It doesn't have to be Easter to eat chocolate, we all know that, but Easter is probably the time when the most chocolate is consumed, so this seemed a good time to put all my family's favourite chocolate recipes together in one place. I seem to have become the pudding chef by default in my kitchen as most of my family like to cook and do it extremely well, but they always ask me to produce something sweet, usually for a large number of people.
I've written about all of these chocolate recipes before, so I'm linking through to each one, with a little bit about each.
Delia Smith's chocolate mousse - pictured above - this is most probably the quickest and easiest of the lot (although none of them are difficult. I find mine always has lumps of chocolate in it which my grown up kids now insist on, if it's too smooth it isn't right. Make tons of it, it'll keep in the fridge for a while and you can be sure it'll all go.
The Best Ever Chocolate Brownie Recipe - this is from the BBC's good food website and I've made it many times. It freezes extremely well so you can make a load and keep them for when the need arises. These ones don't have nuts in, which some say chocolate brownie recipes should include, but the white chocolate chunks are absolutely delicious....so I'm told. I serve this, if I'm doing it as a pud, with vanilla ice cream and strawberries. Watch it disappear.
Delia Smith's chocolate truffle cake or torte - this is a wonderful dessert for a dinner party and again it freezes very well. A little goes a long way. It's good with cream as well, which may sound like over egging the pudding....if you know what I mean, but actually isn't. Just don't serve anything other than a thin slice - they can always come back for more.
Finally A recipe literally fit for a Prince - a luxurious chocolate biscuit cake stuffed full of pistachios and soft dried figs. I will say that when I haven't had time to go shopping and have everything other than the nuts and figs I have used a dried fruit mix in place of the figs and walnuts or pecans instead of the pistachios. You think anyone noticed? I seriously don't think so. It's another utterly delicious chocolate desert which everyone will love.
Ingredients for chocolate lovers desserts to always keep on hand
Dark chocolate - I usually have some Bournville and some high quality chocolate such as Green and Blacks.
Milk chocolate - a couple of large bars for decoration and inclusion as necessary
White chocolate - ditto - always keep this on hand
Dark unsweetened cocoa powder - keep a large pot in your cupboard
Golden syrup - a large tin
Butter - both salted and unsalted
Liquid glucose - you can buy tubes of this from larger supermarkets and tubs of liquid glucose from Amazon. I always keep this as sometimes it can be difficult to find.
Amaretti biscuits - get these from larger supermarkets and keep a packet hidden away or they'll be pinched.
Digestive biscuits - for the chocolate biscuit cake
Rum
Double Cream
