Pecan Chocolate Fudge Ring Cake

Fudge sauce:

40 grams butter
40 grams light brown sugar.
4 tbsp golden (light corn) syrup or clear honey.
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp cocoa powder
40 grams dark chocolate
50 grams pecan,finely chopped.

Cake :

100 grams soft butter
100 grams light brown sugar
125 grams self raising flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp golden syrup,or honey

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 20 cm ring Pan and keep aside.
Fudge sauce: Place the butter, sugar, syrup, milk and cocoa powder in a small pan and heat gently, stirring till combined.

Break the chocolate into pieces and add to the mixture stirring till melted. Stir in the chopped nuts. Pour into the base of the pan and leave to cool.

To make the cake, place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat till smooth. Carefully ,using a large spoon, add the mixture over the fudge sauce in pan. Bake for 35 minutes till springy to the touch.

Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then flip it into a serving dish.

Chocolate Orange Cake

175 g/6 oz caster sugar
175 g/6 oz butter or block margarine
3 eggs, beaten
175 g/6 oz self-raising flour, sifted

2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
2 tbsp milk
3 tbsp orange juice
Grated rind of ½ orange

Frosting ingredients:
175 g/6 oz icing sugar
2 tbsp orange juice

Garnish:
Grated orange peel, orange shavings, or cocoa powder

Beat the sugar and butter or margarine together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Carefully fold in the flour.

Divide the mixture in half. Add the cocoa and milk to one half, stirring until well combined. Flavour the other half with the orange juice and grated orange rind.

Place spoonfuls of each mixture into a lightly greased 20 cm/8 inch deep round cake tin and swirl together with a skewer, to create a marbled effect. Bake in a preheated oven, 190°C/375°F, for 20 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch. Cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl and mix in enough of the orange juice to form a smooth frosting. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and leave to set.

Or you can just skip the frosting, simply add some grated orange peel, orange shavings, or cocoa powder as a garnish.

Bittersweet Chocolate Cake

8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with waxed paper. Butter sides of pan and paper. Dust pan with flour.

Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl until pale yellow. Mix in flour, then chocolate mixture. Using electric mixer, beat whites in another bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold into chocolate mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 minutes.

Cool completely in pan on rack. Run small sharp knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto platter and cool.

Sift powered sugar over cake and serve.

Bitter Chocolate with Orange Sauce

600 g (21 oz) bitter chocolate
200 g (7/8 cup) butter
250 ml (1 cup + 1 Tablespoon) sweet cream
50 g (1/4 cup + 1/2 teaspoon) sugar
grated orange peel
6 egg yolks [egg yolks are the same size in metric :) ]
100 g (7/8 cup) plain cocoa
juice from fresh orange

With double boilers, melt the chocolate and butter.

In a separate bowl, gently beat the sweet cream with the sugar and some grated orange peel.

In another small bowl, beat the egg yolks.

Mix the cocoa with the melted butter, then mix the cocoa and butter mixture with the melted chocolate. Let cool a few minutes.

Vigorously mix the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture.

Add the cream mixture and mix until smooth.

Line a pan or mold with wax paper, pour in the chocolate mixture, and let cool. Refrigerate until firm.

To prepare the orange sauce, measure the juice from one or more oranges. For every unit orange juice, add two units water. Cook slowly over low heat, add sugar to taste, and allow the mixture to gain the consistency of a thick sauce.

Carefully spoon sauce onto slices of the chocolate just before serving. You may wish to add some grated orange peel, orange shavings, or cocoa powder as a garnish.

How to Make Perfect Brownies

For all their rich, fudgy goodness, brownies are surprisingly easy to make. Follow these simple steps to get them right every time.

Step 1: Choose a brownie recipe

Brownies are usually either fudgy or cakelike. In many brownie recipes, the proportion of flour to sugar, butter, and eggs is significantly less than what is typical for drop cookies, cakes, and several other baked goods. The balance of flour to the other ingredients is what makes brownies dense, fudgy, and rich. If you prefer brownies with a cakelike texture, look for recipes that contain more flour. Some very cakelike brownies contain milk or buttermilk.

Step 2: Chop chocolate

Using a chef's knife, coarsely chop chocolate bars or squares on a cutting board. Chopped chocolate melts smoothly and evenly, and it won't scorch.
Step 3: Melt chocolate and butter
Melting chocolate and butter for brownies
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Place the chopped chocolate in a saucepan.
Cut up the butter and add it to the saucepan with the chocolate.
Heat and stir over low heat until all of the chocolate and butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the chocolate mixture cool.

Step 4: Stir in sugar

Add the sugar to the melted chocolate and butter. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is completely mixed into the chocolate and butter.
Step 5: Add eggs

Beating eggs into chocolate mixture

Add the eggs one at a time. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon after each addition until the egg is completely incorporated into the chocolate mixture.
Beat in the vanilla with the wooden spoon.

Step 6: Add the flour

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and baking soda.
Add the flour mixture all at once to the chocolate mixture.

Step 7: Mix in the flour

Gently stir the chocolate until the flour is moistened.
Use a heavy-duty rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the saucepan.
If you like, stir in chocolate pieces or chopped nuts.

Step 8: Bake, cool, and frost the brownies

Grease your baking pan or, if desired, line it with foil for easy removal.
Bake brownies as directed in the recipe. Most brownies bake at 350°F for 25 to 35 minutes.
Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a wire rack.

If you wish to frost the brownies, wait at least an hour after baking to be sure the brownies have completely cooled.

Prepare the frosting.
Use an offset metal spatula to frost the brownies while they are still in the pan. Cut them into bars and enjoy!