choc-mint mousse cakes

I wanted to make my come back to the food blog something worth remembering & let me tell you I have succeeded. Both of these "cupcakes" were really really delicious but my stand out favourite was the choc-mint mousse cake so this is the recipe I am sharing. I'm a sucker for anything chocolate & minty.

Ingredients

Double chocolate mint cake

6 square after dinner mints, chopped coarsley

60g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsley

2/3 cup (160ml) water

90g butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon, peppermint essence

1 cup (220g) firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup (100g) self-raising flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/3 cup (40g) almond meal

1 tablespoon cocoa powder, extra

Chocolate mousse

150g dark eating chocolate, chopped roughly

1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence

3/4 cup (180ml) thickened cream

2 eggs, seperated

2 tablespoons caster sugar

Method

1. Make chocolate mousse:

Combine chocolate, essence and half the cream in a mediun heatproof bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water, stir until smooth. Cool mixture 5 minutes, then stir in egg yolks. Beat remaining cream in a small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat egg whites in another small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form; add sugar gradually, beat until dissolved. Fold cream into chocolate mixture, then egg whites. Spoon mixture into a shallow baking dish. Cover, refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

2. Preheat oven to moderately slow (170deg C/150 fan-forced). Line 6 hole texas or 12 hole standard muffin pan with paper cases.

3. Combine chocolate and the water in small saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth.

4. Beat butter, essence, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.

5. Stir in sifted flour and cocoa, almond meal, warm chocolate mixture and after dinner mints. Divide mixture among cases; smooth surface.

6. Bake large cakes about 40 minutes, small cakes about 30 minutes. turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.

7. Place a lightly greased collar of foil around each cakes. Divide firm chocolate mousse evenly among tops of cakes. Freeze cakes for about 30 minutes to help set the mousse quickly.

8. Dust mousse with extra sifted cocoa. Gently remove foil.

9. Indulge

Instead of after dinner mints I used Lindt mint chocolate & I have not looked back. Also, the other cake in the photo is a lemon cheesecake, but thats a recipe for another day.

Peanut Butter Museli Bars

Feeling like a snack that meets the "healthy" description but without the blandness that sometimes the term implies.

Well these museli bars are healthy with a little bit of naughty chocolate thrown in for good measure.

You could obviously leave the choc chips out, but why?

Museli Bars

Ingredients

125gm Butter

1/2c Plain flour

2/3c Brown sugar

1 1/4c Rice bubbles

3/4c Rolled oats

1/2c Choc chips

1tbs Peanut butter

1tbs Honey

1/2c Desicated coconut

3/4c Roasted cashews, unsalted

200gm Apricot delight (minus the few, alright about 6, that I ate)

Assembly

• Preheat the over to 150 degrees celsius. Line a 25 x 30cm tin with baking paper and grease.
• Combine the butter, peanut butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Place all the other ingredients in a bowl, add the melted butter mixture and combine well.
• Press mixture firmly into the tin and bake for 40mins or until golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin before cutting.