Chocolate Souffles!!!

These are some of my favorite dessert's. Chocolate souffle!!! YUM!!! Chocolate is folded into whipped egg whites and then baked in ramakins the result is a light, warm dessert that is the perfect end to any meal!!! My "volcano plate" is just a fallen souffle floated in a coffee chocolate sauce with white chocolate swirled in. The other plate is a blackberry chocolate souffle. Frozen blackberries and baked in the bottem of the souffle dish and it produces a sweet sauce which is a nice suprise for the rich chocolate souffle. Everyone loves chocolate and berries!!!

Devils food cake!!!

My all time favorite cake is a yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting. My second favorite cake is this devils food cake. Its moist, with rich buttery chocolate flavor. The frosting is a basic Ganache that was whipped up with butter. Its thick, creamy and YUMMY! Making a cake is a funny thing. You would be amazed how forgiving a basic butter cake it. The top layer of this cake fell apart on me but you would never know by the finished product. Lola & Jeff, Melissa & Bart and my parents all enjoyed this cake and deemed it a winner! I topped the cake with white chocolate curls and a dusting of cocca powder.

Cupcake and kisses!

Amanda

Torte de chocolatta ala sanna

Here is my Mom's Chocolate torte! Its a flourless chocolate cake flavored lightly with espresso. Its a dense, rich cake that in the words of Melissa "I could only eat 3 bites!!!" The cake was then glazed with more chocolate, banded and topped with White chocolate leaves and a chocolate rose. This chocolate torte is really best a few days after baking and alone, but I needed to glaze and decorate it for class so really this is OVER the top. The band is a mixture of white chocolate and dark chocolate, cooled down, and then places around the glazed cake. The leaves on top were molded with white chocolate on the back of real leaves from my garden and left to set up. The chocolate rose was hand shaped out of chocolate fondant.

Carrot Cake!!

I am not a huge fan of carrot cake. But this cake was moist, flavorful and easy to make!!! Except for the grating of the carrots of course!!! The frosting is made from goat cheese which gave this cake an added tang. The carrots were hand made with Marzipan, which is an almond flavored dough that can be colored and used to cover cakes and be molded into shapes. Marzipan is what is used when making the Princess cake.

I loved the idea of not frosting the sides of this cake. I think it looks rustic and old fashion, like a good carrot cake should. Though I chose not to with this one, this recipe can be chalked full of dried fruit and nuts!

Cupcakes and kisses!

Charlotte!!!

A Charlotte is a type of dessert that can be served hot or cold. Bread, sponge cake or biscuits/cookies are used to line a mould, which is then filled with a fruit puree or custard. It can also be made using layers of breadcrumbs. So in easy terms, its something cakey and something creamy. Here is my take...

I used Pate a Choux and made cream puffs which I filled with chocolate mouse. I then layered them in the bottom of a 9" cake pan and froze them. I whipped up a raspberry Bavarian cream and topped the cream puffs with it. Then into the fridge! When the cream set up I turned it out of the pan and topped the whole Charlotte with chocolate sauce and powder sugar!

I love flavors of raspberry and chocolate together. With the creaminess of the Bavarian and the sharpness of the chocolate mouse this was a winner!!!

This too can be made with any flavor Bavarian cream and the cream puffs can be filled with pastry cream, Chantilly cream, white chocolate mouse or anything you can think of! The ideas are endless!!!

Cupcakes and kisses!

Semi Freddo!!!

The above dessert is one of many names!!! Semi-Freddo, Parfait, Bombe Mouse, frozen souffle. As the good Italian girl I am, I call it Semi-freddo. My Nonna would be so proud! Semi-Freddo means part frozen in Italian and this beautiful dessert is just that. Its a Hazelnut flavored frozen custard that is molded to look like a souffle. I topped it with a dusting of cocoa powder and a chocolate sauce along side. This is a large portion and is ment to be shared! Its a creamy, cold, dramatic dessert that can be made ahead of time for easy plating!!! These are one of my favorites!!! They can be ANY flavors you can think of!

Bavarian Creams!!!

Here are pictures of the MANY Bavarian creams I made! They are yummy!!! Bavarian cream is a custard that is molded and chilled, then unmolded and served!

This one is a Disaronno Bavarian cream with almond butterscotch sauce and a carmel almond cookie! Disaronno is an almond flavored liquor that is a hot new drink these days. Disaronno on the rocks. I disagree with the drinking thoughts but LOVE using it as a flavor! Its a fantastic almond flavoring.

These are Carmel custards! The one in the back is served in a tulip cookie cup with a light carmel sauce. The front one is served on a bed of carmel and chocolate sauces with a brandy snap twist.

Another shot of the Disaronno custard!

A few more shots!

Churro Cupcakes!

Well, I have been busier then I thought I would be but plan on regular posting from now on. I have finished 2 classes in the last month, Ice Creams, Custards, and Soft desserts and Bread baking! I had a ball taking them and am now enjoying a chocolate class!!!

This picture is a batch of "Churro Cupcakes" I made a few weeks ago! They are Cinnimon cake with a chocolate center, frosted with chocolate chip buttercream and then topped with homemade Churros. The Churros were fun to make! Melissa came by while I was doing them and joined in on the fun! A full batch of Pate a Choux made a TON of mini churros! I had a little trouble with the chocolate center and in the future probably won't put it in again but they were tasty all the same!

Cupcakes and kisses!!

Amanda