ROSEMARY + DARK CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CAKE (with SPELT FLOUR)

Blogging is a funny thing.  When I decided to start Chocolate + Chard last November, I knew that I wanted it to be a space for more than simply the sharing of recipes.  I wanted (and want) it to be a platform for sharing information about health and nutrition, about why the ingredients that I feature in my posts are not only delicious but also incredibly enriching for our bodies.  I aimed for it to be personal and personable, compelling and inspiring--like so many blogs have been for me.  I wanted to be a producer within and member of the foodie community of which I had, until that point, only been a passive receptor.

As it turns out, blogging in that vein is difficult.  While I love it and am so surprised and thrilled every time one of you leaves a comment, writing continuously is also a challenge sometimes.  I realize that this space has been quiet for the past few weeks.  To be completely honest, I have been struggling to find the energy and focus to write this post.  This is surely related to a number of factors, one of which is that there are too many narratives in my head circling this totally divine olive oil cake.

I want to talk about the genius baker who devised the recipe, Kim Boyce, and her book Good to the Grain from which it came.  I want to talk about how light and moist it is, fragrant with rosemary and decadent with chunks of rich dark chocolate.  I want to tell you that it very well may be my new favorite quick bread/cake, ever.  I want to describe the delightful and inspired event where I brought this cake, shared it and photographed it: a casual gathering at a friend's cafe, where diverse people worked on independent projects in a communal space--reading, sketching, making origami cranes--that was augmented by a live string quartet and impromptu conversation.  And I want to extol the virtues of spelt flour, which it is fair to say I am properly obsessed with.  Figuring out how to address and weave together all of these discrepant narratives sent me into a bit of an incapacitated state, as I want to do this post justice but have had such trouble figuring out where to begin.

I suppose this writing so far is my explanation and apology for being absent for three weeks.  And maybe a bit of it is me attempting to justify and understand the absence for myself.  At any rate, this cake is absolutely stunning.  It made its rounds in the blogosphere three years ago, when Good to the Grain was first published, so you may have already encountered it.  But if you haven't--boy are you in for a treat.

Kim Boyce's Good to the Grain
Published back in 2010, this cookbook champions baking with whole grains not so much for their nutritional value as for their flavors and textures.  Divided into sections by flour (ranging from whole wheat to spelt to teff), Boyce highlights the ways in which these atypical ingredients (which also happen to be much better for you than white flour) can enhance all kinds of baked goods.  Her version of this heavenly olive oil cake uses a combination of whole spelt and all-purpose flour, but I have substituted the all-purpose for white spelt in my version.  I find that it acts basically the same as all-purpose--barring the fact that it is less glutenous so may not rise quite as much--but it is far more nutrient-rich!

The Power of Spelt Flour
Spelt flour is an ancient grain--so ancient, in fact, that it is mentioned in the Bible--that was originally cultivated in Iran around 7000 B.C. and has expanded its growth to Europe in the past 300 years.  A cousin of wheat, spelt contains less gluten and more protein than its most common relative, making it easier to digest (even possible for some people with gluten intolerance) and a great grain option for vegetarians (or, everyone, because we all need protein!).  Whole grain spelt flour is an excellent source of fiber and contains a wider array of nutrients than many grains in the extended wheat family, including significant levels of manganese, copper, vitamin B3 and zinc.  As it is a whole grain that hasn't been processed to the point of nutritional obliteration, spelt flour is best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator (if you have space) or in a cool, dark place (if you don't).  

Spelt has a mild nutty flavor that isn't as overpowering as whole wheat flour and adds a lovely dimension to baked goods.  I have baked items that necessitate lightness--like scones--substituting up to half of the requested all-purpose flour with whole spelt to great success.  In addition to whole spelt, two other varieties of the flour are available: light spelt, which has had some of the bran sifted out, and white spelt, which has had the bran and germ entirely removed.  While the lighter white spelt isn't a whole grain flour, it still contains more nutrients and is less refined than all-purpose flour, making it an ideal replacement.*

*Nutrition information from World's Healthiest Foods and What's Cooking America.

(An Important Note) 
...about this wholesome, flavorful, light and delectable cake. I have made it twice so far, the first time in a round cake pan, as directed.  While I loved the flavor, it was so light and tea-cake-y that I thought it would be even more appropriate baked as a loaf.  Enter baking, round two (photographed here).  Yet this time around, I missed the previously more pronounced presence of the delightful top crust that the larger surface area of the cake pan produced.  Consequently, I would recommend baking this in a round cake tin, as Kim Boyce instructs in her book.  I guess she knew what she was talking about.


Kim Boyce's Rosemary + Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (with spelt flour)

Ingredients
3/4 cup (85 grams) whole spelt flour
1 1/2 cups (153 grams) white spelt flour  [if using all-purpose, 187 grams]
3/4 cup (170 grams) white sugar [or a less-refined substitute, like fine demerara]
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3 eggs
1 cup (235 ml) olive oil [good quality, cold-pressed]
3/4 cup milk [Boyce calls for whole; I used almond]
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
5 oz. dark chocolate (70% cacao), from a thick bar chopped into 1/2" (1cm) chunks

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C / Gas 4.  Rub a 9 1/2" (23cm) removable bottom cake or tart pan with olive oil and cover bottom with a round of parchment paper.
2.  Sift the dry ingredients (the first five) into a large bowl, pouring any remaining bran into the bowl after sifting.  Set aside.
3.  In another large bowl, whisk the eggs.  Add the oilve oil, milk, and rosemary and whisk until thoroughly combined.
4.  Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and gently fold together with a spatula, until just combined.
5.  Gently fold in the chocolate.
6.  Pour batter into prepared cake/tart pan, spreading the top out evenly.
7.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

This cake is delicious warm or cooled and will keep best wrapped tightly in plastic for 2-3 days.

DECEPTIVELY DECADENT, TRULY WHOLESOME TRUFFLES: ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE, MAPLE CINNAMON CASHEW, and CHAI SPICE

This is not a negative post, I promise.  Just bear with me for a minute. 

I’ve always found Valentine’s Day to be a bit tiresome.  Supposedly commemorating the martyrdom of St. Valentine, this now secular holiday has become an excuse for the heteronormative, consumeristic valuing of love and relationships.  As to be expected in a capitalist and hardly health-conscious society, we are told and expected to display our love for our romantic partners through the purchase of gifts and terrible-for-you treats.  Alas, this blog is not a space for politics.  This is a space for food!  So on this Valentine’s Day, I would like to present you with a (foodie) alternative.  Sure, share love with and appreciation for your partner, if you have one.  But don’t stop there.  Share love with and appreciation for your family and your friends, the people whose presence in your life makes it all the more positive, enjoyable and fulfilling.  But don’t stop there.  This Valentine’s Day, share love with and appreciation for yourself.  Make sure you do one thing—however grand or small—for yourself, to say ‘good job’, to make yourself happy.  And after you do that thing, give yourself another treat: Go make these ridiculously tasty, totally whole foods-based truffles.  You can absolutely share them with the people you love, but consider this your warning: You may not want to.  (And I totally won’t blame you for hoarding them in your fridge.)

Amazing Dates

The common ingredient across these three very different truffles is dates.  Can I use this Valentine’s Day to express my overwhelming love for dates?  They’re amazing.  Originating in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, this incredibly saccharine fruit (soft and succulent raw, but most often found dried in markets) will satisfy any craving for sweets you may have; but unlike processed sugars and their byproducts, dates are nutrient and mineral-rich!  Aside from being an excellent source of fiber, dates contain high amounts of vitamin A, iron, calcium, manganese, and copper.  Due to their sweetness, dates make for an excellent addition to dishes like oatmeal or smoothies, plus they are ideal for health-ifying certain types of desserts without compromising flavor.  Raw desserts are prime among them.

In all my food blog reading over the past year, I have come across countless variations of ‘energy bars’, raw brownies, ‘healthy cookie bites’, and so forth that are made out of dates, nuts, and various other ingredients and natural sweeteners.  The first of these truffles—the Espresso Chocolate—comes directly from the stunning blog Green Kitchen Stories.  They are so silky, so chocolaty, so decadent tasting that it is truly difficult to believe that they do not contain a trace of butter, cream or processed sugar.  The other two are my creation, inspired by many the raw desserts I have encountered online over the past year.  Like most of my posts on this site aim to be, they are wholesome, they are healthy, and they are damn delicious.  Eating in this manner is one of the best and simplest ways to love yourself, I’ve found.  I hope you do too.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Espresso Chocolate, Maple Cinnamon Cashew, and Chai Spice Truffles

Each makes 15-20 truffles

Ingredients

Espresso Chocolate Truffles from Green KitchenStories

15 (medjool) or 20 (deglet noor) dates

4 Tbsp. rolled or porridge oats

2 Tbsp. dried, unsweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)

2 Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil (or other cold-pressed neutral oil)

2 Tbsp. cacao powder

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. ground cardamom

1 shot (2 Tbsp.) cold espresso or strong coffee

extra cacao, cinnamon, chopped coconut, oats or ginger for rolling

Maple Cinnamon Cashew Truffles

½ cup (3 oz.) raw cashews, soaked in filtered water for 4 hours and then oven dried at the lowest possible temperature for 30+ minutes, OR roasted at 325°F / 162°C / Gas 3 for 15-20 minutes

2 Tbsp. rolled or porridge oats

10 (medjool) or 15 (deglet noor) dates

½ Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil (or other cold-pressed neutral oil)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. salt

¾ Tbsp. 100% pure maple syrup

extra oats and cinnamon (mixed together) for rolling

Chai Spice Truffles

10 (medjool) or 15 (deglet noor) dates

4 Tbsp. rolled or porridge oats

2 Tbsp. dried, unsweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)

2 Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil (or other cold-pressed neutral oil)

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. maple syrup

½ Tbsp. chai spice mix (recipe below)

pinch of salt

extra oats for rolling

Chai Spice Mix from Fox in the Kitchen

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground all spice

1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1.  If dates are tough or dry, soak in filtered water for at least 30 minutes to soften.

2.  Roughly chop dates.

3.  Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend for a couple minutes, until completely combined and a tacky paste or ball forms.

4.  Put truffle dough in the fridge for 10 minutes.  This will allow it to firm up a bit and make rolling it into balls much easier.

5.  Take small handfuls of the dough and roll into balls, a bit smaller than a ping pong ball (or whatever size you prefer).

6.  Roll balls in the ‘extra’ dry ingredients listed at the end.

7.  Let truffles chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Keep stored in fridge.

HEARTY PUMPKIN BREAD with CHOCOLATE CHUNKS

This past October, I inexplicably found myself being sucked into the all-things-pumpkin craze that seems to take over the American nation as autumn settles in and Thanksgiving draws near.  Like most foods, pumpkin had never been a favorite of mine.  Despite my commendable sweet tooth, I was never a particular fan of pumpkin pie, and the only other time I had really encountered the iconographic squash was when carving haphazard faces into its impossibly thick skin oh-so-many years ago.  Yet this past October, as I became possessed by the lure of warming and festive fall foods, I mysteriously found myself bookmarking an astounding amount of pumpkin related recipes.  Problem was, London doesn't really do pumpkin.  I could not find a can of pumpkin purée in this city for the life of me.  

After an initial bout of frustration, I took on the challenge of making my own.  Really, how hard could it be?  And it's so much better for you, straight from the squash rather than stuck for ages and congealed in a tin.  Turned out it wasn't difficult as much as absolutely laborious and fickle; the pumpkins I bought produced very little flesh, which turned into watery, rather unappetizing purée.  So much effort, such a disappointing result.  It took some time, but I eventually came to terms with the fact that my autumn culinary adventures wouldn't be so pumpkin-filled after all.

Weeks later, I stopped in a small Jewish market in north London--the only market where I can get normal, unsweetened applesauce in this town.  As I wandered through the aisles, scanning their re-organized shelves in search of said applesauce, suddenly, as if by magic, they appeared: cans and cans of pumpkin purée.  Thanksgiving had come and gone, but I didn't care.  It was now all possible: pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cashew creme, pumpkin spice smoothies, pumpkin soup, pumpkin lasagna... But first: pumpkin bread. 

I'm sorry this recipe is coming a bit late in the season.  I hope you'll forgive me.  And maybe, if you aren't American, you won't even care.

A quick word about the bread.  This is a rustic, hearty pumpkin loaf.  It is dense and chewy and moist.  The pumpkin flavor is subtle, the spelt flour infuses it with a slightly nutty quality, and the dark chocolate chunks stand out as little bits of bittersweet indulgence.  You can absolutely eat this first thing in the morning without feeling like you're eating pound cake for breakfast...because you're not.

I paired my first slices with date-sweetened cinnamon Greek yogurt, which I made by combining Greek yogurt, cinnamon and a date with an immersion blender (an imperfect method, but tasty nevertheless).  The tart/sweet combination complimented the pumpkin bread well.  I imagine this loaf would also be delicious accompanied by a generous smear of nut butter, particularly a more mild and sweet version like maple cashew butter.  I have yet to create any nut butter recipes of my own, but you can find plenty of inspiration (like this Salted Honey Cashew Butter) over at the fantastic Edible Perspective.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chunks
lightly adapted from Love + Lemons
makes one loaf

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole spelt flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup olive oil (or 2 Tbsp. oil and 2 Tbsp. applesauce, which is what I used)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup water
dark chocolate chips or half of a thick dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped 
mixed seeds or chopped nuts for topping (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F / 180 °C / Gas 4
Grease a loaf pan and dust each side with flour

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the spelt flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.
2.  In a separate large bowl, mix the sugars with the olive oil, applesauce if using, and eggs until well combined.
4.  Stir the pumpkin puree and water into the wet mix.  
5.  In a few rounds, add the dry mix to the wet, stirring each time until combined.
6.  Stir in chocolate chunks.
7.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Sprinkle with seeds or nuts, if using.
8.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove and let cool completely on a wire rack.