Daring Bakers February Challenge

Well most of you know I'm not the hugest fan of chocolate - I know I know what is WRONG with me lol!!

Anyways here is the February challenge, it's been a busy month for me, so I've only just made it today - thought Shane might need the chocolate love to help him cope with the first days of The Great Down Under Nappy Hunt :)

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

I used a mixture of milk and dark chocolate, I don't like the really dark stuff at all, so I wanted a slightly sweeter cake. It's ALOT of chocolate though, and I think you could halve it with no issues. I got 12 cupcakes - what a surprise - cupcakes!! and a small heart shaped cake. The mixture is very runny - my 18yo said that can't be right Mum. It's too runny, but that's the way it is suppose to be.

So here it is

The melted chocolate and butter



The egg whites folded into the chocolate mixture.



I made cupcakes, which rose beautifully and deflated just as spectacularly. Shane bless his heart thought they were meant to look like that, so I could fill them with the icecream - the heart shaped one I made rose and deflated evenly, but the cupcakes have craters, does make the perfect spot for ice cream, whipped cream, raspberry sauce or whatever.




I chose to team mine with White chocolate and Raspberry Semi-freddo. I've been meaning to try to make it for ages. And low and behold the Feb/Mar issue of Donna Hay had recipes. It was very easy to make.

I used the following recipe from Donna Hay.

3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used the seeds from 1 vanilla pod)
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups of single cream

Place the egg, extra yolks, vanilla and sugar in a heat proof bowl, over simmering water and beat until thick and fluffy. Mine took about 7 minutes.



Whilst it is cooling slighty, whisk the cream until stiff peaks form.



Gently fold together until well combined.



Then I added about half a block of chopped white chocolate and about 200g of frozen rasberries. You can add whatever flavours you like. I'd really like to make the apple crumble variety she has as well, it looks delicious!!

I poured it into a 20cm square metal cake tin and let it set in the freezer for a minimum of 6 hours. (I didn't wait that long lol!!)



It was very easy to make I had no dramas with it at all.

Alrighty and I've now tried the cake and ice-cream after lunch - oh my - I'm never going back to bought ice-cream - the semifreddo is divine!!! Easy to make and probably much easier on the budget too - no churning or anything, delicious, creamy, tasty, gorgeous!!! The cake - well you know I don't like chocolate all that much so it was okay - perhaps if you are a chocoholic it would be fantastic for you, but not so much for me - rather eat the semifreddo.