Farmer-owned chocolate company Divine Chocolate has teamed up with Lily Vanilli, Tom Aikens and Ian Marber for some fabulous chocolate recipes using their new 85% Dark Chocolate bar.

Divine say “The 85% Dark Chocolate bar delivers an intense taste of pure cocoa and then melts in the mouth unlocking deep flavour notes of red berries. It delivers a wonderfully deep dark chocolate experience for the chocolate devotee.”

Why not have a go at making their creations? It is Chocolate Week after all!

Lily Vanilli’s Devil’s Delight Divine Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 180c

Cupcake Mix

Ingredients– Makes 12

155g caster sugar 

60g unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg at room temperature

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt
105g plain flour
25g Divine Cocoa Powder

¼ tsp baking soda

95g sour cream
¼ cup strong espresso (cooled)

½ tsp fresh ground coffee 

4 squares Divine 85% Dark Chocolate chopped or broken into small chips

Method

Sift all the dry ingredients together (flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt), set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy (around 5 mins with an electric mixer).
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until thoroughly incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the sour cream. Then slowly add the cooled coffee and espresso powder, and finally stir in the chocolate chips.
Use an ice cream scoop to transfer to a lined baking pan – fill the cups ¾ full.
Bake in the middle rack of a preheated oven for 20 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Ganache Frosting

Ingredients

125g Divine 85% Dark Chocolate
Pinch of salt

50g caster sugar

300ml sour cream 

Squeeze of lemon juice

Method

Gently melt the chocolate using a double boiler. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the sugar and a pinch of salt. Now add the soured cream and ¼ tsp lemon juice, stirring all the time. Be sure to add the cream before the chocolate has time to solidify. Set this mixture aside.
Chocolate Devil’s Horns
Line cream horn tins with non-stick baking paper.
Break 80g Divine 85% Dark Chocolate into pieces and melt in a double boiler, stirring continuously.
Using a clean pastry or paint brush, apply a coating of melted chocolate to the inside of each lined tin. Make sure you fill them all the way to the end and leave no cracks. Leave this to cool and then apply another coating to the inside.
Set aside or leave in the fridge to firm.

Carefully remove the horns from the moulds, peel away the paper and store in the fridge.
Ice the cooled cupcakes with the ganache frosting & when you’re ready to serve, top with the chocolate horns (2 per cupcake).

Lily Vanilli says, ‘The 85% bar is a new favourite of mine both for eating and for baking. It has a rich, almost exotic flavour and the perfect bitter/sweet balance for a chocolate, while still retaining the velvety smooth texture that’s characteristic of Divine. 
I have already made some beautiful puddings and cakes with it and am very excited to have it on my shelf! With Divine, you’re drawn to them because their products are Fairtrade but once you’ve tried it it’s all about the chocolate”.

Tom Aikens’ Divine Chocolate Fudge Cake

Ingredients– Serves 6

110g butter
110g caster sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsps golden syrup
30g ground almonds

110g self-raising flour

Pinch salt 

30g Divine Cocoa Powder


Icing

110g granulated sugar
110ml milk

140g Divine 85% Dark Chocolate 

55g butter
30ml double cream


Method

Pre heat the oven to 180c. Grease and line the base of 2 shallow 18cm / 7 inch cake tins.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, add the syrup and the ground almonds.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, and pinch of salt together and fold in to the creamed butter, then fill the cake tins equally with the mixture and bake for 40 minutes. You may need to cover the cakes with foil if they become slightly dark. To test the cakes are ready insert a skewer into the centre of the cake, if the skewer comes out clean the cakes are ready.
Turn out and cool, then make the icing: place the sugar and milk in to a pan and dissolve the sugar then bring up to a boil and then simmer for 8 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat, add the chocolate then add the butter, cream and stir in till it has melted. Then place in to the fridge to chill until thick enough to spread on to the cake (2-3 hours). Place 1 third in between the two layers and the rest on top.

Tom Aikens says, ‘Divine’s 85% cocoa bar is great for cooking with or just to nibble on with a cup of coffee! Chocolate with such a high cocoa level has less sugar and is much better for you than normal chocolate”.

Ian Marber’s Divine Pots au Chocolat

Ingredients

40g Divine 85% Dark Chocolate
2 tablespoons hot water
4 tablespoons fromage frais

Heaped tablespoon of toasted hazelnuts, crushed

Method

Slowly melt the Divine 85% Dark Chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water).
Stir in the hot water and mix well to make a thick, shiny paste.
Allow to cool then stir in fromage frais.

Divide the chocolate mix between two espresso-sized coffee cups and put in the fridge to chill.

Toast the nuts by cooking them in a hot, heavy dry pan for a couple of minutes and then grinding them in a pestle and mortar.

When the chocolate pots are chilled, top each portion with half the nuts and serve.

Ian Marber says, ‘I believe that no diet is complete without treats and these Chocolate Pots are one of my very favourites. The nuts offer some protein and crunch and blend perfectly with rich dark chocolate”.

www.divinechocolate.com

Photos by David Bunns and Lisa Marber