Tag Archives: Chocolate

Vanilla Layer Cake with fresh Strawberries and white chocolate whipped cream cheese frosting.

Vanilla Layer Cake with fresh Strawberries and white chocolate whipped cream cheese frosting.

Having a good homemade vanilla cake recipe in your repertoire will make life a lot easier for you. This particular cake is easy, light and full of vanilla flavor, so delicious and tender…and it’s pretty much the best vanilla cake recipe you’ll ever make!

So why not surprise your loved one this Valentine’s Day with this delicious vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and the most fluffy white chocolate cheesecake filling you have ever tasted?
Having a good vanilla cake recipe is wonderful since you can always adapt the frosting or buttercream to adjust to your taste or mood. Making a cake from scratch is also very rewarding, just follow the steps in the recipe and before you know it… you’ve got yourself a home-made cake!
This cake is actually fairly easy to make and has the most incredible vanilla flavour, the secret to success is having all the ingredients at room temperature. Then letting the cake cool in the tin after baking, these are important steps.
The cake can also be made one day in advance and in fact I encourage you to do so, since that makes frosting even easier and there is less pressure for you.

The frosting is pure heaven, like white chocolate cheese cake but softer and spreadable.

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:
2 ¾ cups / 350 gr. all purpose flour* (see note)
¼ cup / 35 gr. corn starch
2 tsp./ 10 gr baking powder
1 tsp./ 5 gr baking soda
½ tsp. / 2.5 gr. salt
1 cup / 225 gr. butter at room temperature
1 ½ / 300 gr. cups sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
3 tsp./ 15 ml. vanilla extract
1 cup / 225 ml. full fat (Greek) yoghurt
½ cup / 120 ml. milk of choice
½ cup / 110 gr. good quality strawberry jam
2 cups / 400 gr. fresh strawberries

White chocolate whipped cream cheese frosting:
4 oz. / 112 gr. white chocolate, chopped
1 ¾ cup / 420 gr. cream cheese at room temperature
1 ¾ cup / 420 ml. whipping cream
¼ cup / 30 gr. powdered sugar
2 tsp. / 10 ml. vanilla extract
1 tsp. / 5 gr. gelatin powder

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the cake:

Pre heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F.
Grease two 8”/20cm round baking tins, line them with parchment paper and grease lightly with some butter or oil.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until completely soft and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is fully incorporated.
In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
Mix the yogurt with the milk in a jug.
Now set your mixer to the lowest speed and alternate adding flour and yoghurt mixture to the bowl with the butter and eggs, stirring after each addition. End with flour, stir to combine but try not to over-mix.
Divide the batter between the pans and place in the middle of the oven on a rack.
Bake for about 40 to 45 min or until a toothpick pierced in the center of the cake comes out clean and dry.
Remove from oven and leave to cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before removing the cakes from the baking tin.
Cool the cakes completely before frosting.

If you do make the cake a day in advance, leave them in the tins and cover very well with foil when completely cooled and place in a cool place or in your fridge overnight. Leaving the cake overnight in fridge makes frosting so much easier, this is a tip I actually got in baking school.

For the white chocolate whipped cream cheese frosting;
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, for 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time in between. I do this on the defrost setting of my microwave which is about 450 watt, white chocolate burns faster than regular chocolate so you have to be careful.
Meanwhile beat the cream cheese until completely smooth and soft in your mixer.
Start adding the whipping cream in a slow stream with the mixer running on a low setting. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and gelatin. Turn th speed to medium high and whip for about 4 to 5 minutes until nice and fluffy.

To assemble the cakes, cut each layer in half, spread three layers with strawberry jam, then about half a cup of frosting, spread out carefully over the jam. Place another layer of cake on top and repeat. The top layer only has frosting and no jam.
Carefully spread more frosting all around the cake for a naked cake look.
Decorate with more strawberries and flowers on the top and around the cake.

Enjoy !
Myra XO

If you make this Vanilla Cake, be sure to leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you and if you love it, pin it. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

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There’s a new cookie in town!
These chocolate chip cookies are perfectly soft, chewy, and just all around pretty darn delicious. You’ll never need another cookie recipe again! I’ve made them with Spelt flour and coconut sugar and without butter, does that make them healthy? Let’s say YES.
But really, no. It just doesn’t make them as super unhealthy as regular store-bought cookies. And seriously if you’re gonna be a little naughty, ya better do it right. RIGHT?
And although these do still have some sugar, it’s half of the usual amount. And boy, are they good! So what are you waiting for go make ’em TODAY!

TIPS & NOTES!
1. Coconut oil is super healthy!
2. Coconut sugar makes the cookies even chewier and there are also some health benefits in coconut sugar. Coconut sugar contains a fiber known as inulin which helps slow glucose absorption. Coconut sugar also contains small amounts of vitamins and minerals like iron and zinc and phytonutrients.
3. Chill the dough for one hour before baking to prevent the cookies from spreading too much.

Makes 20
INGREDIENTS:
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, soft-at room temperature
• 1/4 cup baking margarine, soft-at room temperature
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. coconut sugar, tightly packed
• 1 tsp. liquid stevia or more coconut sugar
• 1 large egg (room temperature )
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine coconut oil and margarine with the sugars in a large bowl. Stir very well.
2. Add egg and stir well.
3. Stir in vanilla extract. Set aside.
4. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
5. Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients — stir well so that all the flour is absorbed.
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Place dough in refrigerator and chill for 30-60 minutes.
8. Pre-heat oven to 177° C / 350° F and prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
9. Scoop dough by rounded 1 1/2 Tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets, placing at least 2″ apart.
10. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, cookies may still seem slightly soft in the centers, that is OK, they will cook completely on the cookie sheets. Don’t over-bake or your cookies will be too hard.
11. If desired, gently press additional chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies.
12. Allow to cool completely. I like to eat them cold from the fridge, they get extra chewy.
Enjoy!
Myra XO

Chocolate Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large eggs or 3 medium at room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup yoghurt
• ¼ cup milk
• ¾ Cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• A good pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pre heat the oven to 375° F / 175° C
2. Line a muffin tin (12 hole ) with liners
3. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
4. In another bowl beat the eggs and sugar together until well mixed, add the melted butter and vanilla.
5. Mix the yoghurt with the milk.
6. Pour half of the egg mixture into the flour mixture and some of the yoghurt mix, stir to combine. Repeat. Gently mix everything together without over beating.
7. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, only halfway!
8. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a rack before frosting.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:
• ½ cup cream cheese at room temperature
• ½ cup butter at room temperature
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup powder sugar, sifted
• 2 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until completely melted, set aside so it can cool a bit.
Beat the cream cheese and butter together until completely smooth, add the cocoa and powdered sugar, whisk until fully incorporated.
Add the vanilla.
When the melted chocolate is no longer warm add to the butter mix. Beat until well mixed.
Using a piping bag and a star tip, frost the cupcakes. I keep mine in the fridge on warm days and also if you don’t eat them all at once, best to keep them refrigerated.
Let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before eating, to bring out the best chocolaty flavor.

Enjoy!
Myra XO

Vegan Chocolate Mocha Pie

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In for a treat? Guilt free? Let me just go ahead and answer that for you, Yes please…

All things Healthy + Goodness+ Silky deliciousness = Vegan Chocolate Mocha Pie

Math couldn’t get any simpler .

Let me explain something before you get all judgemental about tofu . There’s tofu and then there’s silk tofu. Silk tofu as the descriptions states is smooth and silky and does NOT have that chalky texture that plain tofu might have. (I don’t think so, but I’ve heard this description before) Mixed into a dessert for instance it becomes a smooth silky mass that can absorb any flavour you add to it, it is quite tasteless on its own but adding, nuts, chocolate or fruit can transform it into flavour heaven.

Since in this recipe I am not using chocolate chips because I want to keep it all natural, I’ve added the cashews to compensate for the lack of fat , which adds even more creaminess to the pie.

It honestly is a Chocolate Dream come true.

The crust is oats, dates, cocoa and coconut oil, simple, healthy and pretty straightforward. You could, some other day perhaps only make the crust recipe and roll it into small balls and serve as is, like Bliss Balls
(just sayin’) .

So put on that apron and let’s get cracking.

Oh , one last thing. Cut into wedges and freeze left overs. Yessssss….

Prep Time: 15 min. Plus chilling

Cooking Time :5 minutes

Serves : 8

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST;

1 C. whole oats, ground to flour
10 medium soft dates, stone removed
2 tbsp. cocoa
2 tbsp. coconut oil

FILLING

1/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk.
2 tablespoons agar-agar flakes or 2 teaspoons agar-agar powder.
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder.
1 (12-ounce) / 340 gr. package silken tofu, drained
1/2 cup cashew nuts, soaked for 4 hours and drained.
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or more to taste if you like it extra sweet)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Line a 8″/ 20 cm. cake tin or pie pan with parchment paper. To prepare the crust, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until completely fine, it will be sticky . Transfer the mixture to the lined pan and use your hands to press the dough evenly up the sides of the pan, creating a crust about 1/4-inch thick. The dough is very sticky, so I recommend getting your hands wet with water to help press out the crust. Place the pan in the freezer to set while you prepare the filling.

Heat the almond milk in a sauce pan and dissolve the agar agar flakes or powder over low heat. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce the heat. Stir well to combine and remove from the heat and allow to cool just slightly (as it will set very fast). Alternatively follow the package instructions of the agar agar.

Drain de cashew nuts and place in the food processor and process until smooth, add tofu, espresso powder, maple syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt. Process until completely smooth. Add the agar agar mixture and stir to combine very well.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Smooth out the top and place in the refrigerator to set for at least four hours and preferably overnight.

Decorate with (coconut ) whipped cream or fruit if you like, or like these fabulous fake roses 😉

Enjoy !

Myra XO