Sempoi Black Forest Cake

Been meaning to try make this cake for a looong time but never dared to try until yesterday, found this recipe from Australian Women Weekly mini cookbook and the cake is scrumptious.

250gm butter, chopped

1 tabelspoon instant coffee granules / powder

11/2 cups hot wayer

200gm dark eating chocolate, chopped

2 cups caster sugar

11/2 cups self-raising flour

1 cup plain flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla essence

600ml thickened cream, whipped

2 x 425gm canned seeded / pitted black cherries, drained & halved

2 teaspoon cocoa powder, extra

or

50 gm dark cooking choc + 3 tablespoon cream (to make ganache)

- preheat oven 150'c, greased and line base & side of a round / square 22cm baking tin

- melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat

- mix coffee and hot water, stir into butter

- add chocolate and sugar, stir until smooth over low heat but not to boiling

- set aside till about cool (about 10 minutes)

- using a hand held mixer, beat the chocolate mixture while adding flour + cocoa powder small batches at a time

- add eggs, one at a time and vanilla extract, mix well

- pour batter into cake tin and bake for 1 hour 45 mins, cake cooks well when skewer comes out clean

- stand in tin 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack and let cool completely

- once cake totally cold, cut into 3 equal layers

- meanwhile, beat cream with electiric mixer till fluffy

- layer cake with cream and cherries

- can also topped the cake with cream or make ganache and pur on top

- chill in fridge for about 1 -2 hours before serving

Happy trying... :)

p/s - sound like a lot of work rather than sempoi but it's actually quite simple ...insyaallah

Sempoi Triple Choc Brownies

125gm butter, chopped

200gm dark cooking chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups plain flour

150gm white eating chocolate, chopped

100gm milk eating chocolate, chopped

- Preheat oven 180'c, grease deep 19cm square cake pan, line side and base with baking paper

- Combine butter and dark chocolate in a medium saucepan, stir over low heat until smooth. Set aside to cool (about 15 minutes)

- Add in sugar and eggs, stir till almost well mixed, 

- Add in sifted flour and mix well

- Slowly add in white and milk choc, stir slowly as not to melt the chocolates. Batter will be thick and gooey

- Spread on to baking pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Brownies will be cooked if even if its a bit soft in middle.

- Remove from oven and cool in pan before cutting

Happy trying.... :)

Sempoi Rich Choc Cake

Another simple & yummilicious choc cake, moist & chocolaty. The best part about this cake is it can be made just using food processor / blender :D. The recipe is from a book called Cake Bible :). Made this twice already, hubby & kids love it! Yay!

1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon soda bicarbonate
pinch of salt
100 g dark cooking choc, chopped
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 heaped tablespoon cocoa powder
225g butter, softened and cut into 8 / 10 cubes
3/4 cup sour cream
coffee / nescafe (mixed with hot water to make 1 tablespoon full)

- preheat oven 160'c, grease and line cake tin with non stick paper
- sift flour, baking powder, soda bicarb + salt into a bowl, make sure well mixed & set aside
- process chopped chocolate with half of sugar in a food processor / blender until become like breadcrumbs
- while motor still running, pour boiling water and process till chocolate melted
- add eggs, cocoa powder and remaining sugar, process / blend for about 2 minutes
- add butter and further process / blend about 2 minutes, pour into another bowl
- add sour cream and coffee and stir till well combined
- slowly add flour & mixed till all well combined
- pour mixture into cake tin, bake about 50-60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
- cool 10 minutes in cake tine before turning on to rack to completely cooled.

Choc ganache topping
1/4 cup cream
80gm dark choc, broken into pieces

- melt choc & cream in a bowl over simmering water
- stir till becomes glossy-liked
- once cake cooled, pour ganache on to cake & deco as you like

Happy trying ... :)

Sempoi Red Velvet Pirates' Cuppies

Saw this recipe title in a friend's fb page sometime ago but had not got the chance to try until I found "Perfect cupcakes, cookies & muffins" recipe book. It has the recipe for cuppies, almsot simialr to what my friend posted. Made this last week on a pirate's theme with cream cheese topping. Kids liked the color & topping but not so the cake, maybe because its cinnamon was quite strong, more adult's kind of taste I guess :)

(makes 6 standard cuppies)

3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon soda bicarbonate
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/3 cup buttermilk (1/3 cup milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar or plain yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup veg oil
3 teaspoons red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

- preheat oven 180'c
- in a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon powder, soda bicarb & salt.
- in another bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed,  lightly beat egg,
- while continuing beating, add buttermilk, vinegar, oil, food coloring & vanilla
- beat in dry ingredient till well mixed
- divide batter equally into the prepared casings
- bake about 20-25 minutes or until top spring back when lightly tapped
- cool in pan 10 minutes and trun out to cool completely
- top with cream cheese frosting (follow this recipe http://cafesempoi.blogspot.com/2010/07/sempoi-cream-cheese-frosting.html)

Happy trying ... :)

Sempoi Chocolate Frosting

Great for toppings on any cakes / cuppies / muffins or just spread onto to bread :)

for 12 large cupcakes

100g semisweet (plain) chocolate
4 tablespoon heavy (double) / thickened cream
1 tablespoon butter
1-2 tablespoon icing sugar

- melt choc, cream and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simemring water (make sure nto touching the water) stir until smooth
- remove from heat, add icing sugar & whisk with electric hand mixer about 3-4 minutes
- put in fridge till almost firm but spreadable
- pipe onto cupcakes or just spread on them
- add fruits / any toppings on top

Happy trying ... :)

Sempoi Triple Choc Cupcakes

Just couldn't resist making this. A chocoholics? its haven :) Kids just adore them :)

makes 6 large cuppies

1 cup self-raising flour
a pinch of soda bicarbonate
3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar (original recipe - 1/4 but mine turned out a bit no-so-sweet so I've adjusted to 1/3 cup, u may want to follow using just 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup milk choc chips
1/4 cup semisweet choc chips (I had only dark choc chips & so I used just this)

- preheat oven 180'c, line cupcake / muffin tray with cupcakes casings
- in a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda & cocoa powder till well combined
- add sugar & all the choc chips & combine well

1 egg, lighly beaten
3/4 cup milk

- whisk egg & milk till well combined
- add to flour mix and stir till well combined

2 tablespoon butter, melted

- add melted butter & mix well to make a moist batter
- spoon batter equally into cup cakes casing
- bake about 20 minutes or till top spring back when lightly touched
- cool in tray abotu 5 minutes then turn onto wire rack to completely cool
- top with choc frosting (see individual recipe for toppings)

Happy trying ... :)

Another chocolatier in da house :)

Want chocolate for special occasions or simply to indulge yourself, simply click below & let your eyes savor the flavor :)

Nini's Cocoa Choc

Sempoi Kek Coklat Kukus - K Ina Hashim's recipe :)

Click below to get the recipe :)

kek cokelat kukus K Ina

Sempoi Fudgy Choc Peanuts Brownies

crusty outside, fudgy & moist inside :)

Found this recipe in a catalog by Coles, tried it just adjusting it a bit from pecan to peanuts :)

250g butter (preferable unsalted)
125g dark chocolate (the recipe did not state cooking or normal choc, i used ready-to-eat dark choc)
2 cups caster sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup pecan, roughly chopped (I used salted peanuts, followed one of the masterchef's recipe)


- melt butter & chocolate in a saucepan over low heat
- stir in sugar, remove from heat
- beat in eggs one at a time, till well combined
- stir in vanilla
- sift flour & cocoa powder into the batter & mix well
- add peanuts
- pre-heat oven at 180'c
- lightly grease a shallow baking dish / cake pan
- pour mixture into dish / pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until top is shiny 
- remove from oven and let cool completely in pan
- serve with vanilla ice cream / cream


* i used friand baking tray that's why the brownies are oblong in shapes :), i find this easier to ensure consistent amount & less messy rather than cutting them into rectangle or square :)


Happy trying .. :)

Calling all chocoholics ... :) (In Malaysia only though, sorry)

A family member & good friend's passion for chocs drives her work on it that produces wonderful scrumptious chocs that you can order to enjoy :)

http://chocolatemommy-yang.blogspot.com/

Sempoi Choc Cream Strawberry Tart

One of the quick dessert recipe I've tried. & we can deco it with any toppings & in any way we like :).

1-2 sheet ready shortcrust pastry or can make your own (I'll post the recipe soon)

- cut into round shape using round cookie cutter that can fit into large muffin tray

- bake for about 15mins or till cooked, set aside

6 fresh strawberries, cut into 4/6

1 tablespoon icing sugar

- sift sugar onto strawberries and mix well

250g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

200ml cream

- place choc in a heatproof bowl

- heat cream in a saucepan till boil

- once boil pour into the choc, set aside abt 1 minute

- stir until chocolate melt & thickened

- put inside fridge for abt 5-7 minutes

150ml thickened cream

- whip till fluffy

- assemble pastry cases, spoon choc, topped with cream & strawberries (can also use peach / mix fruit etc

Happy trying.. :)

Sempoi Quickie Chocolate Muffins

My family (esp kids) are almost chocoholic. Found this ease-my-life mini chocolate muffin recipe from a book that I bought for just $2 sometime ago. I've tried a few recipes & it turned out wonderful. Made these muffins (just now) in about 40 mins (including baking time). But I didn't make it mini though, made them large muffin size, so I doubled all the ingredients :)

For 12 mini size muffin:

60g uslated butter (I used the normal butter), diced
60g plain cooking chocolate (I used dark choc), roughly chopped

- melt both ingredients in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (err .. i melted them directly in a pan, u can also do it in microwave, not too long though the chocs can burnt), set aside

2 medium eggs (I've got extra large, so i used 3 since I doubled the amount, if not, 1 maybe alrite)
100g castor sugar (I used only 75g)
100g self-raising flour (yeay! no need for baking powder / soda etc)
30g cocoa powder, sifted

chocolate chips / 100s & 1000s / nuts for topping

- Preheat oven 180'c
- Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, beat with hand mixer / mixer / by hand for about 1 minute till well combined
- fold in chocolate & butter mixture, slowly till well mixed
- spoon into muffin cases (in tray)
- deco / sprinkle with any toppings of your choice
- bake for about 20 minutes or until skewer / cake tester comes out clean
- cool on wire racks

The recipe suggested to drizzle with Mocha Sauce, didn't try it though coz the girls don't like coffee that much

150g plain chocolate, roughly cjopped
90ml espresso or other strong good coffee
150ml double / thickened cream

- place chocolate, espresso & 4 tablespoons of cream in a small pan over low heat
- simmer till sauce has thickened
- whisk remaining cream till thickened
- drizzle mocha sauce & cream over the muffin or anyway you like ...

Happy trying ... :)