’s best to use well-sifted icing sugar so you don’t get any lumps.

11.) Using a knife, spread on the cooled cupcakes.

Chocolate muffins

"If it ain't chocolate, it ain't breakfast!"

What better way to start your day than with a chocolate muffin? OK, I admit I have a terrible sweet tooth. These chocolate mufffins do the trick every time I feel a craving. They also make successful children's snacks or dinner party gifts. The recipe is as fast as it is easy. Even beginners cannot go wrong. So go ahead - have 1/2 hour to spare - indulge in some devine chocolate muffins.

Ingredients:
100gr dark good quality chocolate
80 gr butter
130 gr sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
1 pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 dl milk
270 gr flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 table spoon sugar

Preparations:
1.) Melt chocolate in a double boiler then add melted butter and let cool slightly.
2.) Mix sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, eggs and milk in a bowl and beat until the mixture becomes lighter then stir in chocolate.
3.) Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda, add to chocolate mixture and blend together.
4.) Pour batter into prepared muffin cases, sprinkle with sugar.
5.) Bake in preheated oven at 180ºC for 15 to 20 minutes.

Chocolate Mousse

This recipe is my most popular post on my Expat with Kids blog. It must be good!

Ingredients:
5 dl whipping cream
200gr dark chocolate
3 eggs
30 gr sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence or 1 little envelop of vanilla sugar

Preparation:
Mix egg yolk, sugar and vanilla
Melt chocolate in a double boiler
Whip the cream stiff
Add the warm chocolate to the sugar/egg mixture and mix thoroughly.
Add whipped cream to mixture.
Fold in the stiffly whipped egg whites carefully.

Refridgerate for at least 4 hours.

Toblerone Mousse

What is more tempting than a Swiss Chocolate Mousse? This recipe is super-duper easy to prepare and taste delicious. Go ahead and plunge!

Ingredients: 
200gr roughly chopped Toblerone
450 ml whipped cream
3 medium egg whites
Milk chocolate curls or tiny Toblerone triangles for decorating

Preparation:
1.) Melt the chocolate in double boiler
2.) Cool slightly
3.) Fold in the whipped cream
4.) Whisk 3 egg whites until stiff
5.) Fold into the chocolate mixture
6.) Serve in small glasses decorated with the chocolate and chill

White Toblerone Mousse au Chocolat

I miss my Swiss chocolate, especially my Toblerone, and in particular my white Toblerone! Parisian macarons are delicious but it's just not chocolate. So - feeling a little homesick - I dug out one of my favourite recipes.

My dark Mousse au Chocolate recipe is my most popular post so far in my blogging career. I have therefore decided to share my white Toblerone Mousse au Chocolate recipe because the two desserts are best when served together.

Ingredients:
300g white Toblerone
2 eggs
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
4dl cream

Preparation:
1.) Break Toblerone into pieces and melt in a double boiler (40 ° C). Remove bowl from water boiler and stir until smooth.
2.) Mix eggs and powdered sugar in a separate bowl. Beat until mixture is foamy and light.
3.) Add the chocolate immediately and mix well.
4.) Beat the cream until stiff and carefully fold into the chocolate mixture.
5.) Cover the mousse with plastic wrap and place in fridge three to four hours or over night.

To serve:
Scoop the mousse with two spoons, arrange on dessert plates and decorate as desired with whipped cream and fruit.