Cathi Litzenberger
Morning Star columnist
I’m sure you’ve all heard the expression, “necessity is the mother of invention.” Well, prior to Christmas I purchased enough baking supplies for the 30-plus recipes I normally bake, and then I was in some kind of a funk and didn’t bake at all. So I’ve been steadily working through all of these supplies so as not to waste them.
Today’s recipes were made to use up some of my supplies. The hazelnut cake is chocolate, gluten free, and is layered with white chocolate mousse and frosted with chocolate ganache. It’s oh-so-delicious and a perfect dessert for company.
I love banana split sundaes but this next recipe is for a banana split pie. It’s a perfect family dessert and is actually quite easy to make and doesn’t take a ton of ingredients. I made my own crust but the recipe says to buy one. I managed to use a can of pineapple, white chocolate chips, a tub of frozen topping, the pudding, and some crushed nuts all from my larder. You can add strawberry sauce, sprinkles, etc. if you wish. At the rate I’m going I may use up my supplies by Thanksgiving!
Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
500 grams of high quality dark chocolate
2/3 cup of unsalted butter
6 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup of white sugar
1-1/2 cup of hazelnut meal (you can also use finely ground pecans)
2/3 cup of heavy cream + 1/2 cup for the mousse (you can also use milk chocolate or even dark chocolate)
1/2 cup of white chocolate
Preheat oven to 340 F. Grease a 2-1/2 inch deep, 8-inch round cake pan. Line base and side with parchment paper.
Combine 200g of chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until thick and creamy. Add chocolate and butter mixture. Beat to combine. Add hazelnut meal. Beat to combine.
Place egg whites in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until soft peaks form. Using a metal spoon, stir one-third of egg whites into chocolate mixture. Gently fold remaining egg white through chocolate mixture. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre has moist crumbs clinging. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Slice in half length wise.
To make the white chocolate mousse, start by melting your chocolate on a double boiler. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool a bit. In the meantime, whip up 1/2 cup of heavy cream until you get whipped cream. Take a spatula and slowly fold in the melted white chocolate, making sure not to deflate the whipped cream. Once the chocolate is mixed in, put the mousse in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Make chocolate ganache icing: Place the rest of the chocolate and cream in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes or until smooth.
Take the mousse out of the fridge and spread between the two cake layers. Spread the chocolate icing over top and side of cake. Stand for 10 minutes or until icing has set. Indulge!
Banana Split Pie (No Bake!)
1 prepared chocolate pie crust
2 sliced bananas
1 package Vanilla Instant Pudding
1-1/2 cup milk
16 oz Cool Whip
1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup diced strawberries
Chocolate syrup, for drizzling
Crushed nuts
Place a layer of sliced bananas on pie crust. Mix pudding mix and milk in a medium bowl. Stir until it begins to thicken.
Whisk in 8 oz. Cool Whip to incorporate and then add diced strawberries and pineapples. Spoon mixture into crust and refrigerate for at least several hours.
Top with remaining Cool Whip and drizzle with chocolate syrup and crushed nuts.