Celebrating International Chocolate Day with Tarte & Berry and Yves Quemerais

Happy International Chocolate Day! To help you celebrate we have two delicious recipes for you to try out at home.
Tarte & Berry
The first recipe comes from our friends at Tarte and Berry, who specialise in artisan baked treats. Handmade in their Yorkshire bakery, they use only the best quality ingredients such as British butter, local free range eggs and Belgian chocolate.
Their award-winning treats are available online, at food festivals and to trade supply. You will be able to catch them at the upcoming Great Yorkshire Show.
         
Tarte & Berry’s Chocolate and Raspberry Heart Cake
A lovely and light chocolate sponge cake filled with dark chocolate buttercream and fresh raspberries!
Ingredients
For the Sponges:
200g caster sugar
170g plain flour
160ml whole milk
3 free-range eggs
40g cocoa powder
40g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the Buttercream:
150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
300g icing sugar, sieved
150g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1-2 tbsp of whole milk
Fresh raspberries and chocolates to decorate

Method:
Preheat your oven to 170C/fan oven 160C/Gas Mark 3. Ensure your shelf is in the middle of the oven. Grease and line two 6 inch heart cake tins with baking paper. We bought our tins from Amazon (link) You can also use two 6 inch round cake tins if you don’t have heart tins.
Firstly make the sponge cakes – sieve and weigh out into a bowl the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda. Leave to one side.
Heat the milk and butter in a small pan over a medium heat and melt together. Once melted stir to combine and then take off the heat. Add the teaspoon of vanilla paste, stir again and leave to cool slightly.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until very foamy and pale. Once very pale slowly pour in the warm milk mixture and whisk again to combine.
Now you are ready to add your flour and cocoa mixture – add this slowly in stages and mix by hand using a spatula, ensuring it has completely combined. Pour the mixture evenly into your two heart tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven. When they are done they will be firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into them will come out clean.
Once your cakes are out of the oven leave them for 5 minutes and then take out of their tins. Place on a cooling rack and leave until completely cool. To make your buttercream you firstly need to melt the dark chocolate. Break up into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl in the microwave for about a minute until melted, stirring halfway through. Leave to one side to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, beat the butter for a couple of minutes in a mixer until soft. Then slowly add the icing sugar in stages, beating all the time. Beat for a few minutes until very pale and creamy. Add your teaspoon of vanilla paste and pour in the melted dark chocolate (this should now be warm, not hot). The milk can be used if needed to loosen up the mixture so it is easily spreadable.
Now you are ready to decorate (only if your cakes are completely cooled though). Slice each of the hearts in two – the cake is going to be 4 layers high! Place the first layer on a pretty cake stand and ice with approximately a quarter of your buttercream. Place another layer on top and again ice the top. Repeat with the third and final layers. Finally top with fresh raspberries or berries of your choice and chocolates. Great with cream or icecream.
 
Yves Quemerais
Our second recipe comes from The French Chef at Home, Yves Quemerais who is classically trained under acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse.  His cooking combines the traditional gourmet flavours of France with seasonal fresh Yorkshire produce.  Yves made his home in Yorkshire after falling in love with ‘God’s own county’ during family holidays. He set up French Chef at Home to create authentic and bespoke French cuisine at people’s homes for special occasions, corporate events or just a luxury night in. Yves also offers tutorials in your own home for between one and four people.
You can watch Yves cook this recipe live at the Great Yorkshire show at 9.30am on Wednesday 13^th July, in the Food Hall Cookery Theatre.

Chocolate soufflé with strawberry coulis

Serves 4
Ingredients
For the soufflé:
200g whole milk
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
10g corn flour
2 egg yolks
6 egg whites
60g caster sugar
4.9cm diameter round moulds
For the coulis:
Fresh ripe strawberries
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons of sugar
Raspberry liqueur
Method:
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks and the corn flour.
Heat the milk on the hob and pour into the mixture. Whisk until mixture thickens.
In the microwave or on the hob, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie then pour in the cream. Add to the mixture and mix well.
Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form. Add the mixture and fold gently.
Grease the soufflé moulds and cover the base and edges with sugar.
Pour the mixture into the moulds leaving a one cm gap from the top.
Cook in the oven at 190° for 12 minutes.
To make the coulis, place the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and liquor into a blender and puree.
To serve sprinkle the soufflés with icing sugar and pour over the strawberry coulis.
To find out more about all the goings on at the Great Yorkshire Show, click here.