#chocolatelove: Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate

04. February 2012 · 134 comments · Categories: Dessert, food, recipes · Tags: , , ,

February is a month for love….and chocolate.

Or maybe for loving chocolate (sorry, Nate, I’ll go back to loving you in March).

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day with someone or alone, it’s appropriate to treat yourself to some extra chocolately goodness.

Ever since I went with Nate and his family to The City Bakery, near Union Square, I’ve been dreaming of their rich and thick hot chocolate.

They’re really well known for their amazing hot chocolate. In fact, every day in the month of February they have a different flavor of hot chocolate as part of their Annual Hot Chocolate Festival.

But honestly, you really don’t need anything but their original flavor. It tastes like you’re drinking liquid chocolate. It’s seriously amazing.

Anyway, after drinking it I searched online for thick hot chocolate recipes. It’s not the watery consistency of hot chocolate you make from a packet. It’s so thick that you could eat it with a spoon. Consitency-wise, it’s kind of like in between instant hot chocolate and chocolate pudding.

I found this one recipe from Southern Living and finally got around to making it for Nate (and me). It was totally as awesome as City Bakery’s!…which is good to know since they charge $5 a pop.

This month’s #chocolatelove is brought to you by the following lovely hosts:

ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~  @astigvegan
Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth
Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies
Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose

Click here to enter your recipe and view the rest of the bloghop ones!

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Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate
Slighlt adapted from Southern Living

Print this recipe!

serves 4

2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 cups milk, divided
2 (3-oz.) dark chocolate bars (at least 70% cacao), chopped
1/3 cup honey (or more depending on how sweet you like things)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Whisk together cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk until smooth.

Cook remaining 3 1/2 cups milk in a large, nonaluminum saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear around edge of saucepan (about 4 minutes; do not boil). Whisk in chocolate, honey, vanilla extract, and salt until blended and smooth. Whisk in cornstarch mixture.

Bring milk mixture to a light boil, whisking frequently (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat. Let cool slightly. (Mixture will thicken as it cools.) Serve immediately.

How to win a man’s heart!…through his stomach.

12. February 2011 · 4 comments · Categories: Baking, Cake, Dessert, Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , , , ,

Ok, well maybe I can’t tell you how to win his heart. I mean, I won the heart of my boyfriend, Nate,  but I’m pretty sure every guy is different. But you know what all men have in common?…their stomachs. Any man can be won over with a cake.

I’ve been in several relationships, but no one has been as appreciative of what I cook as Nate. It’s really nice to have someone enjoy every single thing that comes out of your kitchen, even when you know it wasn’t your best work. Maybe Nate’s easy to please, but I like to think I’m just that good ;)


This cake was my way of showing the man that appreciates me so much how much I appreciate him. Red velvet cake is one of his faves, and raspberry mousse is one of mine, so I thought I’d bring them together in a cake full of love. Plus, raspberry and chocolate make a darn good combo.

I kinda just found a bunch of recipes, threw them together, and hoped for the best. But with cream cheese, chocolate, butter and raspberry, I didn’t really know how it could go wrong. And from the look on Nate’s face when he took his first bite, I’d say it was a success.

Nate gives it two thumbs up!

Happy Valentine’s Day! <3

Red Velvet Cake with Raspberry Mousse and Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Me

Cake

1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 pkg chocolate instant pudding mix
1- 7 oz. container 2% greek yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce or other fruit puree (I used stewed prune puree)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (for cake assembly)

Raspberry Mousse

3/4 cup boiling water
1 pkg (3 oz) raspberry flavored JELLO
1 cup ice cubes
4 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
2 cups Non-dairy whipped topping, thawed (I used Cool Whip Free)

Frosting

8 oz. of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz. butter, room temperature
8 oz. containter of non-dairy whipped topping (I used Cool Whip Free)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray and flour two 9-in. round cake pans.

In a VERY large bowl, mix together everything except choclate chips. Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter between cake pans. Spread out batter and tap pan on counter once or twice to get air bubbles out.

Cook for around 30-45 min (depends on cake mix brand) or until tester comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack. When cool, remove from pans and cut each cake in half horizontally to form 4 cake round layers.

Mousse:

Line two 8-in. round pans with plastic wrap.

Add boiling water to gelatin mix. Stir 2 min until completely dissolved. Stir in ice until melted. When gelatin is cold and begins to congeal, remove remnants of ice that haven’t melted.

Blend cream cheese in bowl until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in gelatin. Whisk is whipped topping after gelatin has slightly set.

Divide mousse between pans, spreading out evenly. Refrigerate 3-4 hours our until set.

Frosting:

Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy and blended.

Add powdered sugar and beat til well blended.

Add 3/4 of the whipped topping and beat well. Fold in remainder of whipped topping.

Refrigerate 1 hour.

Assembly:

Melt raspberry jam in microwave until spreadable but not hot. Put first cake layer on plate and spread with 1/3 of the jam.

Pipe a line of frosting around the outer edge of the round. Carefully flip 1 mousse round onto cake and remove plastic wrap.

Put next cake round on top of mousse layer. Spread with next 1/3 of jam, and then frosting to cover, about 1/4″ thick.

Put next cake round on top of frosting layer. Spread with rest of jam. Pipe another line of frosting around outer edge.

Flip next mousse layer onto cake. Put top layer on top of mousse layer.

Finish frosting cake with rest of frosting. Decorate as desired. Refrigerate again before cutting.

 

Mwah!