Here’s the recipe:

3/4 cup unsalted butter cut in to pieces
340g Amano Ocumare 70% dark chocolate, chopped (around 12 oz or 6 bars)
5 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla
.25 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Put the chopped chocolate in a pan over a pan of simmering water. (A double boiler) Slowly melt it. Add the butter to melt and mix with the chocolate. After it is mixed remove from heat and allow it to cool slightly.

Turn the oven to 300 F with the rack prepared in the middle. If your oven heats unevenly think about putting a heating stone in the lower rack. Take a 9×2″ round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. (Just cut the paper in the shape of the pan bottom) Butter the paper and sides of the pan. Dust with cocoa powder, removing any excess.

In a mixer combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and then 2 Tbs of water. Beat it on medium high until it has about doubled in volume and is foamy. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the chocolate mixture. Increase the speed back to medium high until everything is well blended. Add the cocoa powder on low until it is just barely blended.

Pour the mixture into the cake pan and place in the middle rack. Cook about 40 – 45 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out slightly wet with gooey clumps. The danger with this cake is in over cooking as it will be very dry and unappetizing if over cooked.

When done run a knife around the edges of the pan and then flip the pan over on a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper. Put on a cake pan and cover in your refrigerator for at least 6 – 8 hours or until very cold.

I often glaze the cake with some home made ganache (sometimes with a different variety of chocolate like our Madagascar). I also sometimes just do a chocolate and butter glaze. I’ve also had it with a mascarpone topping. (1/2 lb mascarpone chees, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1/2 tsp vanilla all whipped in a blender)

As I mentioned, if you over cook the torte it will be very dry — the opposite of what a torte is supposed to be like. If you ruin the torte, don’t worry. It is still fantastic with ice cream.

His recipe is for Burnt Caramel Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Coins. I’ve not tried making these yet but they look amazing. I hope to try them myself soon.

A lot of people think cacao is just for deserts. But our cacao nibs can be used in many other means. So our first recipe is a savory one.

This recipe is from the London Times. It’s for Porcini and Chocolate Risotto. If you are going to use our single origin cocoa nibs I’d suggest adding them when you add the rice rather than at the end as you would for adding chocolate. (Just my personal variation to the recipe – but try it either way)

Our next recipe link is to a recipe of Cacao Nib Cookies. The blog author used our Madagascar Cocoa Nibs.

Have a favorite recipe using our chocolate or nibs? Please email it to Clark@amanochocolate.com.

Finally we have a recipe our salesperson Rick sent me. It’s called a Fallen Chocolate Cake. It has a very nice raspberry sauce. So be sure to try it when raspberry season is around. If you don’t have raspberries (probably the case this early in spring) feel free to substitute other berries you may have. Also try substituting lime juice in place of the lemon juice. Just make sure you use actual limes or lemons. (Don’t use the cheap stuff in the plastic bottles that they sell at grocery stores – actual lemons are much cheaper and make a huge difference in flavor)

Here’s the recipe for the cake. For the chocolate I’d suggest using either our Madagascar or Jembrana. The Jembrana in particular is my favorite chocolate to cook with. Our chocolate is also available in bulk form for easy melting.

Cake
12 ounces chocolate (6 bars)
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
½ cup flour
6 large eggs

Raspberry Sauce
4 cups fresh raspberries
½ cup sugar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

For preparing ramekins
2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 Tbs flour

First make the sauce. Bring the berries and sugar to a boil over high heat. Continue to cook, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Take half the sauce and puree it. (Usually a food processor is good for this) Mix the pureed sauce with the rest of the sauce and refrigerate.

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Butter and flour six ramekins.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler.

If you don’t have a true double boiler take a small saucepan and fill it with about an inch of water. Place a bowl large enough to sit on top of the saucepan. Ensure that the bowl is sitting loose enough that steam can get out. (Otherwise you’ll be creating a dangerous pressure cooker) Raise the temperature so the water is simmering. The steam from the boiling water will heat the bowl and melt the chocolate without burning it. Make sure you don’t run out of water and make sure you don’t get any water in the chocolate!

Beat the eggs, flour and sugar together until fluffy. (About 4 – 5 minutes) Slowly add the melted chocolate and beat slowly.

Pour the batter into your ramekins leaving enough room for expansion. (Say about 2/3rds the way to the top)

Bake 15 minutes. The batter should have puffed up, much like a souffle.

Run a knife around the edges to remove.

You can serve it just with the sauce or add a little bit of thick cream or even ice cream.

(Sorry I don’t have any pictures — we’ve been so busy with the new bars I just haven’t had time)

Making Hot Chocolate
Photo by ndrwfgg

Drinking hot chocolate on a cold wintry evening is one of my favorite things in life. I sit by the fire, sipping the cocoa, a good book in hand.

People are constantly asking me for some good hot chocolate recipes. But to me part of the pleasure of making hot chocolate is making it slightly different each time. With each cup I try and match the mood I’m in. I like to vary the origin of the chocolate I use as well as the amount of sugar and cream. Sometimes I add a bit of cinnamon or cardamon while other times I take it plain. Sometimes I put a dollop of whipped cream on top while other times I leave it simple.

So I’ll give you a basic recipe, but I encourage you to experiment and vary your cooking. Find the perfect hot chocolate for you.

For me I start off making a ganache. A ganache is a basic start for many recipes. It is melted chocolate mixed with heavy cream. You can use it for cake toppings, as the start for truffles, and also as the start for hot chocolate. Ganache is easy to make but does require a bit of vigilance. I’ve modified the ganache recipe slightly from what one typically uses for deserts. Feel free to try it with a more traditional ganache recipe though.

Start by setting up a double boiler. This is important to keep your milk ingredients from burning. Ideally this will consist of a pot and a stainless steel bowl. One will have water in it while the other will have your chopped chocolate. Be careful that you don’t have too tight a fit. We don’t want to create a pressure cooker! Heat the water over medium low heat.

The idea is that the top bowl is heated only by the water vapor from the boiling lower pot. Since water boils at a fixed temperature this is an easy way to control the temperature of the upper bowl. It’ll never get hotter than boiling water.

If you don’t have a stainless steel bowl to make a double boiler you can get by with a small pot and a glass bowl that fits over the pot.

The Recipe
4 ounces (2 bars) Amano 70% Dark Chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
Milk to taste (usually 1 – 2 cups)
Sugar to taste (usually 2 – 4 spoonfuls)

Chop up the chocolate and melt it in the double boiler, stirring occasionally. When chocolate is melted remove it but keep it handy nearby.

Put the cream in a bowl and heat it until it just barely starts to boil. Don’t let it cook longer than that!

Pour the cream over the chocolate and mix with a whisk until smooth.

Put the bowl back on the double boiler, stirring constantly.

I typically add a spoonful or two of sugar here as well. However I know many people like 1/4 cup or even more. (I like mine a little dark — too much sugar overpowers the flavor of the chocolate)

Slowly add milk (either whole or skim) to taste. I usually do 3 parts milk to 2 parts ganache. But you might like yours either lighter or richer. I suggest adding the milk a little at a time. I typically add 1/4 cup and then mix it, wait for it to warm, and then add the next 1/4 cup and so forth.

As I said this is a recipe you ought to adjust to your taste. Consider adding a teaspoon of vanilla or a little dash of cinnamon, cardamon, or nutmeg. I will sometimes put slivered chocolate or whip cream on top. I’d suggest trying a cup with each of our single origin chocolate bars. I admit hot chocolate with our Madagascar bar is my favorite but I also love the nuttiness of our Jembrana or the richness of our Ocumare.

The recipe is enough for two mugs of hot chocolate.