Bittersweet Chocolate Cappuccino Bars Recipes

CAPPUCCINO POUND CAKE WITH BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Whisk the flour and baking soda together until blended.
• In a large bowl, mash the butter, cream cheese, white sugar and brown sugar with a spoon until the mixture is creamy and thoroughly combined. Beat in 1 egg at a time, mixing it in completely before adding the next one. Stir the vanilla extract with the instant espresso powder in a small bowl, and add it to the butter mixture. Stir in until well combined.
• Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture in 1/2-cup quantities until the flour has been thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the chopped dark chocolate. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Start checking for doneness after about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cake dish and allow to finish cooling. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Place double boiler (or a makeshift version) over medium heat and bring water to a simmer. Put sugar, cream, chocolate and butter in top part of double boiler. Let simmer, without stirring, for about 15 minutes, until cream is hot, sugar is dissolved and chocolate has completely melted.
• Add Grand Marnier and whisk until glossy and smooth, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and keep warm. Sauce may be refrigerated for later use, but cool completely first, then reheat in a double boiler.

CAPPUCCINO BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray; lightly flour.
• In medium bowl, stir bar ingredients with spoon until well blended. Spread in pan.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over warm bars. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm or cool.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan.
• Place a large heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Put the butter and chocolate in the bowl, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts. Take the bowl off the heat and set aside.
• First, whisk the sugar into the chocolate mixture, then whisk in the eggs, coffee, and salt, whisking until the mixture is combined and smooth. Sprinkle on the flour and fold it in with a rubber spatula until it's incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it on a sheet pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (see Cook's Note), until the top puffs up and cracks and the cake doesn't wobble when you jiggle the pan. (A toothpick will not come out clean.) Remove from the oven and cool completely on a baking rack. The cake will deflate as it cools. Run a small knife around the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Cut the cake in wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with sweetened whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or crème fraîche.

CAPPUCCINO BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.
• Make brownie layer:
• In a heavy 1 1/2-quart saucepan melt chocolate and butter with espresso mixture over low heat, stirring, until smooth and remove pan from heat. Cool mixture to lukewarm and whisk in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well until mixture is glossy and smooth. Stir in flour and salt until just combined and stir in walnuts.
• Spread batter evenly in pan and bake in middle of oven 22 to 25 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. Cool brownie layer completely in pan on a rack.
• Make cream cheese frosting:
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and beat until combined well. Spread frosting evenly over brownie layer. Chill brownies 1 hour, or until frosting is firm.
• Make glaze:
• In a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate and butter with cream and espresso mixture, stirring, until smooth, and remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat. Cool glaze to room temperature.
• Spread glaze carefully over frosting. Chill brownies, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.
• Cut chilled brownies into 24 squares and remove them from pan while still cold. Serve brownies cold or at room temperature. Brownies keep, covered and chilled, in one layer, 5 days.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE TART WITH COFFEE MASCARPONE CREAM

Steps:

• MAKE THE TART SHELL: In a food processor, pulse the flour with the confectioners' sugar and salt.
• Add the butter and egg yolk and process until a soft, crumbly dough forms.
• Transfer the dough to a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
• Pat the dough over the bottom and up the side of the pan in an even layer.
• Refrigerate until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F; line the tart shell with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans.
• Bake the shell for 30 minutes, or until golden around the edge and dry in the center.
• Remove the parchment and weights and cover the rim with foil. Continue to bake the shell for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a rack; let cool.
• MAKE THE FILLING: In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the milk over moderate heat until small bubbles appear around the edges.
• Off the heat, add the chocolate and let stand for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth.
• Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Whisk in the egg; the mixture will thicken slightly.
• Set the tart shell on a baking sheet and fill it with the chocolate custard.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until set around the edges, but still very jiggly in the center.
• Transfer the tart to a rack to cool, then refrigerate until chilled.
• MAKE THE TOPPING: In a very small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the coffee extract and cook over low heat just until the gelatin melts; let cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, beat the cream, mascarpone and sugar with an electric mixer until firm peaks form.
• At low speed, scrape the gelatin into the bowl and beat to combine.
• Dollop the cream onto the tart and swirl decoratively.
• Sift the cocoa over the cream.
• Refrigerate the tart until firm before serving.
• NOTES If coffee extract is unavailable dissolve 1 1/2 teaspoons of espresso powder in 1 1/2 teaspoons of water.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Finely chop chocolate; reserve. In a double boiler, whisk yolks, sugar, and salt until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, quickly whisk in chopped chocolate until melted and cocoa until smooth (mixture will be thick). Cool to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Whisk half of whipped cream into room-temperature chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream with a rubber spatula. Divide mousse among four serving dishes. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Remove mousse from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with shaved chocolate.

CAPPUCCINO COOKIE BAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven and place chocolate bars over the top in a single layer. Let stand until chocolate is soft enough to spread. Spread the chocolate out smooth and sprinkle with walnuts and ground coffee. Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting into squares.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CAPPUCCINO BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Grease 13x9-inch pan.
• In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Slowly add sugar; beat until fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add cappuccino and vanilla; beat until well-blended.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture; mix just until combined.
• Stir in chocolate. Spoon and spread batter in pan.
• Bake for 20-25 min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached.
• Cool 20 min and cut into bars.