The most famous name in chocolate cakes is the German Chocolate Cake, but the interesting fact is that it was not `German’ at all. It merely used chocolate brand which was called `German’s’ because it had been developed by an Englishman named Sam German in 1852! He was working for Baker’s Chocolate Company.

The recipe for this chocolate cake was first made popular by a Dallas housewife in 1957, and probably due to the fact that German baking is one of the best in the world, the name not only stuck, but also lent the cake its squarely German touch. The result was an instantly popular cake which carried up the sales of the chocolate too. Actually the popularity of the cake can be attributed to the fact that in The Southern US, buttermilk chocolate cakes have been a hit for decades, and the fact that German’s chocolate is sweater than regular baking chocolate, also helped. Coconuts and pecans which are available in the area too, only added to the taste.

In classical terms, the most famous chocolate cake of all times, worldwide, is the Sachertorte, the Viennese chocolate cake with its three layers of luscious chocolate sponge, interspersed with layers of apricot jam. The whole cake is then thickly iced with velvety chocolate. The result was probably why chocolate is synonymous with sinful!

It took its name from its creator, Chef Franz Sacher, who created it in 1832 for the Prince Clemens Lothar Wensel Metternich of Austria. Sacher was then an apprentice cook, all of 16 years old, and the Prince’s demand was met with a cake that used only the available ingredients, nothing more. The recipe made him so prosperous that he went on to open several Café’s and restaurants.

Whatever the origins, the chocolate cake has always been one of the most irresistible temptations…after all how many other desserts you know have been named `Death by Chocolate??’

Chocolate Cake Recipe

2 cups flour

125 grams chocolate (squares)

3 eggs

1 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease two cake tins of 7 inch diameter.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a deep pan of boiling water.

Cream together butter and sugar and add the eggs one at a time, beating well. Add the melted chocolate and beat till well combined.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and fold into the chocolate-egg-sugar-butter mix. Don’t beat too much. After the mixture is blended well, pour into the baking tin . Bake for about 45 minutes, or till well risen.

For the sandwich icing :

100 grams unsalted butter

1 and a ½ cup icing sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

½ tsp vanilla essence

Beat together all these ingredients to form a light chocolate cream. Use to sandwich the two cakes together.

The top layer can be either dusted with castor sugar or cocoa powder, or both, Stencils may be used for decorating further.

For a different look, and in a bid to be creative as Chef Sacher, try using apricot or raspberry jam to sandwich layers, alternating with chocolate cream, white cream or plain chocolate layers, before closing with the second cake layer. Icing can also be made to have a royal touch if chocolate cream is poured over this whole cake sandwich.

And if you think you can’t take the pain of making a chocolate cake yourself, you can simply order a chocolate birthday cake online.

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The first step to making your own chocolate from scratch is roasting the cocoa beans. Roasting cocoa beans is pretty much like roasting coffee beans, only with some more specific requirements. You have the option of either roasting the beans in your own oven or use a coffee bean roaster Roasting the beans first not only gets rid of the contaminants that could be on raw cocoa beans, but most importantly, it brings out the flavor that everyone is familiar with. It’ll take anywhere from 5 to 35 minutes at 250 – 350 degrees F. Start roasting the beans at a high temperature, and then gradually bring it down. When the beans start to crack, you’ll know the process is complete.

The second step is the crack the beans into small nibs, while removing the husks by hand. If you did a good job of roasting the beans, the husks should be very easy to remove. You can speed up the process by stirring the nibs with your hands while blowing the husks away with a hair dryer. If you find yourself working with a large batch of beans, a special purpose-grinding mill can be bought for around $100.

The next step is to grind up the nibs and turn them into a cocoa liquid. To do this, hand-feed the nibs one handful at a time into a food processor or an electric cocoa grinder. A mix of cocoa liquid and husks will come of out the spout, so keep repeating the process until only the husks come out. The biggest challenge is finding a food processor that is powerful enough to do this, as most ordinary juicers, coffee grinders and food processors won’t be able to handle liquefying the nibs.

Now you’ll have to conch and refine your chocolate. This is a process that affects the taste, texture and smell of your chocolate. Normally, these processes have to be done separately, but both can be done at the same time with a good wet grinder. The way you’ll conch and refine largely depends on the type of equipment you use. After this, you’ll have to “temper” the chocolate, so that it’ll gain a shine and be hard enough not to melt in your hand. You can do this by hand or with a special tempering machine for larger quantities. All you have to do is to spread the melted chocolate out on a hard, non-porous kitchen top and bring it back together until the chocolate cools down to a thick and gooey mess. Do this as many times as needed until the chocolate comes to a shine. All that is left to be done is to pour the chocolate into any mold and cool it down. Then it’s “bon appetite”!

Making chocolate from scratch is a learning process; so if this is your first time, don’t expect that very first batch to be perfect. In the long run, practice makes perfect and you’ll even end up adding your own twist chocolate making by adding ingredients of your own or using different techniques.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com

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For more information on chocolate, visit http://www.howtomakechocolate.net.

Godiva Chocolate Truffles

STEP 1:
Boil the water. Pour a little more than 4 cups of water into a saucepan. Place on high heat, and bring the water to a simmer.

STEP 2:
Prepare the chocolate. Break the chocolate into small squares so that it will melt faster. Place these pieces in a small saucepan.

STEP 3:
Melt the chocolate. Place the small saucepan containing the chocolate over the medium saucepan with the water. Try to keep the bottom of the small saucepan from touching the water below it. Stir constantly as the chocolate melts; it should take around 8 minutes for the chocolate to fully melt. Do not cover the chocolate; the condensation will affect the texture of the chocolate.

STEP 4:
Add the cream. Slowly add the cream to the melted chocolate. Do not remove the pan from the heat. Keep stirring until the cream has completely mixed with the melted chocolate. Then remove the pan from the heat, and let it rest until it has cooled.

STEP 5:
Add the butter. Once the chocolate has cooled completely, bring the saucepan of water to a boil again, and place the pan containing the chocolate on the heat once more. Add the butter, and stir until it has melted completely. Then remove the pan from the heat again.

STEP 6:
Let the chocolate cool. Once this mixture (now called ganache) is done cooking, pour it into a large bowl. Use a spatula to remove as much as you can from the pan. Cover the surface with plastic wrap so that it does not develop a film, and refrigerate until the ganache becomes stiff (about an hour).

STEP 7:
Form the truffles. Remove the bowl from the fridge, and place it on your work surface. A countertop works well for this. Then place the cocoa powder into a bowl. Use a teaspoon to scoop up a small amount of the chocolate ganache. Roll in the palm of your hand as quickly as possible to make a small ball. Work quickly, or they will begin to melt and become unmanageable. If necessary, make them in batches, re-chilling the bowl of chocolate before starting again. Once rolled into a ball, roll each truffle in the cocoa powder until they are coated.

STEP 8:
Serve. Place the finished truffles in a serving bowl or on a tray.For the best results, use a high quality baking chocolate. You can also roll the truffles in chopped nuts or powdered sugar instead of cocoa powder. These hand-rolled chocolate truffles are very sweet. They make an excellent holiday or hostess gift for your friends and family.

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