Having just returned from the cottage, we explored the forest in behind. Learning the subtle differences of the bare trees, we examined bark, found maples for sugaring and appreciated the wonders of nature and the coming spring.

From a hobby now past, my aging grandfather used to celebrate his trees in his own way through carving. As trees fall and wood is collected, some may be used to heat my grandparents home and cottage through the winter, but occasionally, there are the interesting logs.
Those are spared for special things.

My grandfather started into his collection of those reserved logs, turning them on a lathe into various spindles and vessels.
Especially egg cups!
Looking at the variety of the wood and the different shapes of each cup, I couldn’t help but feel inspired.
After all it is Easter.

I grabbed for my phone and made a quick, impromptu set to shoot his crafty masterpieces. Being at the cottage, having visitors, and access to a few farms, I happened to have a nice selection of eggs; white, brown, blue, duck, and even quail!

Happy spring, planting season, Ostara
& Easter!

The sun may have set on the summer, but in these parts, we were *finallly* gifted with warmth. In what’s left of our shortening days, it’s turning out to be the best parts of the summer. The sum has been warm and the garden bountiful.

Zucchini, beets, blueberries, beans and potatoes are bursting from the ground.

What’s better than the shifting seasons and an overhaul of ready produce from a new garden to prompt a quick and fantastic equinox gathering? Just a simple supper with friends with food as fresh as the night air.

What’s best, is that with a BBQ and a brick to deal with the chicken, the house was cool enough and the oven was free to roast a plethora of Earthen veggies.

GLAZED BEET WITH FENNEL SALAD
As adapted from Donna Hay’s No Time To Cook

1 Bunch Beets, trimmed and scrubbed
1 Bulb Fennel
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Large Leaf Italian Parsley, a big handful
1/3 Cup Goat Milk Feta, Broken

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Trim the stems and scrub the beets. Place them into a baking dish, drizzle over a small amount of any type of oil, if desired, then cover tightly with foil. Roast for about an hour or until tender.
Allow the beets to cool. Once they can be handled, peel them with a paring knife and quarter. Set aside.
Thinly slice the fennel into strips, reserving some of the fronds.
Roughly chop the parsley and toss with the fennel.
Heat a sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the vinegar and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve and thicken.
Add the beets to warm and coat to caramelize.
Once ready to serve, top the prepared fennel with the warm beets, cheese and reserved fennel fronds.

Remember the super sticky sweetness that was the mallow cookie? A seventies treat that grew into a wagon wheel fit for a brown bagged lunch. The sweet classic with a dollop of strawberry jam under the marshmallow for just a little extra kick of sugar.

I would pick off the outer chocolate coating to reveal the marshmallow mountain only to carefully separate it from the cookie support to get to the jam in the centre. Ahh memories.

How delightful it was to discover that the July Daring Baker’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of The Food Network.

Not only have I never thought to recreate this childhood treat, being a bit of a make if from scratch kind of gal, I hadn’t yet shared this sweet delicacy with my own kids. Until today.

My God. I don’t think I have ever seen their eyes pop quite so far from their heads. I had them at the chocolate blobs long before they even realized the marshmallow surprise inside. I’m not exactly sure why I hadn’t attempted my own marshmallows before, but having recently making a big batch of summer strawberry jam with them, I made two bowls. One vanilla and the other a fresh strawberry marshmallow, so sweet and pink it could make your teeth ache just by looking at it. Either way, with the dollop of jam or the whole pink mess, the combo was perfect with the dark chocolate and lavender bar I’ve been hoarding for a little while now.

Naturally, I was out of a few ingredients, and a challenge wouldn’t be a challenge if I didn’t have to go and change the recipe and wing it, so here’s my version. A bit smaller of a batch and actually a smidge healthier (all considering) with a sifted whole wheat flour for the cookie. I’d have to say they were quite tasty. Just as guilty, but smile inducing and sticky finger licking, just as I remember them all the same.

MARSHMALLOW COOKIES
Adapted from Gald Gand’s Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies

BISCUITS

3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour, sifted with bran removed
1 1/4 Cups Self Raising Cake Flour
1/3 Cup Sugar
pinch salt
8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, chilled
Zest 1/2 Lemon (organic or very well scrubbed)
2 Eggs, whisked

Combine the two flours,  sugar and the lemon zest in the food processor.
With the motor running, add the butter. Once it resembles coarse crumbs, add the eggs and reduce the speed.
Continue to mix until everything just comes together in a ball of smooth dough.
Wrap in plastic and flatten into a disk. Chill in the fridge or freezer for at least 1/2 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out using a 2″ round or ornate cookie cutter.
Bake on a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet for about 10 minutes or until just golden around the edges.
Cool completely.

MARSHMALLOWS

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin, one packet
2 tablespoons cold water
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil until soft-ball stage, or 235ºF on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff. Transfer to a pastry bag.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

12 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 Tablespoons coconut oil

Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water or in the microwave in a glass container in 45 second intervals.

ASSEMBLY

Pipe a dollop of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours to set.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a nonstick baking mat. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Line caught while on a summery cottage expedition, this rainbow trout was a gift from a friend who knows my love of food. I couldn’t help but create something with it to share with another.

There’s something about fish that always seems to remind me of the same flavours; lemon, fresh herbs and smoke. I love grilling fish but lately, I’ve been itching to try tea smoking and this was the perfect fillet to do it. Simply done with a wok and a round cooling rack, I combined the smoking ingredients of green tea, rice and sugar on aluminum foil, propped the fish over top of the rack, salt and peppered then sealed everything in with more foil.

During the ten or so minutes it took for the fillet, I picked a fennel bulb and a big handful of parsley from the garden. The fennel, was thinly sliced and sautéd in a dribble of olive oil. When it was tender, the fish was done, so I plated the fennel along with the parsley and some slices of preserved lemon, topping it all with some flaked trout and reserved fennel fronds.

Fast and elegant, yet simple enough for a picnic.
From friend to friend this fish made quite a few people happy.

The beginning of summer also marks the start of lobster season for me. I’m not entirely sure why but maybe it was the childhood trips out East to visit our relatives. The journey was always in July and there, we could buy them by the dozen as the fishermen strung their boats on to the docks or freshly steamed from just about anywhere. We would stop at a scenic overlook and eat them cold by primitively smashing onto the shells with found rocks. Ah, memories are made of this, as my grandmother would say.

The warm breezes conjure up ideas of beach lobster boils, where getting messy and eating with your hands is half of the fun. With BBQ and picnic season upon us, either way it’s outdoor food.  Celebration food is meant for sharing. There’s nothing else like it that can bring such relaxed laughter and decadence from one meal.

Surprisingly, lobster also one of those things that I will rarely eat if not just out of it’s shell. By that I mean straight up, no other flavour than butter. But, every so often, there’s a good haul to drive the price down and tease the lobster lovers, making this delicacy become relatively inexpensive. I can’t help finding myself making up an occasion to celebrate. Thankfully in this case it’s summer! Time to bring a gathering of friends to celebrate and share something delightful.

Paired with fresh basil and mint to soothe the heat, this crisp Thai salad, along side the fresh, sweet lobster still stole the July fireworks show.

THAI LOBSTER SALAD
Serves 4

2 Lobsters, 1 1/4- 1 1/2Lbs., steamed
1 Mango, peeled, pit removed and cut into matchsticks
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1/2 English Cucumber, sliced into strips
3 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
3 Tablespoons Sesame Seed Oil
2 Tablespoons Olive or Peanut Oil
1 Lime, freshly squeezed of juice
3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon Chili Sauce (I used Rooster) or 1 thai chili, finely minced
1/3 Cup Mint, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Basil, finely chopped
1/4 Cup Cilantro, torn
2 Scallions, finely chopped
1 Handful of fresh mixed greens per serving, Arugula, Bibb or leaf lettuce etc.

Break open the lobsters and carefully remove the meat.
Slice the tail meat into large bite sized pieces but set aside the claws for garnish.
In a large jar or pourable measuring cup, combine the fish sauce, oils, lime juice, vinegar and chili sauce and stir or shake well.
Combine the mango, peppers, cucumbers, scallions, chopped herbs and lobster into a large bowl.
Pour over the prepared dressing and toss to coat.
Place a handful of salad greens on each plate and top with the dressed vegetables and lobster.
Place one of the reserved claws on top to serve.

Even with a British background, I hadn’t tried a Bakewell Tart. With a sweet shortcrust, sticky jam and a classic almond frangipane, it sounded delicious and seemed easy enough to try. The only question left was which jam flavour to layer beneath the frangipane. Almonds are the main inspiration in the tart, so I wanted to pair that as best I could. I had homemade jams in my pantry, but of course, for the Daring Bakers I couldn’t reach for just anything, it had to be specific. As I thought about what the best things are that match with almonds naturally, apricots came to mind, but since they aren’t in season, and I don’t love them anyway, I checked the “U-Pick” mailer and the answer arrived. Cherries.

I set out to make a jam just for the occasion. A simple but delicious combination of sweet cherries, sugar, brandy and chocolate. Yes, chocolate cherry jam. My only regret really was only making enough for the tart. I’ll have to figure out the ratio to increase the recipe later to preserve it for toast!

The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800′s in England.

The recipe below uses a scale but once it’s out the mixing is easy. Besides, the finished tart it’s well worth it’s weight.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BAKEWELL TART

SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY
225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

FRANGIPANE
125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

…And here I thought they were aptly named after their small tea cup size but noooo.

It’s the “Saturn” sticker that finally gave it away. Awhhhhaa!

Still juicy,  sweet and and an oh so perfect size for snacking.

We braved the teaming rain, three year old tempers, got our knickers wet and fingers pruned, yet still, not a true complaint could be heard. Perhaps it was the fuzzy, yellow, hours old chicks or the just born, floppy eared darling of a bunny kit or maybe even the honey tasting that did it for some. For me? It was a farmer brave enough to tackle the thickest mud in a downpour to reveal the field of glowing green spears of mid-spring.

Fields of asparagus. Dedicated dirt.
The plots of soil, as we were told by that old farmer, were zealous in their commitment to grow nothing other than the fantastic feathery ferns for upward of 20 years to come.

Of course a spear in my house is lucky to last more than just a day, and so went the wonder of what to do in a Daring challenge.

The dough was surprisingly and delightfully easy to handle and stretch and those tender green stalks, well, they were just barely sautéd for flavour before rolling them along with fresh ricotta to create a tasty meal to celebrate a memorable day.
…And as luck would have it, I saved just a little room on the end to roll up dessert.

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

ASPARAGUS + FRESH RICOTTA STRUDEL

Strudel Dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it’s about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Asparagus+Ricotta Filling

Bunch of Asparagus, about 20-22 pencil width spears
Zest of one Lemon
1 Clove Garlic, finely minced
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Butter, divided
Pinch of salt+pepper
3/4 Cup Fresh Ricotta
1/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Rinse the asparagus well and snap the ends where they naturally break.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add the garlic, being careful not to burn it.
Add the asparagus, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the butter, salt (I used an Alderwood smoked variety, but you can use what’s on hand) and freshly ground pepper.
Sauté for about 3 minutes or until the asparagus is bright green.
Remove from the heat.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and carefully brush over the stretched dough.
Meanwhile, combine the two cheeses, and equally divide into four portions to evenly spoon onto the widest side of the dough leaving a few inches between each portion.
Top the cheese with about five spears of the asparagus, then evenly and tightly roll the dough up and around, repeating so there is about 4 rotation layers of dough.
Use a pizza cutter to cut between each piece to create four individual servings.
Place the strudels, seam side down on to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes in the top 3/4 of the oven until golden and crisp.
Cool slightly and serve.

I’ve made lasagne, I’ve even made pasta before but, as all of the Daring Bakers challenges, I try to follow the recipe given.

…And  I did, until I got to the ragu. The veal and pork is out in this house, but still wanting to keep close-ish to the recipe, I chose lamb. While it’s not somthing that typically finds it’s way into my possession either, I still knew that with these challenges, I usually end up cooking it for others. Combined with a little rosemary, I thought  it would be a sure hit.

The pasta, I tried to keep as close to the original as possible. My first drawback was the suggested counter space required. Since that is certainly lacking in my kitchen, I surrendered to my stand mixer. I’ve since read most of us Daring Bakers added a little more moisture, I was relieved  to know I wasn’t the only one, as it took four eggs for my dough to come together.

Rested and ready, I divided and conquered, the dough that is. Remember that small counter? We’ll, I had to go old school with a rolling pin, so the smaller the dough the better. Either way, I was glad I did. I couldn’t imagine any more dough to work with at a time. Rolling out my divided pinches, kept me in charge and my dough manageable and thin. As it was, it made more than enough for two lasagnas and a batch of farfalle scraps with a spoon of the béchamel for lunch.

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

For more lasagne dishes, check out Daring Bakers Blogroll. Then, go see the brand new web site: The Daring Kitchen!

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna
Serves 8-10

Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)
• 2 jumbo eggs (I needed 4)
• 6 ounces (170g) Frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
• 3 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

Béchamel Sauce
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 4 Tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 2/3 cups milk
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Ragu
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, peeled & finely diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 500g ground lamb
• 3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
• 1 1/2 Cups chicken broth
• 2 cups Milk

To make the ragu, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan.
Add the onion, carrot and celery and fry, stirring, until slightly browned.
Add the ground lamb and continue to cook until mince is well browned. Transfer to a large saucepan.
Set the saucepan over the heat, add the wine and reduce by half.
Pouring 1/2 Cup at a time, add the stock, cooking slowly, until evaporated. Stir in the last 1/2 Cup of stock, along with the milk, reduce the heat to a low simmer (otherwise the milk could curdle). Cover and cook for about an hour, stirring regularly.
Next add the tomatoes and rosemary. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours.
To make the pasta, add 3 cups of the flour to your stand mixer. Add the eggs (start with the initial two) and spinach to a food processor to finely combine. Add the spinach mixture to the flour and with the dough attachment, mix on low to combine. You will probably need to stop once and a while to feel how the dough is coming together. If it’s dry, add the next egg, wet, some of the remaining flour. Once it has formed into a ball and is manageable, transfer it to a barely floured work surface to knead for a minute or two until the dough becomes smooth, satiny and very elastic. Cover it tightly or wrap it in plastic to let it relax for 30 minutes – 3 hrs (although I ended up not getting to mine until after about 12hrs and it was o.k.)
Divide the dough in quarters, and re-wrap the rest to prevent it from drying out. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangular shape.  Continue rolling and slightly dusting the dough as you occasionally flip it over. Once ready, the dough will be quite thin and the rectangle about 10″x15″ (approx). Trim the edges to make an even rectangle and slice into about 4″ wide strips.
Repeat with remaining dough, and either use immediately or dry at room temperature and store in a sealed container or plastic bag for 1 day.

To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Sift in the flour and whisk until smooth, stirring without stopping for at least one minute. Whisk in the milk a little at a time. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper and a hint of nutmeg.

To assemble the lasagne, have all ingredients on hand. Including 1 Cup of shredded parmigano cheese (I also mixed it with mozzarella).
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF).
Boil the pasta in batches until barely al dente. Remove and lightly oil if layering more of the cooked pasta on top before using.
In a glass 9×12 or other suitable lasagne pan, layer the ingredients repeating in this order – béchamel, pasta sheets, ragu, shredded cheese.
For the middle layer, I added thinly sliced crimini mushrooms over the ragu, then finished with a layer of pasta, béchamel and remaining cheese.
Cover the baking dish with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake for 40 minutes or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes to lightly brown the cheese. When cooked, turn the oven off and let the lasagne rest inside for a further 10 minutes, then serve.
This is not a solid lasagne but one that slips a bit when cut and served.

I’ve been starting to think the monthly Daring Baker’s choices were pretty serendipitous. From the Perfect Party Cake for my birthday right up to this month’s Valentino Cake.

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.  We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Decedent for your Valentine but even more perfect for a selection of desserts I was preparing for a recent wedding reception. The catering job had a few challenges; egg, dairy, wheat and nut-free. Of course, if you ask me, cooking challenges are fun – so it was back to vegan baking for me. Luckily, being a flourless cake, the gluten-free issue was solved. I’ve made a vegan flourless torte before, but it contained almonds. Serendipity once again played a hand and I was finally able to try a version of Hannah from Bittersweet’s bean + chocolate cake.

With a few variations and a miniature muffin tin, I was set to shine.

As for the ice cream, things still had to be dairy free, so I thought I would opt for these three choices; Strawberry Rose Sorbet, Raspberry Lemoncello and Bananas Foster. They were based on the first, Strawberry Rose Sorbet, which I made last summer. With this easy recipe, any combination is simple. All you need is some frozen fruit, infused syrups and some imagination.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE TORTE
Adapted From Bittersweet who adapted it from Epicurious

1 – 19oz can Black Beans, drained + rinsed
1 Package Silken, Firm Tofu, drained (425g)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Finely Ground Coffee, I used a French Roast
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, melted + stirred smooth
3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Raspberries, frozen is perfect

Heat raspberries and press through a sieve to remove the seeds. Set purée aside.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a food processor, combine the beans and tofu until well combined.
Scrape the sides, then add the vanilla, coffee, baking powder, soda, salt, sugar and cocoa powder.
Scrape down sides and add the melted chocolate, mixing well to combine.
Lightly spray miniature muffin tins. Add the batter by the tablespoonfuls.
With a moistened, clean finger, pat down the batter evenly.
Using a teaspoon, create a slight divot and spoon on the reserved raspberry purée over each of the cakes.
Bake for approximately 25 -30 minutes, cool almost completely before turning out to a cooling rack to finish.
Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired just before serving.