[Cooksisters] Celebrate with chocolate: Lekker easy bakes for you to try
Hello everyone!
Happy July! Can you believe we are halfway through the year already?
As we welcome the new month, the foodie list kicks off with some sweetness as World Chocolate Day is celebrated this Sunday, 7 July.
Of course chocolate needs to be celebrated, after all it brings so much joy to the world.
I love chocolate and enjoy the occasional blokkie but I prefer my chocolate in bakes.
There’s something comforting about a lekker slice of chocolate cake or chocolate tart with a hot cuppa tea.
You will always find chocolate in my pantry, or a good homemade chocolate sauce on hand.
I always try to prep a batch of sauce and refrigerate it, so if I lus for pancakes, flap jacks, home-made hot chocolate or even ice cream with chocolate sauce, it’s ready to go.
With all my excitement leading up to World Chocolate Day I decided to bake the weekend past, plus it’s school holidays so my kids always lus vir iets lekker.
I made our favourite Chocolate Rolo Fudge Tart (see the recipe below).
It is a fudgy chocolate cake-like texture that when eaten warm, tends to be super moist and oozes with little bits of melted chocolate.
As you can image, my family was more than happy to have it for teatime but I’m sure I will find myself baking again this Sunday.
If you plan on baking too, try this recipe, but if not, at least treat yourself to a blokkie chocolate. Stay sweet!
For more recipes or baking and cooking inspiration, visit my website @ www.sprinklesandspice.co.za or visit my social media platforms on TikTok, Instagram or Facebook @sprinklesandspicect or Sprinkles and Spice by Farzana Kumandan.
Happy Baking.
Love, Your Cooksister
Brownies
Ingredients
140g melted butter
3 eggs
¼ cup oil
1 cup Flour
¾ cup Cocoa
1 ¼ cup sugar
Generous pinch of salt
1 level tsp Baking powder
2 large slabs dairy milk chocolate
Method
Melt the butter and allow it to be slightly cool.
In a stand cake mixer or in a large bowl, add the eggs, oil, and butter. Whisk until smooth and fluffy.
Add in the dry ingredients (except the chocolate) and mix until smooth and lump free.
Roughly chop half of the one slab chocolate into chunks and add a half cup of chocolate chunks to the brownie batter and mix with a spoon.
Grease spray or line a small rectangle or square baking dish (roughly 20cm-25cm) with baking paper.
Transfer the brownie batter and bake on 170 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool and use the remaining chocolate to melt and add to the top.
Enjoy as is or with a generous scoop of ice cream.
Classic Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
3 eggs (separated)
2 cups sugar
½ cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 ¾ cup self-rising flour
¾ cup cocoa
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarb
½ cup warm water mixed with 1 heaped tsp strong coffee
Method
Mix ½ cup boiled water with 1 tsp coffee. Allow to cool (water should be warm and not boiling hot) set aside.
Separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites until soft peaks, then set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, oil, and buttermilk until light and fluffy.
Add in the warm coffee and the dry ingredients and mix until smooth and lump free.
Lastly, fold in the egg whites and mix until smooth.
Bake in a medium rectangle oven baking tray, lined with baking paper on 170 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool and decorate as desired.
Chocolate Rolo Fudge Tart
Ingredients
150g butter
50g dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)
1 ¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
¾ cup nestle cocoa
3 eggs
¾ cup cake flour
1 roll Nestle Rolo chocolate (Roughly chopped)
Method
Chop the butter and dark chocolate into tiny pieces.
In a microwave safe bowl add the butter, dark chocolate and top with the sugar.
Microwave for 1 minute on high power.
After 1 minute, add in the vanilla essence and cocoa and stir until smooth.
If there's tiny pieces of butter or chocolate not melted, continue to stir until its melted and the mixture is smooth.
Add the mixture to your cake mixer, add in the eggs and whisk on high for 30 seconds.
Add in the flour and whisk on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes.
The mixture will resemble a soft cookie dough.
Line a 24cm pie or tart dish with baking paper and grease spray.
Press half your batter into the tart dish and sprinkle over the Rolo bits.
Cover with the rest of the batter.
Bake at 175 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Don’t over bake or you will have a firmer, more crisp texture.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Enjoy with a scoop of your favourite ice cream.
Kit Kat Brownies
Ingredients
140g Melted Butter
120g chocolate pieces
3 eggs
½ Cup castor sugar
½ Cup brown sugar
½ Cup flour
½ cup cocoa
¼ tsp bicarb
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
8 fingers of KitKat (I used 12)
Method
Whisk the eggs and sugar until it’s thick and pale.
Whisk in your melted but cooled butter and vanilla.
Add in your dry ingredients and mix until smooth and lump free.
Fold in your chocolate bits until well combined.
I lined a 24cm pan (original recipe called for an 8 inch pan) with baking paper and layered half the Brownie batter, added the KitKat fingers and covered with the rest of the batter.
Bake in a preheated oven on 180 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Allow to cool before cutting.
Chocolate Chip Biscuits
Ingredients
250g soft butter
½ cup castor sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 level tbsp good quality Coffee
½ cup roughly chopped chocolate
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cups cake flour
Method
In a large bowl, with an electric beater or handheld whisk, cream the butter and castor sugar until smooth and pale.
Add the eggs, vanilla essence and coffee and mix well.
Add in the nuts and flour a half a cup at a time and mix with a spoon or by hand to make a soft smooth dough.
Cut into shapes.
Bake at 180 degrees for 10-12 minutes until the bottom and top is slightly browned.
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