All posts filed under: Chocolate

Jamocha Mocha Mousse with Creme de Cacao

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Jamocha Mocha Mousse is definitely not Low-Carb, but tastes wonderful and I will be bringing it to a Bridal Shower later this week.   There are hundreds of recipes in cookbooks and on blogs for chocolate or mocha mousse, but this is the recipe I have used since I was a teenager.   I think I originally wrote it down when watching one of Julia Child’s TV shows, but have tweaked it here and there over the years, and turned it from Chocolate Mousse to Mocha Mousse as I love coffee-flavored desserts.  

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake with Chocolate Ganache Icing

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It’s that time of year when family starts to descend on you for the holidays.  Aunt Sue and Uncle Bernie and their 3 kids will be staying with you, and this year they are bringing the family dog Apollo, as he gets lonely in the kennel.   Your mother-in-law and her new boyfriend are off for some sun and fun in Dubai, so they will be arriving before Christmas to visit and exchange gifts.  Then of course there is the stress of shopping for gifts (who wears what, what size are they this year, what is that color they absolutely refuse to wear) and decorating the house (yes that does mean the roof too), all of which can drive a person into overload, then stress and anxiety build to a crescendo and you want to explode.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

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These are a whole lot of chocolate with a surprise center: cream cheese and teeny chocolate chips.   Two of my favorite combos, and one of my father’s two favorite desserts (the other being Pineapple Upside Down Cake).  My father passed away quite a while ago, but I was thinking of him yesterday on Father’s Day and decided late last night to whip up a batch of Black Bottom Cupcakes, his way.  Most Black Bottom Cupcakes do not have frosting or icing on top, as the cream cheese rises to the top while baking and serves as the frosting.  But my Dad really liked chocolate and he adored chocolate frosting in particular  – so I always frosted these cupcakes to make them special for him.  You can make the cupcake batter from scratch, but a cake mix off the shelf can be awfully tasty when you are rushed, or as in my case it is 11:30 at night when I started baking.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Icing

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This is an easy chocolate cake that gives you a lot of bang for your buck in both richness of chocolate and presentation.  Using a packaged cake mix will cut down prep time considerably, so majority of your time will be spent in assembly and frosting the cake.  Preparing both the mousse filling and the icing are easy and each only use 3 ingredients.  This is chocolate at its finest with chocolate cake, white chocolate mousse for the filling, and then a rich chocolate ganache icing to pull it all together.  Your guests will think you spent half a day preparing this dessert – only you will know the truth!

Hot Chocolate and Cinnamon Crostini

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I am told Spring has sprung as of last Tuesday, but with the weird weather we are having you could not make a bet on it and feel secure that your odds would be favorable in Vegas.  We had some sun (although you still had to wear a coat cuz it was cold), a bit of rain, a bit of sleet, a bit of hale, and oh yes, we also got a light dusting of snow.  Really, in March??   So feeling chilly, and wanting to drink something cozy, I needed a good cup of hot chocolate.  Not the kind I make late at night using Ghiradelli, the cocoa I grew up with (which by the way, is one of the best “off the shelf” cocoa you can find.)   Nope, I wanted what I consider THE BEST cup of hot chocolate in the world, and that is only found at Angelina’s in Paris, or so I was told about 10 years go.    While traveling on business I was repeatedly told that our hotel was located …

Chocolate Soufflé

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I love a Chocolate Soufflé, anytime, any day of the week – it’s one of my favorite desserts.  In recent years there is a trend to create soufflés with the “lava” effect, where chocolate oozes out when you dig into it.  I prefer the traditional light and airy texture inside a soufflé and this recipe does exactly that.   I practiced many a weekend making Soufflés using a basic recipe from Gourmet Cook Book until I perfected it – have adapted it as seen below.