Why is it that the colder it gets outside, the more I lust for chocolate? It's like I can't get enough of the stuff at the moment: white, milk, dark, spiced, melted, drizzled, smeared, rubbed all over - I'll take it.
I discovered this lovely recipe while making my way through Jamie's lovely blog 'Life's a Feast' and thought they'd make perfect dessert canapés. You might remember Jamie from her [Caramelized Pears & Chocolate Pastry Cream Mille-Feuilles] guest post here on Mowielicious, or my guest post [Frankfurter Kranz Gattines] on her blog.
Anyway, you know how after a really big meal, say dinner at friends, you just want to snack on something sweet and chocolaty, but nothing as major as a whole dessert, because you're just too full?
Well, this should really hit your chocolate G-spot...
More pictures and recipe after the jump!
For Jamie's original recipe and method click HERE. See my slightly altered version below:
Makes 50 canapes
For the sponge cake:
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
6 eggs, separated
A pinch of salt
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup cold water
Seeds of one vanilla pod
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) and line a rectangular cake tin with baking paper. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in one bowl.
2. Beat the 6 egg yolks in a separate large bowl and mix in the sugar and vanilla seeds.
3. Fold in the flour mixture alternately with the water in roughly 2-3 additions each.
4. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form, then fold this gently into the batter.
5. Pour batter into a tin and bake for roughly 45-60 minutes. Check by inserting a metal skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Take the cake out of the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, slice crusts off and cut into small bite-sized square pieces. Alternatively, keep cake whole and cut normal slices off.
For the chocolate coffee pudding:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbs cornflour
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 ½ cups milk
1 ½ tbs instant coffee (you can leave the coffee out if it's not really your thing!)
A few grains of salt
170g 70% dark chocolate (I used my favourite Green & Black's), finely chopped
2 tsps vanilla
1. Mix together the egg, egg yolk, sugar and cornflour in a large pan.
2. In a medium sized pan, mix the coffee with the milk and salt and bring to the boil over a medium heat.
3. Whisking the egg mixture, add the coffee-milk mixture a tablespoon at a time to the egg mixture. Keep mixing in more and more of the coffee-milk mixture until it is all incorporated.
4. Add the finely chopped chocolate and mix until it has all melted. Place pan on hob and heat for roughly 5 minutes on a medium to high heat until the mixture thickens.
5. Allow to cool at room temperature first, then refrigerate. Once cool, peel off the top layer of skin that forms over the pudding. Fill a piping bag fitted with a medium sized star nozzle with the pudding and squeeze equal amounts over your bite-sized sponge cake pieces. Alternatively, smear generously over normal, large slices of cake.
