HOT CHOCOLATE STIRRING SPOON RECIPES

Steps:

• Set up a double boiler. Fill a 4-quart pot halfway with water and set over medium-high heat. Find a heat proof bowl that fits securely on top of the pot without touching the water.
• Chop and temper the chocolate. If using bars, finely chop 12 ounces semisweet chocolate. Set 1/3 aside (about 4 ounces). Transfer the remaining 2/3 (8 ounces) to the bowl and fit over the double boiler. Melt the chocolate in the double boiler, stirring regularly with a silicone spatula to help with melting and keep it from getting too hot. Keep an eye on the chocolate temperature — it should never get too hot to touch but you can check this using a digital probe thermometer — do not exceed 100° F. Remove the bowl from the double boiler. Add the reserved chocolate in 3 increments, stirring until incorporated and melted after each addition. Continue mixing until the chocolate is between 88 and 91°F. You can check this with a digital probe thermometer or by touch — the chocolate should be about body temperature, so test on the back of your hand or wrist.
• Coat the molds with the tempered chocolate. Drop 1 tablespoon tempered chocolate into each well of 2 (6-count, 2-inch wide) half sphere silicone mold trays. Use a brush to spread the chocolate up the sides and over the edges of the molds by just a bit. Let sit at room temperature until the chocolate is hardened, 5 to 15 minutes. Brush the wells with more tempered chocolate (about 1 teaspoon each) to achieve a thick, even coating. Let sit at room temperature until completely hardened, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Fill half the spheres with cocoa and marshmallows. Place 1 tablespoon hot cocoa mix, 1 heaping tablespoon mini marshmallows, and 1/2 teaspoon sprinkles if desired into each of half of the wells (6).
• Paint or pipe a border of chocolate on the unfilled shells and assemble the bombs. Wearing nitrile or latex gloves, gently release the remaining 6 unfilled shells from their molds, but keep them resting in the well. Use a pastry brush or a small piping bag to coat their edges with tempered chocolate. (If the chocolate has cooled and lost its temper, place it back briefly over the double boiler until warmed back to between 88 and 91°F.) Top each marshmallow-filled shell with a coated, unfilled shell to form a sphere. Let sit at room temperature to harden and set, at least 15 minutes.
• Coat cupcake liners with chocolate. Drop 1 tablespoon tempered chocolate into each of 6 parchment paper cupcake liners. Use a brush to coat the bottom and sides of the liners with the chocolate. Let sit at room temperature until the chocolate is hardenened, 5 to 15 minutes. Brush the liners with more tempered chocolate (about 1 teaspoon each) to achieve a thick, even coating. Let sit at room temperature until the chocolate is completely hardened, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Fill with cocoa and marshmallows. Place 1 tablespoon hot cocoa mix, 1 heaping tablespoon mini marshmallows, and 1/2 teaspoon sprinkles if desired into each liner.
• Close the bombs with more chocolate. Drizzle 1 tablespoon tempered chocolate over the filling in each liner. Use the back of a small spoon to smooth the chocolate over the filling to completely enclose it. Let sit at room temperature until the chocolate is completely hardened, 15 to 30 minutes. (If the chocolate has cooled and lost its temper, place it back briefly over the double boiler until warmed back to between 88 and 91°F.) Wearing nitrile or latex gloves, gently release the chocolate bombs from the liners.
• Drizzle with any remaining chocolate and add sprinkles (optional). Before storing, you can decoratively drizzle the bombs with any remaining chocolate and add sprinkles to garnish if desired. Use gloves when decorating or moving the cocoa bombs to prevent fingerprints.
• Serve the chocolate bombs. Heat 1 cup milk for each hot chocolate bomb gently on the stovetop or in the microwave for about 2 minutes until very hot, almost to a boil. Pour the hot milk into a large mug and gently add the bomb for the most dramatic explosion.

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.)