There are many reasons to love chocolate bark. Not only is it super easy to make and very tasty, but also it's endlessly adaptable: you can make a huge batch, or a half-batch, and you can throw in any ingredients you have on hand. I have made this white chocolate version a few times, from Ina Garten's "How Easy is That?" cookbook, and Martha Stewart has several innovative versions on her website. I only had 8oz of semi-sweet Baker's chocolate on hand, so my batch was a little smaller. I stirred in a little espresso powder, since many of the other recipes I read included bittersweet chocolate, so I wanted to cut the sweetness with something. I keep it in the fridge and it's nice to nibble on if I feel like having a little chocolate.
8oz semi-sweet Baker's chocolate
1 tblsp espresso powder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup shredded coconut
Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Melt chocolate in double boiler. Stir in espresso powder. Spread an even layer on the parchment. Sprinkle coconut on top, and press walnut pieces in the chocolate. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Break into pieces and enjoy!
I also made another chocolate dessert this week: a cake for Elena's 3rd birthday! In the weeks leading up to her birthday she requested chocolate cake several times, and earlier this week, this Perfect Chocolate Cake recipe was published on Food52. I had all the ingredients on hand already, which is always a plus, so I gave it a try. My variations: I used a 9 x 13" pan since I don't have two round cake pans. I stirred 1 heaping tsp of espresso powder into the batter, and I reduced the cooking time; it was done in 20 minutes. I defrosted this cream cheese frosting that I had made at Christmastime and mixed it with a little yellow food coloring - for Spring! The cake was indeed perfect: chocolate-y (but not too sweet), moist, and paired great with the frosting. The two small areas where the cake is exposed at the top of the photo are where Elena took licks of the frosting. She loved it!
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