CHOCOLATE SCRUB RECIPES

Steps:

• For the dough, stir flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add eggs, yolk, milk, and vanilla using the dough hook. Mix on low speed until mixture comes together, scraping down the bowl and hook as needed. On low speed, add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Increase speed to medium and knead with the dough hook for about 10 minutes. The dough should have pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning the dough, so it is evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove dough from refrigerator while preparing for the filling and baking. Butter two 8 1/2 to 9-inch loaf pans. Line pans with parchment paper, cutting to fit with some overhang on both the long and short sides. Butter the bottom piece of parchment so that the top piece sticks. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place butter, sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and beat until combined. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll one dough half into a rectangle about 10 x 12-14 inches. The 10-inch side should be the closest to you. Spread half of the filling over the rolled dough. Sprinkle with half of the chopped chocolate. Starting with the end closest to you, roll the dough fairly tightly. Place seam side down on the cookie sheet. Repeat with reaming dough and filling. Place the cookie sheet with the two rolls in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove the rolled dough from the freezer; trim the ends if they are uneven. Working one roll at a time, use kitchen shears to cut lengthwise down the center. Twist each roll, then braid the two pieces together, pinching the ends and place in one of the prepared pans. Repeat with the second roll. Don’t worry if the dough looks uneven in the pan. Cover the pans with buttered plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours. During the last 20 minutes of rising, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Make the sugar syrup by combining the sugar and water in a pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Let the mixture boil for a minute or two, then remove from heat to cool. Once the rising time is finished, bake the breads in the oven for 40–50 minutes, or until 190ºF. Place on a wire rack and poke the breads several times with a long skewer. (Use the thermometer in a pinch.) Pour the cooled syrup over the babkas 1/4 cup at a time, dividing the syrup evenly. Let the babkas cool in the pans for about 40 minutes, then using the parchment to lift out of the pans. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap cooled loaves in foil and store on the counter. Babkas may be wrapped well and frozen.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Grease and line two 20cm/8in loose-based sandwich tins with baking paper.
• Mix 50g/1¾oz of the cocoa powder with the just-boiled water to make a smooth, thick paste. Stir in 2 tablespoons orange juice.
• In a food processor or freestanding mixer, add the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, remaining cocoa powder, orange zest and the cocoa paste and pulse or beat until well combined, thick and creamy. Do not over-blend or the cake will be tough rather than light. Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared tins and smooth the surface. Bake on the same shelf in the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until well risen and just beginning to shrink back from the sides of the tin.
• Remove the tins from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack. Peel off the baking paper and leave to cool completely.
• To make the candied orange zest, use a vegetable peeler to peel long, wide strips off the half orange, avoiding the white pith. Cut the zest into long thin matchsticks and place in a small saucepan with the sugar and 50ml/2fl oz water. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the zest is softened and the sugar syrup is well reduced and lightly coating the zest.
• Line a small tray or plate with baking paper and use a fork to lift the orange zest from the syrup and drop onto the paper, keeping the strands separated. Leave to set for at least 1 hour before using to top the cake.
• To make the chocolate icing, gently heat the cream in a medium non-stick saucepan until hot but not quite simmering, stirring occasionally, then pour over the chocolate pieces. Stir once and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Stir the melted chocolate into the cream just enough to combine – don’t over-stir or the mixture could become oily. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
• Place one of the sponges on a wire rack over a large plate or tray (to catch any excess icing so it can be reused). Spread a quarter of the chocolate icing thickly over the surface and top with the second sponge. Mix a tablespoon of the milk with another quarter of the chocolate icing (about 135g/5oz) in a small bowl until smooth. Using a palette knife, spread the whole cake thinly with the thinned chocolate icing, filling in the areas where the two cakes meet. Place in the fridge for about 40 minutes to set. (This layer will help the rest of the icing cover the cake more smoothly and doesn’t need to be perfectly neat.)
• Once the first layer of icing has set, stir the remaining 2 tbsp milk into the remaining chocolate icing, until smooth and shiny. Spread the icing all over the top of the cake and down the sides as smoothly as possible using a palette knife. Leave for 2–3 hours to set and then carefully transfer to a cake stand or plate and top with the candied orange zest. (You can also leave it to cool a little and then create a swirly rather than a smooth topping on the cake.)