Yummy Chocolate Dessert Cake...

Hmmmmmm...Divine Chocolates! Well, I guess there are very few people on this planet who do not love chocolates (Me not a die hard fan...I can definitely live without it). My hubby is a 'chocoholic'. Any kind of dessert I intend to make, his first question is - "Does it have chocolate??". If my answer is 'no' you can immediately see the interest literally wiped off his face. (So I am always on lookout for easy chocolate desserts). Ever thought about how they are made?
As we all know chocolates come from cocoa beans. Now cocoa beans by itself have a very bitter taste. They have to be fermented first in order to bring out the chocolate flavour. The fermented cocoa beans are then cleaned, dried and roasted. After which they are de-shelled to get the 'cocoa nibs'. The cocoa nibs contain chocolate in the purest form and are liquefied to produce chocolate liquor. Combining chocolate liquor with cocoa butter and other ingredients then gives us our chocolate. This is an  interesting video from Hershey that shows how  they manufacture chocolates.

Have you noticed how chocolates melt in your mouth - it has such a smooth and velvety  mouth feel .This is achieved through a process called 'conching' where the chocolate mix is continuously ground mechanically for a predetermined time. The texture (glossy surface and snap while breaking chocolate) is then achieved through a consecutive process called 'tempering' where the chocolates are subject to alternate cooling and heating to achieve small uniform cocoa butter crystals. Sometimes on opening the wrapper, we notice a white layer on top of the chocolate. This is called 'blooming'. Basically happens when chocolate is not stored at the right temperature due to which the fat or sugar crystals rise up to the surface. Don't worry it just changes the appearance of the chocolate. Still safe to eat!

Now this is a recipe for one bowl chocolate dessert cake; a very rich and dense chocolate cake that I am sure all chocolate fans will love. I got this recipe from Donna Hay's Fast, Fresh and Simple cookery show on TLC (I absolutely love her and her cooking style!). Her recipes are always simple yet look so delicious. After watching the episode where she bakes this chocolate cake, I knew I had to try it. It has a lot of dark chocolate which is quite healthy - high in antioxidants, it lowers the blood pressure and is apparently considered good for the heart. The more the percentage of cocoa, the more bitter and better  quality the chocolate is. I used very dark chocolate with 70% cocoa for this recipe. Before serving, we prefer to warm the cake a bit and then have it with a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream :) Enjoy!

One Bowl Chocolate Dessert Cake 

(Source: Donna Hay)

Ingredients

• 125g butter, chopped
• 375g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (175g) brown sugar
• ¼ cup (35g) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup (120g) almond meal (ground almonds)
• 5 eggs
• Cocoa, for dusting
  

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170°C (325°F).
2. Place the butter and chocolate in a bowl and either microwave in short bursts until melted or melt in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
3. Add the sugar, flour, milk and almond meal and mix to combine.
4. Add the eggs and mix well.
5. Pour mixture into a greased 22cm round spring form tin lined with non-stick baking paper.
6. Cover the tin with aluminium foil (this is to prevent the surface from drying) and bake for 40 minutes (This could vary depending on your oven. I had to keep it for additional 15 mins as mine was not cooked within 40 mins. So make sure to keep checking from time to time.)
7. Uncover and cool in the tin.
8. Dust with cocoa and serve with cream and berries.