This month’s We Should Cocoa is, perhaps not unsurprisingly, all about love and the love of butter in particular. I’m hearing more and more in the press that “the experts” got it wrong and pure saturated fat isn’t so bad for you after all. Thank goodness I never listened and stuck to butter and whole food common sense through all those years of “margarine is best”.
Fittingly for a theme celebrating the month of love and Valentine’s Day, we had fourteen gorgeous entries. If ever I thought I was just a teensy bit bored of chocolate after six years of blogging about it, the exquisite and indulgent chocolate buttery delights here, have renewed my enthusiasm.
Linzi is hosting next month, so do check the We Should Cocoa page on 1 March or hop over to her blog Lancashire Food to find out what exciting ingredient or theme she has in store for us. If you’d like to host a future #WeShouldCocoa, please get in touch.
So, here we go.
Emily from Emily’s Recipes and Reviews has certainly set the bar high with these creative and beautiful rose buttercream plant pot cakes.
Brownies are one of my absolute favourite bakes and how I would have loved a batch of these Valentine’s Day Brownies on the day – or any other day come to that. Made by Angela at Only Crumbs Remain, these contain a hidden toffee surprise.
For no good reason, other than I felt like it, I went to town and baked this buttery triple chocolate cake – chocolate cake sandwiched with a white chocolate mascarpone filling and topped with a rich chocolate ganache.
I’m not sure I’ve ever come across a Valentine’s dessert quite as irresistible as these strawberry & champagne truffle tarts from Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen. Have you?
Shaheen, over at A Seasonal Veg Table has gone for something slightly different. Yes, it’s a sweet sticky buttery chocolatey February delight, but it’s made with a surprise ingredient. Here you have chocolate Marmite caramel fudge.
I think Suelle’s own description of her entry from her blog Mainly Baking says it all – brownies with salted chocolate chunks and caramelised biscuit spread swirl. I really want one.
These Valentine Mont Blanc profiteroles were the first assay into choux pastry for Laura and her daughter over at How to Cook Good Food. Filled with chestnut cream and topped with dark chocolate ganache, I really want one of these too.
Caroline continues to practice her wedding cake skills over at Caroline Makes. And here she shares her pretty chocolate brownie Valentine’s cake with stencilled hearts.
They may be made in Scotland, but Tunnock’s Teacakes are loved everywhere. What’s not to love about Claire’s Tunnock’s Teacake rocky road over at Foodie Quine?
I can get very excited when I hear sourdough mentioned so I was positively hopping from one foot to another when I found out Rebecca over at BakeNQuilt had made a chocolate sourdough brioche. It’s now on my ever growing mega “to bake” list.
Helen over at Family Friends Food converted her popular muesli cookies into these easy double chocolate muesli cookies, which proved to be even more popular.
I took one look at this Cadbury creme egg ice cream cake and my legs turned to jelly. Inspired by the creme egg and memories of childhood ice cream outings, Elizabeth over at Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary, finally got her ice cream cake. I have yet to get mine!
Next comes another exquisite buttery chocolate delight. Kat from The Baking Explorer brings us this cardamom & sea salt chocolate tart. Both vegan and gluten free, this is a tart that all can enjoy.
Kate’s daughter has caught the baking bug it seems – more power to her elbow I say. There’s been a take over of The Gluten Free Alchemist’s kitchen and this lovely and delicious gluten free marble cake was the result.
What an amazing selection of chocolate treats! I think that the ice cream cake has my heart, though!
Elizabeth’s ice-cream does look superb and very hard to resist Kate.
Those plant pot cakes are so cute and perfect or Spring time. As for Elizabeth’s Ice-cream cake…oh my!! <3
Haha, exactly Sarah – it’s hard to find a favourite, which is probably just as well.
Mmmm nothing beats real butter in a recipe! A mouth watering round up, this!
There are some lovely recipes here, not least your amazing ice cream cake – wow!
I think I need a bigger plate! Wowsers – they all look amazing. I’m so intrigued by the marmite bake (I love marmite!)
A bigger plate and a bigger stomach CC. I’ve made marmite caramel brownies and they were delicious, so I’m pretty sure these would be too.
Great round up Choclette. I have to agree…. that chocolate sourdough brioche does sound rather lovely and as for Elizabeth’s ice cream cake……. well what can I say? I’m totally in love!
Thanks Kate. It’s actually really hard to make a choice. If I could only have one thing to try, I’d by umming and ahing for ages.
Oh my what a roundup. I’m now seriously craving chocolate and baked goods. Right I away for another drool!
Yes, it’s perhaps not the best post to be looking at if you’re trying to be good Jac 😉
oooh, an amazing collection. Sorry I couldn’t take part this time! x
Well as it might very possibly be your first time ever Dom, I’ll let you off 😉
What an awesome roundup, I did hope to join in with my brioche but then remembered they didn’t contain any chocolate!! Silly me. Will try harder next month
Oops Lucy, chocolate is sort of key. Would be lovely to have you on board next month though.
What a gorgeous selection of recipes, a great haul of entries for We Should Cocoa. Now I need to work through them one by one….!
The temptation is nearly overwhelming Kate 😉
It really is better with butter isn’t it? Lovely recipes this month. I do love Elizabeth’s ice cream cake.
It most surely is Helen and yes we’re spoilt for choice again.
OOh excited to see Tunnocks Teacakes in a Rocky Bar – Tunnocks Mallows used to be one of my guilty pleasures when I lived in Scotland, don’t see them so much in Wales – will have to seek them out to make these. Yum. Thank you for hosting – hope to join in again come next month.
Thanks Shaheen. Tunnocks wafers are one of my guilty pleasures, so they have a lot to be responsible for 😉
I think I am in heaven! All these offerings just look so good and I especially want to try the Caramel slices with Marmite and the Cardamon and sea salt tart.
Stephanie Jane
It’s hard to know quite where to start Stephanie, there are so many good things, but I like your choice.
I am sorry I missed the boat but my only chocolate buttery recipe was a flop this month – boo hoo – but I have enjoyed reading through this round up – so yummmmm
Oh no Johanna, how very frustrating. Your entry was missed. I hope it wasn’t a complete disaster, I hate having to give up on something.