Black-Bottom Coconut Bars

Sorry it has been so long. I actually have tried a few new recipes lately and I will post them as soon as I can get photos. In the meantime, I decided to put a link to this recipe on Martha Stewart's website. I followed the recipe exactly (thus, I won't post it on here) and they were REALLY good. They are also super easy and come together quickly.

Black-Bottom Coconut Bars

DARK Chocolate Sorbet

(By the way, I am sorry that I take the worst pictures of food ever! You'll just have to trust me that it tastes good . . .)

Well, it is pretty obvious at this point that I love chocolate. In fact, I don't just love chocolate . . . I LOVE chocolate. Actually, I think it is safe to say that I am addicted to chocolate. I have to eat it every day. One summer I tried to go without chocolate for a while and the results were disastrous, as can be attested to by my sister Tiffany. And my preference in chocolate is the real deal: dark chocolate. I will eat milk chocolate in a pinch, but let's not even pretend that white chocolate is in any way a legitimate fix.

There is this cool recipe/food blog that I have been following for over a year now called Chocolate and Zucchini (Ironic? I think not.), and a little while ago the author, Clotilde, posted a recipe for Sorbet Chocolat Noir (No, I'm not snobby, she's French, ok?). It sounded interesting, and with the weather in Portland hovering in the high 80's and low 90's, I thought this would be the perfect time to try her recipe.

The moral of the story is, I just about licked up the drops I spilled off the counter. It was so dang good. Sam says it tastes like a dark chocolate fudgsicle, which is true, but consider yourselves warned: it is one of the most intensely chocolate creations I have ever eaten. It is not for the fair-weather chocolate lover. Even I couldn't eat very much of it without feeling overwhelmed (and that is saying a lot for a girl who downed pints of Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk nightly in college).

Dark Chocolate Sorbet adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini

2 1/4 c. water
2/3 c. cocoa powder
1 c. sugar
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 t. vanilla
a generous pinch of salt

In a small sauce pan bring water, cocoa, and sugar to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips, letting it rest for 30 seconds (or so) while the chocolate melts. Add vanilla and salt and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool in refrigerator, then freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Makes about 4 servings.

Jessica's Birthday Cake (two days later)

We celebrated Jessica's birthday on Sunday with her family, and I got to make the cake! I have been dying to make a cake for months now, and this one turned out pretty well.

Cake:
adapted from Cafe Beaujolais Cookbook
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2/3 c. cocoa
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 c. chocolate chips
2 c. water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 T vinegar
1 T vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add chocolate chips. Add wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Bake in two 9in. round pans, that are oiled and floured, with parchment paper for 25-30 minutes.

Frosting:
from Bride & Groom: First and Forever Cookbook
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 c. sugar
2/3 c. milk
1 c. butter (2 sticks) cut into pieces
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla

Put chocolate chips in the bowl of a stand mixer. In a medium sauce pan bring sugar, milk, butter, and salt to a boil and let boil for exactly one minute. Pour into stand mixer and add vanilla. Mix with whisk attachment until spreadable, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Raspberry Filling:
1 bag frozen raspberries (10 oz. I think)
3 T sugar
1 T cornstarch

Puree thawed raspberries in a food processor, then strain out the seeds. In a small sauce pan bring puree, sugar, and cornstarch to a boil. Refrigerate until spreadable, about 2 hours.

Chocolate Ganache:
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
1 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Bring cream to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips, stirring until combined. Refrigerate until spreadable, about four hours.

Assembling the Cake:
Cut cake layers horizontally into two pieces. Place first layer on serving platter and top with half of the raspberry filling. Add another layer and top with chocolate ganache. Add another layer and top with raspberry, then add final layer and frost top and sides of cake.

Notes: Overall, I liked this cake, but the chocolate ganache did not turn out the way I wanted. The frosting was amazing, and I will definitely use the recipe again. The cake itself is great, as usual --it is Moogie's favorite recipe and the chocolate cake I grew up on. Also, I had too much frosting and WAY too much ganache (I'll have to find something to do with the leftovers). Sam didn't like the raspberry filling but I thought it was pretty good. The cake looked nice frosted, but didn't hold up that beautifully when cut (as you can see from the picture) . . . not sure how to mitigate that problem.