I once read this “wise” quote: Chocolate comes from cocoa bean, which comes from the fruit of a cocoa tree. Therefore, chocolate is, in fact, a fruit!
Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate which has a higher percentage of cocoa, has many benefits. Your heart will benefit from indulging in two servings of dark chocolate a day. The key thing to remember is never to go to extremes! Do you know that it also helps you curb diabetes? This is because it contains flavonoids that help to control your insulin sensitivity.
And as for you professional women out there who work in a high-pressured environment, don’t feel guilty when you indulge in a piece or two of chocolate because chocolate helps you to reduce stress!
So, here are 3 not-so-sinful-after-all delicious chocolate desserts for you (and your friends) to indulge in!
#1 Flourless Chocolate Cake
I love this recipe because it really brings out the bitter-sweet taste of the chocolate. This is especially dedicated to those who are gluten-intolerant because, in my book, everyone deserves a chance to enjoy chocolate!
Ingredients (serves 6-8):
- 350g of dark chocolate (50-70%), broken into pieces
- 200g of caster sugar
- 225g of butter, cut into cubes
- extra butter for greasing the pan
- 6 fresh medium eggs, separated
- 175ml of boiling water
- 1 tsp of instant coffee powder (optional, this is for those who likes the cake a bit more bitter)
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Grease and line the inside of a round cake tin (springform preferable) with a baking sheet.
- With a mixer, beat together the broken dark chocolate pieces and the sugar until powdery.
- Then, add the butter (cube by cube), egg yolks, coffee powder and boiling water. Mix them all well.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg-whites until they become stiff peaks, then slowly fold it into the chocolate mix.
- Pour this mixture into your lined cake tin by letting the mixture spread from the middle of the tin.
- Bake it for 45 minutes to an hour. To test if it is fully baked, poke a skewer into the middle of the cake. It is baked when the skewer comes out clean.
- Once baked, let it cool to room temperature before chilling it.
TIP: To serve, top the cake slice with 2 – 3 spoons of mixed berries dusted with icing sugar. You might want to serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on the side.
#2 Non-bake Chocolate Cheesecake
This recipe is perfect for those who don’t have an oven!
Ingredients (serves 6-8):
- 150g of digestive biscuits, crushed
- 150g of dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 100g of caster sugar
- 50g of butter, room temperature/melted
- 3 TBS of cocoa powder, diluted with some hot water
- 200g of cream cheese
- 120ml whipping cream
Steps:
- Crush the digestive biscuits by sealing the biscuits in a frozen food bag and pounding it with a flat heavy object on top of a wooden chopping board.
- Mix the crushed biscuit with the melted butter.
- Empty out the mixture into the base of a cake tin, press them firmly and evenly to cover the whole base, then refrigerate it.
- Melt the broken chocolate pieces by placing them in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of boiling water. Stir the chocolate to melt it faster.
- In a bowl, whip up the whipping cream then add it to the melted chocolate with the cocoa powder and mix well.
- In another bigger mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and caster sugar together. Once they are evenly mixed, fold it in the chocolate mixture and mix both well.
- Pour this mixture on top of your crushed digestive biscuit and spread it out evenly.
- Freeze your cake for around 1 hour.
- Then chill it for another half an hour before serving.
TIP: To cut the cake, dip your knife into hot water before cutting to provide a smooth cut. To decorate, you might want to place a Maltesers on top of every slice just to make it look more presentable!
#3 Chocolate Cocktail
If you love frappuccinos, you’ll love this recipe! It’s perfect for a night in with the girls while watching silly romantic movies and slurping away your cocktails! You will need a strong blender to blend but not melt the ice.
Ingredients :
- 3 cups of ice cubes
- 50ml of whipped cream
- 3 TBS of chocolate syrup
- 3 dashes of a chocolate liqueur of your choice
- 1-2 dashes of a coffee liqueur of your choice
- chocolate powder for dusting
Steps:
- Place the ice cubes in your blender.
- Add the whipped cream, chocolate and coffee liquer.
- Blend for 1 minute or until the ice becomes fine.
- Pour the cocktail into cocktail glasses.
- Dust the top with chocolate powder and these yummy, chocolate cocktails are ready to be served!
I hope that these are recipes you can’t resist. Everyone deserves to treat themselves, so why don’t you? Wishing you a chocolaty day!
Cover photo: www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com
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