This is a very good chocolate cake recipe that is healthy and you won't have to hear that same old advice from your doctor as to why shouldn’t you eat chocolate cake!
Ingredients to make a chocolate cake:
1 cup soy milk
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 egg whites (large), at room temperature
Preparation on how to make a chocolate cake:
1. Heat up oven to 350 degrees. Spread out two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13x2-inch pan with vegetable oil cooking spray and sprinkle with whole-wheat flour.
2.Heat the soymilk in a medium size saucepan until its hardly boiled. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa until thickened and almost smooth (some tiny lumps will remain). Let stand 2 to 3 minutes to cool slightly. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla extract.
3.Mix the flour, 1-1/4 cups of the raw sugar, the baking powder, soda, and sea salt in a large bowl.
4.Beat the egg whites in a medium size bowl with an electric mixer until thick and foamy. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup of raw sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form when the beaters are lifted.
5.Pour the cocoa mixture over the whole-wheat flour. Stir just until blended.
6.With a rubber spatula, gently stir about a quarter of the egg whites into the whole-wheat flour mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Pour into the prepared pan or pans.
7.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Garnish with your favorite fresh fruit.
VANILLA FROSTING
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2-teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4-cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
1.In a bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating, adding the honey and vanilla.
2.Gradually add the nonfat dry milk powder, beating constantly, until the frosting is a good spreading consistency.
It's not so hard to make a chocolate cake! Enjoy!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Krissy_Leighton
Make Chocolate Cake For Your Love
History of Chocolate and Strawberries
The history of chocolate is as delicious, as suspicious and as mysterious as the chocolate itself. Though, no one knows the exact date but researchers believe that chocolate was enjoyed by ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations in Central America. It is believed that in the tropical rainforests of the Americas cacao beans were discovered around 2,000 years ago. A few sources claim that the first recorded use of cocoa beans in written form go back to 1100BC to a settlement of pre-Mayan origins. Some people say cocoa beans were discovered as early as 4000 years back.
However, it is also true that it wasn't used as it is being used nowadays but chocolate beans were used to make several types of spicy and frothy drink or beverage from cacao beans. It is strongly believed that the way we eat chocolate now was evolved after many years. Sources say that it was only an English doctor called Sir Hans Sloane who traveled extensively South America who later focused on cocoa beans as food values and added milk in cocoa beans to develop the chocolate bar. Over the period of time, centuries after centuries, years after years, different types of drinks, cookies and bars were evolved made out of chocolate.
One thing was same-the cocoa beans were considered to be pricey and valuable so they were given as gifts on many special occasions, such as child birth, religious ceremonies and even social rituals. Even in the old barter system, cocoa beans were exchanged for other commodities, such as clothes, ornaments, jade and other ceremonial as well as day to day items/commodities. Even as of today, cocoa beans are one of the most sought after food items that are being used to prepare several food items around the world. There is hardly any country where chocolate is not present in some form or other. That shows the popularity of chocolate amongst young and older, women and men, kids and adults.
Another most sought after food item is strawberry. Let's see a brief introduction about the history of strawberries. Researchers believe that the history of strawberries dates back to around 2200 years back, and they are known to be grown as a wild fruit in Italy around 234 B.C. It is also believed that strawberries were first discovered by Europeans in Virginia when their ships were landed there in 1588. Other undocumentary sources claim that strawberries were enjoyed by early settlers in Massachusetts grown by local American Indians who cultivated this amazing fruit as early as 1643 or even former.
No matter, where this juicy, aromatic and tasty fruit was grown first, but in today's' world you can find strawberry in many different varieties around the world. National agricultural stats show that in the modern America over 25,000 acres of strawberries are planted each year in California. Not only this, but California is the only state that produces the major part of strawberries (over 80%) and supplies not only other states in America but many parts.
Enjoy 10% off all chocolate gift orders over $60 at Hotel Chocolat before June 30th 2009 with this exclusive US coupon code, CHOCA9.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sturat_Mitchel
The History of Cheesecake - A Greek Athlete's Award
Cheesecake, I'll never forget the first time I ever had it. I was about nine years old and the minute I bit into it cheesecake became my favorite dessert. Creamy, rich and cheesy it was a combination of flavors that I had never tasted before. It was so unlike cake and yet that was exactly what it was called. No flour, no vegetable oil....it was a mystery to me and in so being such I decided to research it. What I found was amazing and highly intriguing.
It is an evolution of the culinary art and not necessarily an invention. The combination of local resources and technological advancement. The cheese-less cheesecake started to appear in 17th century cookbooks. Chess pie from South America is actually descended from the cheesecake. Now, before their was cheesecake there was cheese. Cheese dates back to 9000 BC with the domestication of animals. The old testament holds a lot of references to cheese. The Greeks loved cheese so much that they gave it to their children as we give candy to our children. The Olympian athletes were rewarded with cheese. Samos was famous for their cheesecakes and any wedding cake back in Athens was ultimately going to be a cheesecake with honey.
As we all know, cream cheese is what makes cheesecake what it is today. Well, actually soft country cheeses such as cream cheese were the first cheeses known to the human race. While the Greeks and Romans did enjoy soft cheese, it was actually the Europeans such as the French who perfected the art of cream cheese. Cheese making immigrants came to America and brought with them their skills. It is known that in New York the starting selling packaged cream cheese in the 19th century.
What brought America recipes for cheesecakes were from what we discussed prior to this. The European cheese makers came from all over Europe and brought these things with them. What we do know about cheesecake is that the Romans had their own version called Libum. It was very versatile being used as an offering to household spirits, served hot, or served with some delicious honey. It was very much like the texture of a cheesecake. Philadelphia cheesecake was created by the German immigrants that were very heavily interlaced in Philadelphia. Philadelphia cheesecake was treasured and eaten at the Cheesecake house, an establishment selling cheesecake to eat on tables under cherry trees. The New York style cheesecake was created when we fashioned a new type of American cream cheese. It was the 1920s when it was featured by some important Jewish delis. According to a lot of people, cheesecake wasn't cheesecake until it came to New York.
The rest (they say) is history. Cheesecake has flourished and has become a good dessert in many good societies. The best part about cheesecake is that it is filling, rich, and is best either alone or with friends. Nothing beats that delicious dessert anywhere and with anyone. Now we all know that we are enjoying a dessert that many a Greek athlete enjoyed. So, alls we need do is pretend we were the ones running the marathon and bite into that delicious piece of cheesecake in front of us.
"Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake"*
Ingredients: 1/3 cup of graham cracker crumbs, 2 oz of semisweet chocolate melted and cooled, 32 oz of cream cheese softened, 2 tsp of grated orange peel, 1 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of Splenda, 2 tbs of orange juice, and 4 eggs lightly beaten.
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Sprinkle the cracker crumbs over the bottom of a lightly greased 9 inch springform pan; set aside. In a bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and Splenda beating for one minute. Add the eggs and combine on low speed. Add the orange juice and peel. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside 3/4 cup and pour the remaining filling into the pan. Combine the chocolate and reserved filling. Drop by spoonfuls over the filling in the pan and swirl with a knife. Place pan on a double thickness of foil. Securely wrap foil around pan.
Place pan in a large baking pan. Fill the larger pan with hot water to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 350 degrees for about 75 minutes. Remove springform pan from the water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen; cool for one hour longer. Remove the foil. Refrigerate at a minimum of three hours.
Remove the sides of the pan. Serve with some whipped cream if desired
Love the creaminess.
* Base of recipe from Taste of Home and then I molded it from there.
Rachael Rizzo has been acting since she was nine years old. She uses her experience to write about what the things she loves mean to her (mostly movies and baking). She is twenty-three years old and resides in beautiful Oregon.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rachael_Rizzo
Chocolate-Cherry Heart Cake Made With Rum
If you want to really impress your loved one with a special cake, try this wonderful chocolate cake. This cake also works well for bridal showers and parties as well as other special occasions. The secret ingredient of this Chocolate-Cherry Heart Cake is rum. This ingredient makes this chocolate cake stand out from all the rest.
CHOCOLATE-CHERRY HEART CAKE
DARK CHOCOLATE ICING:
12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped finely
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp rum (or use 1 tsp rum flavoring)
1 cup cherry preserves
1 semi-sweet (4 oz) chocolate bar
Place 12-ounce chocolate and butter in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Pour cream over the chocolate and butter and shake the bowl gently to distribute the cream evenly. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk together by hand until smooth. Cover the surface of the icing with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool spot to set but do not refrigerate. When set, the icing should have the consistency of a firm pudding. Set aside the preserves until the cake is to be assembled.
With a vegetable peeler, shave the chocolate bar into a freezable bowl. Place in the freezer until ready to decorate the cake.
DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup rum
3/4 cup boiling water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and line with parchment paper the bottom of single layer heart-shaped pan. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, blending until smooth after each.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa. In a separate small bowl, blend together the sour cream and rum. With mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients and the rum mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Slowly pour in the water and mix until well-blended. Pour the batter into the pan and shake gently to level. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until center of cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 to 6 minutes in the pan then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To Assemble:
When the cake is completely cool, invert cakes onto a serving plate. Using a hand held whisk, stir the cooled chocolate icing, adding the rum gradually. Once rum is incorporated, whisk vigorously for a few seconds until the icing is slightly lighter in color. Spread 2/3 of the icing over the sides and top of the cake. Take chocolate shaving from the freezer and adhere shaving to the sides of the cake. Spread the cherry preserves gently over the top of the cake in a heart shape design, leaving at least a 1-inch border around the edges. Use the remaining icing to make a decorative design around the cherry heart and around the top edge of the cake.
Enjoy!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Carol_Wilson
5 Chocolate Ideas For Valentine's Day
Valentines Day comes annually as do the decision we have to make with what to buy our partner. There are so many possibilities and thinking of something new is not always easy. Below 5 ideas of how you can include chocolate as part of your Valentines gift.
1. A qualify box of Dark Chocolate is a gift which if given also with a bunch of red roses is a gift sure to please most women. Dark chocolate offers even stronger and aromatic smells than plain chocolate and it is hard to go wrong with this type of gift. This is also a gift which is affordable and relatively easy to buy.
2. If you are your partner enjoy playing board games and if you are planning a romantic night in for Valentine's night, then how about Chocopoly. This is a variation of Monopoly but the chocolate version and ideal for the big night. You get to eat chocolate and to enjoy the theme: Ideal also with a nice bottle of wine and dimmed lights.
3. Chocolate massage is becoming more and more popular and booking your partner into a local spa centre of massage centre, where this form of massage is offered, can be an ideal gift. Sessions tend to last for 30 to 60 minutes and this type of massage is considered by many to be even more enjoyable other forms because of the added aromatic smells which can be enjoyed.
4. Perhaps one of the best and mot impressive ways to impress your partner, if you can afford it, is to book two or three days in the world's first chocolate hotel. Based in Perugia in Northern Italy, this hotel offers quite an amazing experience. The food and menus, the colour of the rooms, the shop theme and many other parts of the hotel are all based on chocolate. This is a real fun way to spend a few days and Italy offers a great romantic getaway location. Perugia in its own right is a lovely city and you cannot really go wrong with this idea if you can afford it.
5. Taking your partner on a chocolate making workshop could also be a wonderful Valentine's Day gift. As well as tastings and lessons in the art of making and presenting chocolates, there is also the social side of the trip whereby you meet lots of interesting people over the course of a weekend. This can be a real fun gift and a great weekend getaway.
Paul writes about Chocolate Travel and Chocolate festivals.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Symonds
