20 best chocolate recipes: part 1 (2024)

Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham’s black forest gateau

Serves 8–10
For the chocolate cake
best quality bittersweet chocolate 75g, broken into pieces
semi-salted butter 100g
soft dark brown sugar 75g
golden syrup 1 tbsp
self-raising flour 175g
cocoa 25g
eggs 2 large, beaten
milk 150ml

For the filling
good quality bottled or canned pitted cherries in syrup 700g (approximately)
kirsch 2 tbsp

For the icing
double cream 200ml
best quality bittersweet chocolate 200g, broken into pieces
double cream (for spreading) 400ml

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3. Butter a 20cm × 5cm deep loose-bottomed cake tin and fit a circle of greaseproof paper into the base.

Put the chocolate, butter, sugar and syrup into a heavy-bottomed pan over a low heat and stir until everything is melted and amalgamated. Allow the mixture to cool until it is tepid but still molten.

Sift the flour and cocoa into the bowl of an electric mixer or use an electric hand-whisk. Add the chocolate mixture using a spatula and start to beat slowly together. Combine the eggs and milk and slowly pour this in too. Whisk together gently, increasing the speed until the mixture is light and thick yet fluffy.

Spoon the mixture into the cake tin, smooth the surface and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes until firm and springy and when a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for around 30 minutes before turning out on a wire rack.

Drain the cherries in a sieve suspended over a bowl. Tip them into another bowl and measure off 200ml of the cherry syrup. Add to this the 2 tablespoons of kirsch. With a serrated knife slice the cake horizontally into three discs. Place each disc on an individual plate and spoon the cherry syrup/kirsch mixture evenly over the three and leave to soak in. Meanwhile, heat the 200ml of double cream until it is about to simmer and add the chocolate. Remove from the heat and stir gently until melted and very smooth. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool in the fridge while you assemble the cake.

Whip the 400ml of double cream until thick. Spread one of the discs with half of it, cover with half the cherries, pressing them in lightly, cover with the second disc and repeat the process. Finally, put on the third disc and gently, with the palms of both hands, press all together.

Have a look at the chocolate cream mixture in the fridge, which should be stiffening. Give it a stir: it needs to be thick enough to spread, like icing. With a palette knife, cover the top and sides of the cake, spreading thickly until all the cream is used up. Leave to set in a cool place – preferably not the fridge as this can cause the “icing” to weep slightly.
From The Prawn co*cktail Years by Simon Hopkinson and Lindsay Bareham (Michael Joseph, RRP £25). Click here to buy it from Guardian Bookshop for £20

Thomasina Miers’s molten hot chocolate

Try to buy the best cocoa powder you can find (it does make a difference) and a dark chocolate that you love.

Makes 2 small cups
best-quality cocoa powder 2 tsp
whole milk 300ml
pasilla chilli flakes 1 tsp or a tiny sprinkle of cayenne pepper
brown sugar 1 tsp
dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) 40g, roughly chopped
cinnamon a pinch

Mix the cocoa powder into a smooth paste with a tablespoon of milk, then add another tablespoon to thin it down a little more. Put the rest of the milk and the chilli flakes in a small saucepan over a low heat and bring to simmering point.

Let the chillies steep in the milk for 5 minutes. At this point you can strain the milk but I prefer to keep all the flavour of the chilli in the drink so I combine the cocoa paste with the hot milk and whizz with a stick blender. Pour this back into the pan along with the sugar, chocolate and cinnamon and heat gently, stirring continuously, to melt the chocolate, being careful not to let it burn.

Raymond Blanc’s chocolate eclairs

You can prepare, cook and freeze the eclairs in advance; defrost 1 hour before needed, then fill and glaze them. You can also pipe the eclairs and freeze them uncooked; bake directly from the freezer, adding an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time. The crème patissière can be made 2–3 days in advance and kept in the fridge.

Makes 10

For the choux pastry
water 65ml
whole milk 65ml
unsalted butter 55g, at room temperature
caster sugar 1 tsp
fine sea salt a pinch
plain flour 100g
organic/free-range eggs 4 medium, beaten

For the crème patissière (makes 600ml)
whole milk 500ml
best vanilla extract 1 tsp
egg yolks 6, organic/free range, medium
caster sugar 75g, plus extra for dusting
plain flour 25g
cornflour 20g

For the filling
crème patissière 450ml, at room temperature
good-quality dark chocolate 20g
cocoa powder 15g

For the glaze
white fondant 200g (available from specialist cake decorating shops)
cocoa powder 12g
water 1–2 tsp

Special equipment

2 piping bags
1.5cm and 5mm plain nozzles

To prepare the choux pastry, preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Put the water, milk(it is customary to use all water in a choux pastry, but adding some milk gives a softer texture, which I prefer), butter, sugar and salt into a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Take off the heat, immediately tip in the flour and quickly stir with a wooden spoon until completely smooth.

Return to a medium heat and cook for about 1 minute until the mixture comes away from the side of the pan: when the choux paste starts to come away from the side of the pan you know you have evaporated enough water from the mixture. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the beaten eggs until you have a smooth, dropping consistency. It is important to add the eggs slowly, to ensure they are incorporated evenly.

To pipe and bake the eclairs, spoon the mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain nozzle and leave to cool and stiffen slightly, for about 5 minutes; this will make it easier to pipe.

Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper. Pipe 10 large eclairs, each about 15cm long, onto the paper, spacing them well apart to allow them room to expand. Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes until golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

As the choux pastry cooks, the moisture escapes as steam, which helps to puff out the choux, giving it lift and lightness; the dry heat of the oven will create a crust. Do not bake more than one batch at a time, or the amount of steam they generate will cause your pastry to crack.

To make the crème patissière, put the milk and vanilla into a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer very gently for about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and let cool for 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar until they turn a pale straw colour, then whisk in the flour and cornflour. Pour on the milk, whisking continuously, then pour back into the pan.

Whisking constantly, bring back to the boil over a medium heat and cook for 1 minute. Constant whisking is important to get rid of any small lumps and keep the crème patissière smooth.

Pour the crème pâtissière into a bowl. Cover the surface with a light dusting of caster sugar to prevent a skin from forming and leave to cool.

To make the filling, have the crème patissière ready in a bowl. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Pour the melted chocolate into the crème patissière, add the cocoa powder and whisk to a smooth consistency.

Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a 5mm nozzle. Using the tip of the nozzle, pierce the underside of the eclairs in 4 places along their length and gently fill each eclair evenly.

To make the glaze, in a wide saucepan over a low heat, gently warm the fondant to make it easier to work with. For the correct consistency, the white fondant must be used at 35C (body temperature). If it is hotter, you will lose the shiny finish to your glaze. Regulate the heat of the glaze by placing it back on a low heat and stirring to regain the correct thickness. Stir in the cocoa powder and water until evenly combined.

One at a time, dip the top of each eclair into the mixture to glaze, lift vertically and wipe off excess from the lower end with the back of your finger. Alternatively, you can pipe the glaze on top of the eclairs, using a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm flat nozzle.

Place on a board or rack and allow to set in the fridge before serving.

Variations

Pipe small choux buns, 8–12g, and cook for 20–25 minutes. Large choux buns will take 25–30 minutes.

Flavour the crème patissière with a little extra vanilla or coffee extract instead of chocolate and keep the fondant for the glaze white.

For classic choux à la crème, fill large choux buns with crème Chantilly, dust with icing sugar and serve with chocolate sauce.
From Kitchen Secrets by Raymond Blanc (Bloomsbury, RRP £16.99). Click here to buy it from Guardian Bookshop for £13.59

Mary Berry’s ultimate chocolate roulade

Makes 1 roulade
plain chocolate 175g, broken into pieces
caster sugar 175g
eggs 6, separated
cocoa powder 2 tbsp, sifted
double cream 300ml
icing sugar

Equipment
Swiss roll tin 33 x 23 cm (13 x 9 in)

Lightly grease the Swiss roll tin and line with non-stick baking parchment, pushing it into the corners. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Put the chocolate into a bowl placed over a pan of hot water. The water in the pan must not touch the bowl or the chocolate may over-heat. Place the pan over a low heat until the chocolate has melted, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool slightly.

Put the sugar and egg yolks into a bowl and whisk with a hand-held electric mixer on a high speed until light and creamy. Add the cooled chocolate and stir until evenly blended.

Whisk the egg whites in a large mixing bowl until stiff but not dry. Stir a large spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, mix gently and then fold in the remaining egg whites, followed by the cocoa powder. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and gently level the surface. Bake for about 20 minutes, until firm to the touch.

Remove the cake from the oven, leave in the tin and place a cooling rack over the top of the cake. Place a clean, damp tea towel on top of the rack and leave for several hours or overnight in a cool place; the cake will sink slightly. (If the tea towel dries out, simply re-dampen it.)

Whip the cream until it just holds its shape. Dust a large piece of non-stick baking parchment with icing sugar.

Turn the roulade out on to the paper and peel off the lining paper. Spread with the whipped cream and roll up like a Swiss roll, starting with one of the short edges; roll tightly to start with and use the paper to help. Don’t worry if it cracks – that is quite normal and part of its charm!
From Simple Cakes by Mary Berry (BBC Books, RRP £14.99). Click here to buy it from Guardian Bookshop for £11.99

Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer’s white chocolate, pine nuts, olive oil and candied lemon zest

We generally see no point in white chocolate – it is good for nothing except this wonderful dessert, where it works with the olive oil to create silk-on-silk smoothness, while the lemon and pine nuts bring interesting accents.

At our restaurant, Honey & Co, we use a delicious Greek olive oil, its bitter finish works beautifully with the rich cream. That bottle of olive oil you bought for the price of a laptop when you got drunk at the River Café will come in handy here …

Makes 4 portions – it may not look much but it’s very rich so you don’t need a lot
double cream 200ml
white chocolate 100g
olive oil 1 tbsp, plus 1 tbsp to finish
lemon 1
water enough to cover x 2, plus 50ml
sugar 50g
pine nuts 40g, roasted till golden
sea salt 4 tiny pinches, to finish

Heat the cream in a pan over a high heat until it is boiling, then pour over the white chocolate in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and whisk in circular motions to combine (whisking in one direction only, so that you don’t break the texture), until the chocolate has melted. Cover and place in the fridge to cool for at least for 6 hours or overnight.

Peel strips of the lemon skin (just the yellow part, without any white pith) and cut into very thin slices – you can use a special long zester for this, if you own one, but it is just as easy to do with a peeler and a sharp knife.

Place the zest strips in a small pan, cover with water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Drain, re-cover with water and bring to the boil again. Drain for a second time (by now all the bitterness should be gone) and cover with 50ml of fresh water.

Add the sugar and return to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

When you are ready to serve, whisk the white chocolate cream until it thickens and starts to hold its shape, but don’t over-whip – the fat content is so high, you may end up with butter instead. Carefully spoon into your loveliest glasses. Top each one with some pine nuts, a pinch of sea salt, a touch of olive oil and some candied lemon zest.
From Honey & Co: Food From the Middle East by Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer (Saltyard Books, RRP £25). Click here to buy it from Guardian Bookshop for £18.99