King Arthur Flour Cocoa Page: Self-Saucing Chocolate Cake

February is Chocolate Month, and I have fabulous recipes this month. Lots of holidays, too, such as Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year and so many more!

I've often mentioned that I love the King Arthur Flour website, newsletter and products. Now they have a new page: All About Cocoa. Great information about Cocoa, Origins, Dutch or Natural and Specialty Cocoas.

Here's a great and easy gluten-free recipe from King Arthur Flour for Self-Saucing Chocolate Cake.. kind of like a lava cake, but a different recipe from ones I've posted. This chocolate treat can be dressed up with ice cream, whipped cream, or Irish Cream. I've used Kahlua!

SELF SAUCING CHOCOLATE CAKE

Batter
1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa, Cocoa Rouge, or Dutch-process cocoa
1/4 cup almond flour or hazelnut flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk

Topping
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Double Dutch Dark Cocoa, Cocoa Rouge, or Dutch-process cocoa
pinch of salt
1 cup hot milk or hot water

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease four 1-cup ramekins or oven-safe mugs.
2. To make the cake: Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, nut flour, salt, and baking powder.
3. Whisk in the vanilla, melted butter or oil, egg, and milk.
4. Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins or mugs, using about 1/3 cup batter in each.
5. To make the topping: Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and salt.
6. Divide among the ramekins or mugs, using two heaping tablespoons for each.
7. Top each ramekin or mug with 1/4 cup boiling water. Place on a baking sheet.
8. Bake the cakes for 18 to 22 minutes. The cake should be puffy, with some liquid boiling up around the edges.
9. Serve hot or warm. Top with whipped cream, a toasted marshmallow, ice cream, or a splash of Irish Cream (or Kahlua!).

Yield: 4 servings.

Photo: King Arthur Flour

Christmas Chocolate Barks: Red and Green and Chocolate!

I adore barks, and I've posted several Bark recipes over the past year including Chocolate Peppermint Bark for the holidays. Bark is so easy and quick to make and there are so many variations that it's perfect for this busy time of year! I especially that these two Bark Recipes because they employ both color and unique tastes along with chocolate! As always use the very best chocolate! Here's to a Red, Green and Chocolate Holiday!

The first recipe comes from Annmarie Kostyk, the Chocolate Goddess! She is the ultimate Chocolate Blogger with great reviews and recipes and interesting facts about chocolate. She truly is a Chocolate Goddess. Be sure and visit her website and scroll back for the 12 Days of Holiday Chocolate Candy and 12 Days of Holiday Chocolate Cookies! Exceptional!!!

Pistachio and Cherry Dark Chocolate Bark
from Annmarie Kostyk, the Chocolate Goddess

Ingredients:
3/4 cup roasted, shelled pistachios, (3 ounces), coarsely chopped (raw pistachios and/or other salted nuts, don't have the same saltiness)
3/4 cup dried cherries (or cranberries)
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
24 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped, divided

Directions:
1. Line the bottom and sides of a jelly-roll pan or baking sheet with foil. (Take care to avoid wrinkles.) Toss pistachios with cherries in a medium bowl. Divide the mixture in half; stir orange zest into 1 portion.
2. Melt 18 ounces chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. (or in a saucepan over a saucepan of simmering water) Stir often with a rubber spatula so it melts evenly.
3. Remove the top saucepan and wipe dry. Stir in the remaining 6 ounces chocolate, in 2 additions, until thoroughly melted and smooth.
4. Add the pistachio mixture containing the orange zest to the chocolate; stir to mix well. Working quickly, scrape the chocolate onto the prepared pan, spreading it to an even 1/4-inch thickness with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining pistachio mixture on top; gently press it into the chocolate with your fingertips. Refrigerate, uncovered, just until set, no more than 20 minutes.
5. Invert the pan onto a large cutting board. Remove the pan and peel off the foil. Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the chocolate lengthwise with 6 parallel lines. Break bark along the score lines. Break the strips of bark into 2- to 3-inch chunks.

Hint: Never store Chocolate Bark in the refrigerator. It will sweat or bloom. For that matter, don't store any chocolate candy in the refrigerator.

The following recipe is from the King Arthur Flour website. I love the innovative recipes on the website and blog, and, of course, King Arthur Flour's great products! This recipe is very festive with red cranberries and crunchy pecans...and it uses both white and dark chocolate layers. Let's face it, you can never have enough bark! Woof!

Cranberry Nut Chocolate Bark
from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

1 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup toasted diced pecans
2- 2/3 cups chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted
2- 2/3 cups chopped white chocolate, melted

Directions
1. Toss the cranberries and pecans together. Set them aside.
2. Melt the dark chocolate (in the top of a double boiler--see above), and spread it into an 8" x 12" oval on parchment paper.
3. Allow the chocolate to set, but not harden completely.

4. Melt the white chocolate (in the top of a double boiler-see above) and mix it with about 3/4 cup of the cranberries and pecans.
5. Spread this over the dark chocolate.
6. Sprinkle the rest of the nuts and fruit on top, pressing them in gently.
7. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes--no more than 20-- until hardened, then break it into chunks.

Happy Holidays!

Photo: Pistachio and Cherry Dark Chocolate Bark: Annmarie Kostyk
Photo: Cranberry Nut Chocolate Bark: King Arthur Flour

Cranberry Fudge Pie Recipe from King Arthur Flour

I'm a big fan of King Arthur Flour, not just the flour, but all the food products, pans, videos and more. Great gluten-free help for the holidays, too! The King Arthur Flour website also has wonderful recipes.

I'm signed up for email updates, and you might want to do that, too. I might have missed this incredible Recipe for Cranberry Fudge Pie. Perfect for Thanksgiving. You can always use a prepared graham cracker crust, but it's so easy to make yourself. As always use the very best chocolate and other ingredients! I've kept the link to glazing sugar. Definitely great to have in your pantry. I'm all about easy, and this recipe is simple!

CRANBERRY FUDGE PIE


Crust
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (One cellophane-wrapped packet of graham crackers (11 whole crackers) will yield this amount of crumbs)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar
6 tablespoons melted sweet butter

Filling
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped semisweet chocolate (Don't use bittersweet chocolate; with the acidic tang of the cranberries, it's just too much. You want a dark chocolate that's noticeably sweet; most chocolate chips will be fine)
2/3 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup diced walnuts or pecans

Topping
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cranberry juice
1 cup dried cranberries
12-ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries, a generous 3 cups
You'll need about 15 ounces (a scant 1 1/2 cups) topping for the pie.

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2) To make the crust: Process the crackers, sugar, and melted butter in a food processor until crumbly and well combined.
3) Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie pan.
4) Bake the crust for about 7 to 8 minutes, until it's set, but not brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
5) To make the filling: Put the chips (or chopped chocolate) and cream in a microwave-safe container, and heat for about 90 seconds.
6) Remove from the microwave, and stir until the mixture becomes smooth and dark brown; you're simply making a basic ganache.
7) Spoon the hot ganache into the cooled crust, and sprinkle the nuts on top.
8) Refrigerate the pie for at least 1 hour, probably 2, until the ganache has firmed up.
9) While the pie is chilling, make the topping. Bring the sugar, salt, and cranberry juice to a boil.
10) Stir in the dried cranberries, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
11) Add the fresh or frozen cranberries, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until some of the berries have burst.
12) Remove the cranberries from the heat, spoon into a bowl, and chill.
13) To finish assembling the pie: Spoon 1 1/2 cups cranberry sauce atop the fudge/nut filling. Chill until ready to serve.

Photo: King Arthur Flour