Cooking & Kitchen
How to celebrate World Chocolate Day
If you were searching for something to look forward to this winter, we’ve got just the thing to chase away the cold-weather blues. Yep, World Chocolate Day is coming up and we’re not mad about it.
It’s estimated that we eat at least 7.2 million metric tons of chocolate globally every single year – that’s a lot of Mars bars, people. We also love this tasty nom as a late-night snack, with 22% of all chocolate being consumed between 8pm and midnight!
The stats don’t lie – it’s clear, we all love our chocolate! So, when is World Chocolate Day, you ask? And how best to mark such a momentous occasion? We can think of a few choice ways to pay homage to this delicious treat – read on to find out everything you need to know about our new favourite international event!
WHEN IS WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY?
Ah yes, perhaps the most crucial of all World Chocolate Day facts – the big day itself. Whip out your diaries, folks, as this is one date you’re going to want to write down in permanent marker. World Chocolate Day 2022 rolls around on July 7 – and you can celebrate International Chocolate Day every July 7 after that… Until the end of time. You’re welcome.
WHAT IS WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY?
Before this, chocolate (which is around 4000 years old, by the way) could only be found in regions such as Mexico and Central America – aka ancient Mesoamerica, where the first cacao plants were found.
One of Latin America’s earliest civilisations, the Olmecs, was the first to take that humble cacao plant and turn it into chocolate, though still not as we know it today. Back then, cacao was consumed as a drink during rituals and as plant medicine (in fact for the majority of its history, chocolate has been a beverage, not a food, and was consumed without sugar).
Centuries later, the Mayan people celebrated chocolate as the drink of the gods (ahem, they weren’t wrong!), and later still, the Aztecs used cocoa beans as currency. But it was in the 1500s that, legend has it, Aztec king Montezuma threw a welcome banquet for Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes and drinking chocolate was on the menu. He wasn’t as taken by the bitter drink (think straight cocoa, bleugh) but he took some back to Spain anyway, and when they brewed it up and added sugar and honey, chocolate became wildly popular.
IDEAS FOR CELEBRATING WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY
Okay, okay, enough chit chat about how we came to have this delightful confection – for which we are so grateful! – in our lives. How are we going to praise the tasty treat this World Chocolate Day? There are plenty of ways to enjoy the popular food. If you’ve been holding yourself back from eating your fill, July 7 is the day to throw caution to the wind and down as much of the delectable dessert as you like! Need some inspiration? Try some of these this International Chocolate Day:
Add a shot of chocolate syrup to your morning coffee or whip up a rich hot chocolate, complete with fluffy frothed milk.
Dust off your trusty kitchen appliances and cook up your favourite chocolate treats. Think cakes, fondants, brownies, slices, puddings… you name it! (Read on for one of our favourite recipes – chocolate peanut butter cookies that are perfect for baking buffs and new cooks alike).
Take yourself out for a chocolate date! Head to your favourite restaurant for dessert (who says you have to have dinner first?).
Host a chocolate dinner party. Ask your guests to each bring a chocolate-based dish – and think beyond dessert! Try creating a savoury dish that uses chocolate, like a Mexican chicken mole or spicy cocoa rubbed ribs.
3 delicious recipes to celebrate world chocolate day!
When it comes right down to it, we think the very best way to celebrate this very special occasion is by plugging in the electric mixer, cranking up the heat on the oven and whipping up a batch of scrummy chocolate chip cookies or a delectable choccy cake. So, we went ahead and tracked down our absolute favourite chocolate recipes for you to cook up on the big day.
Whether you eat them yourself or share with your loved ones, these recipes are easy to make, taste incredible and are the perfect way to get into the spirit of World Chocolate Day on July 7!
1. Warm Giant Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie
Recipe thanks to Falcon
SERVES: 6 | PREP: 10 min | COOK: 15 min
Ingredients:
80g unsalted butter, softened
80g caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g plain flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
100g dark chocolate chips
¼ cup roasted peanuts
smooth peanut butter, vanilla ice cream & pretzels, to serve
Method:
Preheat oven to 160°C Fan or 180°C Conventional
Beat butter and sugar together in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour, baking soda and salt and beat until just combined. Add most of the chocolate chips and peanuts, reserving a little of both to sprinkle on top, and beat again until combined.
Press the mixture evenly into a 22cm frypan and sprinkle the remaining chocolate and peanuts over the top. Bake for 15 minutes until just cooked and golden around the edge.
To serve, warm some peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften, then drizzle over the top. Top with scoops of vanilla ice cream, pretzels and a little extra sea salt.
2. Raspberry chocolate cake
Recipe thanks to KitchenAid
Ingredients:
328g all purpose flour
93g unsweetened coca powder
525g caster sugar
3 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
270g full fat sour cream, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
180ml butter milk, room temperature
180ml hot water
Raspberry filling:
300g frozen raspberries
1/2 cup caster sugar
Chocolate icing:
290g butter, at room temperature
420g icing sugar, sifted
65g unsweetened coca powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp milk
Serve:
2 punnets of fresh raspberries
Method:
Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees, grease and line 3 spring form cake tins (23cm).
Add all of the dry ingredients into one large mixing bowl, stir to combine.
Add the vegetable oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract to the KitchenAid stand mixer bowl with the beater attachment attached. Mix on a low speed until the consistency is smooth. Follow by adding the butter milk and mix through.
Slowly pour in the dry ingredients and fold through by hand. Pour in the hot water and fold through until the batter has just mixed all together.
Divide the batter between the 3 prepared cake tins and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when tested.
Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tins. Gently remove the cakes from the tins and allow to complete cool before assembly. The Cakes can be made a head of time.
To make the raspberry filling; combine the frozen raspberries and caster sugar into a small saucepan. Place on medium low heat with a lid slightly ajar, allow to simmer for 20 minutes while stirring every 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
To make the chocolate icing; add the butter and caster sugar to the KitchenAid stand mixer bowl with the beater attachment attached. Mix on low to medium speed until the consistency is smooth, add in the coco powder and mix further. Add the vanilla extract and milk until you the icing is smooth.
To assemble the cake place one cake at the base on a serving plate, spoon over the top 1/2 of the raspberry compote. Place the 2nd cake over the top with the remaining raspberry compote. Follow by placing the top cake layer on.
Using an icing spatular ice a thin crumb coat all over the cake. Place in the fridge to set for 20 minutes. Cover the left over icing to prevent it from drying.
Remove the cake from the fridge and ice a thicker layer all over, place back in the fridge to set before serving.
Serve with a pile of fresh raspberries placed on the top.
3. Triple Chocolate Cake Waffles
Recipe thanks to Sunbeam
SERVES: 4 | PREP: 8 min
Ingredients:
1 store bought chocolate cake mix
1 pre packaged chocolate icing
Serve with chocolate ice cream, fresh strawberries and your favourite chocolate roughly chopped
Method:
Preheat your waffle maker by plugging it in and selecting your shade preference (we recommend medium-high or high).
Follow chocolate cake packet instructions and make batter. (You may need a little more milk, to thin out the mixture)
Fill the cup measure to the top with batter and carefully pour into the top of the machine.
When cooking is complete, repeat process to cook three more waffles.
Follow chocolate cake packet icing instructions and pour chocolate icing over waffles.
Serve with chocolate ice cream, fresh strawberries and your favourite chocolate roughly chopped.