Easy peasy chocolate-date truffles

These chocolate truffles are delicious and super easy to make!



What you need:
- 10-12 Medjool dates
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp rum flavouring
- dessicated coconut (to roll the truffles in)

De-seed the dates and put them in a food processor with the cocoa powder and rum flavouring. Process into a smooth paste (depending on how soft your dates are this can take anywhere from seconds to a couple of minutes). Once done, take a piece of the paste and roll it between your (wet) palms to make truffles. Roll them through some dessicated coconut and store in an air-tight container. Serve at room temperature.


Based on this recipe.

Idea: sweet lasagna

So my dad and I were talking the other day about making 'ordinary' lasagna and suddenly started brainstorming about a sweet version. Sort of like a trifle with a twist.
We haven't tried it out yet, but here's what we came up with:

What you need (approx. 8 servings):
1 loaf cake (homemade or store-bought)
a few bananas, thinly sliced.
chocolate mousse (homemade or store-bought)
rum (or flavouring if you don't want to use the real thing)
whipped cream, to serve

Line a loaf tin (the same size as your cake) with cling film. Cut the cake in thin slices, lengthwise. Put one slice at the bottom a the loaf tin and sprinkle with some rum. Spread a layer of chocolate mousse evenly on top and layer with banana. Repeat a few times, ending with a layer of cake.
Keep in the fridge for a little while to set. Turn the cake tin on a serving dish and remove the cling film. cover the top with whipped cream and cut in slices to serve.

Don't know about you, but it sounds yummy to me!

Black Forest muffins

A variation of this recipe that my dad and I came up with recently while discussing baking... (he's a closet chef disguised as a docker :-) )

What you need (12 muffins):

225g self-rising flour
1,5 tsp baking powder
125g caster sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder
50g dark chocolate sprinkles (or a chopped up piece of dark chocolate)
1 egg
225ml milk
75g butter, melted
approx. 100g stoned cherries from a jar, drained and roughly chopped
pinch of salt
2 tbsp cherry jam or jelly


Pre-heat the oven at 220C (200C fan oven). Grease a muffin tin or line with cupcake liners.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt, stir in the chocolate sprinkles and make a dip in the middle.
In another bowl, beat the egg with a fork and stir in the milk and melted butter. Pour into the dip of the dry mixture, add the chopped cherries as well and mix the batter with a fork until just mixed.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and bake for approx. 20 mins. Let cool for a few mins, take the muffins out of the tin and let them cool on a wire rack.
Melt the jam (or jelly) in the microwave or on the stove. Brush some melted jam on top of each muffin and let cool completely before serving.

If you want to go all-out, add some kirsch (real or flavouring) to the batter and serve the muffins with some whipped cream.

Triple chocolate muffins

Chocolate. A LOT of chocolate. Need I say more??

What you need (12 muffins):
225g self-rising flour
1,5 tsp baking powder
125g light brown caster sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder
50g extra dark chocolate sprinkles
50g white chocolate sprinkles
60ml unsweetened apple sauce
225ml non-dairy milk
75g unsalted vegan margarine or odourless coconut oil, melted
pinch of salt

Pre-heat the oven at 220°C. Grease a muffin tin or line with cupcake liners.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Stir in the chocolate sprinkles and make a dip in the middle.
In another bowl, stir together the apple sauce, milk and melted margarine/coconut oil. Pour into the dip of the dry mixture and mix with a fork until just mixed. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and bake for approx. 20 mins. Let cool for a few mins,, take the muffins out of the tin and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

[Adapted from the 'Cakejes, muffins en minitaartjes'-cookbook published by AH]