Mini Chocolate Cake

Used the ramekins to make this tiny cake. I ran out of all purpose flour so used 2 T of bread flour. It came out a little dense. Maybe more lemon juice with the milk next time. This is the perfect recipe for when you are in the mood for a little chocolate cake but don't want to have leftovers to be eating it all week.

• 1/4 c + 2 T all-purpose flour
• 2 T cocoa powder
• 1/8 t baking soda
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 T buttermilk (or milk + lemon juice)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 3 T salted butter, melted and cooled (or unsalted + 1/8 t salt)

1. Sift the flour, cocoa and soda in a medium bowl. Stir in the sugar.
2. In a small bowl, use a fork to combine buttermilk, egg and vanilla.
3. Pour in cooled butter, beating with fork the whole time.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until flour is incorporated.
5. Divide evenly into two greased ramekins. Spread batter evenly by rotating dish.
6. Bake 25-30 minutes at 170C or until fork comes out clean.
7. Let cool 5-10 minutes.
8. Invert onto plate and serve as desired.

Variations
Serve with custard filling, frosting, fruit or plain.
12/12/10 Made with buttermilk.

Gluten-Free Cocoa Cake

M has gone on a gluten-free diet so this is a go at a cake/brownie recipe using glutinous rice flour. It rose well and withstands being carried vertically in a backpack to a dinner party by bike. The texture is very much like a marshmallow - soft and squishy with a bit of a bite. However, there is a slight dry after-taste - which might be because of the gl rice flour or just because of my particular brand of flour. If you halved the recipe and reduced the baking powder, I think it could pass for a gluten-free chewy brownie. As is, it is much more cake-like.

• 1 stick of butter (1/2 c), super softened (or melted and cooled)
• 7/8 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 1 3/4 c glutinous rice flour
• 1 heaping t baking powder
• 3/4 c coconut cream
• 1 t vanilla (or almond)
• optional: handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate)

1. Combine the butter and sugar.
2. Add the eggs.
3. Sift in the cocoa powder and add the rice flour and powder. Stir until combined.
4. Pour in coconut cream and vanilla. Stir until not lumpy.
5. Pour half into greased 8x8 pan. Layer with chocolate. Spread the remaining half on top.
6. Bake at 190C for 25-35 minutes.

Black Sesame (Cocoa) Muffins

Elisa bought a massive bag of powdered black sesame and shared it with me. So I gave a go at some black sesame muffins. I wasn't sure how they'd turn out, so I split the batter and added cocoa to half. I really like how the black sesame muffins look - browned on the outside, like a normal muffin, but they are white with black specks on the inside. The cocoa overpowers the black sesame as well as covers up the speckled design. I might try adding vanilla or almond extract next time. Or maybe a filling of black sesame paste in the middle to give it a little extra oomph in the flavor department.

•  1.5 c flour
• 1/2 c black sesame powder
• 1/3 c sugar
• 3 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• optional: up to 1/4 c cocoa 
• 3/4 c yogurt
• 4 T butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• [next time: vanilla or almond extract]
• optional: milk

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just mixed. If too thick, add a little milk.
4. Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups and bake for 20 min at 200C.

Notes
I split the dry ingredients in half and added 1/4 c cocoa to one half. This was a bit much so next time only 1/8 c (or 1/4 c for the whole batch). The batter was too thick. I left the plain black sesame as was but milked down the cocoa ones by a few T. The cocoa ones rose better than the black sesame. I used some old Ticino yogurt (plain, solid). CT couldn't taste the black sesame.