Chocolate Crepes

We have definitely not met our chocolate quota for the month.  In fact, it’s been about two months since our last chocolate recipe was posted.  Well, I am going to rectify that with this simple but amazingly luscious dessert.  Chocolate crepes filled with even more chocolate and strawberries.  They really are every bit as delicious as they sound. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 egg
• ⅔ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup flour
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Strawberries
• Cocoa almond spread

In a mixing bowl, sift together your flour and cocoa.

It’s really important to always sift your cocoa, or you’ll end up with these lumps in your finished dessert, and that’s not fabulous.  Just push them through the sieve with a spoon or even your fingers.

Add your sugar and salt to the bowl.

Then mix everything together and set it aside.

In another vessel combine your milk, egg, and vanilla.  (Ignore the extra egg in the ingredients picture.  There's only one in this recipe) I like to just measure the milk and add the egg and vanilla to the measuring cup. 

Whisk until it becomes foamy.  I like to use a handheld mixer because I’m lazy, but you could just use a whisk if you prefer. 

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until it is smooth.

I like to pour the whole thing back into my (quickly rinsed) measuring cup.  It makes for easy pouring into your pan. 

Now before you start cooking your crepes, you need to prep the filling ingredients.  Wash, hull, and slice some strawberries.  Figure 2 – 3 berries per crepe. 

For the chocolate filling, I used Trader Joe’s Cocoa Almond Spread.  If you have a Trader Joe’s within a two hour drive, it’s well worth the trip.  If not, have a friend ship you some… or if you really can’t get it, I suppose you could substitute Nutella. 

Now it’s time to make the crepes.  Place your pan over medium heat and put a little butter on a paper towel. 

Spread the butter over the pan leaving just a trace across the whole surface. 

Pour a small amount of batter (maybe ¼ depending on the size of your pan) into the pan and tilt it in slow circles, allowing the batter to run to the edges.  You want it to be a very thin layer.

Seeley has some good pictures of this process in her crepes post.  When it looks just about dry on top, carefully lift one edge with a spatula, then give it a few seconds to cool slightly and just grab it with your fingers and peel it up and flip it over. 

Technically you don’t have to flip it.  It’s really already cooked all the way through, but I like to do it for good measure.  Seeley also showed how to keep the crepes warm in the oven while you cook the rest of them.  I’m going to just right to the filling.  Spread a thin layer of the cocoa almond spread over half of the crepe. 

Lay your strawberry slices over that, leaving a gap in the middle where it’s going to fold. 

Fold the top down.

And fold the whole thing in half. 

Sprinkle with a generous amount of powdered sugar and enjoy.  The delicate chew of the crepe filled with rich luscious chocolate and fresh berries is simply to die for. 

What’s your favorite Trader Joe’s product?

 
*This post was not brought to you by Trader Joe’s, I’m just slightly in love with many of their products. I have to admit, though, I am slightly peeved that I lived in Utah for 30 years, and now that I’ve left, they’re finally opening a store there. 

Inspiration

and a bit of nothing in the house for breakfast.

I have long been a fan of spice cakes, and Taneasha's post (with lovely guest Elise Logan) totally reminded me of that. I also had no cereal or bread in the house this weekend. And grocery shopping on an empty (but caffeinated, always have coffee in the house) stomach is not a good idea. So, before I ventured forth to restock my pantry I needed some breakfast.

Cake!

What? If I'd made it in muffin tins, no one would even blink. But because I put it in a square pan and call it cake, it's no longer appropriate for breakfast?

Breakfast Cake

What you need:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 c melted butter
• 1 orange
• 1/2 c sugar (or honey, totally doing it with honey next time)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 c flour
• 1 c almond flour (aka finely ground almonds)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp allspice

 

What you gotta do:

I suppose I should admit here that I was totally winging it with this one. Granted, I had recently bought some almond flour and had been researching recipes, but still, flying by the seat of my pyjamas on this one....

I did remember to preheat the oven to 350.

And to use some of the melted butter to butter an 8x8 square pan, and then also to butter the parchment that I lined the pan with. Didn't remember to take a pic to prove it though, so you'll just have to trust me. Trust me.

In a medium bowl, beat all 3 eggs with a fork. (Oh, um, I hadn't washed dishes either, so I was working with the bare minimum of tools). Beat in the melted butter and the sugar. And then add the zest from your orange. Yes, the whole orange.

In another bowl, combine the flours, spices, and salts (sodium bicarbonate is chemically a "salt").

At the last minute add the vanilla that you forgot to put in the ingredients pic to the egg bowl. Yes, there is yogurt in the pic, and no, I didn't use it. Changed my mind.

Now, dump the dry into the wet and mix with a fork.

And then dump it all into the pan.

I sprinkled mine liberally with cinnamon sugar. Perhaps a little too liberally...

I'm not convinced that an excess of cinnamon sugar is a bad thing, mind you.

Bake for 20 minutes.

When I poked it with a toothpick after 20 minutes, it was definitely done. But then the middle fell...

I'm not sure another 3-4 minutes would have made the difference in keeping the middle up though, because with only 1/2 cup of wheat flour, I was concerned about leavening anyway.

The batter definitely rose (likely mostly thanks to the eggs), but the lack of gluten may have made the structure a little flimsy at the points where it needed the most help.

Muffins might have been a better idea after all.

Sure tasted damn good. Amazingly moist too. Definitely need to try this one again.

Yay cake for breakfast!

What's your favourite questionable breakfast?