Chocolate Archives - Sugar et al

Chocolate and Hazelnut Cookies

22|09|2024

I started my cookie baking for the festive season early, this year. Almost every year I end up with a bunch of recipes that I worked on but are too late to post as it’s almost January by the time I can get to it. These Chocolate and Hazelnut Cookies are simply amazing. Not only do they come together in minutes, they are egg free, require no chilling of the dough or any rolling out and so on. They are extremely addictive due to the nuttiness of the hazelnuts that are complemented by dark chocolate.

I have used molds to create the design but if you don’t have a mold, use could use a sillicone muffin pan or simply bake the biscuits and then dip them in chocolate. Or you could create thumbprint cookies by filling the centres with chocolate. The possibilities are endless with these Chocolate and Hazelnut Cookies.

Chocolate and Hazelnut Cookies
Makes 10-12 cookies

125 g (approx 1/2 cup +1 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (60 g) icing/powdered sugar
1/2 cup hazelnut meal
3/4 cup (94 g) plain flour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Spray your cookie mold with non stick spray. Alternately, line a baking sheet with baking paper.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in the hazelnut meal and flour until combined and a dough is formed that is almost firm and can be rolled into balls easily. Add a little more flour if required.

Scoop 1 tbsp of dough and place in the hole of each mold. Using the back of a spoon or with your fingers, press the dough lightly to take the shape of the mold. You don’t have to be perfect as the dough will rise and spread slightly to fit the molds. If not using a mold, simply roll the dough into balls and place on the baking sheet 1 cm apart. Make a small dent in the middle with the back of a spoon.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and feel firm to touch. Remove from oven, allow to cool in mold for 15-20 mins, then gently turn the mold tray over for the cookies to slide out. Allow to cool completely before coating with chocolate. If you’re baking the cookies on a sheet, allow to cool and fill up with melted chocolate or ganache.

Pipe (or spoon) small amount of melted dark chocolate into a clean mold. Place cookies over the chocolate, allowing some of it to come up the sides. Place mold tray in the fridge to set. Repeat with remaining cookies. Cookies should easily come off the molds.

Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Cake

28|03|2024

With all the candy and chocolate eating during Easter, I reckon a Ferrero Rocher Chocolate cake is a must. Especially since it’s a no fuss, very simple cake with delicious results. The cake has a chocolate hazelnut flavour which is probably a match made in heaven!

The Nutella frosting is so delightful that you could just keep eating it by the spoonful. It’s a rich cake so a small slice goes a long way.

Happy Easter to you and your families. Hope you enjoy the long weekend with amazing food and company.

If you love Ferrero Rocher cakes, dont forget to checout this Ferreo Rocher Mousse Cake

Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Cake
Makes a 7 inch round cake

Cake
160 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts)
3 eggs, lightly whisked
Ferrero Rocher chocolates, to decorate
Extra hazelnut meal, to decorate

Nutella Frosting
120 g cream cheese, room temperature
60 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup Nutella
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder

To make the cake : Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease the base and sides and line the base of a 7inch round baking pan.

In a large saucepan, place the butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder and bicarbonate soda and cook over low heat until butter has melted and mixture is smooth.

Remove from heat and leave aside for 10 minutes to cool.
Add the flour and hazelnut meal. Mix. Add the eggs and mix till incorporated.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 69-75 mins or until a skewer inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Leave aside for 10 minutes. Run a blunt knife around the sides to loosen the cake, then turn onto a wire rack to cool. Once cool, decorate with Nutella frosting. Sprinkle hazelnut meal. Top with Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

To make the frosting : Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the Nutella and vanilla, beat until just incorporated. Add the sugar and cocoa powder, a little at a time until well combined and frosting is smooth.

Eggless Chocolate Cake

24|01|2024

This is the most delicious, moist and easy eggless chocolate cake recipe that is made basically by throwing in all the ingredients into a bowl. The chocolate decorations may look complex and seem like a lot of work but actually they’re just melted chocolate made to set in different molds. I used these.

With valentine’s day around the corner, I was looking for an excuse to use my heart shaped cake pan that was gathering dust. If you don’t have one, just use a 7 inch round cake pan. If you want to keep things simple, feel free to top the cake with raspberries or strawberries. The cake underneath is so rich and divine, it could be eaten on it’s own.

Eggless Chocolate Cake
Makes a 7 inch round cake

1 cup (125 g) self raising
3/4 cup (150 g) castor/granulated sugar
1/4 cup (22g) dutch processed cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup (120 ml) oil
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
1/4 cup (60 ml/g) Greek yoghurt
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz (115 g) cream cheese, room temperature
1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
2 tbsp (11 g) Dutch-processed cocoa

Make the cake : Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease the base and sides of a 7-inch (18-cm) heart shaped pan and line the base with baking paper.

In a medium bowl, place the self-rising flour, baking soda, sugar and cocoa. Mix together to combine. Make a well in the centre and add the oil, water, yoghurt and milk. Fold until combined (don’t over mix).

Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean.  Remove the cake from the oven. Leave it aside for 10 minutes, then gently run a blunt knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Carefully turn it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the cream cheese frosting: Using a hand mixer or an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and the butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, 1/2 cup (60 g) at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and beat till well blended.

Assemble : Place the cooled cake on a cake stand or plate. Spread the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. Fill up a piping bag fitted with a star tip with the frosting. Pipe swirls to form a border around the cake. Decorate with chocolate decorations or berries.

If you like rich chocolate desserts check out this Chocolate Tart

Chocolate Yoghurt Cake

30|03|2023

It sounds like an unusual combination but so many good, moist cakes have yoghurt in them. But the star of this cake is not the really the Chocolate Yoghurt Cake but the frosting. Rich, glossy, easy to whip up easy to pipe and ridiculously delicious.

It’s time to move over ganache or buttercream and try this frosting. Who knows, maybe this is going to become your favourite new frosting.

The Chocolate Yoghurt cake cannot be any easier. It’s made by throwing all the ingredients into one bowl. Don’t you just love one bowl recipes?

Love a good chocolate cake? Try my Easy Chocolate Cake with Raspberries or my Chocolate Oilve Oil cake

Chocolate Yoghurt Cake
Makes an 8 inch round Cake

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour (188 g)
1/3 cup (40 g) Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup (275g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (120 g) Greek yoghurt
3 eggs, lightly whisked
3/4 cup +2 tbsps (approx 200 g) unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Yoghurt Frosting
4 oz (113) grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup ( 57 grams) unsalted butter
3 cups (360 g) icing sugar
1/3 cup (80 g) Greek yoghurt

Method: Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line the base of an 8 inch round pan. In a large bowl, place the self-raising flour, cocoa and brown sugar. Stir to mix. Add the yoghurt, eggs and melted butter. Beat until just combined.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, leave aside for 5 mins, then your onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, pipe pr spread with chocolate yoghurt frosting.

To make the frosting

In a small saucepan melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and yogurt and mix at the lower speed until smooth. Gradually increase speed and beat until thickened. Place the bowl in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up.