Author: Chocolate Covered Weekly

It’s best to bake the cake a day in advance. Store the sponge by carefully wrapping in plastic and keeping in the refrigerator. The mousse can be refrigerated for up to 30 minutes before using. The assembled mousse cake can be refrigerated up to 1 day in advance.

Serves 9 to 12

For the cake:
6 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites, at room temperature
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons cake flour

For the mousse:
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
1½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, melted and kept lukewarm
½ cup mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (optional)

For the ganache:
10 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate chopped
1¾ cups heavy cream
About 1 cup chocolate sprinkles (optional)

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with cooking oil spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
Combine the egg yolks and ¼ cup of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or use a handheld electric mixer; beat on medium-high speed, until light, thick and fluffy, for about 5 minutes. The mixture should nearly triple in volume and fall off the beaters in a thick ribbon. Add the vanilla extract; beating on medium-high speed, then add all the melted/cooled bittersweet chocolate, and beat until just incorporated.
Beat the egg whites in a separate, clean bowl using the balloon-whisk attachment on your stand mixer or with the handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed; once they are foamy, add the cream of tartar. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold a small amount of beaten egg whites into the egg yolk-chocolate mixture, to loosen it up. Fold in a third of the remaining beaten egg whites (some white streaks can remain), then sift in a tablespoon of the cake flour and gently fold to incorporate. Repeat with the remaining beaten egg whites and the remaining tablespoon of cake flour until everything is just incorporated.
Transfer the batter to the baking sheet, trying not to deflate it. Use an offset spatula to spread it evenly into the corners. Bake (middle rack) for 17 minutes, until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. The cake should be a light brown, similar in color to brown sugar. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the mousse: Combine the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon-whisk attachment or use a handheld electric mixer; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating until glossy, soft peaks form.
Beat the heavy whipping cream in a separate clean bowl (using your stand mixer fitted with a balloon-whisk attachment or a handheld electric mixer) until soft peaks form. By hand, fold half the lukewarm chocolate into the whipped cream with a spatula until incorporated, then fold in the remaining chocolate to form a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
Gently fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate whipped cream until just blended, then fold in the remaining beaten egg whites. Gently fold in the mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, if using. Cover and refrigerate the mousse until chilled, but no longer than 30 minutes, or the mousse may become too stiff to work with.

When you are ready to assemble the cake, make the ganache: Place the 10 ounces of bittersweet or dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, just until bubbles form at the edges. Immediately pour over the chocolate; let the mixture sit for a minute or two, then whisk to form a smooth, glossy ganache. Let it cool for a bit while you begin the cake assembly.
Invert the cake slab onto a cutting board and discard its parchment paper. Cut the cake into 3 rectangles of equal size. Place one portion on a large serving platter or plate. Use a piping bag or offset spatula to spread half the chilled mousse on the bottom cake layer.
Next, stack another portion of cake on the mousse layer, pressing it lightly in place without forcing out any of the mousse below. Follow with the remaining mousse, then top with the remaining cake portion, again pressing it lightly in place.
Use an offset spatula to spread the slightly cooled ganache over the top and sides of the cake, keeping things neat. If desired, press handfuls of the chocolate sprinkles against the sides of the cake (or decorate as you wish). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to overnight.
Let the cake come to room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “Cake Bible,” William Morrow, 1988

Brownies are controversial territory to chart: Some like them cakey and light in flavor, more of a snack than a rich dessert; some like them moist and chewy; and others, the biggest chocoholics, like them to be purely decadent, almost as dense as fudge and deliciously dark.
We wanted to make sinfully rich brownies that would be a chocolate lover’s dream, so we started by using three forms of chocolate: unsweetened chocolate for intensity, cocoa powder for complexity and bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for moisture and well-rounded flavor.
Melting butter along with the chocolate was the key to a fudgy texture, and a generous three eggs contributed richness and structure. In addition to providing a clean sweetness, granulated sugar gave the baked brownies a delicate, shiny, crackly top crust.
We found it best to cut these brownies into small bites rather than big bake-sale squares: a little goes a long way. Tasters preferred the more complex flavor of bittersweet chocolate over semisweet chocolate, but either type works well here, as does 5 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips in place of the bar chocolate.

Fudgy Brownies

Servings: 36
Start to finish: 1 hour
• 5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups (83/4 ounces) sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 F. Make foil sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil.
Microwave bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates in bowl at 50% power for 2 minutes. Stir in butter and continue to microwave, stirring often, until melted. Whisk in cocoa and let mixture cool slightly.
Whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt in large bowl until combined. Whisk chocolate mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Using rubber spatula, stir in flour until no dry streaks remain. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
Let brownies cool completely in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours. Using foil overhang, remove brownies from pan. (Uncut brownies can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) Cut into 36 squares before serving.
Fudgy Triple-Chocolate Espresso Brownies: Whisk in 11/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder along with cocoa.

WRITTEN BY AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN

If you have a chocolate craving, this will cure it in no time. And there is virtually zero baking — in fact, it can be made in the microwave. The longest step is waiting (with bated breath) for it to chill and set up before it can be served, but don’t be above tasting a few bites while still in its liquid form!

serves 4
1¼ cups light cream heated in microwave or stove until skin forms on top
2 egg yolks
2 to 3 tablespoons of liqueur, such as Amaretto or Kahlua
1 cup chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate, but for a richer dessert you can use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips)

Combine chocolate, egg yolks and liqueur in a blender until smooth. Add warm cream and mix until blended. Pour into individual bowls or ramekins and chill for three to four hours. Serve with whipped cream or with melted caramel and a sprinkle of salt on top for a salted caramel variety.

By Katie Smith, Bangor Metro

Here’s proof that brownies are the true breakfast of champions. Prepare a box of brownie mix according to the package instructions, but add 1 extra egg. Cook in a well-greased waffle maker, for 3 to 5 minutes. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and rainbow sprinkles. For this and 4 other very simple recipes using brownie mix, click here.

These super soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie bars are easy (one bowl!) and so delicious! The perfect fix for that chocolate chip cookie craving. Find this recipe, along with 13 other crazy good chocolate cookie recipes you’ll totally love, here, and below.

INGREDIENTS
• 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (7 ounces) light brown sugar
• 1/2 (3 1/2 ounces) cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (semisweet, bittersweet, milk, white, peanut butter…the options are endless!)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position. Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the brownies from the pan after they have baked. Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, salt and baking soda together until well combined. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and stir until evenly combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.
3. Add the flour. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon start folding the flour into the wet ingredients. After a few stirs (with streaks of flour remaining), add the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks and mix until combined. Don’t overmix, just stir until no dry streaks remain (sometimes I use my hands as the dough gets thick).
4. Press the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
5. Bake until the bars are light golden brown on the edges, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve.
By Mel at MelsKitchenCafé.com

These Chocolate Brownie Cookies are a crowd pleaser. Super fudgy, intensely chocolatey, extremely easy to make. Just 10 ingredients and 10 minutes preparation time! Find this recipe, with video, along with 13 other crazy good chocolate cookie recipes you’ll totally love, here, and below.
Servings: 12 cookies

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup butter (113g)
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar (100g)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (50g)
• 1 large egg
• 1 vanilla bean* (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1/2 cup dutch-processed cocoa (42g)
• 1 + 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (160g)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate (chips or chopped bars) (85g)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Microwave butter until 3/4 melted. Then stir with a fork or spoon until it’s completely liquid. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. With a whisk, stir butter and the sugars just until combined. Add egg, vanilla*, and cocoa and mix just until combined. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and mix with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment just until combined. Don’t overmix at any step or your cookies will dry out. I recommend using a whisk for stirring until adding the flour then switching to an electric mixer. Fold in chopped chocolate.
3. Roll 12 equal sized balls out of the dough and place 6 on each prepared baking sheet with enough space in-between. Press them down to a thickness of a thumb. Place additional chocolate on top if desired. Bake one baking sheet after another for about 9-11 minutes. I baked mine exactly 10 minutes. Remove from oven immediately when they lost its shiny surface and start looking matt and puffed. Let cool for about 5 minutes until they get firm enough to move them. Then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely. The cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.
Notes
*First, cut off the straight end of the vanilla bean. Then place the tip of your sharp knife below the curled end and cut the vanilla bean through the middle of the bean lengthwise. Although you don’t need to cut it all the way through, it’s ok when you do so. Then open the vanilla bean and scrape out the flavorful seeds with the back of your knife. Just use the seeds.

By Sabine at AlsotheCrumbsPlease.com

This one surprising step makes better, fudgier Chocolate Cake – setting a stack of plates atop a just-baked cake, then leaving it that way for 30 minutes! This Pressed Chocolate Cake is from the River Cafe Cookbook. River Cafe Co-Founder Ruth (“Ruthie”) Rodgers explained, it’s all about texture. “Pressing the cake takes away all the air and we like the contrast between the soft inside and crispy outside.” See video of how to stack the plates, here.

Makes: 1 (12-inch) cake

Ingredients
• Unsalted butter for the pan

• 14 ounces (400g) best-quality bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces

• 1 ¼ cups (300g) unsalted butter

• 10 eggs, separated

• 1 cup (225g) granulated sugar

• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and line a 12-inch (30cm) round and 3-inch (7.5cm) deep cake pan with parchment paper.
2. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water (the water should not touch the base of the bowl). Remove the bowl from the pot and cool a little, then whisk in the egg yolks. Add the sugar and cocoa powder and mix well.
3. In a separate large bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold into the chocolate mixture, a third at a time.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cake has risen like a soufflé and is slightly set.
5. Remove from the oven. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the cake; then place a plate on top of that—the plate should fit exactly inside the pan—and press down firmly, then weight the plate. Leave to cool for 30 minutes before turning out. Cool completely before serving.

Who doesn’t love a cookie cake? It’s a thicker, softer chocolate chip cookie with a perfect (not-too-much) amount of frosting. It reminds us of childhood and tells us that there’s something to celebrate. This Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is both salty and sweet, and an addition of milk powder to the dough gives the cookie cake an extra dose of milky goodness in every bite.

INGREDIENTS:
COOKIE CAKE
• 12 teaspoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons nonfat milk powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
CHOCOLATE FROSTING
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT
• 10-inch springform pan
• Rainbow sprinkles for decoration, optional

PREPARATION:
Step 1
Make the Cookie Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Step 2
Cream together butter and sugars for 3 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk, and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and milk, and beat for another 2 minutes.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, milk powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to butter-sugar mixture, and mix on low until fully combined, about 1 minute. Add chocolate chips and fold into dough until evenly distributed.
Step 4
Spread dough evenly into prepared springform pan, and bake until dough is just cooked through and the surface is lightly browned, 23 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan and frosting, about 1 hour.
Step 5
Make the Chocolate Frosting: Beat all ingredients together until smooth and lightened in color, about 3 minutes.

For something different, made with blood oranges and olive oil, this cake tastes as good as it looks! The recipe comes from Crystal Hatch and Karlee Rotoly as posted on TASTY.com. To check out the video of how it’s made, click, here.

For 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE
• 5 blood oranges
• ½ cup olive oil, plus more for greasing
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup dark cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ¼ cups organic sugar
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 ½ teaspoons white vinegar

GLAZE
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup pistachio, raw, roughly chopped

PREPARATION:
1. Zest all 5 blood oranges and divide between 3 separate small bowls: 2 bowls should contain the zest of 1 orange each, and 1 bowl should contain the zest of 3 oranges. Set aside the 2 bowls with less zest for later use.
2. Add the olive oil to the bowl with the zest of 3 oranges. Set aside for 30-60 minutes to infuse.
3. Juice 3 of the oranges and set aside 3 tablespoons of juice for the glaze. Reserve the remaining orange juice in a liquid measuring cup. You should have about ½ cup. (120 ML)
4. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚F).
5. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. Add the sugar, blood orange olive oil (with the zest), ½ cup (120 ml) of the blood orange juice, water, and white vinegar. Whisk until the batter is smooth with no lumps.
7. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8-9-inch (20-22 cm) round cake pan with olive oil, and place a parchment round in the bottom of the pan. (To make the parchment round, tear off an 18 x 13-inch (45×33 cm) piece of parchment paper. With a long edge closest to you, fold down the top right corner to meet the bottom edge. Press down on the long side of the triangle to flatten, then turn so that side is facing you and fold in half, bringing the points together. Turn again so the long side of the new triangle is on top and fold in half twice more. Flip the cake pan upside down and hold the pointy end of the triangle at the center of the pan. Trim the excess parchment that extends past the edge of the pan. Flip the pan, unfold the triangle, and place the parchment round in the bottom).
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. While the cake bakes, prepare the toppings: Cut the top and the bottoms off the 2 remaining zested oranges. Using a paring knife, carefully remove the skin and pith from the oranges until you are left with just the flesh. Turn each orange on its side and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) wide rounds. Place the rounds between 2 paper towels to blot some of the excess juice. This will allow them to stick to the glaze more effectively.
10. Make the glaze: Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add the reserved zest of 1 orange, and the remaining 3 tablespoons of blood orange juice. Whisk into a glaze. It should be thick, but spreadable.
11. Remove the cake from the oven. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet to cool completely.
12. Once the cake has cooled, pour the glaze over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Decorate the top with the orange slices, pistachios, and remaining orange zest.
13. Enjoy!
By Crystal Hatch and Karlee Rotoly posted on TASTY.com

Muriel Ledeboer, of Oostburg, Wisconsin, provides this tasty brownie cocoa powder recipe. The base, with layers of cream cheese and chocolate pudding, make this a scrumptious make-ahead dessert. There are 36 other cocoa powder recipes, including cookies, cakes, brownies, and more, found here.

Total Time: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 20 min. + chilling
Makes: 12-15 servings

Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• FILLING:
• 11 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 cups whipped topping
• TOPPING:
• 2 cups cold whole milk
• 1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
• Whipped topping and chopped walnuts

Directions
• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder; add to creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in nuts.
• Transfer to a greased 13×9-in. baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping; spread over brownies.
• In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix 2 minutes. Let stand until soft-set, about 2 minutes. Spread over filling. Refrigerate 1 hour or until serving.
• Cut into squares; garnish with whipped topping and nuts.

Originally published as Layered Brownie Dessert in Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook 2004