Ecuadorian chocolate brownies

When we were in Ecuador we visited a chocolate factory and we brought home a large puck of unsweetened chocolate so for our Ecuadorian reunion I had to use this to make dessert.  One because we had bought it in Ecuador, but two because it was a lot of chocolate and would make dessert for a large crowd.

Luckily this came with a recipe on the package, or it would not have known how to use it.

The quantaties were large and the directions a little cryptic, but I think this could be used by halving the amounts and using unsweetened chocolate to replace the large puck which comes in a more conventianal bar.

I melted the butter and chocolate over a very low heat, my stove has a melt setting on one of the burners, and I got to use it for the very first time.

While this was melting I whisked together the eggs and added the vanilla.  I also added one tablespoon of chili powder.  In this quantaty of chocolate this did not make them hot but just added a little depth of flavour.

Chocolate molten centre cakes

Part of the joy of the annual girls weekend for me, is fulfilling my friends visions of food.  This year Hugette mentioned that she wanted chocolate molten centred cakes for her birthday dinner, so that is what I made.  I am afraid due to low light the pictures are not as good as they could be, but this was really easy and worth every minute.

The recipe I found was from Anna Olsen on the food network I liked the idea of placing a ball of ganache in the centre of each cake rather than timing to under cook it so the middle was still runny.  I have to say it worked like a charm. This recipe is for 4 cakes so I had to double it and then it made 12 the size of a large muffin tin.


Ganache
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, chocolate chips

Molten Cakes
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips
2 large whole eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of flour
icing sugar, for dusting (not done but it would have looked nice)
Assembly



For the ganache, heat the cream until it just begins to simmer and then pour this over the chopped chocolate. Let this sit a minute, then gently stir until the chocolate has fully melted and the ganache is smooth.

Graduation cup cakes

I have a group of friends that have been friends now for over 18 years and we call our selves "The Village".  This comes from the saying it takes a village to raise a child. When we first were connecting our children were very young, and as all parents, we were doing the best we could and appreciated any help we could get in maintaining our sanity.  Our children grew up in what was almost an extended family of cousins with second and third mothers.  I am proud to say that I am identified as a family member one these now grown children's face books.

This June the youngest of the "Village" children graduated from high school, it hardly seems possible that all those sometimes wild children have now grown.  Some have fledged, left home and are working full time making their own way, while many are still testing their wings going to college and University, trying to decide what it is they want to do with their lives.

With each June came new graduates and for each graduate or graduates we hold a Village party to celebrate their safe arrival to adulthood. This year was the last of such celebrations so a little nostalgic.

Nancy and I had offered to make graduation cupcakes for the party and so with the help of the Internet we came up with the design for the topping.  The base of the mortar board is a mini peanut butter cup and so I decided to make chocolate, chocolate chip cup cake with peanut butter icing. I found this recipe on food.com and changed it just a little, I made double the recipe which made about 50 cup cakes, but I have given ingredients for a single batch.


2 1/2 cups white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons of cocoa
2/3 cup butter, at room temperature
1  cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Mix all the dry ingredients together