Maple Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake Recipe - Truly Canadian and Certainly Delicious

This cake is so Canadian that I can almost hear it say 'eh?' every time I take a bite. It is true northern decadence.

Flourless chocolate cake is my favourite kind of cake. Why? One reason: it is like a large chocolate truffle that is just pretending to be a slice of cake. So I make a lot of these decadent cakes for my Ultimately Chocolate clients, here on Manitoulin Island. And in a recent effort to localize some of my products, I have been experimenting with Canadian maple sugar and Canadian sea salt. So I thought I would share one of my most chocolaty recipes here on the blog.  Read on to achieve decadent dark chocolate bliss!

Recipe: Maple Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake with Maple Sugar, Sea Salt & Maple Ganache
(As a bonus: this is a flour-free and gluten-free cake with no refined cane sugar)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 8 ounces 70% dark chocolate (you can use any kind, but I used Camino, the Canadian brand of Organic and Fair Trade chocolate to be both local and environmentally and socially responsible, you need just under 3 100 gram bars)
• 1 cup of unsalted butter (1/2 pound), chopped into cubes
• 1 cup maple sugar crystals (In Canada, Costco sells the Quebec Decacer brand)
• 4 eggs (best at room temperature)
• 1 tsp Sea Salt (I used Vancouver Island Salt Company's 'Canadian Sea Salt')

For the ganache:

• 4 ounces 70% dark chocolate (you can go as low as 50%, but it will taste very sweet)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

For the finishing touches:

• a pinch of chunky sea salt
• two tablespoons of maple syrup

Prep Time: Not much! 20 minutes at first, but only 10 minutes once you do it a few times. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare a 9" round baking pan, preferable springform, with parchment paper. 

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter and 8 ounces of chocolate together in a medium sized stainless steel or glass bowl over a double boiler (if you don't like this method, you can melt on HALF power in the microwave for 1 minute in a glass or plastic bowl, take out, stir, then add 10 seconds at a time until fully melted and smooth, but I find the double boiler method easier).

2. Add the sugar, stir well and let the mixture rest for five minutes.

3. If you do not have a hand mixer, pour the mixer into a stand mixer bowl.  If you do have a hand mixer or immersion blender/mixer, keep your mixture in the same bowl and use the hand mixer to minimize the number of dirty dishes!

4. Add in four eggs, one at a time and mix between each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.  Mix just until it is completely blended. 

5. Add the teaspoon of sea salt.  Mix again for 30 seconds. Stir with spatula.

6.  Pour into a prepared 9" springform baking pan (you can use any baking pan, but reduce cooking time by five minutes if you are using a dark-coloured non-stick baking pan of any kind because the edges may burn).

7. Bake for 30 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F.  When done, turn off oven and leave for 5 minutes (set timer) with door closed.  Take out and carefully rest on counter until the cake cools.  Once cooled, place in fridge until fully chilled (about 2 hours).

8. Once chilled, slice the edges off of the cake with a hot knife (run under hot water and dry it off before slicing) so that the cake has an even top.

9. Place your serving plate upside down on the cake, centre it, and invert the cake onto the pan. Remove the parchment paper and chill in the fridge while your prepare the ganache.

Prepare the Ganache and Top the Cake:

1. Melt together the 4 ounces of chocolate and maple syrup in the microwave for 1 minute and 20 seconds on HALF power (or melt over a double boiler). Stir until completely smooth. Add five second intervals in the microwave if not completely melted, stirring between each interval. Alternately you can melt this together in a bowl over a double boiler. Stir until melted and smooth.

2. Pour ganache over cake.  Using an offset spatula, you can just push the ganache to the edges so you have an even circle of ganache on the cake, or you can push it slightly over the edges so it drips down the side.  If you have a cake turntable for decorating, you can push it over the edges and use an offset spatula to smooth out the sides to get a full coverage (like I have done in the pictures).  You can also create a circular swirling pattern on top by placing your offset spatula in the centre of the cake and working it outwards while slowly turning the cake until you have a smooth circular swirl o top of the cake. Clean the edges of your serving plate with a dampened paper towel to get a clean-looking plate, if need be.

3. Let cool for a few minutes on the counter. Then sprinkle some chunky sea salt on top.

To Serve: slice and drizzle a tsp of maple syrup on top of each slice and on the plate.

To Slice:  For 12 or 16 slices, simply slice your cake in half, then in half again (turn your knife in the opposite direction), so you have four quarters.  For 12 slices, cut each quarter into three slices.  For 16 small-but-decadent slices, cut each quarter in half, then in half again to achieve 16 slices for the entire cake.
For 14 slices, cut the entire cake in half.  Then, starting at one end, carefully cut 7 slices per half of the cake.

Fine Chocolate in Ottawa: Canada's Capital is becoming a capital place for chocolate!

A few weeks ago, I visited Ottawa and toured its chocolate hot spots. The capital city has seen many improvements to its chocolate culture since I moved away five years ago. For instance, as the craft chocolate movement continues to grow in North America, local bean-to-bar chocolate can be found in stores and cafés throughout the city. And fine chocolate is being brought in from all over the world and filling the shelves of cheese shops, fruit markets and a variety of other artisan stores. Ottawa is becoming a great place to be for chocolate connoisseurs!

Below is my `Ottawa Chocolate Tour`, which I have separated into two categories: fine chocolate bars and filled chocolates and chocolate desserts and treats.  So whether you live in Ottawa or are just visiting, this list will help you find chocolate that suits your needs. Enjoy!


Fine Chocolate Bars and Filled Chocolates

JoJo CoCo (Hazeldean Rd., Ottawa's West End)
Ottawa's newest best kept secret for chocolate is JoJo CoCo with a fantastic selection of single origin and blended flavour fine chocolate bars, as well as filled chocolates, caramels, truffles and more. If you need a gift for a chocolate connoisseur or any kind of chocolate lover, this is the place to go.

I picked up some of Canada's newest artisan bean-to-bar brands, including the local Hummingbird Chocolate origin bars, and Wild Sweets, the British Columbia brand of science-based bean-to-bar chocolate, including their limited edition origin bars and a fantastic dark chocolate with caramel, sea salt and hazelnuts.  The esteemed Soma Chocolatemaker from Toronto was also included in the list of bean-to-bar chocolates that I found at JoJo CoCo.  Raw chocolate bars and chocolate truffles also filled the shelves, making it truly a one-stop shop for fine chocolate.


International Cheese store (Byward Market)

I know, I know.  Chocolate in a cheese store?!  But seriously, chocolate and cheese go together and the International Cheese shop has a LOT of chocolate. I picked up chocolate bars from all over the world, including the one of the world's most renowned brands, Valrhona, where I took home one of their Dulcey 'Chocolat Blond' bars (this chocolate has launched a whole new category, different from our standard milk, white and dark). I also picked up a Rochef Dark Chocolate with Salted Caramel 'Tablette', made by a local chocolatier from Quebec and an imported organic 75% Chocolat Stella bar, which was excellent.


La Bottega - Nicastro Fine Food Shop (Byward Market)

They have an interesting selection of chocolaty treats and if you can ever make it to the front of the long line-ups in this store, I saw Venchi chocolate bars and Olivia Chocolat bars near the cash register.

Bridgehead Coffee Houses (The Byward Market, Elgin Street, The Glebe, New Edinburgh, Sparks Street, Westboro, Preston Street and more!)

I remember when Bridgehead only had four or five coffee houses under its name, and now their online list includes 15 locations in Ottawa, including one big roastery on Anderson @ Preston and a café in every great little downtown neighbourhood in Ottawa.  This place rivals Starbucks in so many ways, but has a wonderful Fair Trade and Organic philosophy that makes you feel good about drinking their coffee.  If you are a visitor to Ottawa, you definitely have to check out the local brew of coffee, and while there, you can purchase Camino Organic and Fair Trade Chocolate bars and Olivia Chocolat, a local artisan bean-to-bar chocolate brand from Quebec. You can also buy these chocolates on the Bridgehead website.

The French Baker (Byward Market and The Glebe)
I used to stop by both the Glebe bakery and the Byward market location for a chocolatine (chocolate croissant) because it reminded me of the kind you can find in France.  While there, I'd also pick up some Michel Cluizel chocolate bars, one of the finest brands of chocolate in the world.

Truffle Treasures (Westboro and The Glebe)
One of Ottawa's best spot for buying chocolaty gifts for special occasions, Truffle Treasures has a nice flavour assortment of chocolate truffles. But you can also get bulk Belgian chocolate for baking, dipped fruit, chocolate bars and even raw or solar-roasted cacao. When I worked near the Glebe, I used to stop by on my lunch breaks in winter time for their Aztec Hot Chocolate.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (Byward Market)
If you want something standardized and known for its confections, this place has been in the market for awhile. They have chocolate clusters, bombs, barks, chocolate liquers and even some single origin solid dark chocolates.

Herb and Spice Shop (Bank Street, Downtown Ottawa)
I used to pick up a nice variety of chocolate bars at the Herb and Spice store on Bank Street in Ottawa's downtown, and also at the Westboro location.

The House of Cheese (Byward Market)
Another unlikely way to shop for chocolate, but cheese and chocolate are a great combination to pair with wine, so why not pick up both when planning that wine tasting party that you have always wanted to have? Truffles and imported chocolate make up the selection in this little shop.

Byward Fruit Market
Like the cheese stores, this also seems to be an unlikely location for chocolate. But right in the middle of the beautiful and sometimes exotic fruits and vegetables, you can find a selection of Olivia Chocolat, made in Gatineau by a local bean-to-bar chocolate maker.

Chocolate Desserts and Treats

Play (Byward Market) This 'small plate' restaurant has a Chocolate Paté (with Lemon Chantilly and Almond Cookie), which is the best chocolate pate that I have ever tasted and possibly the best chocolate dessert that I have eaten in a long time. Seriously. The chocolate used to make it was quality and full of flavour.  It was dark and delicious and the texture was like no other dessert that I have tried - like a thick mousse and flourless chocolate cake in one. Hands down, best ever.  If you are a chocolate lover and live in or are visiting Ottawa, you MUST try the chocolate paté at Play (1 York Street in the Byward Market).

Thyme and Again on Wellington (Westboro) serves up two delicious chocolate cakes that I have never forgotten. The Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake has small amounts of `cake`, which is moist and delicious, and an abundance of chocolate hazelnut mousse. Any hazelnut or chocolate fanatic would go crazy for it. The Chocolate Paradise Cake has been a long-time favourite of mine.  It is rich dark chocolate, and is really only for those who can handle some serious amounts of chocolate.  In fact, it is so rich that if you want to get through an entire slice, skip dinner that night!

Oh So Good! I did not have time to visit on this trip, but Oh So Good in the Byward Market has been a long-time favourite of mine for rich, chocolaty desserts, great atmosphere and fantastic beverages.  Check out their facebook page for more information: https://www.facebook.com/OhSoGoodDesserts

The Flour Shoppe is a quaint new cupcake shop that has added some spunk to a corner of the Glebe that always seemed a little quiet to me. I spent many hours walking, roller blading and biking up and down that very section of Bank Street, and had this shop been there several years ago it may have become a daily stop for me! They make a mean Double Chocolate Cupcake; a simple moist cupcake piled high with chocolate buttercream. 

Le Moulin de Provence (The Byward Market)
So much an Ottawa Landmark that even President Obama visited this place on a trip to Canada.  They have a large selection of pastries and desserts that are remarkably similar to the best pastries in France. Although I did not go on this visit, I have been there many, many times.

Ice Cream/Gelato (Elgin and Byward Market)
Pure Gelato on Elgin has some excellent chocolaty flavours that you will not taste anywhere else. For instance, Chocolate Masala has been a flavour favourite of mine for years - you can't go wrong with the flavour of red wine and dark chocolate in one gelato.  Also, chocolate-chocolate chip is good with big chunks of chocolate and they have a few other intense chocolate flavours.  The gelato selection is huge so you can bring your non-chocolate loving friends and they will find something they like.


Other Ottawa Chocolate Shopping Tips:

If you are local to Ottawa and want to support Ottawa businesses, The Camino brand of chocolate was created in Ottawa and its head office, under the name La Siembra Co-Operative, is still located in Ottawa.  Their chocolate bars, hot chocolate and other Fair Trade / Organic chocolate can be found in Bridgehead, Loblaws, Superstore and many health food stores around the capital city and all across Canada.

Hummingbird Chocolate Maker is a local bean-to-bar chocolate maker, with their production facility being located in Carp. In addition to JoJo CoCo, their chocolate bars can be found in many locations throughout Ottawa (see list here), including Brewer Park Farmer's Market on Sundays (Bronson Avenue, near Carleton University). I picked up their mild Venezuelan Patanemo 70% and their bitter and earthy Venezuelan Amazonas 70% bar while in Ottawa and loved them both!


Did I miss anyone?  If you know of a great place to buy chocolate in Ottawa that is not on my list above, feel free to add a Comment below!  I'd love to learn about other places I should try on my next visit to Ottawa.

Dark and milk chocolate-covered treats; the best to buy and recipes to try!

When you crave a snack, do you search all your cupboards and see all sorts of snacks, but suddenly find yourself depressed because none of them are covered in chocolate? 

If that sounds like you, here are some delicious chocolate-covered treats that I recently discovered, as well as some suggestions for making your own chocolate-covered whatchamacallits.

Organic Traditions Dark Chocolate Hazelnuts.  I bought these at a little health food store and they are fantastic.  By no means are these sweet because the chocolate is rich, dark and the hazelnuts are just lightly coated in chocolate and then rolled in cocoa powder.  This was more of a healthy mid-morning snack or possibly a pre-workout pick-me-up that also satisfies your dark chocolate craving.

Starbucks Salted Almond Chocolate Bites.  These are dark-chocolate coated almonds with a hint of saltiness that pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the dark chocolate.  I keep trying to get a photo of these, but on the last three trips to Starbucks (which is not often these days for a rural girl like me), I have eaten the almond package faster than I can get to my camera!


Organic chocolate-covered cacao nibs at Bulk Barn.  I am not sure who the confectioner is for this product, as they were
sold in bulk, but they were bitter & slightly sweet at the same time, with a nice crunchy kick.

Chocolate-covered pieces of Coconut.  Another Bulk Barn treat sold in bins, this snack is also a filler and a healthy alternative to a Mounds bar, if you are a chocolate & coconut fanatic.

An even better chocolate and coconut treat is the Dark Chocolate Covered Macaroon at Manitoulin Chocolate Works in Kagawong, Ontario.  I ate two of these last weekend!  They are light and fluffy and covered in a rich semi-sweet dark chocolate.




When you cannot find chocolate covered treats, do what I do - cover your treats in Chocolate!


Here are some recipes:

Milk Chocolate-Covered Rice Krispie Treats

All you need to do here is find a great milk chocolate (I used Camino's Organic and Fair Trade 41% Milk Chocolate Couverture), melt and temper it, and dip small squares of Rice Krispie in it! Here is the link to the original rice treat recipe.

Chocolate-Covered, Gluten-Free Cornbread: What?!?

This cornbread is yogurt-based and slightly sweet, so it pairs nicely with a milk chocolate.

You need:

• 1 cup rice flour or gluten-free flour mix (can also be made with spelt flour and regular unbleached all-purpose flour, if you are not worried about gluten).
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/4 cup plain yogurt (I have used fat-free, 2% and 3%)
• 1 tbsp. organic cane sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 to 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted

Instructions:
1. Grease a muffin pan with butter.
2. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (230 Celsius).
3. Stir or whisk together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
4.  In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and yogurt.
5. Add the moist ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until mixed.  Add the melted butter and stir a few times.
6. Pour batter into the muffin pan, filling each muffin cup about halfway.
7. Bake for 14 minutes and check.  To check 'doneness', insert a knife into the pan and if it comes out clean it is done. If not done, place back in oven for three minute intervals until they are golden on top and fully cooked.

Dip in chocolate!
These cornbread muffins taste amazing warm, but if you are willing to wait, let each cool on a cooling rack.  Meanwhile, melt and temper about 8 to 12 ounces of milk chocolate. I melt 8 ounces of milk chocolate to 115 degrees (while stirring a LOT!) in the microwave for 2 minutes on half power, or over a double boiler, then, after removing it from the double boiler and drying the bottom of the bowl, I toss in another three or four ounces of the same chocolate and stir until I reach a temperature of 86 degrees.  The chocolate should be in temper at this point. It should be shiny, easy to stir and have no lumps.

Dip the bottom half of each cornbread muffin in the chocolate.  Let some chocolate drip back into the bowl and place right-side-up on a piece of wax paper.  Pour some tempered chocolate into a plastic snack bag and cut a small hole in the corner.  Squeeze the chocolate out of the bag and create lines or a pattern of your choice on top of the cornbread to decorate it.  (If your chocolate has cooled, just rewarm in the microwave for 5 seconds to get it back to the correct temperature).

Since this cornbread tastes best on the day it is made, plan to make these the same day as you serve them. They are healthy, but also have enough of a sweetness to pair nicely with an afternoon cup of tea or an after-dinner decaffeinated coffee or cappuccino.


Here are a few links to other "chocolate-covered" recipes that I have posted on this blog:

Chocolate Poppers and Chocolate-Covered Popcorn
Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Here is another article on a fantastic dark chocolate-covered snack:

Chocolate-covered cacao beans by Camino

Chocolate Cake that Looks Nothing Like Chocolate Cake

Chocolate is my first passion, but making chocolaty cakes that look and taste fantastic is a close second. May was a very busy month for cake orders, so I thought I would share some of the cakes that I have created.

When I was asked to make a Star Wars cake for a boy's 7th birthday party, Darth Vader immediately came to mind as being the coolest, darkest figure that could be created out of cake.  So this was my first attempt at a 3D Darth Vader cake.  The head is made of Rice Krispie treats, molded and covered in black fondant.  The body is a three-layer Moist Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream and Organic/Fair Trade Milk Chocolate Chunks, covered in black fondant.  I used a silver edible cake spray to get the silver accents and the overall glisten and shine on the head and face.  I went with a more current Darth Vader look since the birthday boy is only seven and likely more familiar with the newer look of Darth Vader than the older version. 

So what did I learn from making Darth Vader? Well, although I think he looks great, I would have had slightly cleaner lines over his eyes and made his eyes larger and darker. I also realize that to get a more realistic look on any 3D 'head' figure, I need to learn some woodworking so I can create cake stands with built-in support for the heavy upper-section (Darth Vader had a neck at one point, but the head was threatening to fall over, so I had to remove his neck). But overall, I think it turned out well and my client was pleased.

I made a 'Monster Truck Cake' for a client last week. Using that same trusty old Rice Krispie recipe, I created the insides of the truck and the wheels.  I glued the wheels onto the truck with dark chocolate (did you know that chocolate makes the perfect edible 'glue'?) and covered the truck in orange-flavoured fondant.  The wheels were covered in a vanilla-flavoured black fondant.

The cake itself was a chocolate cake with a chocolate buttercream icing. I only use Organic and Fair Trade chocolate and cocoa powder, unbleached wheat flour, real butter, real vanilla, sour cream and cream.

So what did I learn with this creation?  Rice treats can warp in the middle, so when making a thin truck bed, a lollipop stick is needed to support the full length of the truck.  Luckily, I figured that out before I covered it in fondant.  Another option for supporting the middle of the truck bed would have been to dip the entire rice treat in chocolate. That would have hardened and supported the truck, but a lot of chocolate would have been needed for that!

In mid-May I made a Race Car cake. In this case, the client preferred less fondant, so I decorated this one in a vanilla buttercream, but made the accents, like the cars and race track, out of fondant. The interior of the cake is chocolate (what else?) layered with chocolate buttercream and organic milk chocolate chunks.


I was very happy with the result of this cake.  I am used to attaching fondant decorations to a fondant-covered cake, and recalled that the previous time I had difficulty in getting clean lines on the cake because of the soft buttercream.  This time I figured out that refrigerating the buttercream until it is hard, just prior to attaching fondant decorations, makes working with it a lot easier and clean lines can be accomplished.

Some other cakes that I made this month include a Nautical Theme Cake, a small wedding cake with a cupcake display and several buttercream cakes.  A few examples can be seen here and below.


You can also visit Facebook to see more of the custom cakes that I have done in the past. My business, Ultimately Chocolate, is located on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada.

I am now ramping up for the summer wedding cake season.  It should be fun!






Whipped dark chocolate ganache surrounding a of milk chocolate truffle centre make these chocolate cupcakes ideal for any chocoholic.

And real Vanilla Buttercream on double-chocolate cake tastes fantastic and adds a wedding flair to a cake and cupcake display.

Seedless Raspberry Buttercream and Dark Chocolate Truffle add a punch of favour to this moist chocolate cake.

A Dark and Delicious Gift for a Chocolate-Loving Mom

What is the BEST EVER gift that a chocolate-lover can receive on Mother's Day?  SOMA chocolate!  Last week, I received a surprise shipment of very fine chocolate from Toronto-based Soma Chocolatemaker.  I was delighted to find three dark chocolate bars and a box of truffles from one of Canada's finest chocolate makers.

I was excited about Soma's Green Tangerine chocolate bar - one of the best flavoured bars that I've tasted.  Also, Soma's 'Black Science' Trinidad chocolate bar and Madagascar chocolate bars were a perfect gift for me because I love to taste and compare the two origin chocolates. And Soma's 8 year Aged Balsamic Vinegar truffle and their Olive Oil truffle were also included in the box of filled chocolates, which are two of my favourites.

But mostly, I was excited to find a new chocolate bar that I have not yet tried of Soma's, a new blended bean bar called 'Abstract Chocolate Science'.  It has 82% cacao solids and a blend of beans sourced from four countries, plus large pieces of cacao beans from Madagascar were thrown in for some added crunch and cacao flavour.

This chocolate bar is intense, woody, smoky and also full of that disctinct flavour of Madagascar cacao. What's more, it does not have the bitterness that often comes with an 80-something percent chocolate - even a seventy-percent chocolate lover like me can appreciate it. I absolutely love it.

So next time you need a gift for that chocolate connoisseur in your life, check out Soma (www.somachocolate.com).  Their selection is vast and their flavours are excellent.  What's more, they make the chocolate directly from the bean in Canada!

Great Canadian Maple and Chocolate Combinations

We Canadians know our maple.  We have the maple leaf on our flag, our largest city has an NHL hockey team by the name, and Wikipedia calls it the "national symbol of Canada", claiming the maple tree was once called "the king of our forest" (ref).  So naturally, we consider the maple tree's syrup to be our national (and natural) sweetener. 

And since I am a chocolate lover who also happens to be Canadian, I feel it is my job to share information on all great chocolate bars with real Canadian maple. Today I have two kinds that I recently discovered, and of course they both come from the province of Quebec, which some may consider the maple capital our country.

Theobroma Chocolat makes organic chocolate in uniquely packaged 35 gram chocolate bars. I have tasted nearly every one of their fantastic flavours (raspberry - yum! banana, pineapple and more), but just a few days ago, I came across their 'Sweet Maple Butter' chocolate bar.  This bar offers about five or six breakable pieces of 60% dark chocolate with a small dollop of maple butter in the centre of each piece.  The shell is thick with dark chocolate and the sweetness of the maple butter comes as a surprise.  However, the amount of maple butter is just small enough to not be overpowering.  In fact, I think it is just the right amount to provide the full maple flavour without it being too sweet.

What I like about this chocolate is that there are only five ingredients (cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar cane, maple butter, and soy lecithin) which are natural and all organic, except for the soya lecithin.  There is no added vanilla and there are no artificial flavours or colours.

The other maple chocolate bar is made by Olivia Chocolat.  This bean-to-bar artisan chocolate maker has a selection of fine chocolate bars with maple, including "a touch of maple" chocolate bar and a touch of maple "with maple sugar flakes" chocolate bar.  Also, they recently launched a raw chocolate bar line which includes a very bitter 92% chocolate bar that is partially sweetened with maple sugar. I have tasted this one; it is thin and delicate, and offers a nice hint of maple flavour.  So if you can handle a very dark chocolate in the 90% range, I highly recommend Olivia's 92% Maple Raw chocolate bar (order here).

Both chocolate bars are Gluten-free.  Check out their websites for more information on these products:
www.theobromachocolat.com/
www.oliviachocolatiers.com

If you know of any great Canadian maple and chocolate combinations, feel free to add them to the Comments below!

Gluten-Free Crepe Recipe (with Chocolate!)

I love to experiment with grains.  The reason?  Well, when I look into my daughter's lunch box, all I see is wheat, wheat and more wheat, and I think, "no wonder there are so many gluten and wheat intolerance's". I truly think we have overdone it. 

Most people that I know who are in their 30s can compare and recall eating all the same snacks and lunches: Ritz crackers, cheese and crackers, peanut butter and jam sandwiches.  But nowadays, there are so many different kinds of snacks on the ever-expanding grocery store shelves, that our children will likely not be able to agree on which snack item was the most popular.  Even all the main brands of cookies and crackers now come in "minis" and are pre-packaged for lunches. 

In addition, our choices are now limited because we can no longer send anything with nuts in it to school (nor anything that "May contain" nuts); so wheat-based products are the easiest option. Also, no one is baking Rice Krispie squares anymore because nearly all the moms are working and have limited time to bake. I work from home and seem to constantly be cleaning, child-rearing or working and I have no time for baking wheat-free snacks except on the weekends.

So I like to change things up on the weekend, and give my kids a breakfast or lunch with non-wheat foods, just to ensure that they are not overdoing it with any one type of grain.

As a result, I have been converting a lot of crepe recipes to 'gluten-free'. Crepes can be made quickly and easily, and the lack of wheat is not noticed by my kids. The best one I found that converted easily to gluten-free was the Homemade Crepes recipe, which was in the Chatelaine Magazine this month (May 2013, Page 109).  The recipe called for all-purpose flour, so I modified the recipe and used a gluten-free flour mix. The results were perfect! The best part about this recipe, was that you could not taste the grittiness that often occurs with gluten-free flour blends because the recipe was rich with eggs and milk (so rich in protein, which is great for the kids!).

RECIPE: Gluten-Free Crepes - All Natural and Delicious!
(adapted from Chatelaine Magazine, May 2013 issue, www.chatelaine.com)

You need:

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk (any percentage - I used skim once and homogenized another time)
• 1/2 cup Gluten-Free Flour Mix (I used a brand called "Purely Bulk", which also has Chia and Sprouted Flaxseed in it or you can use rice flour or spelt flour, which is non-gluten free but still non-wheat)
• 1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil, Canola Oil, or melted butter
• 1 tsp granulated sugar or agave syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.

2. Whisk eggs in a medium or large bowl.  Add in the milk, gluten-free flour, oil, sugar and vanilla and whisk or blend with hand mixer until there are no lumps.

3. Pour 1/2 cup batter into the centre of the hot pan.  Immediately spread around into a circle with a spatula or lift the pan and tilt in a circle until you have the shape that you want.

4. Cook only about 30 seconds until edges are lifting from pan and flip.  Cook only another 30 seconds or so until crepe is golden. Transfer to a plate.

5. Once the crepes are all on the plate and somewhat cooled, spread a large circle of chocolate spread (see below for the kind I used) and add a strip of all-natural peanut butter down the centre.  Roll up.  Alternately, use a hazelnut spread like Nutella or PC brand (see below again for comparison of the two brands).

For the chocolate spread, I used President's Choice Dark Chocolate spread - they come in 400 gram jars and the ingredients are pretty natural with no 'modified' or 'hydrogenated' oils and real vanilla extract (no artificial flavour or colours!).  On top of the dark chocolate spread on some of the crepes, I added some MaraNatha No Stir Peanut Butter (this is not a paid plug for them, it is just my FAVOURITE peanut butter EVER and I eat it every day because it is all natural and partially organic and SO smooth). But another choice is the President's Choice Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.  Compared to Nutella, I prefer PC's product because it does not contain any 'modified' oils and it has real Bourbon vanilla. Nutella's ingredients include Modified Palm Oil and Vanillin, which is artificial flavouring. Again, this is not a paid endorsement for PC, my kids liked Nutella so I searched for a healthier solution and PC's Hazenut Spread came out on top with their ingredients.

And of coure, you can always just make this recipe with wheat (just replace the gluten-free flour above with all-purpose flour), and you can also make this a meal by filling the crepes with chicken, lettuce and veggies or an egg and cheese, or whatever you like!

You can contact me at ultimatechocolateblog@gmail.com if you have any questions about the recipe above or feel free to leave a comment below.