For the love of chocolate cakes

By Jenna

Chocolate cakes are probably the favorite desserts of a lot of people especially those who love the taste of chocolates. This can be proven by the thousands of chocolate cake recipes that can be found online with just a simple Google search and you are all set to making your own home made chocolate cake.

The reason chocolate cakes are so favored is mainly it is a combination of fluffy cake and the rich aroma and flavors of cocoa. Even when we talk about chocolate cakes, there are a lot of different chocolate cakes one could make. There are several types of flourless chocolate cakes and maybe even hundreds of moist dark chocolate cakes. If you are on a diet, you can even indulge in some healthy version chocolate cakes that are low in calories and low fat.

Chocolate cakes are the best choice for any special occasion, be it a wedding, an anniversary or simply a gathering of friends. Nothing can go wrong with a nice, delicious slice of rich, tasty chocolate cake. Of course some people will say that cheese cakes are just as good but then this article is about chocolate cakes, so cheese cakes will be discussed in another article. To bake a chocolate cake is pretty simple because its recipe only contains chocolate, sugar, flour, eggs and butter. If you crave for thicker cakes, then leave out the flour and it will result in a dense and rich chocolate cake.

For a birthday celebration, a chocolate-covered moist chocolate cake made with Belgian chocolate has to be the ultimate treat especially if the birthday boy or girl absolutely loves chocolate. Of course, not everyone loves chocolate cakes. There are people who would avoid anything to do with chocolate because they hated the taste. And there are those who thought chocolate is the incarnation of diet-spoilers so they avoided it for a slimmer waistline.

Most people have the misconception that chocolates are bad for health but in actual fact, the high quality dark chocolate are good for health when consumed moderately. There are research which proved that dark chocolate is beneficial for cardiovascular health. Still, this does not mean that all chocolate cakes are healthy because cakes contain other ingredients like sugar, eggs and butter.

If you want to have a piece of chocolate cake but are worried about the calorie-count or its healthiness, then make your own healthy low calorie cake. There are quite a lot of healthy and low calorie chocolate cake recipes, including from Weight Watchers, to try out as it contains less sugar or even sugar substitute and has more dark cocoa which is good for health. The advantage of these types of cakes is that it is healthy while at the same time, it tastes great!

About the Author:

Jenna have several favourite chocolate cake recipes and loves the convenient five minute chocolate cake recipe. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

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Healthy Chocolate does it have to be Dark?

By Adaeze Zheng

The whole human race just loves chocolate with no exceptions. It is so delightful it makes you smile. Specially the plan chocolate which has come to be known as dark chocolate. The coco in this chocolate has the best taste and best benefits for your body.

Beans are at the heart of chocolate just like coffee. The art of making chocolate goes back tens of centuries ago in the Southern Hemisphere. Out of all the candy in the world chocolate is the number one seller as it tastes so good.

Dark chocolate can taste bitter yet is still the favourite for all chocolate experts. One can compare the art of chocolate with the art of wine making. The coca is taken from the beans and made into pulp. Once this has been done the pulp is put into vats where it is left to ferment again similar to making wine. After this process the beans have to be dried in the sun and can take as long as 7 days. The beans then undertake a cleaning process and mixed with other mouth watering mixtures to determine its final type.

Each type of chocolate undergoes a unique process for example dark and milk chocolate is produced differently. When the chocolate has been produced it is carefully wrapped and ready to be shipped.

The taste of chocolate is to die for and funny enough it is also very good to the body. There has been research done that shows positive results to the blood circulation of the body. Most chocolate eaters has shown signs of low blood pressure. Which in turn helps to reduce bad cholesterol and heart problems.

To achieve the best results look for chocolate that contains a high percent of coco as much as ninety percent if possible. You are then sure to be buying chocolate that will not contain any artificial flavours or ingredients and will have the best impact on your health. There is another gain in eating dark chocolate, dark chocolate has aphrodisiacal properties so enjoy!

About the Author:

Adaeze Zheng, Has been a nutritionist for many years in the England and has put together a number of useful articles and fun videos about dark chocolate. You can see them by visiting her at dark chocolate fun factory.

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Belgian Chocolate - Ne Plus Ultra

By Red Reed

One of the most popular of treats is chocolate in whatever of the forms available. Since its first introduction in the form of a cocoa drink, it has rivaled coffee in popularity, particularly in western society. Its a one-of-a kind phenomena because there is nothing else quite like it.

World leaders, past and present, have been known to eat chocolate and lots of it. It is known that royal families around the world crave chocolate. If you are having any trouble thinking of a gift idea for your wife's birthday or on mother's day, you have to consider getting a box of chocolates. You can't deny the fact that everyone loves to eat chocolates and although it may be on the expensive side you will definitely see that it's worth every penny.

If you love chocolate, you may want to taste every kind of chocolate and find the worlds finest and the best chocolate. First of all, you have to know what makes a good chocolate.

As in most things, everyone has their favorite chocolate based on their individual tastes. The concensus however is that the best chocolate is one that mixes both the bitter taste and the sweet taste in a pleasing ratio. The texture of the chocolate is also very important, generally the smoother and the creamier the texture, the better.

Where do you find a chocolate that has the desired degree of smooth creamy texture combined with a taste you will never grow tired of? You must first recognize that different chocolate is produced in different countries and that difference can be significant. An example would be a comparison between Dutch and Swiss chocolate. The fact is though that of all the countries producing chocolate, only a handful produce what are recognized as the world's finest.

Of these few, Belgium is generally accepted as the country that makes the world's finest chocolate. They maintain their reputation by strictly adhering to the secret recipes that first establish their reputation for fine chocolate.

The fact of the matter is that not all Belgian chocolate is the finest in the world because anyone in Belgium can make a chocolate and call it Belgian. One way to ensure that you are buying the best of Belgian chocolate is to know your brands.

As an example one quality brand of Belgian chocolate is Godiva. Considered to be the world's finest high quality chocolate, Godiva has that particular taste that you will never grow tired of and it leaves you craving for more. Not unexpectedly, it is also one of the most expensive.

Saying that they felt their feet were being lifted off the ground is a common description given by consumers of Belgium's finest chocolates. Whether you can achieve lift-off or not from eating Belgian chocolate may be a personal experience, but the possibility is confirmed by scientific reports that the chocolate contains a natural anti-depressant which produces a strong sense of euphoria.

With its natural production of euphoria, chocolate has been named by some as the Happy Candy. True or not, it has been claimed that people suffering from mild depression can be cured by simply eating chocolates.

One last great thing about chocolates is that it has been found to be an aphrodisiac.

About the Author:

After happily consumingBelgian chocolate on many occasions while living in Belgium the author wholeheartedly concurs withtheir claim to being the world's finest chocolate. Belgian Chocolate Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

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Chocolate

6 Travel Destinations for Chocolate Lovers : Fly Away Cafe .
I was doing a little travel research the other day and came across a bunch of information about travel for Chocolate lovers. I've long known about culinary travel, wine travel, and a variety of cooking schools around the world. ...

Blog Marketing

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Chocolate

6 Travel Destinations for Chocolate Lovers : Fly Away Cafe .
I was doing a little travel research the other day and came across a bunch of information about travel for Chocolate lovers. I've long known about culinary travel, wine travel, and a variety of cooking schools around the world. ...

Blog Marketing

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Box of Chcolates

Yummy!

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Box of Chcolates

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Chocolate Covered Strawberries - Make Them Or Buy Them?

By Gordon Granby

Spending a little time to whip up some chocolate covered strawberries is a fun way to spend part of a morning or afternoon. There's so many ways to do it and there's no wrong way. You can keep it simple or go crazy with a variety of toppings and items to roll the berries in and add extra flavor. Now if you don't have the time right now to do it, you can also order them quite easily. A number of companies are doing fun varieties of chocolate dipping with strawberries.

First of all, go to the sites where you may buy the berries and check out if they use real chocolate. Yes for some people, it might not be a big deal. But if you're going to spend the money, you want them to taste good and get the health benefits from the real chocolate. Apparently some of the companies' dipped chocolate is full of artificial additives and partially hydrogenated oils or even full transfats.

The finer the chocolate, the better the entire taste of the whole berry will be. It only makes sense. Your recipe, no matter how exquisite your technique and skill, can only be as good as the quality of the original ingredients you put in. So be an informed consumer and demand a good quality product.

Let's look at the specifics about how some chocolate covered strawberry delivery companies make their berries. Some companies dip the strawberries about halfway up, others are three-quarters, and some actually go all the way up to the stem and leaves. The more and higher the covered strawberry is, the more product and more cost the company will be expending. If a berry is fully covered, it stands a good chance of staying fresh a bit longer too from my experience.

Check the shipping policy of the companies. Some will be using gel packs. They may only package the berries in a standard size box with minimal support or insulation. Others will have a more insulated container and may use multiple ice packs, dry ice, or a combination of the two. Some offer overnight shipping for reduced rates. Be sure that there is enough cold material to keep the chocolate from melting and the berries fresh.

Did other customers give nice reviews of the store or company? Or were they not impressed by one aspect of the purchase process? True, this isn't a large or really important purchase like buying something of great value. But you still want to get it right the first time! And personal experience is the best way to find out naturally.You may even decide to get out the kitchen pots and cookie sheets and setup a weekend afternoon to make some chocolate covered strawberries for your own enjoyment!

About the Author:

Gordon Granby has fun eating food and sharing times with friends and writing about hand dipped strawberries. He always savors getting time to eat chocolate covered strawberries.

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iPhoto finds a face in chocolate chip cookie dough

iPhoto’s face detection may be better then we thought. Who could blame it for pointing out an adorable face in this batch of unbaked cookies. After all it has ears, eyes, a nose and a mouth. It looks like a delicious mutant teddy bear.

It’s nice to know that iPhoto isn’t prejudiced against non-human faces. I think I also see one that looks like Winston Churchill. In fact many of them look like lumpy fleshy old men.

What will iPhoto spot next?

I don’t care what it looks like. I’m eating it.

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Dipping into chocolate, Spanish style

Our favorite Sunday ritual is going out for chocolate con churros during our evening paseo or stroll.
A popular breakfast item and afternoon snack in Spain, churros are not for anyone counting calories.
Churros are pastry dough deep-fried until they’re crispy on the outside and then sprinkled in sugar. Served warm, churros are then dipped into thick Spanish-style hot chocolate.
It packs a lofty caloric punch, but is a delight to the taste buds and shouldn’t be missed during a trip to Spain.
The snack gets its name from the horns of a type of Spanish goat. Dipping them into gooey chocolate has been a tradition dating back centuries throughout Spain. They are also popular in Mexico, Argentina and other parts of Latin America.
Many cafés will serve churros, but it’s best to hunt out a family-run churrería to sample the best of this decadent Spanish delicacy. A typical order is about 3 to 5 euros.
One popular place in Madrid is the Chocolatería San Ginés (Pasadizo de San Ginés, 11), an institution dating back more than a century that specializes in the Madrid-style churros.
Tucked in a corner next to the San Ginés church just down from Puerto del Sol, the place becomes packed to the gills with a mix of tourists and locals slurping down delicious thick cups of chocolate.
Buen provecho!

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The Rich History of Chocolate

By Lucille Green

Through research we now know that the first chocolate formats came in an ancient drink used by the Mesoamerican indigenous cultures. It was used in religious and social lives of those people as early as 250-900 AD, also known as the Classic Period. The beans had to be harvested from rainforests around the Mayan built gorgeous cities. The cocoa tree was called "Cacahuaquchtl" and the chocolate was called "xocoatl", which means "bitter water" when translated. A paste was formed from the beans which were fermented and roasted. In order to complete the spicy chocolate drink, water, chili peppers, cornmeal, and a variety of other substances were added to the paste.

Additionally, the Aztecs adopted the cocoa when they began their domination of Mesoamerica, and they used beans as a type of currency. Eventually, chocolate became an integral part of the Aztec way of life. Along with the rulers that the Mayans allowed to drink the beverage, the Aztecs also allowed it to be consumed by priests, honored merchants, and decorated soldiers.

Through fruits and beans, Aztecs believed that they would gain much power and wisdom. They were the first to believe that cocoa beans had aphrodisiac qualities. When Columbus returned from his trip to the Americas, he brought cocoa with him, but the items didn't attract a whole lot of notice. It was through repeated trips to the New World that the Europeans finally discovered that the beans had a usage as currency.

Dumping the name of "xocoatl," the Aztecs began calling their drink "chocolatl," whose English equivalent is "warm liquid". By 1519, however, Hernando Cortex Begin had a cocoa tree plantation, the very first. The plantation, which was created in the name of Spain, gave the Spanish King Charles the Fifth his first experience of spicy chocolate. The new delicacy gained even more revered status when Hernando began experimenting by blending the beans with sugar. Further additives, such as nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves were added to the bean as well.

During this time period, the drink continued to be reserved especially for the Spanish nobility, with the working class and other countries being excluded from its greatness. Spain made one tragic flaw, however, in letting their monks cultivate their beans, because those monks gave the outside world access. The popularity of chocolate rapidly spread throughout Europe, with many people enjoying its taste, or the ability to use it as a currency.

Ever since, chocolate spread throughout the decades and centuries, to become the treasured sweet it is today. Over time, it has dropped the religious and royalty purposes, and has experienced growth in the taste department. Continual research is conflicted on the question of chocolate being an aphrodisiac, but research does agree that a certain amount of dark cocoa is good for you.

About the Author:

Do you have delicious recipes? Visit:: Recipes For Protein Smoothies and Smoothies Recipes for Weight Loss for great and easy to prepare recipes.

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