Five melt-in-your-mouth chocolate recipes for Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day on Tuesday, 14 February, make the day extra special for your partner, a loved one or yourself by making some delicious chocolate recipes.

Chocolate has a sentimental note for many people, it’s beautiful and yummy when wrapped in boxes, decorated in cupids and attached to roses making it extra special on Valentine’s Day.

If buying this in-store isn’t for you and you want to make the extra effort by making your own, these chocolate Valentine’s Day recipes will be perfect.

Five chocolate recipes for Valentine’s Day

Chocolate & Raspberry Tarts

Ingredients

• 8 mini tartlet moulds
• 200g 70% dark chocolate, chopped
• 60g unsalted butter
• 90g brown sugar
• 60ml cream
• 3 eggs
• 25g all-purpose flour
• 250g fresh raspberries

Ganache

• 300g 70% dark chocolate
• 250ml cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Place the chocolate, butter, sugar and cream in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted. Remove from stove.
2. Place eggs and flour in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Slowly mix the eggs and flour into the chocolate mixture a little at a time making sure the chocolate mixture is not too hot or it will cook the eggs.
3. Pour into individual tartlet moulds and bake for 35-40 min.
   For the ganache: Place chocolate and cream in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted. Spoon over tarts.
4. Once cooled top with fresh raspberries

ALSO READ: Five wines to woo your Valentine

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 675g dark chocolate
• 350g salted butter
• 9 eggs
• Spray & Cook
• Cocoa powder for dusting

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Spray a cake tin with Spray & Cook and dust with the cocoa powder, making sure to cover the entire surface area of your tin.
2. In a bowl over a double boiler, whisk eggs over medium to low heat until the mixture starts to take on a custard-like consistency.
3. Make sure you are whisking constantly and that the water in the pot never makes contact with the base of the bowl.
4. Your sabayon is ready once there are no longer bubbles visible in the custard. Strain the egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
5. Melt the chocolate and butter in a separate bowl over the double boiler, stirring occasionally. Stream the melted chocolate mixture into the sabayon while whisking until both mixtures are well incorporated.
6. Strain again.
7. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and gently tap the tin on your counter to level out the mixture. Place the tin in a deep tray and pour hot water that it comes to about halfway up the height of the tray. Cover the tin with foil and bake for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the foil and bake for a further 5-10 ten minutes.
9. The cake should be set but be slightly wet in the centre, you can use a skewer to check.
   Remove from the water bath and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and set in the fridge for at least 8 hours before serving. Warm the exterior of the tin by dipping it in boiling water to help remove the cake from the tin before slicing. Use a knife dipped in hot water to slice the cake.

*Chef’s Notes: This flourless cake goes well with vanilla ice cream, peanut brittle and caramelised banana, or Chantilly cream with a berry compote.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1½ tsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp bicarb of soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 125g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• ¼ cup of white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2-3 tsp red food colouring
• ¾ cup chocolate chips (dark, milk or white)

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, bicarb and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg, vanilla and food colouring. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until fully combined.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C.
5. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Scoop equal size balls with a tablespoon and place them in the lined tray about 5cm apart.
6. Bake the cookies for 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on the tray for about 10mins before transferring it to a wire rack.

Ginger Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients

• 115g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 6 pieces of ginger (in syrup)
• 300ml full cream milk
• 150g plain milk chocolate, roughly chopped
• 450g granulated sugar

Method

1. Grease a square shallow dish. Dry the syrup off the pieces of stem ginger on kitchen paper, then chop finely.
2. Pour the milk into a large, heavy-based saucepan and add the chocolate, butter, and sugar.
3. Heat gently, stirring all the time, until the chocolate and butter have melted, and the sugar has completely dissolved.
4. Bring to a boil and boil for about 10–15 minutes stirring occasionally, until a little of the mixture, when dropped into a small bowl of cold water, forms a soft ball when rolled between the fingers.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the chopped ginger. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon, until thick, creamy, and grainy.
6. Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared dish, leave it to cool, and then mark it into small squares. Leave the fudge until cold and set, then cut up the squares with a sharp knife.

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

• 175g milk chocolate, chopped
• 3 tbsp butter, unsalted
• 4 tbsp icing sugar
• 50g ground almonds (optional)
• 50g grated chocolate (any kind)

Method

1. Melt the milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water.
2. Add the butter and stir until melted. Stir in icing sugar and ground almonds (optional).
3. Leave the mixture in a cool place until firm enough to roll into balls. Place the grated chocolate on a plate and roll the truffles in the chocolate to coat them thoroughly.
4. Place the truffles in mini muffin cups and chill in the refrigerator.

These recipes are courstey of Capiscum culinary studio