Apparently I am not the only one who loves the combination of raspberries with chocolate. For that reason I am introducing today this moist raspberry chocolate layer cake. I was surprised that I got so many reactions when I posted the entire process and end-result as an Instagram story. I am not alone in my love for a things chocolate with some tart raspberries to offset the sweetness of the chocolate.
Eclairs, it is about high time for eclairs again! These eclairs contain a creamy peanut butter filling and some chocolate. If you are a peanut butter fan, these eclairs are for you. If you like eclairs, but are not that fond of peanut butter, I also have black forest eclairs, cappuccino eclairs or eclairs with raspberry filling on my blog. I do recommend all of them.
Chocolate Caramel Tart! This is chocolate heaven. If you want the perfect combination of chocolate and caramel, you have to try this tart. A shortbread chocolate crust, a gooey caramel as the first layer and then topped off with chocolate ganache, I couldn’t ask for more. Well, maybe a little more. For flaky sea salt if you really want to take this tart to the next level.
I have to admit, I am not that much into vegan cakes, but with this vegan chocolate raspberry cake I may be converted. I honestly can’t say whether I prefer this one to the non-vegan version. It all starts with a moist chocolate layer cake. I love the fact that you basically have to throw the ingredients together, whisk them and that’s about it. The raspberry filling is also the perfect companion for the chocolate. And don’t get me started on the frosting. It only contains two ingredients: chocolate and coconut cream, yum! And don’t worry, the coconut flavor is very subtle, I don’t really like coconut and I had a hard time tasting it, so I am sure you will be fine.
Recipes that have a story to tell are my favorite recipes. That’s definitely the case for these black forest eclairs. The reason for me making eclairs after a while again was because a blogger colleague of mine named Julia (her German blog is called Julia bakes) was hospitalized and eager to eat some proper eclairs. Obviously the hospital didn’t provide such a treat so Julia asked if anyone was willing to bake her some. Since I live in the same city and had some time off before starting to work again, I volunteered. Baking eclairs for her reminded me of the fact that my husband is a huge lover of eclairs. For that reason I have been whipping up eclairs more regularly again. These black forest eclairs are definitely one of my favorite flavor combinations.
I do admit that eclairs take a while, but the good thing is you can prepare the cherry filling in advance. Since these eclairs are based on the famous black forest cake, I added chocolate shavings to the whipped cream. So imagine an eclair filled with lots of delicious cherry filling, topped off with whipped cream and chocolate shavings and then being dipped in chocolate ganache. Sounds like music to my ears.
Choux pastry, the dough the ecalirs are made with, is not difficult to make. I honestly don’t know why so many people are intimidated by it. If you ask me, I find it easier than working with than yeast. What you should keep in mind when preparing choux pastry? Do NOT open the oven door while they are baking. The eggs need a consistant environment, so don’t be tempted to check and open the door. Just like cheese cake, choux pastry likes a humid environment, so my little trick is to put a container with water on the bottom of the oven. And secondly, you need to be sure to bake them long enough. The outside should be crunchy and the elcairs easy to cut through. That way it will be easier also to hold up all the filling and for them to stay fresh longer.
The ony part that is a little tricky is knowing how many eggs you need to add to the dough. But if you have a glossy dough that is pipepable, you got the right consistency and boy, I can tell you that home-made and from scratch eclairs are simply the best. A light and fluffy dough which is filled with cherries and complemented by whipped cream with chocolate shavings and chocolate ganache, I don’t know what else to ask for. Are you going to give these beauties are try?
These Black Forest Eclairs have a regular houx pastry, are filled with a super fruity cherry filling and are then topped of with whipping cream with chocolate shavings and some extra chocolate glaze. For the eclairs heat water, salt and butter in a pot and let the butter melt completely. Change temperature to low and add all the flour at once while still stirring. Stir until a ball forms. Be sure to move the ball around for about one or two minutes, there should be a thin white layer on the bottom of the pot. Move dough ball to a bowl and let cool off. Add first egg. Beat in one egg at a time. First the dough will appear crumbly. Depending on the size of the eggs, you will have to beat in between 3-5 eggs. The right consistency is reached if the dough slowly drops off a spoon and looks glossy. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius and place a large ovenproof container with water on the bottom of your oven. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe stripes of about 2 centimeters in width and 12 cm in length on the baking sheet. Leave space between each as they will puff considerably. You can wet your fingers with some water to smooth away any inconsistencies. Bake eclairs on medium rack for 10min, reduce temperature to 180 and bake for another 15-20min. The crust should be a little darker and crunchy. Do NOT open the oven door as otherwise the eclairs will shrink. Cut eclairs in half while still warm. For the cherry filling drain cherries while keeping the juice. Take about have the juice and bring to a boil with sugar and lemon juice. Stir tapioca starch with some water until you see no lumps. Once the juice is boiling, add the tapioca and stir for about one to two minutes, until it become thick. Add the cherries and set aside. For the whipping cream whip the cream with all ingredients except for the chocolate shavings for about four minutes or until stiff. Fold in chocolate shavings. For the chocolate ganache heat the heavy cream, once almost boiling, take off heat and add chocolate in chunks. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Spoon cherry filling on the bottom of each eclair and either dollop or pipe on the whipped cream. Dunk the top part of the eclair in the chocolate ganache and place on top. Eclairs taste best on the same day they were made. However, you can keep them chilled for a few days in an airtight container. Eclairs taste best on the day they were made. If kept chilled in an airtight container, they can be eaten for a few days.
Black Forest Eclairs
Ingredients
Instructions
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Did anyone say you can’t bake cookies in summer? Ha, I would like to disagree with that statement, these raspberry chocolate cookies are prefect for summer. Raspberries, seriously, fresh raspberries scream summer all over. So here you go. I love raspberries with chocolate, in my opinion one of the best flavor combinations. If you don’t want to bake this, go ahead and look for something else, but I am in love with these chocolate raspberry cookies!
Update 2019: New photos and improved recipes
Happy Easter everybody! I feel it is time for a decadent strawberry chocolate cake, don’t you think? And this one is so good. It has a chocolate cake as base, with a generous cream cheese and whipping cream filling with chunks of chocolate mixed in, lots of fresh strawberries and some more cocoa thrown in, just for good measure. If you are into chocolate (who isn’t?) and if you like fresh strawberries the same way I do, this one is for you. I already published the recipe two years ago and have baked it several times since then. After some additional tweaks I felt I had to republish the recipe since it always, always receives raving reviews and was in desperate need of some fresh photos.
Triple chocolate muffins are a chocoholic’s dream come true. There is no other way of saying this. I am a chocoholic and I will never understand why some people say they eat less chocolate in summer because it is warm. Seriously? I don’t get what the wheather has to do with anything. I will eat chocolate, all the time. I love chocolate. Always. Period.
And I was craving chocolate when we moved from the north of Germany to the south. I don’t know, unpacking boxes, scrubbing the old apartment, decorating the new apartment, whatever the cause was, I wanted something very chocolaty, desparately. And then I thought of this recipe I had seen some time ago. If you don’t know the blog Bake to the roots, check it out, it is one of my favorite blogs.
In exactly one week, on February 15th my blog will turn two. For this reason I decided to prepare a delicious chocolate strawberry cake. It is a very festive cake, so I think it would fit also on Valentine’s Day or later Mother’s Day.
When I started blogging about two years ago, my first blog post was French lemon tarts. I started blogging to be sure to have all the recipes I liked in one place. You know, not frantically looking for a little piece of paper, checking whether I had received a recipe on a napkin and the like. I also liked the fact that I could simply forward a link to my friends and family if they requested for me to pass on a recipe. So much easier than having to write it down in some form. Yes, I do bake with my blog, I usually have my cell phone close by.
Are you looking for a recipe that’s perfect for Christmas? Look no further, this festive chocolate pear cake is perfect for the season. The chocolate layer cake doesn’t need much time, you will also be astonished to see how quickly the frosting comes together. The only part that requires some time are the pears. Because you have to poach them and you will need to dry them in the oven to get this gorgeous decoration. But hey, it is Christmas, I feel it is worth the extra time, don’t you think?
