Cafe Lula

When I started this blog, I decided I’d join the Daring Bakers. I love trying new recipes, but it’s not very often that I make something which is a big challenge, partly because I don’t have the patience and partly because I’m worried it’ll go wrong. I’ve always, always, always loved the idea of making chocolates, but it always seemed like a right faff, so this month’s challenge gave me the push I needed to finally have a go.

Blog-checking lines: The August 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drive and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?!. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies! This was a special challenge for the Daring Bakers because the good folks at http://www.chocoley.com offered an amazing prize for the winner of the most creative and delicious candy!

The challenge was announced just after I’d made the stripy fudge, so I was already in a sweet-making mood. I bought chocolate moulds, a chocolate thermometer and a book on making chocolate sweets. I decided I needed (yes, NEEDED) to make three different types, so I could have a white, milk and dark chocolate version.

I really enjoyed making the chocolates and I learnt a few things:

1. I do not have the patience to melt white chocolate. I managed to overheat 500g of white chocolate (don’t even talk to me about how much money that wasted) so it seized up and became unusable.

2. I don’t actually have the patience for tempering at all. I’m glad I tried it though, it did make a difference to the appearance of the chocolates (though I don’t think I’ve quite perfected the technique) and I will definitely try it again.

3. Homemade caramel is amazing. AMAZING.

4. Chilli, lime and chocolate is nowhere near as gross as it sounds. It’s actually brilliant.

5. Miss Hope’s Chocolate Box is a beautiful book and has already become a favourite.

So, here are the lovely, yummy recipes. If you haven’t already, check out the chocolate and butterscotch stripy fudge and Maltesers fudge posts too 🙂

Peanut butterflies

Adapted from Miss Hope’s Chocolate Box

Makes 9 in the butterfly mould I used

Ingredients:

about 250g milk chocolate, melted (preferably tempered, method below)

50g smooth peanut butter

15g double cream

30g soft light brown sugar

Coat the chocolate mould holes with chocolate. I did this by putting a teaspoon of chocolate in each mould, tipping it gently from side to side and back and forth, and then tipping upside onto some baking paper to catch any excess chocolate.

Put the moulds in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Put the rest of the ingredients in a small pan and heat gently until melted. Spoon the mixture into the chocolate mould holes and then cover with more of the melted chocolate until the holes are full. Use a spatula to scrape any excess chocolate from round the tops. You don’t want the tops to be covered or the chocolates won’t pop out nicely. Chill for 30 minutes.

Once set, turn the mould upside down onto a clean work surface and gently release the chocolates. Eat them! Eat them!

Chilli and lime flutterbies

Adapted from Miss Hope’s Chocolate Box

Makes 9 as above

Ingredients:

50g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

2 tbsp double cream

10g butter

zest of 1/2 lime

1/4 tsp crushed chilli flakes, ground

about 250g white chocolate, melted (preferably tempered)

In a bowl set over simmering water, melt the dark chocolate and cream. Take the pan off the heat and add the butter, lime zest and chilli. Set aside.

Coat the chocolate moulds with the white chocolate, as above. Chill for 20 minutes.

Use the dark chocolate mixture to nearly fill the moulds, leaving a gap at the top for more chocolate. Chill for 20 minutes, then cover with the chocolate. Chill until set, then turn them out. Be amazed that you love them.

Caramel hearts

Adapted from Miss Hope’s Chocolate Box

Makes 12 hearts

Ingredients:

About 250g dark chocolate, melted or tempered (I used 70% cocoa solids but would recommend a lower % as this was quite bitter)

55ml double cream

1/2 tsp light muscovado sugar

15g caster sugar

Coat the chocolate mould with dark chocolate, as above. Chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Put the cream and dark muscovado sugar into a small, heatproof bowl and place this bowl in another heatproof bowl full of boiling water. Make sure the water doesn’t get into the cream.

Put the caster sugar into a small pan and place over low-medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Stir it every now and again until it is golden. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the cream and light muscovado sugar. It may spit, so be careful, then stir quickly until it turns into caramel.

Place some in each mould and then cover with more dark chocolate. Chill until set. Eat them and feel pleased with yourself.

Tempering chocolate:

To temper chocolate you will need a chocolate or candy thermometer. A sugar thermometer will not read low enough. It is recommended that you use couverture chocolate, but I am not rich and couldn’t find any anyway so I used Green and Black’s cooks’ chocolate. Which might be couverture. Who knows.

Use at least 250g chocolate, as larger quantities retain the heat better and are therefore easier to work with. Chop the chocolate into small chunks.

Slowly melt about two thirds of the chocolate in a bowl set over gently simmering water until it reaches 45C. When it reaches 45C, remove the pan from the heat and add the rest of the chocolate. Stir to melt and allow the mixture to cool to 27C.

Set the pan back on the heat and let it reach 32C for dark chocolate, 30C for milk chocolate and 29C for white chocolate. It is now ready to use.