Making Mochi Cake

Spongy and somewhat gummy, the classic texture of mochi hails from the glutinous, short-grain, sticky rice reserved for delectable desserts and sauces.  This cake is a delightful gluten-free alternative to any homemade chocolate cake. T and I had a slice (shhhhh....don't tell anyone, but I think we each had 3 slices) at a friend's birthday party a few weeks ago and lucky for us we walked away with the recipe.  If you are a fan of the texture of mochi ice cream then I think you will enjoy this cake especially served with a big dollop of your favorite frozen treat!

As most of you know, I love bittersweet chocolate, therefore I had to add a bit more chocolate and of course 70% to the batter, rather than the semisweet.....semisweet works just fine if you only have chips on hand.  Also, you can certainly use fresh whole milk rather than the called for evaporated milk, however the texture will not be as gummy or mochi-like which is what makes this dessert so unique.

Thank you Grace for sharing your recipe!  Grace believes this recipe came from the old Honolulu Star-Bulletin, she recommends using Koda Farms Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour as other sweet rice flours don't seem to yield the proper texture.  My alterations are in parenthesis.  This recipe halves well and bakes up beautifully in a smaller pan, just keep in mind the baking time will shorten drastically if you halve.  For example, I baked a half batch in a 9"-tart pan for 38 minutes.

Grace's Chocolate Mochi Cake
2 cups Mochiko sweet rice flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
(1/2 teaspoon sea salt)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks, divided)
2-12-ounce cans of evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
(1/3 cup powdered sugar)

Lightly butter and dust with rice flour a 9"X13" baking pan and set aside.
Sift together the Mochiko flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
Combine the butter and chocolate (if using 2 cups of chips, then use only 1 cup in this step and reserve the rest for later.  If using 1 cup of chips then melt all of the chips with the butter) in a heat-proof bowl and set over a pot of gently simmering water, stir until melted.
In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla extract.
Pour the melted chocolate into the milk mixture and stir until well combined.
Mix in the flour blend and stir until smooth.
If using 2 cups of chocolate chips, then fold in the remaining 1 cup of chips at this point.
Pour into the prepped 9"X13" pan.
Bake at 350 F for approximately 55 minutes or until baked through.
Cool to room temperature.
Lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope that your day is a sweet one!

XOXO

Valentine Sweets

Spicy...Salty...Bitter...Sweet...Creamy.

Surprise your Valentine with a homemade treat.  I bake my pots de creme in oven-proof latte bowls, it's tres romantique when served with 2 spoons.  Top it off with Victoria's Salted Caramel Sauce, freshly whipped cream & grated chocolate.  Check out Chili Chocolate Pots de Creme for my full recipe.

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What To Do With Leftover Cookies....Besides The Obvious Choice

Once upon a time, I was a Pastry Chef...therefore you can guess that we don't keep many prepackaged cookies or sweets in our cupboards.  However, since the holidays we have somehow collected several boxes of gluten-free chocolate cookies.  So, I've decided to crush a batch of cookies to create a crunchy crust for these delectable mini cheesecakes.

In this recipe most cookies will suffice, you may need to adjust the sugar to your liking.  I've chosen a gluten-free version of Oreos.  If your cookies have frosting in the center then scrape it out prior to crushing into crumbs.  These little cuties should be made a day ahead of serving.

Victoria's Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Makes 12

For the Crust:
1/3 cup GF chocolate cookies, crushed into crumbs
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 vanilla bean, scraped and seeded
1/3 cup creme fraiche, room temperature
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

For Garnish:
3/4 cup favorite jam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a small bowl mix together the cookie crumbs, 2 teaspoons of sugar and melted butter.
Press the mixture into the bottom of each cup.
Bake until set, about 6-8 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.
Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F.
Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.  Add the 3 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and the vanilla and beat until mixed together, about 1 minute.
With the mixer on low, add the egg and beat until mixed, scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the creme fraiche and salt and mix just until the mixture comes together and is smooth.
Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared muffin cups, filling about 1/4-inch from the top.
Bake until the sides are set and the centers are still a bit wobbly, approximately 20 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature, then wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Before serving, spoon about 1 tablespoon of your favorite jam over each cake and during the summer top with fresh berries.

Homemade Granola

Granola is the perfect homemade gift for the holidays.  Make a large basic batch and sprinkle in your favorite ingredients.  Pack into mason jars, cover the lid with festive fabric, tie with twine and voila!

My classic base is both gluten-free and dairy-free.  Remember if you are planning on gifting granola to any gluten-free bellies out there, definitely purchase "certified gluten-free" oats.  Oats are naturally gluten-free, however they may be grown next to wheat fields and many times are harvested and processed with the same milling equipment as wheat, therefore contain cross-contaminants unless labeled GF.

If you opt to use the vanilla beans I promise you won't be sorry!  The best thing about vanilla beans besides their true flavor is that you get multiple uses out of this precious ingredient.  After you've split each pod open and de-seeded, pop into a jar of sugar for a vanilla kissed version, which you can use for any baking; I like to leave the pods in my sugar for months, but even after a week the sugar will be sufficiently scented.  If you are one to keep simple syrup on hand for desserts or cocktails, add the beans and let cure for a few days before using.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Goldilocks & Cocoa Drops

Dark chocolate and toasted walnuts are the bulk of this gluten-free and dairy-free cookie!  Perfect for dunking into hot and cold beverages.  Use your favorite unsweetened cocoa powder; I prefer non-alkalized, but if Dutch-process is what you are familiar with, it will work just fine.  The key to baking is much like Goldilocks & The Three Bears...you definitely don't want to over bake or you'll be left with crisp cookies all the way through, if you under bake they won't hold their shape and you'll end up with loads of crumbs.  However, if you bake "just right" you'll end up with a crisp outer shell and a pleasantly chewy and nutty interior.  Keep in mind that these cookies love to spread, so depending on the amount of dough you drop you may need to use several baking sheets.  I can squeeze 6 on a half sheet tray, as I use about 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) of dough for each drop.

Cocoa Drops

Makes 1 1/2-2 dozen depending on the size

4 cups (1 lb/ 453 g) powdered sugar
3/4 cup (3 oz/ 83 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) fine grain sea salt
2 cups (8 oz/ 230 g) walnut halves, lightly toasted, cooled & coarsely chopped
1 cup (6 oz/ 180 g) chopped 70% chocolate
4 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons (12 ml) pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 320 F/ 160 C degrees.  Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and sea salt.
Stir in the chopped and toasted walnuts and chocolate until well mixed.
Stir in the egg whites and vanilla until well combined.
Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for about 6 minutes and then rotate pans, top/bottom/front/back.
Continue baking until they puff and crack a bit, the tops should get glossy, about 6-9 minutes longer.
Slide the cookies still on parchment paper onto cooling racks, and let them cool completely.
If you have any leftover, store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Broken Bits...Petite Pieces...Chubby Chips

I've been playing with this recipe for some time now and T and I agree that this is the best batch yet!  The shape of the chocolate really makes a difference; I love the odd disc-like shape of a Valrhona callet, but they are better suited for large chocolate chip cookies than for my bread.  On your next baking adventure, I urge you to pick-up one of your favorite chocolate bars and crush it up into small pieces before folding it into your next batch of banana bread!  The broken bits, add moisture, texture and of course flavor.

Here is a sneak peek of my GF Banana Chocolate Chunk Bread, it is a classic that will appear in my cookbook.

Happy Baking!

Gelato al Cioccolato

As my my friends know, gelato is my all-time favorite dessert. During the summer of '99 while attending UW, I lived in Siena. My friend Whitney and I would walk up to our local gelateria nearly every night to get our coppa di gelato. Her favorite stracciatella and mine was typically bacio (hazelnut & chocolate) or a mixture of cioccolato (chocolate) and pistachio. We are both chocolate lovers. I created this recipe as an ode to our summer evenings spent walking and nibbling!

4th of July Ice-Cream Sandwiches

My apologies to those of you that follow my blog. I realize I've been neglecting both of my blogs a bit, no posts at all through June. Well June was quite a crazy busy month. I was offered a position in pastry at a lovely new french restaurant in Seattle. Everything has moved so fast...out with the old and in with the new. So I have been working at the restaurant and teaching on my days off so it's left little time for blogging. But I'm here, baking & cooking away. Below is a melting version of the ice cream sandwiches I made for the 4th. We had a BBQ with our family and this was the sweet I served before the Fireworks started. Finally the sun has peaked out here in the PNW, just in time for BBQ's and sticky, messy and gooey desserts!

Gelato vs Ice Cream

Bittersweet Chocolate Gelato is a delectable treat this time of year. The sun is finally peeking out through the clouds here in the Pacific Northwest although we are still at temperatures in the low 60's. Sunshine is always a welcoming nod toward my favorite summertime...really anytime treat! Creamy & decadently mousse-like; the mouthfeel of gelato is much silkier than ice cream.

Chocolat & Sel Gris

Chocolate + Butter + Sugar = Buttercream

I whipped up this decadent buttercream for my nieces' 16th birthday! Her favorite cake combination this year is lemon & chocolate. So I made cupcakes using one of Martha Stewart's lemon cake recipes. I scooped out the center of each cupcake and filled with lemon curd then frosted with my Dark Chocolate Buttercream.

For the Dark Chocolate Buttercream, of course I happened to have two 3-ounce Rich 70% Theo Chocolate Bars lying around therefore I broke them into bits and melted in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. After the chocolate was melted I cooled to room temperature. Then creamed together 2 sticks of unsalted butter with a scant 2 cups of powdered sugar and a pinch of sea salt until light and fluffy. Finally, the addition of the cooled melted chocolate for flavoring. This recipe can be adapted to suit your frosting fancy. Leave out the chocolate and cut back on the powdered sugar a smidgen then add a tablespoon of vanilla extract and half of a pod of vanilla bean seeds for a basic Vanilla Buttercream or add a touch of pure maple syrup for a Maple Buttercream, lemon zest or orange zest for a hint of Citrus. This recipe creates enough buttercream to frost at least 18 cupcakes!

Buon Compleanno Miss N!

xoxo Auntie

Something Exciting is Going On Over At Theo Chocolate

As many of you know, I am a Theonista (although I still have yet to fill out my "Who Is Theo?" questionnaire....one of these days!). I've been with Theo Chocolate since T and I moved back to Seattle....which has been a little over a year now. (update 2013: worked for Theo 10/2009-12/2011)  There's always a lot of excitement around this time of year with new creations in our confections kitchen and holiday offerings.

Seven of the west coast's leading chefs spent a day in the Theo Chocolate kitchen collaborating with our Theo chocolatiers to create a confection that portrays the individuality of each chef by using the finest ingredients available as their inspiration.