Chocolate Cake with a Chocolate Hazelnut frosting in a semi naked style, topped with crunchy Ferrero Rocher and a dark chocolate ganache dripping around the edges.
Ingredients
For three 15cm chocolate cakes
1½ cup flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup cocoa powder
¾ cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
3 eggs (at room temperature)
1½ cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
3 tsp milk
1½ tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting
115g mascarpone cheese (at room temperature)
115g unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (like Nutella)
1-3 tbsp milk
Chocolate Ganache
115g dark chocolate
½ cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
Decorations
Ferrero Rocher chocolates
Instructions
Chocolate cake
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Line three 15 cm pans with parchment paper, apply butter to the pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, beat until combined.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by adding vanilla extract and milk.
Add the dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk and beat until they combine well.
Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 mins until a toothpick or a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Unmold the cakes carefully to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting
Beat butter until smooth and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar, mascarpone cheese and hazelnut spread, beat until it turns out smooth and creamy.
Add milk as needed for desired consistency. Make sure that the frosting is not runny or too thick, it should be spreadable.
If the frosting seems loose, refrigerate it for some time to thicken.
Chocolate Ganache
Break the chocolate into small pieces and combine with heavy cream.
Temper the chocolate mix by either setting the bowl over a pan of simmering water, or microwave at a 30 second interval and stirring continuously until it completely melts.
Ensure not to overheat or burn the mix as it will split and become unusable. Once melted, keep stirring to bring its temperature down until smooth and silky.
Final Assembly of the cake
Level the top surface of all the cakes by shaving off the uneven portions.
Place your cake base on a turntable/cake stand.
Apply little frosting on the center of the base and spread. This helps the cake to stick and not slide off.
Place the bottom cake on the center on the cake base.
Apply a generous amount of frosting on top of the cake in the center and level it leaving 1.2 cm gap from the edges of the cake with a 2-2.5 cm thickness.
Place the middle layer cake on top and press gently so that the excess frosting oozes out of the sides. Repeat step 5.
Place the third/final cake upside down on top of the frosting, so that the flat bottom of the cake faces upwards. Gently press and using a spatula spread the oozed out frosting around the sides of the cake.
Now apply a very thin layer of frosting on top and around the cake, starting from the bottom to the top. Scrape down the excess frosting using a scraper to create the semi naked effect. Finish with a small coating on top.
Refrigerate it for 30 minutes to set properly.
Pour the ganache over the chilled frosted cake. Quickly spread the ganache to the sides to create a polish finish on the top and to create the drip effect. Avoid further spreading.
Decorate with Ferrero Rocher.
Notes
Grease your pan properly to avoid any cracks or holes in your cake. This helps the cake to slide through the sides of the pan easily.
Pick the cake with the prettiest bottom for your topmost layer. Use the ones with cracks or holes for the middle or bottom layers.
Decorate the cake after placing on a turntable.
Use a strong/sturdy scraper to scrape down the excess frosting on the sides to create the semi naked effect.
Refrigerate the frosted cake to set properly before topping with ganache. You can even bake the cake in advance and frost the next day to manage time.
And make sure to bring the cake back to room temperature before serving.
This cilantro lime chicken simmers in a creamy flavor packed sauce and comes together in only 1 pan!
Ingredients
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chicken broth (I recommend reduced sodium)
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice (I use closer to 1.5 Tbsp)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes*
3 Tablespoons heavy cream*
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
optional: lime wedges and more cilantro for garnish, steamed asparagus for serving
Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. If the chicken breasts are uneven in thickness, pound them down so they’re all even. This way all the breasts will cook through simultaneously. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper.
3. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6-7 minutes, turning once. You want the chicken nice and browned on the outside. (It doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through yet.) Set chicken on a plate and cover tightly with foil until step 5.
4. Remove skillet from heat and add the broth, lime juice, onion, cilantro, and red pepper. Return to heat. Cook and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil gently, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to around 1/4 cup. (During this time you can steam some veggies to have on the side, like asparagus.) Reduce heat to medium-low, then add the cream and butter. Stir until butter has melted.
5. Add chicken to the sauce and place the skillet in the preheated oven. Bake uncovered until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 5-10 minutes.
6. Serve chicken with sauce spooned on top and any of the listed optional garnishes. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Reheat to your liking.
Notes
Red Pepper Flakes: Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your liking. This amount made the chicken mildly spicy. The cream in the sauce mellows out the spice.
Heavy Cream: You can use whole milk instead, but for the thickest, richest sauce I highly recommend heavy cream. If using whole milk, make sure it is at room temperature to help prevent curdling.
THESE OLIVE OIL AND TAHINI CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES ARE SOFT, CHEWY, DELICIOUS AND FULL OF HEALTHY FATS. THEY CAN ALSO BE MADE VEGAN!
Ingredients
1/2 cup (100 grams) extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup (80 grams) tahini
1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon (20 grams) honey
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg (60-65 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) all-purpose flour
150 grams chopped dark chocolate, at least 55% cocoa
Some sea salt flakes for topping
Instructions
Transfer the olive oil, the tahini, the sugars, the honey, the vanilla, the cinnamon, the espresso powder, and the salt to a bowl and beat with your electric mixer (or a whisk) for 1-2 minutes until sugar is almost dissolved. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute until creamy.
Combine the flour with the baking soda in a small bowl and add them to the olive oil/tahini mixture. Mix gently with a spatula until almost combined. Reserve some pieces of the chopped chocolate and mix the rest with batter.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop 12 cookies and place them on a pan or a large plate, the one next to the other. Place the chocolate pieces you have left on top of each cookie, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 180°C and line your pan with baking paper.
Roll each cookie into a ball and transfer to the pan, leaving about 2-3 inches distance between each cookie. Sprinkle the cookies with some sea salt flakes and bake for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will puff up a bit.
Take the pan out of the oven and TAP/BANG IT 2-3 TIMES ON THE COUNTER for the cookies to deflate and settle. This will give them a bakery-style look. Let them cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Eat!
SOME NOTES/TIPS:
How to make a vegan egg: mix 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds (or flax seeds) with 4 tablespoons water and let it rest for 5 minutes. Replace the egg with this mixture to make the cookies vegan.
Don’t omit the cinnamon or espresso powder (also known as espresso instant coffee). You can’t taste them, but they make a difference!
Use good quality instant coffee granules if you don’t have espresso powder.
Use your favorite chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips (chopping the chocolate will produce both big chunks and trimmings each of which flavors the cookie in a different way). The result will be so much better!
Reserve some pieces of chopped chocolate to place on top of each cookie for a better look.
The dough will be soft. To get big, fat cookies you’ll have to scoop them and chill them in the fridge for several hours before baking (I do this overnight).
After chilling them, you can freeze them and have them ready to bake for when in need.
When you take the cookies out of the oven they’ll be puffed-up. Tap the pan on your counter 2-3 times and you’ll immediately see them transform into bakery-style cookies!
These tahini and olive oil cookies will keep fresh for 3-5 days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
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