Chef Darian's Chocolate Canoes
Chocolate Canoes with White Chocolate Cream-Cheese Filling
Cake Ingredients
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 ¾ cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons) softened
1 cup superfine sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the inside of Twinkie pan with non-stick baker’s spray.
Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over low heat, or melt slowly in the microwave at 25 second bursts,
stirring between bursts.
Sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl. Add the salt and toss to blend.
Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer in a large bowl. Use the flat beater attachment of a hand-held mixer
to beat the butter on medium speed until it’s light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the superfine sugar and the
brown sugar to the butter and cream together well on medium speed. Stop occasionally and scrape down the sides
and bottom of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula.
Using a fork lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla in a small bowl. Add to the butter mixture. Mix together, stopping
a few times to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. At first the mixture may look curdled as the eggs are
added, but as you stop and scrape the bowl, the mixture will smooth out.
Alternately add the dry ingredients and sour cream in 4 or 5 stages, mixing well after each addition. Start with the
dry ingredients and end with the sour cream. Stop after each addition and scrape down the bottom and sides of the
bowl with a rubber spatula. This helps mix the ingredients together uniformly.
Add the melted chocolate to the batter and blend together thoroughly. Spoon mixture into “canoes”, filling about ¾
full. Smooth the top of each “canoe” with a small off-set spatula. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until a
toothpick inserted in the middle of a canoe comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least 10 minutes before trying to remove. Invert pan on cooling rack and
tap gently to remove. Wipe any leftover cake from pan and refill as before.
When all canoes are completely cool you can fill them!
Ingredients for the Filling
8 oz butter (1 stick)
1 pound cream cheese
12 oz white chocolate (melted and cooled)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (preferably from fresh lemons, about 1)
Extra white chocolate and or dark chocolate for decorating. (2 or 3 oz each)
Preparation
Cream butter and cream-cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand-held electric mixer. Add the melted
and cooled white chocolate. Add lemon juice and mix well.
Using tool provided with Canoe Pan or with an éclair tip and a plastic piping bag, fill completely cooled canoes from
both ends. Line up canoes side by side on parchment or cooling rack and drizzle generously with melted white or
dark chocolate (together they make a great contrast).
Makes approximately 18 canoes.