Chocolate Brownie Torte With White Chocolate Mousse And Caramelized Bananas Recipes

Steps:

• Butter and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.
• In a pan over low heat, melt 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup light corn syrup.
• Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips until melted.
• Remove from heat and add sugar and eggs, and stir until blended.
• Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla , flour, and nuts.
• Pour into pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until center springs back when touched.
• Cool in pan 10 minutes. Then place on a cooling rack.
• To Make Glaze: Combine chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter or margarine and corn syrup in pan. Stir over low heat till chocolate chips are melted. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.
• Frost tops and sides of torte. Chill until set. Garnish with sliced strawberries.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9-inch springform pan with shortening or cooking spray. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, water and egg until smooth. Stir in 1 bag of the chocolate chunks. Pour batter into pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans and toffee bits over batter; press in lightly.
• Bake 27 to 32 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Run sharp knife around side of pan to loosen brownie layer.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave 1 cup of the remaining chocolate chunks uncovered on High 1 minute; stir until smooth. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat melted chocolate into cream cheese mixture.
• Reserve 1/4 cup of the whipping cream. In chilled large bowl, beat remaining whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold chocolate-cream cheese mixture into whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse over brownie layer, smoothing top. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until mousse is set.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chunks uncovered on High 1 minute; stir until smooth. Stir in reserved 1/4 cup whipping cream until smooth. Run thin, flexible spatula around side of pan to loosen torte; remove side of pan. Spoon warm chocolate mixture over top of mousse, allowing some to drizzle down sides. Smooth top of torte with thin, flexible spatula. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until serving.
• Just before serving, gently place 4-inch snowflake stencil on torte. Using fine wire-mesh strainer, sift additional powdered sugar over stencil. Carefully lift stencil from torte; repeat for additional snowflakes.

Steps:

• To make the sour cream cake: butter and flour an 8 or 9 inch cake pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg yolks and the vanilla. In a measuring jug, whisk the sour cream and the milk together until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and the sour cream mixture alternately to the creamed butter mixture, ending with the milk mixture. Fold in the egg whites, then pour into the prepared pan. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold onto a plate and continue cooling to room temperature. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to finish the cake.
• To make the almond praline: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and the water over low heat. Stir together until the sugar has melted, then increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat. In a mixing bowl, combine the sliced almonds with the sugar syrup and toss until well coated. With a slotted spoon, transfer the nuts to a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let the nuts cool and break them apart. The nuts should remain whole but be coated with a sugary golden coating.
• To make the chocolate mousse: chill a bowl and the beaters of an electric mixer in the freezer for 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a double boiler, melt the chocolates over simmering water and stir in the cinnamon. In the frozen mixing bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks (do not over beat). Remove the double boiler insert holding the melted chocolate from the pan. With a rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of the whipped cream into the chocolate. Fold the remaining cold cream into the chocolate mixture, 1/4 at a time, mixing it as little as possible just to get it all incorporated.
• When ready to assemble the torte, cut the sour cream cake in half horizontally with a long sharp knife. Place 1 layer of the cake on a serving plate and spread a thick layer of mousse on top of it. Sandwich the second layer over the top and spread a mounded layer of mouse over the top. Spread a layer of mousse around the edges, covering the cake completely. Gently press the sugared almonds into the mousse evenly around the edges of the cake. Using a very sharp vegetable peeler, shave long thick curls of chocolate over the top of the cake and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Prepare brownies according to box, however pour the mix into two round 8 by 8 cake pans. Make sure you grease the pans, and bake according to box. (Use the time that is on the box for the 8 by 8 pans) The mix isn't supposed to fill the pans completely, just about halfway.
• After taking out the brownies, and letting them cool completely, you can start the whipped filling. Begin by setting a large bowl and the beaters into your freezer for a couple of minutes.
• Pour heavy cream into the chilled bowl and beat on high untill it begins to thicken.
• Add the sugar, the vanilla, and the peppermint extract if desired. Beat the mixture untll, light and fluffy, and resembles whipped cream.
• Remove one brownie from pan, and set on a platter. Thickly cover it with whipped filling, then but the other brownie on top, cover that one too.
• Decorate top with shavened chocolate or mint leaves.
• ENJOY!