Carrot and Ginger Chocolate Cake

I’ve had spiced-up chocolate before. It is interesting and perhaps not to everybody’s liking. I remember reading a recipe for Aztec hot chocolate which contained raw sun-kissed cocoa beans, an interesting pouring method (which I will tell you all about another time) and a shock to me at the time, chili. Would something spicy really give sweet ol’ chocolate a really special kick and a good new (or old, since it’s an Aztec trick after all) taste?

Well, if one thing is popular among us foodies nowadays it is spices: lots of spices and spices from everywhere. We are not geographically bound and thus, we are inspired. Now, this is not a chili recipe, but it is a recipe that gives chocolate a beautiful spicy kick, I am sure most of you will enjoy. So, let me tell you what I was looking for when inventing this little one.

A whole bunch of us have that good craving for the ultimate chocolate cake once in a while. Trust me; I have been on the lookout for one for a very long time. Light chocolate cakes are yummy in their own way, but this one is for those days when you need that extra perfect, extra moist and extra chocolate-y piece.

I have been making easy chocolate cakes for a long time, but I like to believe this is my best so far. The combination of a chocolate cake with carrot and ginger gives it a soft and spicy taste. Now, depending on how much of a ginger fan you are, pick your own amount. I am perfectly happy with the one in the recipe below and don’t think it was too much. I remember trying a chocolate-bomb-cake at Starbucks many years ago and it was good, but it was just chocolate and lacked something. It lacked the spice probably, but it also looked like it was more difficult to make.
This recipe is one of the mix-all-ingredients-in and bake type. Within the hour you will be in chocolate heaven and the best thing is, its good both hot and cold (if it isn’t already eaten buy then). The cake is small and makes a total of 6-8 pieces.

This is what the consistency of the melted chocolate should look like.

The mixture that goes into the oven.

Carrot and Ginger Chocolate Cake

Difficulty: Easy

Time: prep 10 minutes; bake 1 hour

Ingredients

3 teaspoons fresh ginger root

1 egg

160g dark chocolate (minimum 55% cocoa)

100ml milk

1 large finely grated carrot

2 tbsp buckwheat flour

2 tbsp plain white flour

3 tbsp ground almonds (almond flour)

200ml single cream

5 tbsp sunflower oil

3 tbsp organic cocoa powder

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp baking powder

10g butter

20g powder sugar

Melt the chocolate in 100ml of milk until it comes to a boil and stir on stove for 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool a little bit. Grate your carrot and ginger (or use a food processor to chop into tiny pieces). Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, except for the butter and powder sugar. Prepare a small baking tray and cover it with a thin layer of butter (or line with baking paper). Pour your mixture into the tray and let it bake at 190°C (374°F) for 1 hour. Once it’s done, decorate with powder sugar.

Nutella Almond Cheesecake

It is so hard to resist sweets… Moments I do not feel like eating them are rare and making them relaxes me perfectly. There are cakes that take a lot of time to make (usually this time is spent by you waiting for layers to cool down) and that is fine. Complex cakes can be very good… However all of the waiting always makes me try each layer in advance, so by the time the cake is ready I can’t even enjoy its entire taste properly as I only recognize individual layers. It might sound a bit weird, but it is so.

When it comes to quick cakes, I have only recently discovered cheesecakes: creamy and easy to make. While the following is not the most simple cheesecake (especially because of the unconventional first layer), but it is made quite quickly (took me about 1h) and the result is a very serious cake. Now this one does need to cool down in a few instances, but the recipe is very easy to work with and it is very difficult for anything to go wrong.

And finally, a few words on its secret chocolate ingredient: Nutella. Of course, you can use any cream you have and it can’t harm the cake, but keep in mind that this nutty cream really gives it a nice hazelnutty feel. While at it, feel free to substitute the almonds for hazelnuts too if you wish. My idea was to make it a bit diverse, but it all really depends on your own personal preferences.

Nutella Almond Cheesecake

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 1h

Ingredients

For the base

4 eggs

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

5 tablespoons ground almonds

3 tablespoons white flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (not hot chocolate preferably)

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon warm water

A little milk

For the cheese layer

500g mascarpone cheese

180g crème fraîche

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

4 tablespoons Nutella

For the topping

Whipping cream

70g chocolate

1 tablespoon oil

Separate egg whites from the egg yolk and beat the egg whites adding sugar to form strong peaks. Add the egg yolk and slowly fold a couple of times with a metal spoon. In a separate dish, mix flour, cocoa, almonds and the baking powder with a metal spoon. Add the mix to the eggs quarter by quarter, slowly folding the mixture each time. Place in a tray lined with baking paper and leave in the oven for 15 minutes at 200°C. Once done, remove from oven and place on a serving tray removing the baking paper. Throw a few drops of milk on the base to make it softer while it cools down; once the base is cool, move on to the cheese layer.

Beat the mascarpone with sugar and add crème fraîche and Nutella, mixing until all the ingredients create a thick cream.

Layer the base with the cheese layer and let it set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Beat the whipping cream and layer the cake with it. Keep the cake in a cool place (fridge) while you melt the chocolate with some oil. In order to decorate the cake, use a teaspoon, dip it in chocolate and start drawing on your cake from a small distance. Once done, return to the refrigerator and leave to cool well, overnight is always best with cakes.