Chocolate Valentino & Almond Marble Ice Cream

A February's Daring Baker Challenge

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad - Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

The flourless chocolate cake, the Chocolate Valentino, is inspired by Malaysia's "most flamboyant food ambassador," Chef Wan, and comes from his book, "Sweet Treats."

This cake is the perfect foil for your favorite chocolate. I made one version of this cake with Green & Black's 70% dark chocolate and another with their milk chocolate. (The mini heart cake in the picture is made from milk chocolate.) In my family, the adults liked the dark chocolate and the kids liked the milk chocolate version better. This was a wonderful cake recipe and with two growing preteens in our house it didn't last very long.

I used Wendy's Philidelphia Style Ice Cream recipe to make the Almond Marble Ice Cream. After scooping it out in the glasses, I drizzled a chocolate glaze over the ice cream. As you can imagine, our kids liked the plain vanilla ice cream the best. While my husband and I preferred the almond marble. It was so very yummy.

Recipe

Chocolate Valentino Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Half Recipe is first/Whole Recipe is second

8 oz/16 oz (454 grams) milk or semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1/4 cup + 1 Tb/1 stick + 2 Tb (146 grams) unsalted butter, softened

3/5 large eggs, separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter and flour your pan, if using a cake pan line the bottom with parchment paper. For a half recipe, I used a Wilton silicone mini heart pan with 12 cakes.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over whip or the cake will be dry).

5. With the same beater, beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocoalte mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.

8. Pour batter into the prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C.

9. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until and instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. (If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.)

10. Cool cake on rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Wendy's Ice Cream Recipe (Philadelphia Style)

Chocolate Almond Swirl

Prep time: 5 minutes

2 cups (473 ml) lowfat milk or half & half

1 cup (237 ml) half & half or heavy cream

2/3 cup (128 grams) sugar

Dash salt

1 Tb (12 grams) vanilla cognac

2 oz milk chocolate with almonds, melted

1. Mix all the ingredients together then pour into a sauce pan. Heat on low until the sugar and dissolved, then pour back into the bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.

2. Then mix in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Drizzle the melted chocolate through the ice cream. Place in the freezer until firm, then serve.