Fun with Ice Cream (Chocolate Hazelnut/Mint and Cookies)

I know I already posted one ice cream recipe, but I just got a lovely new ice cream maker and I had to try it right away.

My previous ice cream recipe was very easy and light, but this time I decided to try a couple of more traditional custard-type ice creams, so they are a bit more complicated and much heavier . However, they are absolutely delicious, with flavors that are much stronger and richer than store bought ice cream.

The first recipe, the chocolate hazelnut, comes from Williams Sonoma's Ice Cream Book. 
The mint and cookies recipe is from the recipe booklet that came with my ice cream maker.

Note that when you take ice cream out of the the ice cream maker, it will come out soft. In order for it to reach proper ice cream consistency you need to freeze it for a few hours longer in a freezer-safe container.

Also - later I will post a recipe for something delicious you can make with all the leftover egg whites from these recipes.

Fun with Ice Cream

Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream (about 1 Quart)

First, make a Hazelnut Paste: 

- 3/4 cup (105 grams) hazelnuts 

- 1 tbsp canola oil or hazelnut oil 

- 1 tbsp sugar 

- pinch of salt 

Place the hazelnuts on a roasting pan in a single layer. Preheat an oven to 350 F/180 C. Place the pan in the oven and toast for about 10-15 minutes (you can occasionally shake the pan to shift their position) until the nuts are golden throughout.  Wrap the nuts in a warm kitchen towel and allow them to cool completely. When they are cool, rub the nuts in the towel to remove most of the loose skins (don't worry if a little skin remains). 

Put the nuts and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor and blend for about two minutes, until you get a thick hazelnut paste. (You can also use store bought hazelnut paste for this recipe, if you prefer. You need about 1/3 cup of it). 

Now for the ice cream:   

- 3 cups of milk

- 4 large egg yolks

- 1/2 cup heavy cream

- 3/4 cup sugar

- pinch of salt

- 4 1/2 ounces (140 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped 

Preparation: 

1. In a medium pot or saucepan combine the milk and hazelnut paste. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil! 

2. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks, cream, sugar and salt in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve. 

3. Remove the milk mixture from the heat. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Pour the egg mixture  back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it, 4-6 minutes. Do not let the custard boil! 

 4. Put the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl and pour the hot custard over it. Stir until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Place the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice cubes and water. Stir occasionally until cool.  Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24. 

5. Pour the custard into the ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Fresh Mint with Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (Makes about 6 cups)

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup sugar, divided into two half cups
- pinch of salt
- 1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups packed fresh mint leaves
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies (about 8 cookies - you can use oreos or any other cookie of this kind. I used Glutino cookies)

Preparation: 

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, whisk together the milk, cream, half of the  sugar, salt and vanilla. Bring the mixture just to a boil. Remove from heat and add the mint leaves. Let steep for about 30 minutes, then blend the mint into the mixture using an immersion blender (if you want a milder mint taste you can just take the mint out instead, but I highly recommend blending it in). Return the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat.

2. While the milk/cream mixture is reheating, combine the yolks and remaining sugar in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk, beat until the mixture is pale and thick.

3. Once the milk/cream mixture has come to a slight boil, whisk about 1/3 of the hot mixture into the yolk/sugar mixture. Add another 1/3 of the hot mixture, then returned the combined mixture to the saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.   Make sure it doesn't boil!

4. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Bring the ice cream base to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours (or overnight).

5. Prepare in your ice cream maker according to instructions. When the ice cream is almost fully churned, add the chocolate cookies and keep mixing until the ice cream is churned. Then move to a freezer-safe container and freeze for a few more hours, until firm.

Enjoy!

 

Vegetarian "shawarma"

Shawarma usually refers a middle eastern grilled meat dish (you may also know it as "gyro" or various other names). I have no idea if it's any good, because I've never eaten it.

However, this recipe from the excellent Israeli food blog בצק אלים ("bazek elim") was recommended by a few meat eaters and I decided to try and make a vegetarian version of it. I used seitan again, because I find it's texture is best for these kinds of recipe, but for a GF version I think you could also try to do it with tofu with s similar results. I did have to somewhat change the seasoning of the original recipe to make up for seitan being a little more bland.

A note about the coke: yes, this recipe uses about a cup of coca-cola. When I first saw this, I was quite shocked, as normally I wouldn't dream of cooking with coke. However, I decided to try it and the truth is the coke does give a wonderful caramelization and sweetness to the dish. So, it's up to you - use it or don't use it as you will. Either way, it's important to use regular coke and not diet coke as the sweeteners in the latter do not do well under heat.

Vegatarian Shawarma

Ingredients (for 2 portions): 

- 1 package of seitan (or tofu), cubed into fairly large chunks. 

- 1 medium onion, sliced into strips. 

- 2 tbsps of olive oil + 1 tsp for browning the seasoning

- Seasoning: 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp chili powder. 

- 1 cup of regular coke - optional (NOT diet!) 

- salt and pepper.

Preparation: 

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring occasionally, until the onions brown. If the onions look like they are burning rather than slowly browning, lower the heat a bit.The process should take about 10 minutes.

2. Push the onion to one side of the pan and add another teaspoon of oil to the newly cleared space. Add the seasoning to this oil and cook, while stirring, until the seasoning starts to sizzle a bit. 

3. Add the seitan (or tofu) pieces to the pan, stirring well so that the pieces are coated in the seasoning and mixed with the onions. Leave for about 40 seconds without stirring so that one side of the seitan browns and crisps up, then stir again and leave for another 40 seconds. 

4. If you plan to use the coke, add about one third of  a cup of coke to the pan, and simmer until it thickens, stirring occasionally. Continue adding coke and thickening until the cup is finished. By this time, the seitan should be cooked and the dish should be almost ready. If you don't intend to use coke: just keep cooking the seitan until it looks quite cooked. You can add a little bit of sugar and water to try and replicate the caramelization effect. 

5. Taste a piece of the shawarma. Add salt and pepper and any additional seasonings so that the dish is flavorful.

6. For a quick meal, serve the shawarma on rice, in a baguette or in a wrap. For a more traditional version, serve with pita bread, hummus, tahini sauce and a salad of finely cubed vegetables.

 

Peanut noodles with Seitan (plus a "cheaters" version)

I love doing variations on stir fried noodles with lots of vegetables. Basically, I use the same collection of vegetables but play around with the sauce. In this case it's rich, thick peanut sauce. The basic sauce isn't too complicated to make, but I also offer a "cheating" version of it at the end, for a really quick meal.

In making this recipe I used seitan, a vegan meat-replacing product made from wheat gluten (the protein in wheat). I've only recently started using it, and I find it has a nicer flavor and texture than tofu. However, you can use tofu if your prefer, or skip it altogether, maybe adding some egg as a protein source.

You can, of course, use whichever vegetables you prefer. These are the ones I like. 

Peanut noodles with seitan

Ingredients (for 2 portions): 

- 1/4 pounds (125 grams) rice noodles (or other noodle of your choice)

- 1/2 bell pepper, sliced. 

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced (I prefer red onion) 

- 1/2 jalapeno pepper, somewhat de-seeded and sliced.  (If you remove all the seeds there will be almost no heat, so I like to leave a little bit). 

- handful of snow peas, sliced into 1 inch (2 cm) long slices. 

- 1 small can of pineapple chunks in natural juice, drained.

- 1 package of seitan, cut into small chunks. 

- 2 tsps oil

- handful of peanuts, for garnish 

For the Sauce:

- 1 tbsp of vegetable oil 

- 1/4 cup of peanut butter

- 1 tbsp red curry paste

- 1/2 cup coconut milk

- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

- 1 tbsp water

- seasoning: curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper

Or, for "cheaters" sauce:  

- 1/2 can of light coconut milk 

- 1/2 small jar (about 100 grams or 3 tablespoons) of a commercial "peanut satay sauce" (I used 'A Taste of Thai's" satay sauce, which is vegan and gluten free). 

- seasoning - chili powder, salt, pepper (as needed) 

The reason for using satay sauce rather than a "peanut sauce" mix is that it tends to be more flavorful. 

Preparation: 

1. cook noodles according to instructions until they are prepared. Drain and run cold water through the noodles, to prevent them from sticking. 

2. Prepare the sauce. For regular version:  heat the (1 tbsp) of oil in a saucepan. Add the peanut butter and curry paste and cook, stirring, until they are melted and incorporated into one another. Add the coconut milk and soy sauce and sit, bringing to slow boil. Reduce the heat, cover the saucepan, and simmer for 8 minutes or so. Add the water and season to taste, continuing to cook for a few more minutes.  

For the "cheaters" version: Pour the coconut milk into a small saucepan. Add the satay sauce and stir over a medium heat for a few minutes, until the satay sauce is fully incorporated into the coconut milk. Taste the sauce and correct seasoning (I had to add a bit of chili powder for additional heat). Cook for a few more minutes on low heat. stirring occasionally.

2. Heat the (2 tsps) oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Fry the garlic until it is golden. Add the seitan and cook until it is lightly browned and looks a bit "crunchy". Add the vegetables and pineapple and continue stir-frying until they are just beginning to cook, but still fresh and crunchy. 

3. Add the cooked noodles and the peanut sauce to the wok and stir to make sure that the noodles are coated with sauce and the vegetables and seitan are spread throughout the noodles (a good trick for this is using tongs rather than just a spoon). Garnish with roasted peanuts. 

Enjoy!

What do you like about "Herbs and Herbivores"?

Hi Readers,

So this blog has been running for a little while, and I've noticed that I have a few readers, from all kinds of places.

I'm kind of curious to know what aspects of this blog you find interesting and useful, so I've posted a little poll, on the right hand side of the page. I would really appreciate it if you could take a moment to answer it, just so I know what kind of recipes people would like to see here in the future.

You can choose as many options as you like.

Thanks!

Cholent/Hamin (slow cooking vegetable stew)

Cholent or Hamin is a traditional Jewish dish, because it can be put in the oven on Friday afternoon, before the Sabbath begins, and is ready to be eaten on Shabbat itself. Every Jewish community has its own version of this dish. This is my family's vegetarian variation on the Eastern European version.  It is a thick, delicious warm stew that is ideal for a cold, snowy winter weekend lunch, ideally followed by a long nap.

Important note: this dish quite literally cooks overnight, so you need to start prepping it the day before you plan to eat it. Also, I make it in the oven, but I understand a slow-cooker is actually perfect for this.

Cholent/Hamin

Ingredients (for four-six portions):

- 1 large onion, diced.
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 cup of white beans (navy, baked beans etc.). You can use canned or pre-cooked frozen. If you want to use dried beans, soak them in water overnight before beginning this recipe.
- 0.5 cup to 1 cup uncooked brown rice (you can also use wheat, pearl barley or white rice, but I like brown rice best for this).
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into ping-pong ball sized chunks.
- 2 carrots, chopped into large chunks
- seasoning: salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, vegetarian natural bullion powder (optional)
- 4-6 hard boiled eggs, shelled (optional)

 Preparation: 

1. Choose a large pot that has a cover, and that is oven safe (and can fit in your oven). In it, heat the oil and fry the onions until golden.

2. Add the potatoes, carrots, beans and rice and mix. Fill the pot with water until the potatoes are fully covered in water. Season with plenty of salt and pepper, about a teaspoon each of paprika and chili powder, and a tablespoon or so of the bullion powder (you can skip the bullion powder, but it does give the finished dish a richer flavor. Consider seasoning more or perhaps adding a bit of veggie stock instead of water).

3. Let the ingredients go to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat your oven to a very low heat (200 F, about 100 C). Place the hard boiled eggs on top of the vegetable mixture. Cover the pot and place it in the oven.

5. Cook the Cholent overnight in the oven. Look at it from time to time, just to make sure that it is lightly simmering and looks ok. A note about the time: in an ideal world, the cholent should really be in the oven for at least twelve hours, as this allows all the flavors to meld and mix. However, most of us don't live in an ideal world. I've found it is still delicious if you just cook it for 5-6 hours. Also, if you don't want to leave your oven running all night, I find it also works fine if you cook it for a few hours in the evening, then turn off the oven, and turn it back on in the morning for a few more hours.

This dish really requires very little accompaniment. Serve it, as is, with a little fresh salad on the side.

Cheese "Cutlets" in Tomato Sauce (or without the sauce)

The original recipe, I believe, belongs to Israeli food writer Gil Hovav. I got a version of it from my sister and we each make our own based on the ingredients we have. The picture probably doesn't do these justice, but I promise they are delicious.

There is absolutely no need to worry about the exact ingredients or quantities in this recipe. Basically any mixture of relatively mild creamy cheese with some hard cheeses, eggs and breadcrumbs will create a similar result.

These "cutlets" (for want of a better word), can be served either in the tomato sauce or without it as crispy treats. I usually leave about half of them out of the sauce and the other half in it, just to allow people the variation..

Cheese "Cutlets" in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients: 

-1 regular package (8 oz, 250 ml) of cream cheese,  or thick Greek yogurt, or relatively high fat "white cheese", or even a mild soft goat cheese (or any combination of the above).

- 1 package of soft mozzarella cheese (or possibly a mild feta or something similar - soft but not too soft, and not too powerful a flavor)

- A few handfuls of shredded hard cheese (cheddar, jack, etc., whichever you like).

- 1 egg (you may want to have another on hand, just in case) 

- 2/3 cups breadcrumbs (ideally Italian breadcrumbs. GF is fine), or matzo meal (making the recipe ideal for passover) (again, you may want to have some more breadcrumbs on hand just in case you need the texture corrected). 

- canola or vegetable oil for frying. 

- tomato sauce (like the kind you use for pasta. I make a basic sauce using a can of crushed tomatoes, some garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, pepper, red chili flakes etc.) 

Preparation: 

1. In a large bowl combine the cheeses and the egg and mash them up with a fork to make a semi-smooth mixture. 

2. Add the breadcrumbs and mix, until you have a mixture that is thick and not very liquid. Depending on which cheeses you used and what quantities, you may want to play with the amount of eggs/breadcrumbs to make sure you have a good consistency (but remember that the mixture will become thicker after the next step). 

3. Put the mixture in the refrigerator for a 3-4 hours or overnight. 

4.  Fill a plate with some more breadcrumbs/matzo meal, take small handfuls of the cheese mixture and roll them into flat patties. Coat each patty with breadcrumbs. 

5. Heat an inch of oil in a pan, and  fry the patties on each side until they are crisp and golden on the outside. Drain on a paper towel.

6. Serve the patties as they are, warmed up OR place them in a pot with the tomato sauce (they should be well coated). Place the pot on medium heat and bring to boil. Cover, lower to a low heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve with rice, pasta or just by themselves. 

Alternate preparation if you are in a hurry:

If you don't really want to wait 4 hours, there is a faster way of making these. They may not come up as pretty, but they will still be delicious: 

Follow steps 1 and 2 as they are written. 

When you get to step 3, instead of putting the mixture in the fridge for 4 hours, let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Skip step 4 entirely. Instead, heat up the oil, and then carefully spoon large dollops of the mixture directly into it. When the bottom of each "dollop" is somewhat more stable (this should only take seconds in the hot oil), you can pat the top with a wooden spoon to flatten each patty.

 

Onion Soup

This soup is a classic, best served with croutons or a cheesy toast (as in the picture).
The only trick you need with this one is patience: you really want to let the onions cook and brown, because that will make them soft and sweet rather than crunchy and overpowering.

Onion Soup

Ingredients (for four portions, but make more if you want to make sure you have extras): 

- 4 large onions or 6 medium onions. Ideally a mixture of yellow and red onions is best, but you can use whatever you have. 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil 

- 1-2 tablespoons of butter 

-  2 tablespoons of flour (you can use cornstarch or any gluten free flour as well)

- 1 cup of white wine 

- 2-3 cups of vegetable stock 

- water

- salt and pepper 

- for topping: croutons, grated cheese, or cheesy toasts (see below)

Preparation: 

1. Slice the onions into fairly thin rings or strands. 

2. In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter together until the butter is melted, but not browned. 

3. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft. You may need to control the heat, to make sure that the onions don't fry up and burn, but rather "sweat" and become soft and golden-brown. This can take some time, so be patient. 

4. When the onions are very soft and golden-brown add the flour and stir for about 30 seconds. Then add the wine and the vegetable stock. If the soup looks too thick, you can add some water or more stock now, but you can also wait until later. 

5. Season the soup with salt and pepper, cover the pot and simmer for about 20-30 minutes to let the flavors combine. 

Serve with toppings. 

To make cheesy toast: 

Slice baguette into one inch (2.5 cm) thick slices. Place on a baking tin. On each slice place a little bit of butter and top with grated cheese. Place in a hot oven or under the broiler for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted and the toasts are crisp. 

Enjoy!

Latkes (potato pancakes)

During Hannuka we are supposed to eat food that has been fried, supposedly to commemorate the miracle of the oil - but really, it's just a good excuse to eat something fried without feeling too guilty about it, right?

Latkes (or Levivot, in Hebrew) are a traditional Hannuka dish and everyone has their own version. This is mine (well, mostly my mother's).

A few tips: 

A. You will notice that this recipe separates the yolks from the whites and beats the whites into a stiff foam. You don't absolutely have to do this (you can just add the eggs as is), but the foam serves two purposes: it keeps the potatoes from browning while they wait to be fried, and - more importantly - it makes the latkes incredibly fluffy and delicious.

B. You will notice this recipe uses no flour or breadcrumbs, as some latke recipes do. However, it is therefore very important to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the potatoes before using them. You can do this using a cheesecloth or a strainer, but I find the easiest way is actually to spin them in a salad spinner!

C. Like most fried foods, latkes are at their best when they are very very fresh, still hot from the oil. Realistically, however, no one really wants to stand around frying latkes during a Hannuka party, and even making them the same day as the party will leave the house smelling like oil. The solution is to freeze the latkes while they are still warm (if you have a large freezer, just freeze them flat on a baking tin. If not, an airtight container will do). When you want to serve them, place the frozen latkes flat on a baking tin, and place them in a warm oven for a few minutes, until they are heated through.

D. I have done my best to approximate quantities etc., but with things like potatoes it is impossible to know exactly how much of everything you will need.You may need to play a bit with the quantities to get it perfect.

Now, on to the recipe!

Latkes

Ingredients (for about 20-25 latkes): 

- 3 large potatoes, or  4-5 medium ones, peeled

- 1 large onion 

- 3-4 eggs, separated into yolks and whites (if you want extra-fluffy latkes, you can add a few more whites). 

- Salt and pepper 

- Canola oil or other oil for deep frying (not olive oil!) 

Preparation: 

1. Beat the egg whites until they form a stiff foam. 

2. Grate or shred the potatoes and the onion (a food processor will make this much easier, of course, but manual is also good). 

3. Using your hands, a cheese cloth, a strainer or a salad spinner, squeeze as much moisture as possible out of the shredded potatoes and onions. Place them in a large bowl.

4. Add the yolks and the beaten egg whites to the potatoes and gently fold until the yolks, potatoes and onions are really incorporated into the foam. The mixture should look very fluffy but not completely liquid. If it is too liquid, add some more potatoes or some flour or breadcrumbs to the mix. If it seems too dry, add some more egg.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper. 

5. In a large frying pan heat about an inch (2.5 cm) of oil. When the oil is hot (you can test this by putting a wooden spoon in the oil. If it starts to "fry", the oil is hot enough), drop a few spoonfuls of the mixture into the oil, to create patties. Fry them until they are a deep golden brown on both sides (you will need to flip them). 

Pay attention to the oil! If the latkes seem to fry too fast, lower the heat. If they fry too slowly, raise it a bit.

6. When the latkes are golden brown, place them on some paper towel to drain. I recommend tasting one from the first batch, to make sure the seasoning is correct. If it isn't, you can always add some more salt and pepper. And since after you eat one you will probably want another, I also recommend making a few extras. 

7. Continue frying until all the latkes are made (if you start to run out of oil in the middle, just heat up some more).  They can be served as either a savory or a sweet dish, with sour cream, sugar and cinnamon, or applesauce. I usually offer a choice of all three, so everyone can eat them the way they like.

Happy Hannuka!

Recommendation: GF bisquick biscuits

This is not a recipe so much as a recommendation:

For a recent meal with friends, I decided to make biscuits. I thought it would be nice to try Betty Crocker's relatively new gluten free Bisquick .

I used the recipe on the back of the box, except that I replaced the shortening with an equal quantity of butter (I never use shortening) and replaced the milk with an equal quantity of buttermilk.

The result was a batch of lovely biscuits, moist on the inside and crispy on the outside.

They also freeze well, although I recommend reheating them in the oven and not the microwave. The microwave did them no favors.

Coming up later this week: Hannuka recipes! Happy Holiday!

Boston Cream Cake - GF

This is a recipe from Elizabeth Barbone's Easy Gluten Free Baking. It is listed as Boston Cream Pie, but actually makes more of a dense layer cake.

When I made it, the cake came out very thin after baking, and I was worried I would have a hard time cutting through it, but it ended up being easier than I thought, and the resulting cake was a good size.

Note that the filling needs to set for a while, so make it at least a few hours in advance.

Bostom Cream Cake 

 

 Ingredients: 

For the Filling:

* 2/3 cup milk 
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 cup cornstarch
* 1 large egg yolk (save the white for the cake)  
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Cake: 

* 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (I used butter)
* 3/4 cup white rice flour
* 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/4 teaspoon xantham gum
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
*1/2 cup milk
* 1 large egg
* 1 egg white (left over from the filling)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Icing: 
* 4 ounces (about 100 grams) dark chocolate, coarsely chooped
* 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preparation: 

1. Prepare the filling: in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the milk and sugar. Heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.

2. In a small bowl, vigorously whisk together the heavy cream, cornstarch and egg yolk.

3. Reduce the heat under the milk and sugar to low. While whisking the hot milk, very slowly pour the heavy cream mixture into the saucepan.

4. Increase the heat to medium. Whisk mixture constantly until it thickens, about 2.5 minutes. Remove filling from heat, continue to whisk mixture for an additional minute, then whisk vanilla into slightly cooled filling.

5. Pour filling into a large bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling, to prevent it from forming a skin.

6. Refrigerate the filling for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

7. Prepare the cake: Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease a 9 inch (22 cm) round cake pan.

8. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients for 2 minutes; batter will be thick (if you are using a stand mixture, set it on medium high).

9. Pour batter into pan and bake for 25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

10 remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely (you can take it out of the pan for faster cooling after about 5 minutes).

11. Prepare the icing: Place chopped chocolate into a large bowl.

12. In saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, bring cream to a boil and remove from heat.

13. Pour boiled cream over the chocolate. Stir, using a wooden spoon, until the chocolate melts and no lumps remain. Allow the icing to cool for 8 minutes.

14. Assemble the cake: Using a serrated knife, slice the cooled cake in half horizontally. Gently remove the top portion and set aside.

15. Spread all of the filling onto the bottom half of the cake. Top with reserved cake layer.

16. Ladle lightly cooled icing onto the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.