TRIPLE THREAT

When a chocolate craving strikes, chances are an ordinary candy bar just won’t cut it. That’s why we’ve created these three indulgent desserts to suit any mood. Pick the intensity you’re after—white, milk or semisweet chocolate—then enjoy every blissful bite.

BY JENNIFER BARTOLI & THE TEST KITCHEN

Chocolate Chai Cupcakes p. 94

Cardamom, ginger and cloves add a warm chai flavour to these super- chocolaty cupcakes. The potency of aromatic spices decreases over time; for maximum flavour, store them in a cool, dark place, away from light and humidity, and discard old spices every six months.

Milk chocolate chunks inside the cake and an ooey-gooey glaze over top deliver a double dose of cocoa.

Milk Chocolate and Almond Bundt Cake p. 94

Let the glaze cool slightly before pouring it over top of the cake; it will give you the perfect consistency for achieving a pretty melted effect down the side of the Bundt.

Always prep your ingredients before getting started on a recipe. Here, chop the white chocolate for the custard before you heat the milk; that way, you can stir in the chocolate immediately, while the custard mixture is still hot, ensuring that the chocolate melts smoothly.

CHOCOLATE CHAI CUPCAKES

Hands-on time: 35 minutes Total time: 1¾ hours Makes: 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

3 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar ⅔ cup cocoa powder, sifted 2 tsp each baking soda and cinnamon 1½ tsp ground cardamom ½ tsp each ground ginger and salt pinch ground cloves 1 cup vegetable oil 2 tsp vanilla 3 tbsp cider vinegar

Chocolate Icing:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened ⅓ cup whipping cream (35%) 2 tsp vanilla 2¾ cups icing sugar 1 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted ¼ tsp cinnamon pinch each ground cardamom, ground ginger, ground cloves and salt 100 g semisweet chocolate (about 3½ oz), melted and cooled

Chocolate Drizzle:

75 g semisweet chocolate (about 2⅓ oz), melted and cooled

Cupcakes: In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, salt and cloves; whisk in oil, vanilla and 2 cups water. Stir in vinegar. Divide batter among 2 paperlined 12-count muffin pans. Bake in 350°F oven, 1 pan at a time, until cake tester inserted in centres comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Icing: While cupcakes are cooling, in large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy; beat in cream and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together icing sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and salt; beat into butter mixture until smooth. Beat in chocolate, scraping down side of bowl, until fluffy and well combined, about 2 minutes.

Using piping bag fitted with large plain tip, pipe icing onto cupcakes.

Chocolate Drizzle: Drizzle chocolate over icing.

PER CUPCAKE: about 376 cal, 3 g pro, 21 g total fat (8 g sat. fat), 48 g carb (2 g dietary fibre, 34 g sugar), 25 mg chol, 158 mg sodium, 118 mg potassium. % RDI: 1% calcium, 11% iron, 8% vit A, 11% folate.

MILK CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND BUNDT CAKE

Hands-on time: 25 minutes Total time: 2¾ hours Makes: 12 servings

Cake:

½ cup butter, softened ¾ cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 tbsp grated orange zest ¾ tsp almond extract 1½ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup ground almonds 1½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 1¼ cups sour cream 100 g good-quality milk chocolate (about 3½ oz), chopped

Milk Chocolate Glaze:

170 g good-quality milk chocolate (about 6 oz), chopped ⅓ cup whipping cream (35%)

Garnish:

3 tbsp sliced natural (skin-on) almonds, toasted

Cake: In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in orange zest and almond extract. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, almonds, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into butter mixture, alternating with sour cream, making 2 additions of flour mixture and 1 of sour cream. Fold in chocolate.

Scrape into greased 10-cup Bundt pan, smoothing top. Bake in 325°F oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto rack; let cool completely.

Milk Chocolate Glaze: While cake is cooling, in heatproof bowl set over saucepan of gently simmering (not boiling) water, heat chocolate and cream, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Let cool until lukewarm and sauce slowly runs off back of spoon, about 15 minutes. Spoon over top of cake. Garnish: Sprinkle with almonds. Let stand until glaze is set, about 15 minutes.

PER SERVING: about 415 cal, 8 g pro, 26 g total fat (14 g sat. fat), 40 g carb (1 g dietary fibre, 26 g sugar), 73 mg chol, 302 mg sodium, 195 mg potassium. % RDI: 13% calcium, 9% iron, 13% vit A, 2% vit C, 15% folate.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

Hands-on time: 50 minutes Total time: 6½ hours Makes: 8 servings

Crust:

1½ cups chocolate wafer crumbs ½ cup butter, melted

White Chocolate Custard:

4 egg yolks 2¼ cups milk ⅓ cup granulated sugar ⅓ cup cornstarch 75 g good-quality white chocolate (about 2⅓ oz), chopped

Topping:

⅔ cup whipping cream (35%) 1 tsp vanilla ⅛ tsp granulated sugar 60 g good-quality white chocolate (about 2 oz), shaved

Crust: In large bowl, mix wafer crumbs with butter until moistened. Press into bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake in 325°F oven until firm and dry, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely.

White Chocolate Custard:

Meanwhile, in bowl, whisk together egg yolks, 1 cup of the milk, the sugar and cornstarch. In heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat remaining milk over medium heat just until bubbles form around edge; gradually whisk into egg yolk mixture. Return to pan; cook, whisking, until thick enough to mound on spoon, about 7 minutes. Strain through fine-mesh sieve into clean bowl; stir in chocolate until melted, about 1 minute. Place plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.) Scrape custard into crust, smoothing top. Refrigerate until custard is set, about 3 hours. Topping: Beat together cream, vanilla and sugar until stiff peaks form; spoon over top of filling. Sprinkle with chocolate.

PER SERVING: about 475 cal, 6 g pro, 32 g total fat (18 g sat. fat), 43 g carb (1 g dietary fibre, 30 g sugar), 160 mg chol, 258 mg sodium, 173 mg potassium. % RDI: 15% calcium, 11% iron, 27% vit A, 8% folate.