Too much chocolate?
Is it possible to have too much chocolate?
Somehow I managed to psyche myself some years back that chocolate
was totally fattening and so it was pointless and I should not eat
it. I actually managed to avoid it - Brownies, Chocolate Cakes,
Devil Cakes, etc. I did that for about 8 years. I found it too rich
and sweet - but I always made room for Cheesecake or Tiramisu. And
then, I was seeing this guy for almost three years and he didn't
like Cheesecakes (and Chocolate Cakes). He never stopped me from
eating them but I just somehow never did when we were dating - we
never had cake when it came to birthdays. Don't get me wrong - it
wasn't a tragic thing then, we just weren't into it very much. And
now somehow, I seem to be making up for lost time.
I am working
on a chocolate cupcake recipe for a chocolate fiend's birthday next
week. So here is a beta version of Out of Body Experience Chocolate
Cupcake ver1.0.
Makes 30+
Brownie Base
200g Quality chocolate
165g Butter
½ cup Brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sliced almonds
Cheesecake middle
3 pkg Cream Cheese, softened at room temp
200ml Crème Fraîche
⅔ cup Sugar
1½ Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Vanilla Bean, seeds scraped from inside of pod and reserved
3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
3 Eggs
200gm Melted Quality chocolate, cooled slightly
Pre-heat your oven at 175°C
Brownie Base
In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt the bittersweet chocolate and the unsweetened chocolate with the butter, stirring until the mixture is smooth, remove the bowl from the heat, and let the mixture cool until it is lukewarm. Stir in the sugar and the vanilla and add the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir in the salt and the flour, stirring until the mixture is just combined, and stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into cupcake cups until 1/4 full, smooth the top, and bake the mixture in the middle rack for 15 minutes. Let the mixture cool completely on a rack.
Cheesecake middle
In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds and beat until light and creamy. Add the flour to the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and crème fraîche and mix well. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until just blended. Pour batter into prepared cupcake cups until ¾ full and bake for 25 minutes, until the center is almost set. Allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.
Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Cheesecake may be made up to 2 days in advance before serving and will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.