Death by Chocolate Cake

The last of the Calea

Deep Dark Classic

Death by Tablea

Had my lunch from Bodhi at SM North food court. On my way home, I decided to check the Chocolat Deep Dark Chocolate Cake Shop just outside The Block. From the food court exit, just cross the street towards The Block and you'll see the Chocolat sign. Beside it was Bo's Coffee which was closed as they'll be moving near the garden area.

I just wanted to compare it to Calea so I bought a slice of the Deep Dark Classic. Being a supporter of local creations, I also bought a slice of the Death by Tablea. Remember that I'm also a fan of Tsoko.Nut Batirol, so anything related to Philippine version of hot chocolate drink is a must-try for me.

The texture of the 2 Chocolat cakes is different from that of Calea. It has more moisture and almost melts in the mouth. The Calea cake is dense and eating the "icing" is like you're eating a chunk of melted chocolate bar. I won't really call it an icing but melted chocolate spread over the cake.

I only had a slice of both as I'm still going to have my afternoon nap. It should be eaten properly with freshly brewed Monk's Blend coffee from Bukidnon. Hence, I'll have it later for afternoon "tea".

Zzzzzzz...

Is Chocolate Bad for the Bones?

If you are an older woman with low body weight and fat, then the oxalic acid in chocolates might be bad for your bones. The positive point is that even though chocolates may lower your bone density, eating a LOT chocolates (on average, more than portion a day, which is equivalent to a cup of cocoa or a bar chocolate --> didn't say which bar though, hehehe... can you have to extra large one? hmnnn) be more energetic and leaner.

The question is, if you don't want to give up that Hershey's bar you're holding right now, what's your alternative plan? EXERCISE.

So to all the chocolate-loving ashtangis out there, you can do your practice 5-6x/week and have a bar of chocolate after. ;-)

Click here to read the full article.

Swedish Chocolate Balls

I want to be greedy and won't be share this recipe... hahaha... not. The cook book from where I got this recipe is at home so I won't be able to post the exact ingredients for now. Hopefully, I'll be able to visit this post again so I can update it.

INGREDIENTS

Oatmeal, cocoa powder, brown sugar, vanilla powder, 1 tbsp strong coffee powder dissolved in 1 tbsp water, butter at room temperature.

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the dry ingredients all together in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix well until there's no more lumps. Add the coffee, again mix well. Form into 1 tbsp balls and roll over freshly grated coconuts or coconut powder. Freeze for 20 minutes and it's ready to serve.

Guilt-Free Chocolate Balls

One of the favorite after meal sweet at Yoga Thailand.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups dates (the YT recipe book recommends apricots or figs for Kapha people)
2 cups raisins (I used 4 cups of dried mixed fruits instead of dates and raisins)
1 cup sunflower seeds (can't find shelled ones so I used walnuts)
1/4 cup black sesame seeds (or white if you can't get black)
2-3 tbsp cocoa powder (more if you like)
oil to facilitate grinding seeds (or tahini)
ground up peanuts, cocoa powder, or sesame for rolling (I used coconut powder in some)

INSTRUCTIONS
Soak the dried fruits for a couple of hours. Grind the sunflower seeds and sesame seeds in a blender, add a little oil to aid mixing. I used tahini to facilitate grinding. Didn't measure how much I put though but approximately 3-5 tbsp. Put the mixture in a large bowl. In the same blender, add the fruits minus the water and coarsely grind them and add to the seed mixture. Mix all ingredients well. Scoop 1 tbsp of the mixture and roll into a ball, and roll over ground nuts, sesame seeds or cocoa powder. I used coconut powder as I still had leftovers from the Swedish chocolate balls. I also used some Cadbury mint chocolate powder and it tasted just as heavenly.

Makes about 15-20 balls.

Freeze for 20 minutes and enjoy with a cup of hot milk or coffee.