Panforte Nero from Siena 100 g.
Nov 13, 2011 Bread Bakeries
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In the middle ages, apothecaries sold medicinal herbs and spices. Over time, those products worked their way into recipes for local specialties, such as panforte, the famous strong bread of Siena. With its highly nutritious and restorative properties, this regional confection is said to have sustained the Crusaders.
This chewy and dense concoction of almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts and candied citrus peel is flavored with honey, cloves, coriander, cinnamon and cocoa powder. The most delicate and refined version of panforte, called Torta Margherita, was developed in honor of Queen Margherita. This version is traditionally served in thin slices for dessert along with a glass of vin santo, a Tuscan dessert wine. But it can also be eaten in chunks for breakfast or as an afternoon pick-me-up.
Tags: Almonds, Best Sellers Bread, Chewy, Chunks, Citrus Peel, Cloves, Cocoa Powder, Concoction, Confection, Coriander, Crusaders, Dessert Wine, from, Hazelnuts, Herbs Spices, Medicinal Herbs, Nero, Panforte, Pine Nuts, Queen Margherita, Refined Version, Restorative Properties, Siena, Thin Slices
Espelette pepper chocolate cupcakes
Jun 11, 2011 Cupcakes Bakery
There’s no denying it, it’s the playoffs. When you live in a city who’s team made it to the finals, its even harder to ignore. Everybody is following it. Some more forced then others. I gotta admit, I’m a bit of a bandwagon fan! To celebrate the playoffs, I’ve decided to make Canuck cupcakes, also know as canuckakes! I decided to use the chocolate my mom brought me back from Montreal. Its a very good Espelette pepper chocolate by the lovely Genevieve Grandbois. I thought the touch of spice would be good for the playoffs. I feel it reflects well the atmosphere that’s in the city right now, electrified, exhilarating, spicy. I decided to balance that with a simple vanilla buttercream. Here is the recipe for 18 cupcakes:
cake:
- 70g of Espelette pepper chocolate
- 1/3 cup of cream
- 2 tbs of milk
- 3/4 cup of butter
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups of flour
- 2 tsp of baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbs of cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup of cream
- 1/4 cup of milk
method:
- preheat the oven to 350
- break the Espelette pepper chocolate in small pieces and put in a heat proof bowl
- put the milk and the cream in a sauce pain and heat
- as soon as the milk and cream start to simmer pour on the chocolate chances
- let stand for five minutes and whisk together until smooth to create a ganache
- beat the butter until it is light and fluffy
- add the sugar and beat thoroughly
- add the eggs one at a time and beat in between each addition, then beat on high for 30 seconds
- add the chocolate ganache and combine
- sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder together and combine with the butter/sugar mix
- add the cream and milk and combine until smooth
- line a cupcake pan with paper cups
- bake for 20 minutes
icing:
- 3 egg whites
- 140g of sugar
- 1 1/4 cup of butter cut in 1 inch cubes
- 2 tsp of vanilla extract
method:
- combine the egg whites and sugar in a double boiler
- whisk a little until all the sugar is melted away
- take off the double boiler and beat on high until cooled and turned into a firm meringue, touch the bottom of the bowl to make sure its at least body temperature
- add the butter one cube at a time while beating on a lower speed
- beat on high until you get a nice fluffy texture (it will turn to a cottage cheese kind of texture about half way through, just keep beating)
- add the vanilla extract
Still on the playoffs front, a friend threw a big BBQ To watch Saturday’s game! Well I couldn’t let the opportunity to bake a dessert go by. I baked the root beer and chocolate bundt cake from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. It was a great success! Everyone loved it!
Enjoy 
Tags: 2 Eggs, Baking Powder, Bandwagon Fan, Buttercream, Chocolate Ganache, Cocoa Powder, Cup Sugar, Double Boiler, Egg Whites, Genevieve Grandbois, Heat Proof, Inch Cubes, Paper Cups, Pinch Of Salt, Small Pieces, Smooth Line, Sugar Mix, Tbs, Tsp, Whisk
7 Desserts 7 Days- No Bake Chocolate and Peanut Cake
Mar 29, 2011 Bakery House
When I started writing this post, I hit a major stumbling block- what do I call this dessert. At our house, we call it peanut pudding. But it really isn’t in my opinion. It has no milk or gelatin. It’s not baked or steamed. So I decided to call it a cake. Cheesecake was my first option since it has a crunchy graham cracker base. But alas no cheese! So chocolate and peanut cake it is!
This dessert is the better half’s favorite. His sister used to make it all the time for him when they were growing up. So when I got married, this was the first dessert Akber asked for. When I told him I’m doing a blogathon on 7 Desserts 7 Days, I asked him for his opinion on what I should make. Peanut pudding- oops I mean cake, was his only answer!
I’ve changed the recipe very slightly such as adding a small amount of ground peanuts to the graham cracker base and a dash of coffee to the cake to enahnce the chocolate flavour. Whilst writing this post, I was thinking that the addition of say half a cup of peanut butter to the cake would probably take it to another level.
I love serving this with a cold drizzle of custard. This recipe serves 6 people but I’m ashamed to admit that me and Akber ate one cake EACH, all by ourselves. With the custard on top……did I mention he said no more desserts for a month!
Tomorrow is the last post for 7 Desserts 7 Days and we’re going all out with roses and cream. I hope you’ll be back to take a look. The giveaway is still running and you can take part here.
No Bake Chocolate and Peanut Cake
Ingredients:
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbs ground peanuts (roasted)
2 tbs butter
3/4 cup butter
3/4 icing sugar
1 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, finely chopped
1 egg
5 tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp coffee powder
Directions:
Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the ground peanuts and 2 tablespoons butter. Mix until it resembles breadcrumbs. Divide the crusts into two 6 inch springform pans or 1 large 9 inch pan. Press down slightly to form an even crust and put into the freezer while you prepare the cake.
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl until smooth and homogenous. The batter will be quite thick. Divide this batter on top of your graham cracker crust and smoothen the top with a spatula. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours. When you want to unmold the cake, run a sharp knife around the cake and release the spring. Serve cold with custard.
This recipe will serve 6 people.
Tags: Blogathon, Cake Ingredients, Cocoa Powder, Coffee Powder, Cold Drizzle, Crunchy, Cup Butter, Desserts, First Option, Flavour, gelatin, Graham Cracker Crumbs, Ground Peanuts, Inch Pan, Major Stumbling Block, Peanut Butter, Roasted Peanuts, Springform Pans, Tablespoons Butter, Tbs Cocoa
