The Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake

This is basically the chocolate cake to end all chocolate cakes. This little treat has been my good old faithful to my business- the best seller & my go-to treat for birthdays. 

Ingredients (for a 6-inch cake):

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp instant coffee/espresso

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

1/2 cup whole/full cream milk

1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup boiling water

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift flour.
3. Mix all dry ingredients together.
4. Mix all wet ingredients (except boiling water) and add mix with dry ingredients.
5. Separate the batter evenly into 2 or 3 greased 6-inch cake pans.
6. For 2 cake pans: bake for 25 mins; for 3 cake pans: are for 22 mins.
7. Frost however you like- in the pic, I filled it with buttercream, frosted it in ganache and added mini chocolate chips & Brazilian chocolate sprinkles (the flat sprinkles brigadeiros are coated in)

Brownie Cake Pops

While I no longer make these for order, I still do enjoy making as gifts or for get togethers! These petite, bite-sized pops will let you indulge without having to feel guilty (even if you eat a dozen in one sitting)

Ingredients:
1 brownie recipe (you can use any recipe you like. My brownie recipe )
Chocolate chips/candy melts
Toppings of choice (sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, chocolate flakes etc)

*You will need a sturdy piece of styrofoam, a cake pop stand or a tray lined with parchment paper to let finished pops set*

Method:
1. Separate baked brownie into even parts (I usually do 25 segments from a 9X9 pan, but you can do it as little or as big as you like- as long as the stick can support the weight)
2. Cut into even parts.
3. Roll each piece into a ball and chill in the fridge for about 15 mins.
4. Melt a little bit of chocolate, dip stick into it and stick into the formed ball. If you get any crakcs, simply press the brownie ball together to seal them.
5. Refrigerate for 15 mins.
6. Melt chocolate over double boiler (add any flavorless oil according to consistency)
7. Once the melted chocolate is cooled and brownie balls are chilled, gently dip the naked cake pops into the chocolate and gently tap off the excess (key word: GENTLY)
8. Set onto styrofoam, stand or parchment paper to set. They should harden in air conditioning but you can stick them in the fridge.
9. If adding toppings, let pops set for 5 mins before coating them as the toppings can slide off.

Assembly of a Chocolate Fenced Cake

Ingredients:
Any long chocolate of choice (Cadbury fingers- pictured, Kit Kat, Cadbury Bark etc)
A cake
Frosting
Anything you'd like to fill the cake with

Specific to the picture: 
>I used an 2 8 inch layers of my chocolate cake for this tutorial & ended up using 2 1/2 packs of cadbury fingers.
>I used an entire recipe of my chocolate buttercream frosting (4 sticks of butter)
>I filled the cake with some thick chocolate fudge between the layers.
>I finished it off with a dusting of silver edible glitter.


Method:
1. Level cakes, fill with chocolate fudge & stack.
2. Crumb coat your stacked cake & freeze for 15 minutes.
3. Add another layer of frosting. You don't have to be PERFECT with this layer as the chocolate fingers will cover any imperfections, but don't be TOO untidy at the same time.
4. Immediately add fingers until the entire perimeter of the cake is covered.
5. Secure them by tying a bow its perimeter, ensuring that fingers cannot move, but not too tight that they break.
6. Fill as desired- In the picture, I did a classic buttercream rosette with a Wilton 1M tip and finished it off with some edible silver glitter.

Tips:
1. Freeze the chocolate you'll be using around the perimeter- it makes it much easier to handle and will not melt with the heat of your hands that easily.
2. You can literally fill it with whatever you want- chocolate chips, Reese's Pieces, edible glitter, cookies, chocolate truffles, macarons etc

Chocolate Buttercream

Ingredients (frosts a 2 layer, 8 inch cake in rosettes or approximately 30 cupcakes in rosettes):
1. 4 sticks of unsalted butter (room temperature)
2. 4 to 4 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
3. 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
4. 1 tsp vanilla
5. 1 tbsp milk/cream (optional)

Method:
1. Beat butter until slightly paler than original colour.
2. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until 4 cups are added, beating thoroughly after each addition.
3. Add cocoa powder & beat until well-combined.
3. According to consistency, you may want to add some more powdered sugar.
4. Add vanilla.
5. If additional powdered sugar makes it too stiff, add milk or cream if needed.


Tips:
1. Make sure the butter isn't on the verge of melting.
2. "Room temperature" means that the butter can be easily beaten but still has a chill to it and can hold its shape.
3. Butter that's too "liquidy" will absorb the powdered sugar and won't reach pipe-able consistency.
4. Poorly handled butter can make or break your buttercream.
5. Good buttercream starts with good butter! =)
6. Making it with the air conditioning on helps a great deal with the consistency.
7. You can always add more or less cocoa powder depending on how chocolatey you want your buttercream. Just adjust the powdered sugar to suit.


Follow these steps and you're guaranteed to end up with amazing chocolate buttercream every time! :)

Chocolate Covered Oreos

This past Valentines' Day, I decided to offer chocolate covered oreos for order. Surprisingly, their demand was almost as high as my chocolate covered strawberries! (See http://asmdesserts.blogspot.com/2016/10/chocolate-covered-strawberries.html for recipe and instructions for my chocolate covered strawberries)

As a result, these were keepers as the ingredients are literally always readily available! *happy dance emoji*

Ingredients:
1. 1 cup of chocolate chips/melting chocolate of choice (white, dark, milk, semi-sweet, bittersweet etc)
2. 1 tbsp vegetable/canola oil. N.B. I usually use semi-sweet chocolate so this is the amount of oil required for it!
3. 10-12 Oreos
OPTIONAL: 4. Toppings of choice (sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, edible glitter, chocolate flakes etc)

Special tools needed:
1. Oreo mould.
Can be found here: https://amazon.com/Plain-Cookie-Chocolate-candy-party/dp/B007N75XEG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1478223615&sr=8-2&keywords=oreo+mold


Method:
1. Melt chocolate over double boiler (method in Chocolate Covered Strawberries post linked above)
2. Let cool a little before handling.
3. If adding toppings, add toppings into mould, making sure to cover the base.
4. Fill moulds about a third of the way up with melted chocolate.
5. Add Oreo to mould, slightly pressing into chocolate but not letting the Oreos touch the bottom of the mould as they can show through (aesthetic purposes!)
6. Fill the rest of the mould with the melted chocolate, making sure not to overfill them!
7. Gently pick up the mould and drop on a flat surface for the tops (which will be the bottom of the finished products) to ensure that they're as smooth as possible & to ensure that no air bubbles are snuggled throughout.
8. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
9. Remove finished cookies from the mould by gently popping them out (no worries, the mould will get back to its normal shape!)
10. Drizzle with more chocolate if desired!

Tips:
1. Depending on the type of chocolate you'll be using, you may need to use more or less oil. For example, white chocolate will require more oil whereas dark chocolate won't require as much.
2. You can use any cookie of choice as long as it fits the mould. Feel free to get creative!

Assembly Of A Drip Cake

Drip cakes seem to be the new fad in the cake industry over the past couple of months. I've gotten jobs for everything from birthdays to weddings to baby showers. So easy to make yet guaranteed to startle everyone (in a good way!)

Items required:
1. Cake of choice (I used 2 6" rounds of my chocolate cake~ recipe coming soon)
2. Frosting of choice (I used good ole American buttercream)
3. Melted chocolate (I melted chocolate chips over a double boiler and added more oil than I would if I were using it to coat strawberries. Fluidity & seamlessness are important!)
4. Toppings of choice (I used Kinder Bueno, Cadbury Fingers, Ferrero Roche, Hershey's Kisses, Oreos & chocolate flakes for this particular cake)

Optional:
5. Chocolate fudge (I cannot make a chocolate cake without filling it with this. It's 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips melted over a double boiler with 1/2 cup heavy cream)


Method:
1. Frost cake.

• This is the basis for our drip cake. Here, we will layer our cakes by spreading a thin but thorough layer of frosting & then a ring of frosting. 
• We'll then put our chocolate fudge in the middle & add the other layer on top. 
• Then, we have to give it a crumb coat, which is just a thin layer of frosting on the entire cake, which will make application of the final layer much easier. 
• Once crumb coat is applied, stick the cake in the freezer for about 15 minutes. 
• Then the second & final layer of frosting is applied, making sure that it's as smooth as possible. 
• Lastly, stick the properly frosted cake in the freezer for another 10 minutes. This will simply prevent the frosting from becoming distorted as we work on the rest of the process. 

2. Add drips. 

• Using the COOLED chocolate & oil contraption, pour a generous amount (but not too much) on to the top of your cake. 
• Using a teaspoon or an offset spatula, guide ganache to the edges of the cake, creating organic drips. 
• To fill in any gaps, take some of the remaining chocolate mixture with a spoon & pour where more drips are needed. 

3. Add toppings. 

• Here is where we have to be extra careful. 
• While assembling the cake is a crucial part in ensuring its durability & stability, adding too much, too heavy & poor positioning of toppings can also ruin the cake. 
• Strategically & carefully place toppings as desired!

Feel free to use whatever flavour cake, type of frosting & toppings you like!

*Demo video coming soon*

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

The Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day, Valentine's Day bestseller, chocolate covered strawberries are one of the easiest desserts to make. These were one of the first desserts I offered, and one of the most-loved by my clients. Besides being the least time-consuming, they're also one of the most appreciated. This is my go-to treat for get togethers, presents & just to have as a random snack. At the end is a video of how I make my chocolate strawberries. Disclaimer: It is NOT professional and was recorded with my iPhone 6S. 



Ingredients:
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil (any flavourless oil will work)
12 to 18 strawberries (washed, drained & pat-dried) 
Toppings of choice (I used mini semi sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli), sprinkles & edible glitter in the video)

Utensils: 
Small pot (for double boiler)
Small/medium heat resistant bowl (for double boiler) 
Spatula/whisk
Toothpicks
Baking tray
Parchment paper 
Small/medium bowls according to quantity (to make dipping berries into bigger toppings like mini chocolate chips & big sprinkles easier)

Tips: 
1. Make sure water in pot doesn't touch bowl. This can scorch chocolate & cause it to burn or seize.
2. Start on low heat, especially if you're a beginner as this can also scorch chocolate & cause it to burn or seize.
3. Make sure bowl is dry, any excess moisture can also mess with the consistency of the chocolate
4. Experiment with different chocolate brands to get to know which ones work right for you. Different ones may be perfect for you for different purposes. For example, Hershey's chocolate chips are best for coating strawberries for me whereas Hershey's & Nestle make the best chocolate fudge. Wilton Candy Melts are best for coating cake pops & truffles & as a chocolate drizzle.

Fudgey Chocolate Chip Brownies

A couple years ago, I became utterly obsessed with baking. I've always been into cooking & baking  as a little girl, but the art of both REALLY started pulling at my heartstrings when I religiously indulged in them while under stress at University. One of the first & most faithful dishes was my fudgey chocolate chip brownies. 

What I truly love about these brownies is their potential to evolve. I turn them up a notch (which you will see in a couple of weeks), use it for cake balls, cake pops and brownie bites (which I always include in my Christmas menu) or just serve as is. 

I've also included a YouTube video I created showing the step-by-step process. Disclaimer: It is definitely not professional and I used my iPhone 6S to record. 

So here goes! 

Ingredients you will need:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter (melted)

2 tbsp water

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2-3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks/chocolate chips/chopped chocolate bar

350 degrees; 32 mins; 8X8 greased square pan lined with parchment paper

Method:

1. Mix sugars, water, eggs & vanilla. 
2. Slowly add melted butter while whisking (in order not to scramble the eggs; I personally like adding the melted butter right off the stove/still warm as it helps melt the sugars and makes for a smoother texture)
3. Gently fold in cocoa powder until incorporated.
4. Gently fold in flour until incorporated.
5. Add to prepared pan & bake for 30-32 mins. 
6. Wait until brownies are fully chilled before cutting.

Tips:

1. I like my brownies firm & fudgey with a little body to them. If you prefer gooey, 28 to 29 mins will do.
2. Semi-sweet chocolate works perfect for me as there’s already a lot of sugar in the recipe, but feel free to use whatever chocolate you’d like! White, milk, dark, a mixture etc… 
3. Chilling before cutting results in smooth, clean, crisp pieces. 
4. I like them best after resting for at least 24 hours.