Baking, desserts and unexpectedly savoury recipes to sweeten up your weekend.
Think of a little treat, or a big feast and your synapses probably lead you in the direction of chocolate.
We reach for the cocoa-based confection in moments of celebration and commiseration. We use chocolate to count down the
This weekend, whether you want to treat someone else or fill your own baking tins, we’ve got you covered. Below you’ll unwrap a selection box of chocolate recipes that suit all appetites, skill levels and dietary requirements.
From decadent showstoppers to simple, but tasty, all-occasion goodies. Every single one is guaranteed to please.
Get a start on this recipe after breakfast and you’ll be ripping into these sweet, yeasty scrolls by morning tea. Not bad for a morning’s work.
If you want to treat your loved ones with a sweet surprise, have a go at making these homemade vegan chocolate bars. A generous shell of dark chocolate enrobes a pretty pink filling flecked with nibs of macadamia and coconut. An edible terrazzo tile if you like, but much tastier, we promise!
Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Creamy, salty goat’s cheese contrasts beautifully with sweet yet bitter dark chocolate for a delicious (and maybe a little divisive) morsel that makes a really great thing to serve at the end of a dinner party. If you want to push the boat out you could fold dried fruit, nuts or even herbs through the cheese.
Can’t decide whether you like more, chocolate mousse or cake? This hybrid creation concocted by Donna Hay offers the best of both, seeing a luscious, silky chocolate mousse piled atop a fudgey flourless chocolate cake base.
These cake-like chocolate cookie sandwiches get their name from the reception they get when served. Think of them like a cocoa-rich version of a ginger kiss, filled with a meringue-like whipped marshmallow icing.
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The inclusion of avocados and bananas in the topping makes these mousse cakes sensationally creamy and rich, without tipping over into over-the-top sweetness. Eleanor Ozich developed this recipe with raw honey, but pure maple or rice malt syrup work in its place too.
Some recipes, think gooey puddings, are best eaten straight from the oven. That’s not the case with these decadent eclairs. They taste best when they’ve sat in the fridge made up for a couple of hours, so plan accordingly.
You don’t need to be a master pâtissier to whip up an impressive chocolate dish. This easy Angela Casley recipe only calls for eight pantry staple ingredients and you don’t even need an oven to make it.
What is better than a hot churro - crispy on the outside, just past custardy on the inside and rolled in sweet sugar and cinnamon? One that gets dunked in a rich chocolate sauce.
Quick and simple; this foolproof fudge is a cinch to throw together, making it ideal for baking amateurs and people who get the sudden urge for a cuppa and a little nibble.
You’ll most commonly find this showstopper served as part of a Christmas spread, but its specialness justifies a year-round spotlight. Flourless desserts are often delectably dense, but this roulade is lusciously light and creamy.
Delicate touches of warming cinnamon, nutmeg and chilli mean this chilled dessert will get anything but a frosty reception.
Chocolate does double duty in this cosy Angela Casley recipe, starring in the toasty pastry shell and covering the autumnal pear and caramelised walnut filling.
If your brownie preferences lie on the deeply gooey and decadent end of the spectrum look no further than this triple chocolate version. It features a soft fudgy texture, pockets of molten chocolate, and a white chocolate drizzle on top.
Some cooks adore Nigel Slater recipes because his fuss-free brand of cooking is especially suited to home cooks. For others, there is joy in the observational snippets that pepper his writing. This recipe for an incidentally flourless loaf has both. For example: “The cake will appear, as you take it from the oven, to be not quite ready. The middle will be slightly sunken and feel less springy than the sides. That is as it should be. As it cools, the texture settles and the result is deeply fudgy and really rather pleasing.”
Sort of a grown-up version of chocolate crackles, Emma Galloway’s moreish tahini bites are a lovely low-sugar treat to have in the fridge for when chocolate cravings arise. You can replace the tahini with any other nut butter, if preferred.
Self-saucing pudding is comfort food at its puddly best. This easy recipe spends roughly the length of a TV show in the oven, which is fitting because we’re convinced it tastes better when eaten in front of the television.
We have Amelia Ferrier of Melies Kitchen to thank for bringing these cosy treats into our recipe rotation. The meringue base of the biscuits lays the fudgey foundation and chopped almonds provide a crunchy contrast. Mini marshmallows baked on top toast beautifully in the oven, giving a similar flavour to marshmallows roasted on a bonfire.
One for the lushes, this decadent cake has both whiskey and liqueur in the recipe to cut through the richness of the chocolate and the cream filling.
Is it a cake? Is it a mousse? We can all agree that this baked ganache is all kinds of decadent.
More for the baking tin
Sure-to-rise favourites from the Viva recipe dossier.
Best Ever Gluten-Free Baking Recipes To Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth. No gluten, no problem.
Sweet, Spiced Kanelsnurrer Cinnamon Buns. The Scandinavian classic can be spun two ways.
18 Cake Recipes That Are Best Served Warm. Tuck right in
Baking Recipes That Are Perfect To Pack For The Outdoors. These sweet treats will be perfect for a recharge mid hike, or eaten on the sidelines of a sports game.
