Coconut Raw Sugar Ice Cream

I had a few cans of coconut milk and a bag of turbinado sugar lying around, and happily stumbled across this delicious looking recipe from David Lebovitz (I really love his stuff, can't you tell?) for Banana-Brown Sugar Ice Cream that would let me use both. He calls for jaggery, which is apparently a raw sugar from the Caribbean, but I used turbinado sugar instead, which is a raw brown sugar in large crystal form. If you don't have it, you can use brown sugar and it should be fine, if with a slightly smoother texture and a little less flavor. Since my lovely boyfriend hates bananas (the smell of them makes him cringe, hates them), I decided to leave them out and modify the recipe. The result was still delicious, though I'm still interested to try it with the bananas at some point.


Coconut Raw Sugar Ice Cream

3/4 cup turbinado sugar

2 cups coconut milk

big pinch of sea salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1. In a saucepan, heat the turbinado sugar with one-quarter of the coconut milk, stirring, until smooth and bubbly.

2. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining coconut milk, salt, and vanilla.

3. Chill thoroughly, then churn in the ice cream maker.

Vegan Chocolate Sorbet

A friend of mine recently became vegan, so I've been trying out vegan recipes with him. Since I regularly make ice cream, I figured I'd try my hand at a vegan version of my regular chocolate ice cream. After looking at a bunch of recipes online, this is what I came up with. It was supposed to be an ice cream, but the lack of dairy makes it a sorbet, so that's what I'm calling it (and it had more of the traditional sorbet strong taste uncut by creaminess).

Vegan Chocolate Sorbet

2 cups soy creamer
1 cup soy milk (I used vanilla, but plain would be fine)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. You will have to whisk vigorously to incorporate the cocoa powder fully, but make sure to get rid of any lumps. Churn in ice cream maker until frozen. Eat directly from ice cream maker as it freezes very hard.

German Chocolate Cake

For my friend Adam's 20th birthday, I told him I would make whatever kind of cake he wanted. He asked for German Chocolate. I had never made a German Chocolate Cake, but I was excited for the challenge. I used David Lebovitz's recipe, but made boxed chocolate cake to save time and hassle (it doesn't give you quite the same rich chocolate flavor or dense, moist cake, but my friends didn't mind).

German Chocolate Cake

For the cake:

1 box chocolate cake mix

Eggs, oil, water as required by the mix

For the filling:

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
3 ounces butter, cut into small pieces
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut

For the syrup:
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

For the chocolate icing:
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ½ ounces unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

To make the cake:

1. Make the cake according to the instructions on the box. Cook in 2 9-inch round pans. Allow to cool fully.

To make the filling:

1. Toast the coconut by spreading it out on a baking sheet and baking in a 250F oven until golden brown. You can toast the pecans at the same time if they aren't toasted yet, just make sure you take the coconut out earlier as it will brown faster.

2. Mix the cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the 3 ounces butter, salt, toasted coconut, and pecan pieces in a large bowl.

3. Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170°.)

4. Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. (It will thicken.)

To make the syrup:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

To make the icing:

1. Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the corn syrup and 1 ½ ounces of butter.

2. Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Let sit until room temperature.

To assemble the cake:

1. Remove the cake layers from the pans and cut both cake layers in half horizontally, using a serrated bread knife (they will be pretty thin, but that's fine).
2. Set the first cake layer on a cake plate. Brush well with syrup. Spread 1/4 of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges. Set another cake layer on top.

3. Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading 1/4 of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top.

4. Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping. As David Lebovitz recommends, use all the icing, even though it seems like a lot.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I made this recipe first for my 20th birthday party in November, then again at Christmas as part of a flourless chocolate cake bakeoff (I tried out two versions, and I, and almost everyone preferred this one). This is my modification from a Gourmet magazine recipe.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (I used 60%)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

5 large eggs

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Vahlrona, which gives it a great flavor)

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch round baking pan. Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.

2. Chop chocolate into small pieces. Put in a large Pyrex measuring cup with butter and heat in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.

3. Transfer melted chocolate to large bowl and whisk in sugar. Add eggs and whisk well.

4. Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust.

6. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

My friend Mary was turning 21, and wanted a Strawberry Shortcake Cake. I had never heard of such a cake, but loving strawberry shortcake, figured it would be hard to go wrong with that theme. As a busy college student, I cut a corner by using boxed yellow cake mix, but the key was the fresh whipped cream and strawberries.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

1 box yellow cake mix, with eggs, oil, and water per instructions

1 quart strawberries

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1. Make cake according to box, pouring into two 9 inch round pans to make two layers.

2. After cakes are done cooking, cool for 2 hours or until completely cool.

3. Whip heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar until stiff. Feel free to use less or more sugar depending on how sweet your berries are and personal taste.

4. Wash, hull, and slice strawberries.

5. Place one layer of cake on tray. Cover with whipped cream. Place a layer of strawberries over the cream. Place the next layer of cake upside down over the strawberries. Spread remaining cream over top and sides of cake. Use remaining strawberries as garnish on top and sides of cake, and over bottom of tray to serve.

White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake with Caramelized White Chocolate

Adapted from 2 awesome recipes, and made for a school chocolate bakeoff (no I did not win, but it was still delicious, despite some mishaps with the caramelized white chocolate and a melting white mouse). I used a Payard recipe for a milk and dark chocolate mousse cake, including chocolate cake layers between the mousse, but substituted in white chocolate for the milk. I intended to caramelize the white chocolate following David Lebovitiz recipe, but the chocolate never left the crumbly, chalky phase, and thus I left it in the oven too long in the hopes that it might, leading it to take on more of a burnt caramel flavor rather than the sweet caramel I hoped for. Fearing that the burned flavor would be overwhelming in a mousse, I opted to substitute in regular white chocolate for the mousse, and use the caramelized white chocolate as a thin layer over the chocolate cake between mousse layers. It turned out well, though the caramelized white chocolate was mostly lost. I also didn't have a pastry ring in which to assembly the cake, and the springform pan worked fine for the bottom mousse layer, but the top one ended up melting over the edges, even after half an hour in the freezer, so next time I'd definitely do it in the suggested ring.

White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake with Caramelized White Chocolate

Chocolate Génoise:
3/4 plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
6 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

White and Dark Chocolate Mousses:
3 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Sugar Syrup:

1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar

Caramelized White Chocolate Layer:

12 oz. white chocolate, chopped into small pieces (higher cocoa butter percentage works better)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Make the chocolate génoise:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Dust the pan with cocoa powder and tap out the excess.

2. Whisk together the flour and cocoa powder in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Fill a pot one-third full with water and bring to a simmer. Combine the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the mixer stand and, using the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until the mixture triples in volume and forms a thick ribbon when the whisk is lifted, about 8 minutes. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour mixture. Fold in the melted butter. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

4. Bake the cake for 20 to 25 minutes, until it has pulled away from the side of the pan and the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Unmold the cake on a rack and cool completely, right side up.

Make the caramelized white chocolate:

5. Preheat the oven to 250F.

6. Distribute the white chocolate on a rimmed baking sheet and heat for ten minutes.

7. Remove it from the oven and spread it with a clean, dry spatula.

8. Continue to cook for an additional 40-60 minutes, stirring at 10 minute intervals. At some points it may look lumpy and chalky, but keep stirring and it will smooth out and caramelize (or not, as in my case).

9. Cook until the white chocolate is deep-golden brown, and caramelized (or until it tastes caramelized, even if still lumpy).

10. If it's lumpy, scrape it into a bowl and smooth it out with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, and add up to 1/2 cup heavy cream to smooth it out and make it pourable.

Make the white and dark chocolate mousses:
11. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat 2 1/2 cups of the heavy cream to soft peaks. Scrape half of the whipped cream into a medium bowl. Cover both bowls and refrigerate.

12. Put the white and dark chocolate in two separate medium bowls. Bring the remaining 1 cup cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot cream over the white chocolate and the remaining 1/2 cup over the bittersweet chocolate. Gently whisk the white chocolate until it is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk the dark chocolate until smooth.

13. Let the chocolate mixtures cool for 10 minutes. Fold the white chocolate mixture into one bowl of whipped cream. Fold the dark chocolate into the remaining whipped cream.

Make the sugar syrup:
14. Combine 1/4 cup (59 grams) water and the sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.

Assemble the cake:

15. Using a serrated knife, slice the cake horizontally in half. Cup a strip of parchment paper to line the inside of a 9x4-inch cake ring. Line the mold with the strip and place it on a serving plate. Place a 9-inch cardboard cake round in the bottom of the cake ring. Place the bottom cake round, cut side up, in the ring. Brush the cake generously with the sugar syrup. Spread 1/2 of the caramelized white chocolate over the cake. Scrape the dark chocolate mousse onto the cake and smooth it into an even layer. Top with the second cake round, cut side down. Brush the cake generously with syrup. Spread the rest of the caramelized white chocolate. Scrape the white chocolate mousse onto it, smoothing it into an even layer. Chill the cake for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

16. To unmold the cake, lift it off the plate, holding it with your palm against the cardboard round. Using a hairdryer or warm damp towel, briefly warm the cake ring mold. Lift off the ring mold and peel off the parchment strip. Allow the cake to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Honey Frozen Yogurt

I love my ice cream maker, so as soon as I got home from college and slept, the first thing I wanted to make was a new frozen yogurt. I had read a recipe a while back on 101 cookbooks for tangy frozen yogurt, and as a big fan of Berryline (Cambridge's version of Pinkberry) and Greek yogurt, I decided to try my hand at it. I love honey in my Greek yogurt, so I tweaked the recipe a little, replacing some of the sugar with honey (and the rest with Splenda - a small attempt to make it healthier). The result was delicious, though froze too hard in my freezer after churning...I guess I should have eaten it all when it was fresh :) It was also a little sweet, so I might cut the sweetener down a little next time.

Honey Frozen Yogurt

3 cups Greek yogurt (I used skim, but you could use whole for more creaminess)

scant 1/2 cup Splenda (I would use 1/4 cup next time)

scant 1/2 cup honey (I would use 1/3 cup next time)

Mix ingredients in a bowl. Pour into ice cream maker and churn until frozen. Enjoy!