Warm Dark Chocolate Sauce with Raspberries Varm Chokladsås med Hallon

I don't know about you, but in our family, comfy pants date night is a thing. There's that magical moment when we've finally gotten the kids to bed, and we look at each other, take a deep breath, and relax for the first time all day. Then we put on comfy pants and have some fika.

Some nights I like to class things up a little and make something special, but still quick and easy. This warm chocolate sauce by Roy Fares, one of my favorite Swedish bakers, is perfect. Made with pureed raspberries and melted dark chocolate, it reminds me of my favorite fudge, but poured hot over fresh raspberries and mini marshmallows.

The best part? It's ready in 15 minutes.

This chocolate sauce would also make a great panna cotta, with one additional step. Just add two gelatin sheets (or a tablespoon of powdered gelatin) while it's still warm, and pour into small serving glasses. Let it set in the fridge for at least two hours before you dig in.

Fancy enough to serve to dinner guests, but easy enough to make before your favorite tv show comes on. It doesn't get better than that!

Ibland måste man få mysa till det litet extra på kvällen med den man älskar. Den här varma chokladsåsen är gjord på hallonpuré och mörk choklad och är härligt fyllig och len i smaken. Den serveras i portionsglas över färska hallon och minimarshmallows, enkelt men vackert! Ett tips är att göra pannacotta av chokladsåsen. Tillsätt ett gelantinblad i såsen och häll sedan upp i glas som får stå ett par timmar i kylen. Garnera med färska hallon.



Warm Chocolate Sauce with Raspberries
by Roy Fares
6 portions

400 g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
150 g dark chocolate, 70%
250 g heavy cream
200 g milk, 3%
80 g sugar

For garnishing:
fresh raspberries
mini marshmallows
lemon balm or fresh mint


Directions:

1. Put the raspberries in a blender and puree. Pour the puree through a strainer to get rid of the seeds. 
2. Chop the chocolate into smaller pieces and put aside in a bowl. In a saucepan, combine the raspberry puree, cream, milk and sugar, and let come to a boil. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and let melt. Use a hand mixer to create a smooth chocolate sauce.
3. Put some fresh raspberries, marshmallows and lemon balm (or mint) in glasses or small bowls for each serving. Pour the warm chocolate sauce into a carafe or other glass and serve.

French Macarons with Chocolate and Raspberries Franska Macarons med Choklad och Hallon

In my book, weekends call for something extra. Especially weekends that bring you sunshine and a high of 77 F (25°C)! These chocolate filled French Macarons made a perfect celebratory ending to a busy week. 

I've only made French macarons a couple of times before, but this time I tried a different recipe. I have to say, I love this one! The macarons have such a lovely texture with a crunchy, thin shell and soft inside. My little boys love munching on them just plain, without any filling. (Me too!)

The only thing I would change when making them next time, would be to use caster sugar instead of the regular kind. It has a much finer grind, and will make your macarons looking more smooth. If you need other tips on how to make macarons, please check out this post I made a while back.

The great thing about macarons, is that you can make them any size you want. Imagine a beautiful and light summer macaron cake with vanilla whipped cream and fresh berries. I can't wait to try it!

Can we agree that every weekend should start like this?

Vilket bättre sätt att fira början på en helg som väntas bjuda på solsken och svensk sommarvärme, än att avnjuta dessa franska macarons med choklad och hallon? Det här receptet ger fantastiska macarons med en tunn, krispig yta och en mjuk mitten. Om du aldrig har bakat dessa bakverk tidigare, läs gärna min bloggpost om hur man lyckas med macarons. Du hittar den här.

French Macarons

by Roy Fares

45 g caster sugar

100 g powdered sugar

135 g almond flour

135 g powdered sugar

100 g egg whites

(a few drops food coloring optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 295 degrees.
2. Draw circles (the size you want your macarons to be) on a parchment paper and put on a baking sheet. (I used a glass as a measurement for my circles.)
3. Mix caster sugar and 100 g powdered sugar in one bowl, and the almond flour and 135 g powdered sugar in a different bowl.
4. Whip the egg whites until it makes a stiff foam. Add the sugar mix and whip until it forms stiff meringue peaks. Add the food coloring and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
5. Gently fold in the almond flour mix and stir until thick and shiny, making circular movements with a spatula along the edges of the bowl.
6. Pour the mixture into a piping bag, and pipe inside the circles on the parchment paper.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.

Brownies with Coffee Buttercream and Salted Caramel Brownies med kaffesmörkräm och salt kolasås

It's hard to beat a good, chewy, fudgy brownie with a crinkly crust. What's even harder to beat is a brownie like that, topped with a coffee buttercream and a salted caramel sauce! In my book, this is a winner.

I had a chocolate craving the other night and tried out a new brownie recipe that only uses melted semi-sweet chocolate instead of cocoa powder. It almost resembles a chocolate lava cake in it's rich chocolate flavor, but with a more fudgy consistency. For a nicer presentation, I baked them in a pop over pan that my hubby's grandmother bought me years ago. I love the shape they got! 

Since I'm a lover of anything coffee and chocolate, I made a vanilla buttercream with some brewed coffee in it, and it turned out delicious. The salted caramel on top is just another bonus to an already yummy dessert! 

As a finishing touch, I garnished the brownies with gold dusted rose petals and dried rose buds. 

Om du älskar brownies, är det här receptet något för dig! En chokladdröm som toppas med en fantastisk kaffesmörkräm och salt kolasås. Garnera med rosenblad och torkade rosenknoppar för vacker presentation!



Ultimate Brownies
by Handletheheat

1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (113 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (94 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, butter, and unsweetened chocolate. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute then stir. Continue heating in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the mixture is melted and smooth but not scorched. Remove from the microwave and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until light and thick, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and salt, folding gently until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake until a tester comes out with moist crumbs still attached, 35 to 40. Do not over-bake. Let cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or chilled.



For the buttercream, I used this recipe and omitted the heavy cream and used cold brewed coffee instead.



Salted Caramel Sauce
by Bobby Flay

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste


Directions

In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the sugar with 1/4 cup cold water and stir to combine. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar has turned a deep amber hue, approximately 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm the cream in a small saucepan. When the caramel is ready, slowly whisk in the warm cream and continue simmering the mixture until it is smooth, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then whisk in the butter, and then the salt, to taste. Serve warm.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Chokladdoppade jordgubbar

I love chocolate dipped strawberries! They're so easy to make, delicious, and present beautifully. 

I recently came across a picture of chocolate dipped strawberries that had been arranged with flowers, and loved the idea. All you need is some floral foam (you'll find it in a hobby store like Michael's or a florist), a bouquet of flowers, some ribbon, and of course, strawberries and chocolate. 

The easiest way to coat strawberries with chocolate is to insert a toothpick by the stem, and gently dip the strawberry in the tempered chocolate. Make sure you melt the chocolate carefully, since it will become thicker if exposed to too much heat and end up looking lumpy. If you want to add some color to the white chocolate, mix with a few drops of gel coloring, or buy already colored candy melts. Put the other end of the toothpick in a styrofoam block to dry. This will make the strawberries evenly smooth on all sides.

To make the arrangement, take the floral foam and arrange the flowers and the dried chocolate covered strawberries. Make sure you're not leaving too much space so you expose the foam underneath. Wrap a wide ribbon along the sides and secure with some tape, and voilá!

Vem älskar inte jordgubbar doppade i choklad? Nyligen såg jag en rolig idé, där någon hade gjort ett arrangemang av blommor och chokladdoppade jordgbbar, och var tvungen att prova. Allt du behöver är oasis (finns att köpa i blomaffär eller hobbybutik), blombukett, jordgubbar, choklad och band att knyta runt arrangemanget. Det viktiga att tänka på när du doppar jordgubbarna är att chokladen värms upp långsamt, så att den inte blir för tjock. Använd gärna en tandpetare som du sätter in i jordgubben för att underlätta doppandet. Lycka till!

Mini Double Chocolate Raspberry Cakes Minichokladtårtor med hallon

There's been this recipe by the Swedish master baker, Roy Fares, that I have been eyeing for the longest time. A chocolate cake with a hint of coffee, a to-die-for dark chocolate crémeux with raspberry puree, and a silky smooth milk chocolate meringue buttercream. 

Oh, and a chocolate glaze dripping down the sides. When it comes to cakes, there's no such thing as too much chocolate.

We had two good friends over for some late night fika this weekend. One of them, Charles, had just celebrated his birthday, and our friend Paul is moving back home to Los Angeles for a new job opportunity. This seemed like the perfect time to try out the recipe. Usually I would make one big cake, but I thought it would be fun to do something different and more personal.  (Besides, having a half leftover cake in the fridge when you're a stay at home mom is not the best idea...)

I'll be honest, mini cakes can be pretty time consuming, but they make for a beautiful presentation. Besides, doesn't it feel more special to get your own little cake?

Also, can we stop for a minute and talk about the chocolate crémeux? I'd never heard the term before, but learned that it means 'creamy' in French. I would describe it as a silky, smooth, and rich chocolate filling. It has a dark chocolate taste, almost bitter, but a sweet raspberry finish. I'm in love.

Big cake, little cake, doesn't matter. You'll love it!

Vi hade våra vänner Charles och Paul över på en fika i helgen för att fira en födelsedag och ett nytt jobb. Jag har länge velat baka Roy Fares berömda Double Chocolate Raspberrytårta, så det blev ett perfekt tillfälle! Istället för att baka en stor tårta, gjorde jag miniversioner som blev väldigt uppskattade. En fantastiskt god tårta som kommer att bakas igen. Receptet hittar du här nedan - du kommer att älska den!

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cake

by Roy Fares

Dark Chocolate Cremeux 

200g dark chocolate 64%

45g sugar (1/2 dl)

60g egg yolks (4st)

175g heavy cream (1 3/4 dl)

150g raspberry puree(1 1/2 dl)

(35g Cognac (2 msk) if you like)

1. Chop the chocolate and put in a bowl. 
2. Mix the egg yolks with sugar in a separate bowl. 
3. In a saucepan, boil the heavy cream and raspberry puree. Add it to the egg yolk mixture and stir. 
4. Pour it back into the saucepan, and on low heat, stir until the mixture thickens. Pour over the chocolate. (If using cognac, add to the chocolate mixture.)
5. Let stand for a few minutes and stir until a smooth creme.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Cake

330g flour (5 ½ dl)

510g sugar (6 dl)

120g cacao (3 dl)

15g baking soda (1 msk)

7g baking powder (1 ½ tsk)

10g salt (1 ½ tsk)

10g vanilla sugar (1 msk)

165g eggs, room temp (3)

350g milk, room temp (3 ½ dl)

180g vegetable oil (2 dl)

350g hot coffee(3 ½ dl)

1. Preheat oven to 310 degrees. Butter and flour four 8" cake pans, and cover the bottoms with parchment paper. 
2. Sift together all dry ingredients into a bowl. 
3. In a seperate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and oil. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and blend until a thick and smooth batter. Add the coffee and mix well. 
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans (about 410 grams in each) and bake on the center oven rack for about 40 minutes.
6. Check with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean and the cake is ready.
7. Let the pans cool.
8. If you can'r fit all of the pands in the oven at the same time, it is fine to let it sit until the first batch is done.
9. Let cool completely and remove from the pans. 

Milk chocolate meringue buttercream 

300g milk chocolate

450g unsalted butter, room temp 

10g vanilla sugar (1 msk)

150g egg whites (4–5)

220g sugar (2 ½ dl)

1 pinch salt

1. Chop the chocolate, and in a bowl, melt over a water bath. 
2. Set aside and let cool to room temp. 
3. Put egg whites, sugar and salt in a bowl, and heat over a water bath until the sugar crystals have melted. Whisk every now and then. Lägg äggvitor, socker och salt i en skål. 
4. Remove from heat, and with a whisk or kitchen aid, beat the meringue until it has cooled and stiff peaks form.
5. Add the butter while whisking, a little at a time, and then add the chocolate.

Chocolate Glaze

100 g unsalted butter

50 g water (1/2dl)

140 g dark choclate

1. Melt the butter and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the chocolate, and stir until the choclate is completely melted. 
3. Take off heat, set aside and let cool.

Chocolate Brownie and Lemon Cheesecake with Italian Meringue

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that summer is finally here! We've had a series of rainy weeks here on the East coast, but we can finally switch out our rain jackets and boots for shorts and flip-flops. And of course, we need to make a summery dessert to celebrate!

This tasty goodness is a perfect composition of decadent chocolate brownie, creamy lemon cheesecake and a light Italian meringue. I mean, what's not to love?

I love rustic looking desserts, mainly because they're usually easy to assemble and let the ingredients be the star of the show. This was my first time using frozen raspberries, and I love how beautiful they look! They add a nice colorful touch to the dessert and pairs nicely with the lemon flavor, too.

In the making of this dessert I am especially proud of two things, 1) I didn't light the kitchen on fire using the blow torch, and 2) I restrained myself from eating half of the dessert before it made it to the table. I might have had a few "test bites".

Happy baking!


Fudge Brownies
from Passion for Baking

9 oz. (250 g) dark chocolate (55-60% cocoa solids)
½ cup (120 g) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1 ¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp sea salt
7 oz. (200 g) dark chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 9 x 12-inch (25 x 30 cm) baking pan with baking parchment.
2. Place the 9 oz. (250 g) chocolate into a heat proof bowl with the butter and melt over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the eggs and sugar into a mixing bowl and stir with a hand whisk. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt and fold into the mixture. Fold in the chopped chocolate and vanilla. 
5. Pour the batter into the lined pan and bake for 30 minutes, no longer. Let cool completely.

Lemon Cheesecake
from Passion for Baking

150 g sugar
Finely grated rind of 2 lemons
1 ¼ dl lemon juice (ca. 3–5 lemons)
3 large eggs
2 gelatin leaves
300 g cream cheese


Directions:

1. Combine sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and egg in a pan and heat it over low heat, stirring constantly. 
2. Add gelatin leaves in cold water for a few minutes to soften them. 
3. When the batter begins to thicken, squeeze water out of the gelatin leaves and have them up in the boiler. Stir well so the gelatin is completely dissolved. 
4. Pour the mixture into a blender. Let lemon mixture to cool for 5 minutes (or until the mixture is 60 ° C) before adding cream cheese. Then run the blender for a few minutes so that the lemon mixture is completely smooth. 
5. Pour it over the cooled brownies bottom and set the cake cool, for a few hours or overnight.

For the Italian Meringue recipe, check out this earlier post.

Penguin Cake

This weekend I got to do this cute chocolate cake for our sons' buddy Tristan, who's favorite animal is penguins. I love making surprise cakes and seeing those happy smiles!

This cake was all chocolate, which is Tristan's favorite. I dressed it with fondant and piped a fuzzy fur with buttercream that I had colored. I also made a glittery snow base for the cake using fondant and clear sprinkles.

Wilton has come out with a new set of colors to color fondant and buttercream with, called Color Right Performance Color System. It includes eight ultra-concentrated colors that can be mixed into any hue you want, and you only need to use a tiny amount. This was my first time using it, and I love it! I can't wait to try and blend my own colors, especially those hard to find pretty pastels.

If you're looking for a great chocolate cake recipe, check out this recipe I posted a while back!

Golden Chocolate Rose Cake

One of my guilty pleasures is to stroll down the baking isle in grocery stores (I know, shocker!), even when there's nothing I need. Usually there isn't much of interest besides baking ingredients, but sometimes they'll carry something a little more fun, like, say, edible gold spray.

I made a chocolate birthday cake for a friend this past weekend, and decided to give the gold spray a try. I love how easy it was to use. You just shake, spray, and voilá! You have yourself a fancy dessert. The brand I used is called Duff Cake Graffiti and was bought at Giant.

Just a tip for when you want to turn things up a notch!

And if you're looking for a great chocolate cake recipe, check out this one I posted a couple of weeks back. I have used the same for this rose cake, and it never disappoints!

Happy baking!

Swedish Kladdkaka

Tomorrow is National Kladdkaka Day in Sweden. Okay, so it's not like every Swede stops whatever they're doing to celebrate, but they should! Apart from IKEA, ABBA and kanelbullar, this chocolate cake is as Swedish as it gets. And it's delicious.

I have posted two recipes for kladdkaka on the blog earlier, one is a cardamom version with Baileys Cream Truffle and one is made with mint chocolate. This time I used my favorite recipe for traditional kladdkaka and topped it with Baileys Cream Truffle.

To decorate, I made some chocolate swirls by melting chocolate and piping onto parchment paper. Let the swirls cool in the freezer for a few minutes to harden, then put them upright in a little piped whipped cream.

Since it was just hubby and I eating it, I made sure I cut the rest of the cake in portion pieces and put in an airtight container in the freezer. I can't keep it in the fridge, because I know I would talk myself into having it for breakfast the next morning! It's great when you have guests coming over, just remove from the freezer and let sit in room temperature for ten minutes, and it's ready to be enjoyed.

If you haven't tried kladdkaka before, you're definitely missing out. Good thing there's an easy recipe for you to try here below!


Kladdkaka
from the magazine Hembakat

150 g butter
100 g chocolate
270 g sugar
3 eggs
3 tbsp. cacao
105 g flour
1 pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla sugar*

*If you can't get your hands on vanilla sugar, just substitute with confectioners sugar and add a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 355 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from stove, and add the chocolate to the butter and stir.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. 
3. Line the bottom of a 9" spring form pan with parchment paper, then butter and flour it. (I used a 6 inch pan and let it be in the oven for a little longer) Pour the batter into the pan.
4. Bake in on the center rack for about 25-30 minutes. Make sure it's not too wobbly when you take it out. Let cool in the pan.

You will find the recipe for the Baileys Cream Truffle here.

Kladdkaka

från Hembakat

150 g smör

100 g choklad
3 dl strösocker
3 ägg
3 msk kakao
1 ¾ dl vetemjöl
1 nypa salt
2 tsk vaniljsocker

Gör så här:

1. Sätt ugnen på 180 grader. Smält smöret i en kastrull. Tillsätt chokladen och när den smält, tillsätt resten av ingredienserna och blanda snabbt ihop allt till en slät smet.
2. Häll smeten i en smord och mjölad springform, 23–24 cm i diameter. Jag lägger alltid smörpapper i botten för att lättare kunna ta bort kakan från formen.

3. Grädda kakan mitt i ugnen i 25–30 min beroende på hur kladdig du vill ha den. Låt den svalna i formen.

Baby Shower Cake

This weekend I made my first baby shower cake for a friend. It was so much fun! The colors they had chosen were navy and mint, and I got free reign when it came to the design of the cake.

I loved the idea of a pair of baby chucks, because seriously, is there anything cuter? And thanks to Pinterest I found a great tutorial on how to make them from fondant. 

Since the mommy to be is a chocolate lover, I made a four layered chocolate cake with a raspberry mousse and a chocolate buttercream filling. I love that the recipe uses ground espresso, both in the cake batter and the buttercream. It adds another dimension to the chocolate, without being overpowering. Just make sure you use a good brand such as Illy, you'll be able to taste the difference!

Also, can we talk about how easy it is to make a great raspberry mousse? There are only four ingredients and it takes about five minutes to whip together. You can use either fresh or frozen berries (but always remember to boil frozen ones, to make sure they're free from any viruses). I used fresh raspberries and strained the seeds before adding to the whipped cream. Pure deliciousness!

I wanted to keep the design pretty clean, so I kept the base white and added some bunting and made some details by piping with royal icing. This was my first try with royal icing, and it was really fun to work with. I can't wait to try it with cookies!

The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever
from addapinch

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water



Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
2. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
3. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
4. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream

by addapinch

1½ cups butter (3 sticks), softened

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

5 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon espresso powder

Instructions:

1. Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
2. Cream together butter and cocoa powder until well-combined.
3. Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
4. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
5. If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.

Raspberry Mousse

by Linda Runn

225g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
45 g sugar
2 tsp gelatin
300 ml heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

1. Put raspberries and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Strain the raspberries.
2. Pour the gelatin into the warm raspberry sauce and let cool in the fridge.
3. Whip the heavy whipping cream and fold into the cooled raspberry sauce.
4. Let set in the fridge for two hours, or pour into a cake ring to use as a cake filling.

Aron's Birthday Cakes

 

 

Yesterday was my nephew Aron's 9th birthday, and I surprised him by making a LEGO themed cake and a m&m cake. This is a kid who absolutely loves Legos, so you can imagine how excited he was when he saw it!

 

 

Since we're still in Sweden, I don't have access to all of my baking gear I normally use when making fondant cakes. The good thing is that you can get far by improvising and using regular kitchen utensils. However, I owe a huge thanks to my awesome hubby for shipping the Lego mold that I purchased from Amazon a couple of weeks back, all the way to Sweden, just so I could get it in time for making the cake. Not having to shape the big blocks by hand saved me a lot of time. The rest of the cake was a whole other story. It involved a small pairing knife and going to bed at 5 am in the morning.

This was the second themed birthday cake I have ever made, and it was so much fun. I found a lot of inspiration online, and just had fun with it! I'm one of those parents who love to use my kids as an excuse to play with their playdough, and working with fondant is just about the same.

 

 

The m&m cake was also a lot of fun to put together. I have been wanting to try it ever since I saw it on Pinterest, and was amazed at how easy it was to make. All you need is a straw, some glue and a bag of m&m's. And a cake, of course! Glue the m&ms on to the straw (leaving some empty space at both ends), stick it in to the cake, and place the empty bag on top. 



 

 

 

The cake had a gooey chocolate base made from two milk chocolate kladdkakas and a layer of strawberry mousse in between. I didn't use any frosting on the sides of the cake, instead I melted some chocolate and brushed some on each chocolate finger to make sure they would stick. The tastiest kind of glue there is, if you ask me.

 



 

 

The kids all loved the surprise, and I had so much fun making it. Once again, Happy 9th birthday, sweet Aron!

A Gooey Mint Chocolate Birthday Surprise

My hubby's birthday was a few weeks ago, and the boys and I had a special surprise waiting for him when he came home from work - his favorite chocolate dessert! It's a Swedish cake called kladdkaka, which translates to "gooey cake", and is a version of a molten chocolate cake. I grew up with this chocolaty goodness, and we would make it for birthday parties, whenever we had guests over, or just on a regular Friday night. As a matter of fact, I would even dare to say that there's a 90% chance that this is one of the things you will be served at any Swedish birthday party. And since we're a chocolate loving family, this easy recipe has become a staple at our house.

 

 

My oldest son, Jacob, loves to help out in the kitchen, and William, my youngest, loves to get messy, so this was a great baking adventure for them. I love finding recipes that are kid friendly, that only uses a handful of ingredients, and doesn't take too much time to make. The best part was seeing how excited they were to make something for daddy!

 

 

A good thing about this specific recipe, is that it doesn't use any active ingredient such as baking powder or baking soda, so you can stir until the cows come home without it having affect on how it turns out! And as you can imagine, there was a whole lot of stirring going on.

I've made a lot of kladdkakas over the years, and I've tried different versions of it; traditional, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mint chocolate, chocolate raspberry, a dulce de leche version etc. Sometimes I'll stick with the traditional recipe and serve it with vanilla sugar whipped cream and a raspberry sauce, just to make it a little more fun. The bottom line is, you can't go wrong with this one if you love chocolate.

 

 

This time we made a mint chocolate version, because it's one of Matt's favorites. The recipe calls for After Eight, but you can also use Andes Mints or something similar. Just don't be intimidated by the amount of mint used, it's not going to be overpowering! Even the kids loved every bite of it.

 

 

The boys made sure we quality tested the chocolate. Because, I mean, we wouldn't want to use bad chocolate. I just had to make sure there was still some left to use in the cake. Luckily, there was!

The boys where so proud to present the cake to daddy, and of course he was so impressed and loved the surprise!

 

 

Personally, I think kladdkaka is best served with vanilla bean ice cream or with whipped cream, but some like it plain Jane. I usually go with ice cream, especially in the winter time, when I like to bake the cake in small ramekins and serve the chocolate cake warm.

 

 

 

 

Look at that fudgey goodness! Now you have something to bake Friday night to celebrate that another work week is over!

 



 

After Eight Gooey Chocolate Cake
from the magazine Hembakat

150 g butter
270 g sugar
3 eggs
3 tbsp. cacao
105 g flour
1 pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla sugar*
8 After Eight pieces

Mint chocolate glaze
25 After Eight pieces
powdered sugar

*If you can't get your hands on vanilla sugar, just substitute with confectioners sugar and add a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 355 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. 
2. Pour the batter into a buttered 9" spring form pan.
3. Chop up 8 After Eights and put them in the batter.
4. Bake in on the center rack for about 25-30 minutes. Make sure it's not too wobbly when you take it out. Let cool in the pan.
5. For the mint chocolate glaze: Melt 25 pieces of After Eights over a water bath.
6. Pour the chocolate over the cooled cake and let harden in the fridge. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. 

Lyxig After Eightkladdkaka
från tidningen Hembakat

150 g smör
3 dl strösocker
3 ägg
3 msk kakao
1 ¾ dl vetemjöl
1 nypa salt
2 tsk vaniljsocker
ca 8 plattor After Eight

Mintchokladglasyr
ca 25 plattor After Eight
florsocker


Gör så här

1. Sätt ugnen på 180 grader. Smält smöret i en kastrull. Tillsätt resten av ingredienserna och blanda snabbt ihop allt till en slät smet.
2. Häll smeten i en smord och bröad springform, 23–24 cm i diameter (bröa gärna formen med kokos i stället för ströbröd).
3. Skär ca 8 After Eight-plattor på mitten och stick ner dem i smeten.
4. Grädda kakan mitt i ugnen i 25–30 min beroende på hur kladdig du vill ha den. Låt den svalna i formen.
5. Mintchokladglasyr: Smält ca 25 After Eight-plattor över vattenbad.
6. Bred ut mintchokladkrämen över kakan och låt den stelna i kylen. Pudra över lite florsocker före servering. Servera gärna med vispgrädde eller glass.