Dessert

Flourless Chocolate Torte

Don Embuldeniya Dessert, Recipe Tags: , Leave a comment

This is a decadent gluten-free dessert and is the perfect ending to a special dinner. It is easy to make and touches all the right flavour notes. It is rich, with right level of sweetness, dense, and intense. This is my go-to chocolate torte recipe and the best part is that all my friends love it.

Flourless Chocolate Torte

Ingredients:

Cake
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
1 lb. best-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup Kahlua
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
6 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar

Ganache (makes about 15 truffles)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 lb. best-quality dark chocolate

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch spring-form pan with butter, line the bottom with a parchment-paper round and grease the parchment with butter. Wrap the outside of the pan with a large sheet of aluminum foil.

In a heatproof bowl, combine the 8 Tbs. butter and the chocolates. Set the bowl over but not touching simmering water in a saucepan and heat, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Stir in the Kahlua, vanilla and salt. Set aside to cool slightly. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the 3/4 cups sugar until creamy, then fold in the chocolate mixture.

Place the spring-form pan in a large roasting pan, transfer to the oven and pour about 1 inch of very hot water into the roasting pan. Place the torte in the water bath. Bake for about 45-50 minutes until the center of the torte is set

Remove the torte from the water bath, discard the aluminum foil and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Remove the spring-form pan sides, then invert the torte onto a greased sheet of parchment paper. Lift off the pan bottom, peel off the parchment round, turn the torte right side up onto a cake plate and let cool completely.

For ganache, bring the cream almost to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Stir gently and leave to cool. Using fingers, shape the ganache into small balls and coat them in cocoa powder, then chill for about two hours. Decorate the torte with truffles.

This recipe can serve 8-12 people.

Note: The recipes on this site are my original creations or have been adapted from existing recipes with the original sources attributed. All recipes on this site have been tested at least once in my kitchen. Any and all errors are entirely mine.

Copyright© 2013 . All My Nosh . All Rights Reserved

Caramelized Pear and Ginger Cake

Don Embuldeniya Dessert, Recipe Tags: 1 Comment

The intense flavor of ginger is best when used in desserts. In this recipe, just a touch of ginger complements the pears and almonds. As they bake, the caramelized pears release sweet juices that mingle with the ground almonds and soak into the moist, buttery cake.

Pear-Ginger Cake

Ingredients:

4 ripe pears, preferably Bartlett or Anjou
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
8 tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup almond milk
1/8 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almond
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/8 cup ginger preserve

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 10-inch spring-form cake pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

Peel the pears, halve and core them. Slice two pears thinly. Place in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Set aside the pears.

Dice the remaining two pears into 1/4 inch cubes. Chop preserved ginger finely. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/8 cup of water in a heavy-bottom saucepan and cook until sugar caramelizes. Then add the diced pears and chopped ginger preserve. Cook until the pears are translucent. Set aside the mixture to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the 1 1/4 cups sugar until creamy. Stir in the melted butter, almond milk, and vanilla. Sift the flour and the baking powder into a separate bowl and stir in the salt. Then combine the ground almond. Gradually incorporate the egg mixture. Stir in the caramelized pear mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the sliced pears over the surface. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely, then release the pan sides and slide the cake onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges to serve.

This recipe can serve 8-12 people.

Note: The recipes on this site are my original creations or have been adapted from existing recipes with the original sources attributed. All recipes on this site have been tested at least once in my kitchen. Any and all errors are entirely mine.

Copyright© 2012 . All My Nosh . All Rights Reserved

Tuscan Apple Torte

Don Embuldeniya Dessert, Recipe Tags: 3 Comments

This is one of my favorite recipes, a cake that magically transports you to Tuscany with the first bite.

Tuscan Apple TorteIngredients:

2 large Granny Smith apples
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
8 tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¼ cup whole milk
¼ cup calvados
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. Salt
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
¼ cup pine nuts
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 10-inch spring-form cake pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

Peel the apples, halve and core them, and then slice thinly. Place in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Set aside the apples.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the 1 ½ cups sugar until creamy. Stir in the melted butter, milk, calvados and vanilla. Sift the flour and the baking powder into a separate bowl and stir in the salt and lemon zest. Gradually incorporate the egg mixture and the pine nuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the sliced apple in concentric circles over the surface.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the torte comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely, then release the pan sides and slide the torte onto a serving plate. Dust the top of the torte with confectioner’s sugar. Cut into wedges to serve.

This recipe can serve 8-12 people.

Note: The recipes on this site are my original creations or have been adapted from existing recipes with the original sources attributed. All recipes on this site have been tested at least once in my kitchen. Any and all errors are entirely mine.

Copyright© 2012 . All My Nosh . All Rights Reserved

Is Cupcake Mania Over?

Don Embuldeniya Dessert, General Tags: , , , 3 Comments

I hate to be the party pooper, but I just don’t get why cupcakes are still trendy. Unless you are totally out of the loop on food trends, cupcakes are popping up everywhere, from bakery shelves to wedding showers. The cupcake craze has spawned dozens of bakeries devoted entirely to them. There are cookbooks, blogs, a cupcake truck with over 14,000 followers on Twitter, and magazines specifically dedicated to cupcakes. Cupcakes got a lot of attention in “Sex and the City” when Sarah Jessica Parker bit into a pink-frosted cupcake outside Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street in New York City. Also, remember the cupcake-inspired “Lazy Sunday” rap video, which was No.1 for some time on YouTube?

Before I give my two cents about cupcakes, here is a bit of cupcake history. Apparently, the cupcake evolved in the USA in the 19th century, and it was revolutionary because of the amount of time it saved in the kitchen. Food historians have yet to pinpoint exactly where the name of the cupcake originated. There are two theories: one, the cakes were originally cooked in cups; and, second, the ingredients used to make the cupcakes were measured out by the cup. Cupcakes were convenient because they cooked much quicker than larger cakes. Since their creation, cupcakes have become a pop culture trend in the culinary world.


Confectionary trends are changing very fast, and cupcakes are facing challenges from several fronts. For some reason, people went nuts for macarons in the past couple of years and everyone, from Toronto to Tokyo, seemed to be fascinated by these little sandwich cookies. I am not exactly sure why so many people are fascinated with macarons. You can find them at many neighborhood bakeries and pastry shops, and even in supermarkets. You can find macarons in a wide variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate, etc.) to off-beat (marmite, matcha, etc.).


Artisan donuts are also vying to share the spotlight with cupcakes. The James Beard Foundation named artisan donuts one of its 2012 trends to watch, and there are plenty of places to watch it. Most civilized cities (yes, that’s right) now boast at least one shop offering exotically flavored donuts at prices so far reserved for something more substantial – like a LV bag. At one Brooklyn eatery, the US$11 foie gras donuts sell out every night. Closer to home in Toronto, Paulette’s Original Doughnuts & Chicken offers exotic flavors – mojito, pretzel chocolate, raspberry balsamic, rose & berry, mocha, and garam masala – at a reasonable price.

Cupcakes also have become a victim of healthy living wars. As schools across the USA started enforcing federally mandated wellness policies, many schools have begun banning the little treats. Those cupcake addicted parents are fighting back though. Luckily for cupcake aficionados in Canada, the ban-the cupcakes-movement hasn’t crossed the 42nd parallel yet.

I don’t think the death of cupcakes is imminent. But I think cupcakes are no longer in vogue. People still like cupcakes for many reasons: easy to transport in those nifty cupcake boxes; can get a higher frosting ratio than a regular slice of cake; can get your very own decorations; and, can eat them with your hands. You have to consider the nostalgia aspect as well. Especially among those over-indulged baby boomers whose childhoods are littered with cupcake liners and sprinkles forever embedded in the wall-to-wall broadloom carpets of their living rooms.

But I wish if someone could convince me that the cupcake fad will pass, ideally soon. Just imagine — people might have to eat a real dessert! What a concept, no?

Copyright© 2012 . All My Nosh . All Rights Reserved