Chocolate truffles are some of the best desserts out there and these ones are insanely good and a healthier replacement for many desserts.
I have to tell you a story about these truffles and the way I created this recipe.
I was supposed to go on a visit one day in December and that day I woke up at 5 am in the morning (crazy, I know! It wasn’t intentional). Anyhoo, I woke up while it was still dark and I didn’t want to wake the whole family up, so I used my phone torch to light up the kitchen counters and create a dessert or bring to that visit.
At that time, I still had no sense of smell after Covid. Basic tastes were okay but definitely not the smell. So I basically eyeballed ingredients and besides the sweetness, I had no idea how it tastes.
Apparently, people really liked them (I did as well, just couldn’t really enjoy all the goodness that’s inside). So I made them sooo sooo many times since then and I figured, this recipe is a must-share.
So here I am sharing it with you in hopes that you also get to enjoy its deliciousness.
The almond chocolate truffles recipe is pretty straightforward. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (water below, chocolate above) and then mix in all the rest of the ingredients. Simple as that!
It might look like things are a bit too runny at the beginning, but once you start mixing, the chocolate will start to cool down and the mixture will get thick super quickly and you won’t even need to let it rest. You can start forming the truffles immediately.
Okay, let’s get to this amazing recipe as soon as possible!
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½cupcrunchy almond butter (can be substituted with smooth almond butter)
3TBSPmaple syrup
½tspground cinnamon
zest of one clementine
pinch of salt
unsweetened cocoa powder for coating
Instructions
Fill a saucepan with a little water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Place a heat-proof bowl on top of the saucepan, but make sure it's not touching the water. Place chocolate in the top bowl and mix frequently until the chocolate melts.
Once the chocolate is melted remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the salt. Mix well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. The mixture will be very liquid in the begining, but once you start mixing it will become very thick and pliable.
Once it is mixed you can start forming truffles. I like smaller ones (1 tsp of mixture) but you can make larger ones too! If the mixture is not thick enough to make truffles, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once the truffles are shaped, place unsweetened cocoa powder in a bowl and coat the truffles from all sides.
I love it when you can make the most chocolaty fudge brownie cake with the simplest of ingredients. And to top it all, make a simple and most delicious chocolate ganache.
Anyone else here dreaming about chocolate desserts now that it’s become moodier and cooler?
I’m not normally the one dreaming about anything chocolate (many desserts come before chocolate!) but this year I can’t help myself 🙂
So the other day I made a chocolate fudge brownie cake and it was utterly drool-worthy. It would be a shame not to share the recipe with you guys. And I actually added a simple chocolate ganache recipe to use on the cake. Because more chocolate is just better (again, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I guess times are changing!).
Here I used a bunch of fruits from the garden (I shot these a while ago when we still had some blueberries and raspberries in the garden). You can add any fruit you like such as banana, figs, pears and similar or just keep it a simple chocolate cake. Be creative!
Like I’ve said here probably a million times, the best recipes are simple ones that don’t require a bunch of ingredients and equipment. This is a recipe just like that. And that’s why I’m such a huge fan of brownies. So simple and everyone always likes them. Win-win!
If you’re not into fudgy brownies and prefer a cakier one, I have another amazing recipe here.
Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and butter the sides and bottom of a 6-inch cake pan.
Place chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl and place it over a pan of simmering water. Stir often until chocolate and butter have melted completely.
Remove from the stove and add sugar and salt. Mix well.
Once the mixture is not anymore, add eggs one at a time and use a whisk to mix them in well. The mixture should not be too slimy.
Finally, add flour and mix it in to get a uniform batter.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. You can do a toothpick test, however you will see it be brown and sticky even when the cake is done. Just make sure the toothpick shows the sticky inside and not a runny inside.
Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.
Cool it to room temperature or keep in the fridge before decorating with chocolate ganache.
Chocolate ganache
While the cake is cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache.
Pour heavy cream into a pot and heat until steaming but DO NOT LET IT BOIL!
Pour the steaming hot heavy cream over the finely chopped chocolate and let it sit for 5-10 minutes or until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir with a spatula to create a smooth cream.
The cream will be pretty runny and it's okay to use it like this if you prefer.
To create a cream like in the photos, wait until the cream cools down to room temperature to become thicker and spreadable. If it still feels too runny, place it in the fridge until it gets the right consistency.
You can prepare the cream in advance and store it in the fridge, then take it out an hour before using it.
https://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/Fudge_Brownie_Cake_Chocolate_Ganache-21.jpg15001000Anja Burgarhttps://www.useyournoodles.eu/wp-content/uploads/logo_NEWW.pngAnja Burgar2021-09-24 02:58:002021-10-07 13:47:41Fudge Brownie Cake with Chocolate Ganache
This strawberry chocolate cake with honey macerated strawberries and chocolate rhubarb truffles is perfect for any celebration and is super easy to make and so yummy.
So, guys, it’s my birthday!
I only have one more year before I enter a new decade.
My wishes for me:
Cook more delicious foods and try lots of new combination.
Be the best mum to my precious baby, that’s still hiding in my belly.
Love every moment with my husband and our little one.
Take time for my friends and also for myself.
Continue being happy and positive.
Enough about me, let’s talk CAKE!!!
I couldn’t resist but making something chocolaty with strawberries and cream. Anyone else anxiously waiting for fresh straberries from the garden? We have a few strawberry plants and I can’t wait for them to grow fresh little fruits.
I’m not a big fan of heavy cakes, with heavy buttery fillings. That’s why I love using whipping cream in cakes. Remember the chocolate hazelnut pavlova? I think it makes cakes light and fresh, especially if you add some fresh fruits. I used plain whipping cream without sugar or anything, but you can add a little icing sugar or some vanilla.
This sponge is rich and decadent on its own and doesn’t need a heavy filling anyway!
The sponge I used in this strawberry chocolate cake is one of the best if not the best chocolate sponge I’ve ever tried. The amazing recipe is by Add A Pinch. I changed it just a little, so I’m posting my version of her delicious recipe. The recipe contains a little less sugar and the layers are thinner so they can hold the light whipped cream filling. Seriously you need to try either my or her version, both are yummy!!
Now, about strawberries. Have you tried macerated strawberries, yet? They are simply the most delicious thing. Adding a little honey makes them obviously a little sweeter, but brings the juices and creates a lovely sauce. Imagine that over icecream.
Um, de-li-cious!!!
I was feeling a little playful with this cake, so I made some chocolate rhubarb truffles. Super simple, but so good! They are made of sponge and rhubarb jam only 😀 Last year we had loads of rhubarb so I tried making my own rhubarb jam and I’m telling you I’m making it again this year.
I made this cake a day ahead, but it’s already half gone and it’s not even noon on my birthday 😛 Luckily I have my mum making me more sweets today!
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Sponge recipe adapted from The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever recipe by Add A Pinch. Link in the text!
Prep Time15minutes
Cook Time25minutes
Total Time2hours
Ingredients
Chocolate Sponge
2cupsall-purpose flour
1 1/4cupssugar
3/4cupscocoa powder
1 1/2tspbaking powder
1tspbaking soda
1tspsalt
1cupmilk
2eggs
1/2cupvegetable oil
2tspvanilla seeds or vanilla extract
1cupboiling water
Honey Macerated Strawberries
200gfresh strawberries
2 1/2TBSPhoney
Chocolate Rhubarb Truffles
chocolate sponge from one of the 7 inch tins
rhubarb jam (or strawberry jam)(40g jam per 100g sponge)
Other
300mlcold whipping cream
Instructions
Chocolate Sponge
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Butter four 7 inch baking tins.
Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a stand mixer bowl and whisk through to combine.
Add milk, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla seeds and mix on medium speed until well combined.
Change mixer speed to low and slowly add boiling water to the mixture. It will get quite liquid, but that's what makes it moist and rich in the end.
Pour the mixture into four baking tins and bake for about 25 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the baking tin for 10 minutes then remove form the tin and leave in a cool place to cool completely. Once it is room temperature, you can place it in the fridge to continue cooling.
Honey Macerated Strawberries
Thinly cut strawberries and place them in a bowl. Add honey and mix well, so the honey coats all strawberries.
Leave to macerate in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the cake, but at least an hour.
Chocolate Rhubarb Truffles
Take one cooled chocolate sponge and use your fingers to turn it into crumbs. Add 40g rhubarb jam per 100g of sponge and incorporate it in the crumbs. Shape 1 cm balls using the palms of your hands. The mixture shouldn't be too sticky, but moist enough to hold the shape of a ball.
Place in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the cake.
Assembling The Strawberry Chocolate Cake
Whip whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks. Place it in a piping bag with a round or a star nozzle.
Place one sponge on a serving tray and pipe one layer of whipped cream in the middle, leaving one centimeter of uncovered sponge at the edge. Pipe small balls of cream one centimeters away from each other on the edge. Place chocolate rhubarb truffles between the cream balls.
Top with one third of honey macerated strawberries.
Continue in the same way for the remaining two layers.
Beautiful layers of crispy and chewy meringue, decadent chocolate ganache and fluffy whipped hazelnut cream are what make this delicious chocolate hazelnut pavlova cake worth celebrating this blog’s first birthday.
I can’t believe it’s been a year already 😀
You heard me… this blog is still a baby, but deserves a special cake with something sparkling on top! Nothing healthy at all in this recipe, only pure indulgence. Okay, I might be exagerating, this cake is actually not nearly as sweet as cakes can be, it’s just fluffly and crunchy and chocolatty and nutty all at the same time. What can be better?
Before showing you the recipe, there are some words I need to say about my first year of blogging. It’s been fantastic. It started as my own personal cookbook, but it soon turned out, I love doing it, bringing you new delicious recipes every week. Well, almost every week, I’ve had some ups and downs 🙂 Meeting lots of new friends who share the passion for food and photography was absolute fun and hopefully more are coming my way 🙂
Thanks to everyone supporting me, trying my recipes, sharing love and being the most incredible community. I love y’all 🙂
The second aspect of this blog in my oppinion is the photography. It’s my way of relaxing and connecting with the food I prepare. Can be stressful from time to time, but the results are what makes it all worth it.
If you check my earlier recipes the photos are not that great. But as soon as I started blogging I realised good photos are a must, not just for all of you, but also for my own good feeling. So I made sure to improve and I still am. I’ve always been a very visual person and tried my work to look the best it can at agiven time. I believe practicing and taking some lessons and sometimes being hard on myself have really helped my food photography.
Well, I know you’re waiting for me to tell you something about this charming chocolate hazelnut pavlova and stop babbling about the sentimental crap 😛
I think the first birthday celebration needs a special cake, something I don’t make on a regular basis. In fact I’ve never made pavlova before, but always wanted to try. So there it was, the perfect opportunity. I’ve had some extra eggwhites in the fridge from making a traditional Slovenian dish called ‘mlinci’ and a full pantry of hazelnuts and crispy chocolade balls.
First attempt in making the meringue was a total disaster. It looked great when I turned off the oven, but I forgot to carefully read the recipe, which happens to me way too often. You’re supposed to leave the meringue in the oven to cool down, not take it out like a sponge cake. Ups, what a failure, the meringue totally collased and despite being delicious it wasn’t very flattering. So I did it again and succeded 🙂
Don’t be affraid of making meringue, like I was for a long time. It is very easy to make. However, if you’re awful at following direction I suggest you keep it together this one time, because every little small detail matters. There are some recomendations and warning in the notes below the recipe. Please, read it before baking, you don’t want a collapsed soggy pavlova 😉
I’m stopping the babble now. Over and out!
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3TBSPhazelnut pastecan easily be made at home by mixing hazelnuts in a food processor until you get a smooth paste
TOPPINGS
50ghazelnutschopped
crispy chocolate balls or any other decoration
whole hazelnuts
Instructions
Chocolate meringue
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Draw two 18cm circles on a baking paper and place it on a baking tray.
Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry. Then add the icing sugar a tablespoon at a time. At the end add the lemon juice or vinegar and cornstarch. Beat gently until thick and glossy.
Add cocoa powder and fold it in gently, keeping some streaks of dark brown.
Spread the meringue evenly into the two circles.
Move into the oven and reduce the temperature to 120°C. Bake for about 90 minutes. It should look crisp on top and feel dry, but when you press it you should feel soft in the center.
Turn the oven off, open the door slightly, and leave in the oven to cool overnight.
Chocolate Ganache
Heat the whipping cream over medium heat until it starts forming small bubbles on the side, but doesn't boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate and a pinch of salt. Whisk until you get a smooth cream. Let cool at room temperature, then keep in the fridge before assembling the cake.
Whipped Hazelnut Cream
Whip the cream until it's almost stiff, but not buttery, then add the hazelnut paste and gently whip just a little more.
Assembly
Place one meringue on a cake stand, gently add half of the ganache on top, add half of the whipped hazelnut cream, and half of the chopped hazelnuts.
Continue with another layer of meringue, ganache (save a couple of tablespoons for decoration), whipped cream, and chopped hazelnuts.
Place whole hazelnuts, crispy chocolate balls and drizzle with the rest of the ganache.
Refrigerate before serving.
Notes
Some instructions for the perfect meringue:
Make sure your equipment is dry before making the meringue. Moisture stops eggwhite from aerating.
Make pavlova on a dry day. Moisture makes pavlova sticky.
Adding lemon juice and cornstarch will help pavlova keep its form.
Add sugar gradually to the eggwhites and be sure to beat the egg whites to the stiff point, but don’t overbeat them, just until the sugar has dissolved. Test if the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a little of the mixture between your fingers. You shouldn’t feel any grains. When you transfer it to the baking paper the mixture should hold its shape.
After baking keep in in the oven with dors ajar until it completely cools down to room temperature.
It’s better to overdry than under dry your meringue. If you are not sure if it is done, better dry it a little more. Soggy meringue is unusable, but a little bit too dry is not such a problem. Assemble the cake and after a day in the fridge, it will become crunchy.
Rich, melt-in-your-mouth triple chocolate sour cherry brownies. An easy recipe for decadent homemade chocolate brownie explosion.
What’s better than chocolate? Triple chocolate. And even better are these triple chocolate sour cherry brownies with bittersweet, semi-sweet and white chocolate.
Since it is Valentine’s day on Sunday, I think it’s appropriate to do something chocolaty. One of my Instagram followers suggested I did a brownie recipe, so I’m making it! How exciting is this?
I’m by no means a brownie expert. This recipe came out by pure luck. It was one of those moments when you say, I’m just going to make something. So I did, I checked out a few recipes, written down some thoughts and ratios and started cooking. After the brownies came out of the oven the first time I was smitten by them. They were the perfect ratio between a cakey and fudgy brownie, in favour of cakey, which is what I like. Later I added more sour cherries and some white chocolate chips on top, just because I can 🙂
If you’ve ever made brownies, you know they can be fudgy and dense, or they can be more cake-like. These brownies are more on the cakey side. There is some baking soda in them and an extra egg, so they have a cakey texture on top and the bottom, but they are thick on the inside, because the ratio between butter and chocolate to dry ingredients is high. There are bittersweet chocolate chips in there, which gives them extra gooeyness. White chocolate chips and sour cherries on the top are for some sweet and sour, moist kick. Believe me, they re even better than they sound.
If you are wondering how to make a perfect brownie, Samina from The Cupcake Conffesion has written a nice post about Top 5 mistakes to avoid when making brownies. They might seem obvious, but from my own experience I say, the obvious mistakes are the ones we make most often.
As for the cooling down goes, I’m the one that’s always impatient. I want to dig in immediately. But, if you are planing on serving your brownies to someone, please don’t do that! There’s almost no possibility you’re going to be able to cut them into beautiful piceces, or even taking them out of the pan, without messing them up. The best is if you cool it down completely. If there’s no one waiting for these little goodies, dig in with a spoon, while they are hot. But watch out that no one is looking 🙂
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Preheat the oven at 175 °C. Butter the sides and the bottom of a 20×33 cm (8×12 inch) pan and line it with baking paper.
Put the bittersweet chocolate and butter in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted.
Turn off the heat and add the sugar. Whisk until the sugar is completely combined, then remove from the saucepan and wait for the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes.
Whisk in the eggs, one by one.
Add vanilla bean powder, baking soda, salt, and a third of the flour to the chocolate mixture. Whisk well. Add the rest of the flour and whisk again until the mixture is smooth.
Stir in the bittersweet chocolate chips.
Pour the batter in the prepared pan and sour cherries. Don’t press them in.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Keep in mind that it is better to slightly underbake than overbake brownies.
When you take the brownies out of the oven sprinkle them with white chocolate chips. Here you can press in a little if you like.
Wait for the brownies to cool completely, then lift them up together with the baking paper and cut them into 15 pieces.
Store in a plastic wrap or air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
For more Valentine’s day dessert ideas check my Coffee Pudding recipe.
PRINT THIS TRIPLE CHOCOLATE SOUR CHERRY BROWNIES RECIPE AND MAKE YOUR PERSONALIZED USE YOUR NOODLES COOKBOOK
This is a perfect gift for Christmas! Homemade hot chocolate powder in a beautiful jar and a personal tag. Don’t you just love homemade gifts?
Let’s get warm with some homemade hot chocolate! It’s so cold outside, even I have the heaters turned on. And I’m that person who sits in a cold room in only a T-shirt, while others are trembling in their sweaters. My husband is turning the heaters on all the time and I go after him turning them off. Well, not today. My hands are freezing and I’m having trouble typing. I need a hot chocolate!
Plus, it’s time to make gifts, and I love homemade gifts. Have you ever felt nervous, because you just didn’t know what to give people for Christmas? Well I have and a few years ago me and my husband made it a tradition to give our loved ones homemade gifts. No more fuss about buying gifts at the last moment.
Last year I made homemade hot chocolate mix to give away as presents. I was experimenting with quite a few recipes. And dealing with all types of powders resulted in a dust cloud in my kitchen. I could hardly breathe and my lungs were burning for hours, but turns out it was worth it. I love it so much.
I’m not a huge fan of store bought hot chocolate mixes, because they are too sweet and too expensive. This recipe calls for way less sugar, then there is in the bought ones. But if you like it sweet, go for it. Add a little more sugar.
Tag #useyournoodles so I can see your beautiful UYN creations. Also, stay in touch on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to get the recipes directly to your mailbox ♥
1/2cuphot chocolate mixif you like it very dense add 1-2 TBSP of the mix
Instructions
HOT CHOCOLATE MIX
Sift cocoa powder, powdered milk, corn starch, and icing sugar through a sieve into a big bowl and add vanilla, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Combine it thoroughly with a whisk or move it to a blender and mix until it is well combined. That’s it!
COOKING
Pour the milk into a small pot, add the hot chocolate mix and put it on medium heat.
Stir well with a whisk. You need to stir at all times, or it will burn, especially at the end.
Hot chocolate should be ready to serve in about 10 minutes.
Notes
If you are making a large batch, I suggest you use something to cover your nose and mouth. The dust can really get in your lungs. And you don’t want that
Stirring the hot chocolate while cooking is absolutely necessary. It might start sticking to the edges a little. Just don’t scrape that part off or your hot chocolate will get a burned flavor.
Try adding your favorite spices into the mix. Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg are perfect for this season.
