February 4th
2009
How often do you come across highly addictive recipes? Recipes that make EVERYONE lick their fingers, rave and ask for a detailed step by step recipe after the very first bite? Doesn’t happen that often, does it? So here is the find of the year, wait don’t scream, I know, I know the year has just started, but when I was visiting my friend Hande’s blog and discovered her latest sweet creation, which she very aptly named Wedges of Decadence, I just felt the potential right then and there. “Decadence” certainly is a strong word, but sounds like the understatement of the century in context of this sweet sin, which holds the power to convert even the most persistent chocolate and caramel haters into the opposite. So better be warned, we’re talking serious business! You may need a license to bake!
Meanwhile Hande’s original recipe has been adapted not only to fit my standard cake form (~26 cm/ ~10 inch in diameter), but also to my preferences, which means a softer crust, less spices and even more chocolate (hopefully Hande won’t abandon our friendship for doing so).
My friends and neighbors had the chance to sample both versions and the outcome was round about 50:50, some preferred Hande’s slightly chewier, spicier original, some opted for my adaptation (which needs to be served straight from the fridge, at least if you ask me). Whatever your choice will be, you won’t regret it (maybe your hips will, but who listens to them anyway…).
On a side note: The silver spoon you see on the very first picture is a lovely gift from a Viennese reader of my book. She saw the picture on page no.2 with all the silver cutlery and sent me this one, an old collectible from her mother, as a surprise. Thank you so much!
Preheat the oven to 180°C (~355°F) and prepare the form (~26 cm/ ~10 inch in diameter): I usually cover the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper before I pull the ring around the bottom. Then I tear off any overlapping paper.
Mix together all ingredients for the crust except the water/creme fraiche. You can do this either by hand/with a pastry cutter or in a food processor on pulse function. You are aiming for a very crumbly dough, that doesn’t hold together very well. If the outcome is too dry, add a tbsp water or creme fraiche. Put the dough crumbs into the prepared baking form and gently press down to form an even bottom – no rim needed! Bake on middle level for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden around the edge. Take out of the oven and put aside. Keep the oven temperature at 180°C (~355°F).
Prepare the filling while the crust bakes: Put all ingredients for the filling into a medium saucepan, except the orange and nuts. Stir and bring to a boil. Wash the orange under hot water and pat dry, then use a fine grater to zest the orange. I find the aroma can be quite overpowering, therefor I use it very cautiously and add only little amounts at a time until I’m happy with the taste. Let the mixture simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and don’t forget to stir from time to time. Meanwhile coarsely chop the nuts. (Hande suggests toasting them in advance, which I often skip simply because of laziness, but this step can further increase flavor and crunchiness!)
Now cover an oven tray with another sheet of parchment paper and put the baking form with the prebaked crust onto it (this avoids a messy oven in case your baking form isn’t leak-proof – like mine). Distribute the chopped nuts in an even layer over the crust, then carefully pour the hot cream mixture over the nuts. Put the tray back into the oven at middle or 2nd from bottom level and bake for 25 minutes. The mixture will firm and gain a nice golden brown color. Take out.
Sprinkle with the chopped chocolate immediately after releasing it from the oven. 5 minutes later you can easily distribute the melted chocolate and create an even layer of chocolate coating with the back of a spoon. Run a knife around the pie and let cool off completely before releasing from the form (the baking form may look pretty used and have sticky residues, but nothing an extensive bath in a hot sink can’t solve). Tightly cover in foil and keep in the fridge, where it keeps up to a week. Cut into small cubes this goes perfectly well with a cup of tea or coffee. Consume in small doses only ;)
Decadence in cubes
Recipe source: adaptation of Hande's recipe
Required time: prep. ~20 min., baking ~45 min.
.
Ingredients:
.
crust:
parchment paper
160g all-purpose flour
100g brown sugar
100g very cold butter
1 generous pinch of salt
optional: 1 tbsp cold water (or creme fraiche)
.
filling:
250g heavy cream
75g brown sugar
75g white sugar
2 tbsp honey
25g butter
2-3 tbsp walnut liqueur (or cognac)
1/2 to 1 tsp fine sea salt
1 organic orange
100g walnuts
100g pecan nuts
.
topping:
150g dark chocolate (or one half dark, one half milk chocolate), chopped
OMG, that looks mighty scrumptious! A gorgeous treat!
Cheers,
Rosa
Oh my! Those little morsels look dangerously good. Interesting that they recipes use pecans and walnuts. You don't see that combo often.
Well, I almost abandoned our friendship, but then I read the words "more chocolate" and all was well again ;-) The world will be a better place with this decadence! And yes, they are decadent - but I have to give the whole naming credit to Jenifer, one of the guests during said thanksgiving dinner.
Oh my goddess! How exquisite do these look and sound? What a beautiful job you have done!!
I am always afraid of ruining caramel, but this sounds like I could actually do it! I will attempt it this weekend. How do you know when the cream mixture is ready?
Cheers,
~Paula
This looks insane, I'd love to taste that.
good Heavens, I must try that!
cheers,
*heather*
Love the combination of walnuts and pecans, I think it brings out the best of both nuts. Do you think I can substitute honey with maple syrup?
That does sound quite decadent. A perfect calorie booster for the cold weather:-)
Well I will never complain at decadence, whether served in a wedge or a cube. I'm sure it's delicious - just decadent!
So perfect! I'm having a Valentine's dinner party and I think these may just have to be our dessert.
I just checked my pantry and will buy the missing items today. Your post made me do that!
A little cube of decadence and very decadent, indeed. This looks insanely delicious.
I really enjoyed reading your post, I must say your photography is stunning- esp the teal cup with tea, beautiful!
The recipe, this is serious food porn, but the recipe, OH my, finger licking good, eh?
hehe "wink"
These look uttelly delicious! Can I buy your book in Belgium?
only my hips will hate you
A candy with liquor is just dreamy....hello Valentine's Day!
Wow! That sounds like an amazing recipe, its definitely one of the next that I will be doing.
Looks gorgeous. Great Photos!
Oh my. I am so going to try these over the weekend. And like Carlotta said, my hips will hate you!
This looks insanely delicious. You know the saying, a moment in the lips, a lifetime on the hips. But that's why God invented treadmills. I will definitely try this one next time I have guests over for tea (which happens very often) Thanks for sharing.
I don't know where I've been- but I just discovered your blog! Absolutely amazing and a pleasure to read. These cubes sound like the ultimate in decadence and I am definitely going to try them in the very near future. I love the fact that you place the directions for the recipe before you write the ingredients! That just emphasizes how important it is to read through an entire recipe BEFORE you start working. Thanks!!
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decadence is right! chocolate + caramel is practically the definition of decadence. i'm glad i came across your blog and will definitely be stopping by for more great recipes!
And did you know that chocolate contains an impressive amount of magnesium, important for muscles and nerves, bones and teeth!
Who cares how fattening this is? It looks great alongside a hot drink!
Decadence indeed - that looks amazing!
Oh my goodness - it's a good thing I've already abandoned my New Year's resolutions! These look amazing and will be a great treat for the hubby for Valentine's Day!
love the first photo with that silver teaspoon. so nice of a reader to send you that. the nuts as toppings made me think of what we have in the Philippines, particularly from Bicol--pili nuts. will probably work well in Hande's recipe too.
Ommmmhhh! Nur so kann ich eventuell widerstehen. Ich muss auf eine andere geistige Ebene gelangen und den irdischen Genüssen abschwören... Nee, das war Blödsinn. Rezept ist gespeichert und ich werde wahrscheinlich bis zur Erprobung jede Nacht davon träumen. Zu schön!
The last sentence of the recipe must be a joke. (Or a warning having suffered the consequences of overeating those cubes.)
Today, I made these delicious cubes - they reminded me a little bit of "Engadiner Nusstorte", one of my favorite treats.
Thanks for the idea. I can use this as my Valentine's cake.. Everyone will like this for sure :D
I made them last weekend, and I really had to stop myself from eating all the caramel before it could even touch the nuts...and even a friend of mine, who´s on a strange kind of low-carb-diet, couldnt´t stop herself. Gorgeous!
How soon can I make these? Now. How many people do I have to share them with? Zero.
I love cakes, I love cookies, I love sweets, I love desserts - and I love your "decadence in cubes" (what a wonderful name by the way...)!
Do you think almonds or hazelnuts would work as well? Because they are my husbands favorite nuts it would be a great surprise for Valentine's day.
Those look completely dangerous and insanely good. That's an awesome combination!
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habe die leckeren kleinen würfeln am sonntag gemacht und am montag mit zur arbeit genommen. ohne, dass ich den namen erwähnt hätte, meinte eine kollegin "also die sind ja wirklich dekadent" da konnte ich mir ein fettes grinsen nicht verkneifen. danke für das rezept!
Decadent is right!! This looks amazing. And I have a huge thing for photos of chopped chocolate (weird? I can't help it!).
I am unsure if I could restrain myself enough to divide this sweet delight into tiny cubes. I may end up with "Decadence in 12-inch Wheels" on a dinner plate with my cup of tea off to the side... They look that delicious. Thank you for sharing. :-)
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Sieht fantastisch aus und hört sich auch so an!
Nachdem ich letzte Woche den Schokoladekuchen gebacken habe und dieser auf riesige Begeisterung gestossen ist, werde ich dieses Rezept wohl auch bald mal probieren!
Aber was ist heavy cream auf Deutsch? Weder Leo noch mein Wörterbuch helfen weiter... Bei uns in der Schweiz gibts was, das heisst Doppelrahm, ich denke ich versuchs mal mit dem... Oder muss ich was anderes verwenden?
Lovely for valentines day - today.
these look delicious!
Cant stop licking my fingers after mixing the sweet ingredients...am addicted already...
Mmmm.... my husband is going to love this. I may get in trouble for baking it!
Very nice photography and the dessert certainly got my attention. Is it anything like a fudge? I think both versions look incredible. Great job ladies!
These are beautiful! And the photographs are exquisite. Thanks for the recipe. I can't help but be reminded of my own sinful recipe here ... bigger versions of your cute little cubes :-) http://www.gelskitchen.com/blog/?p=105
I've just discovered your blog off this -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/article5561425.ece -
great blog.
Oh wow. Just wow. Found you on the Times list of best food blogs. Fantastic stuff.
Thanks for the post...it came right when I needed ideas for a birthday gift. I don't have walnut liqueur or cognac around, but maybe port will work...
That will definitely be on next week's naughty menu....once I stop hiding from Karneval and can go shopping again!
All the main ingredients for life are in this decadent and seemingly irresistible recipe. Your photography is professional.. Cheers -
I made them last night and let them cool overnight on the porch. They were very easy to cut. The method of putting the chopped chocolate on right when the pan comes out of the oven is genius. I usually don't have problems eating in quantities, but this is so decadent that it demands to be cut up into tiny cubes. Didn't have the cognac, so I used a nice 7-year rum instead. It was a perfect substitute. Mine did turn out a bit darker than the picture. I used American light brown sugar - is the "brown sugar" in Germany different? In any case, thank you for the lovely recipe.
Made these on Friday: they were very, very yummy!
I combined almonds, hazelnuts and pecans 'cause that's what I had at hand and they were just fine.
And then, of course I had to try them when they were barely cooled down - good. I tried another piece after a night in the fridge - very good. I ate all the rest after a full day for them in the fridge: awesome. It does pay off to wait.
And like Susanne's, mine turned out darker than yours, too. Will cut the baking time a bit next time.
Thanks for the great recipe!
These look so perfect! A wonderful sweet treat for tea time!
I've made that delicacy yesterday for a brunch with my girl friends. As I wanted it to look pretty I had to cut quite a lot around the edges. Can you give me the measurements for a square tin?
Everyone LOVED it and the girls took the left overs home beamingly!
Sounds like a wonderful treat! I don't think I can settle for just 1 or 2 cubes of these!
que terrible, no creo que me pueda resistir, se ve demasiado bueno!!!
:P
My...these look wonderful. What's a better combo than chocolate and caramel? (Maybe chocolate and peanut butter?) Thank you!
yummi - lecker - lebensrettend! Danke
I don't think I've wanted to make something as urgently as I want to make these. They look incredible! Thank you and your friend!
ich habe es getan!
Und es war köstlich.......
Alle lieben diese kleinen Teilchen
I would like some :)!!! Looks so delicious!!
PODRIAN MANDARME EN ESPAÑOL LA PREPARACION DE LA RECETA :DECADENCE IN CUBES.....por las foto me gusto y quisiera hacerla,los ingredientes los entiendo ,lo demas no......desde ya gracias....soy chilena
That looks amazing! I love my coffee no sugar, little bit of milk and something sweet... This would be perfect! Than you for sharing :)
Margot
Is it possible to substitute the walnut liqueur for something non-alcoholic?
EDIT Nicky: I'd give marple syrup a shot...
I really enjoyed this post- now i will try to get my guy - who cooks quite well...to make me these. Just LOVELY! So is your blog!
Jen Ramos
Thanks Nicky will give that a try!
POR FAVOR...SOY UNA CHILENA QUE NECESITA ESTA RECETA EN ESPAÑOL....mi correo es silviagmj@hotmail.com....gracias
I saved this recipe quite some time ago but never quite got around to trying it ... until the weekend before last. Since then, I think it actually did send a couple of people to heaven, one of them being my dad, who doesn't even have that much of a sweet tooth.
The last batch I made with buckwheath flour for someone with a gluten allergy. It turned out a lot moister than the regular version but it the taste didn't suffer.
Also, I always substitute a little less than half of the cream with milk. Works as well!
Fantastic recipe!
Es ist die grausame Wahrheit, dass eine neue Diät ansteht. Später. Ich kann nichts dafür. Ich kann nämlich nicht mehr aufhören:
http://schnuppschnuess.typepad.com/manzfred/2009/06/nachgemacht-dekadenz-in-w%C3%BCrfeln.html
I love this sinful dessert(is it a dessert?), my friends love it, my mom and my sister urges me to make it again... But I have trouble cutting it into a perfect un-cracked squares, the chocolate coating almost always cracked... how to slice this decadence into a perfect squares, there's should be some kind of secret technique
(I'm an amateur in the kitchen)
Is there any way someone could convert the metric for me?
I especially loved the last sentence of Hande's post when I read it: Go to heaven.
And that's exacltly where you are taking us! Gorgeous, a must try, no question about it.