Ready to enjoy a super fragrant breakfast and rich in flavor? Let’s prepare the Squares with chocolate and candied ginger enriched with almond flakes! How much chocolate do you already have at home and it’s only December 18? If the answers are: a lot, too much, an exaggeration, know that you have come across a perfect recipe to use up the chocolate making it even more delicious!
I have often thought about chocolate recycling recipes to present to you in the periods following the holidays, like Christmas or Easter. These are the periods when we have more chocolate accumulation at home and therefore we need to dispose of it. What I recommend in this case is to prepare a cake that can be enjoyed either slice by slice or cut into squares after being covered with chocolate ganache.
To prepare this cake, in fact, we will need 230 grams of chocolate, of any type, from milk chocolate to dark chocolate, from chocolate bars to melt in a saucepan to chocolate with hazelnuts like in my case. In short, just open the pantry doors and you’ll realize you have all the necessary ingredients at your disposal.
I have created for you the step-by-step video recipe to help you during the preparation of chocolate squares with ginger and almond flakes. If you want, you can also subscribe to the YouTube channel to not miss any new recipe. Similar to chocolate brownies, the cocoa squares are tall, soft, and delicious, perfect to start your work or school day with a boost of energy and tastiness.
Here you can find other recipes where you can use Fabbri 1905 candied ginger. Remember that you can purchase the iconic ginger jar and many other Fabbri line products in the online store. Before payment, don’t miss the chance to use the 20% discount by writing FABBRILERICETTEDIBEA20
I’ll see you every morning in the group and on the Facebook fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day and many other curiosities always live from my kitchen!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 15People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 347.30 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 42.44 (g) of which sugars 29.47 (g)
- Proteins 4.88 (g)
- Fat 19.14 (g) of which saturated 8.61 (g)of which unsaturated 5.11 (g)
- Fibers 2.48 (g)
- Sodium 57.34 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 94 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for a 9×12-inch pan of Chocolate and Candied Ginger Squares
- 6 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 oz potato starch (or corn starch)
- Half packet baking powder (preferably non-vanilla flavored)
- 1 oz cocoa powder (in my case unsweetened)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (or white sugar if preferred)
- 1/2 cup milk (at room temperature)
- 4 oz butter
- 3 eggs (medium to large at room temperature)
- 4 oz chocolate (in my case milk chocolate with hazelnuts)
- 4 oz candied ginger (by Fabbri 1905)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz chocolate (in my case milk chocolate about 3.5 oz and dark chocolate about 1 oz)
- 1/2 oz butter
- 2 oz sliced almonds (or other type of nuts)
- 4 oz candied ginger (by Fabbri 1905)
Tools for preparing Chocolate, Ginger, and Almond Flakes Squares
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Baking Pan
- 1 Scale
- 2 Spatula
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Oven
- 1 Cooling Rack
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Knife
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Stove
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Brush
Let me specify, before moving on to the recipe text, the rest times. I indicated a total of an hour and a half since I did it like this: I melted the chocolate in a saucepan with the butter and let it cool for 30 minutes before using it with the other ingredients of the chocolate cake. The full hour of rest should be considered for cooling the chocolate squares once baked and before being covered by the chocolate and candied ginger ganache. Pleas, these times are important for the good success of this dessert.
Recipe Steps for Chocolate, Ginger, and Almond Flakes Squares
We start the preparation of the chocolate cake batter by melting the butter and the amount of chocolate in a non-stick saucepan on the stove, keeping the flame to a minimum and stirring with a spatula to avoid sticking to the bottom. I chose a bar of chocolate with whole hazelnuts to add even more taste and flavor to this dessert. Once these two ingredients are melted together, we should let them cool for at least 30 minutes on the kitchen counter. After this time has passed, we can proceed.
Take a bowl with high edges, arrange and weigh all the ingredients you will need to prepare the chocolate cake nearby. Sift the flours, take the candied ginger from the jar, cut it into pieces with a knife, and then let it drain from the preserving syrup. Take an electric mixer and start the recipe.
Break the eggs at room temperature into the bowl, add a pinch of salt which will help to melt the egg whites and inflate the batter well. Pour the brown sugar and start the mixer, medium-low speed. Work the batter for 10 minutes! I’m not kidding, 10 minutes by the clock, you will see that the eggs will inflate incorporating air becoming nice and fluffy.
As I was telling my colleagues who snacked on this dessert, the secret to the cake’s softness always lies in the egg processing. As with the sponge cake, the more you work the eggs, the more they inflate and the more the cake will be soft when bitten and will stay that way for days.
After this time span necessary for processing the eggs, we can turn on the oven setting it to 340°F (170°C) in static mode, positioning the rack, on which we will bake the cake, in the center.
We can proceed with the batter preparation by adding to the egg mixture the liquids, i.e., the milk at room temperature and the now cool melted chocolate. Pour the milk in a stream while continuing to work with the whisk or electric mixer. Then add the melted butter with the chocolate bar. Once all these ingredients are combined, we will turn off the electric mixer.
Now add the flours: all-purpose flour, potato starch, cocoa powder, and the packet of baking powder. I sifted it directly into the bowl using a small sieve and a spoon as seen in the video recipe below the first photograph.
We can now also add the pieces of candied ginger that we obtained earlier from the larger chunks taken from the jar. Turn on the electric mixer again to mix the newly added ingredients and avoid lumps in the batter. Don’t worry, you will not struggle to work the candied ginger and the whole hazelnuts now present in the batter.
Watch the video recipe to see how soft and fluffy the batter was, this texture is very well visible when I pour everything into the pan.
Take a 9×12-inch pan and brush the bottom and sides with a kitchen brush. Place a parchment paper sheet inside, then pour the batter into the pan leveling its surface with a spatula. Bake the chocolate and ginger cake in the center of the oven letting it bake for about 30 to 35 minutes without ever changing the temperature. Always do the toothpick test before turning off the oven.
Place the cake, still in the pan, on the kitchen counter letting it cool for at least an hour. In the meantime, proceed with the preparation of the chocolate ganache.
While the cake cools, take the heavy cream from the refrigerator and pour it into a saucepan. Chop the chocolate, in my case another bar of milk chocolate that I had in the pantry, and add it to the saucepan along with the butter cubes. Stir constantly with a hand whisk until the chocolate ganache becomes smooth and homogeneous. Turn off the stove flame, let the chocolate cream cool on the kitchen counter.
In the meantime, take more cubes of candied ginger from the Fabbri 1905 jar and cut them into smaller pieces. Let them drain to lose the preserving syrup. When the chocolate dessert is completely cool, we can place it on a cooling rack and cut it into squares using a knife without serrations.
Pour the chocolate ganache over the squares and decorate with candied ginger and almond flakes. If you like, you can sprinkle with some powdered sugar. We’re ready to enjoy the chocolate squares with candied ginger and almonds, a super soft, delicious, and energy-rich dessert!
I just have to wish you bon appétit and remind you that I’m waiting for you every day here on my cooking blog with many easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this one!
Remember that you can purchase Fabbri 1905 products using the 20% discount code FABBRIRICETTEDIBEA20 before paying in the official store.
This chocolate recycling recipe is perfect after Christmas, when you might have leftover nougats, chocolate bars or assorted chocolates, and after Easter, when the protagonist is the chocolate from Easter eggs. In short, simply having chocolate at your disposal will allow you to prepare these squares with chocolate and ginger!
Tips and Storage:
As indicated, the batter times of this recipe are very important for the successful outcome of this dessert. The soft part of the base, the chocolate of the ganache, and the aroma of the candied ginger make this dessert one of your favorites for breakfast and snacks, I assure you.
My advice is to take your time, with calm and the right temperature of the ingredients, without rushing and without watching the clock. Things done calmly are the best!
You can store the chocolate squares in a cake container with a lid for a couple of days. If you are not going to enjoy the dessert right away, I highly recommend not covering the squares with the ganache. Instead, prepare the chocolate ganache only when needed, so that it remains nice and dense and fluid at the same time. This will prevent it from drying out on the squares and becoming too hard.
