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Chocolate desserts are indulgent treats in themselves, but infuse into them a splash of your favoured spirit such as bourbon, rum or vodka and what you would get is a thoroughly decadent dessert layered with much flavour complexity. Bring this characteristic depth that comes from chocolate and spirit pairings into your dessert game for weekend dinners.
Luxe and grand, spirit-infused chocolate sweets will turn your simple, homemade, unassuming spread into a restaurant-quality dessert experience. What’s interesting is that simple chocolate desserts can be adorned with these infusions rather easily, making the cooking experience quite straightforward in your homely kitchen.
Orange Liqueur-Infused Chocolate Mousse
Velvety soft and smooth, chocolate mousse is quite a silky yet lightly chewy offering on the palate. Infuse this delicious homemade dessert with a splash of orange liqueur for bringing a citrusy, tart depth into the mousse.
Dark chocolate and orange is a classic pairing, which builds deeper flavours into desserts. To prepare the dessert, fold a spoonful of orange liqueur into the chocolate mousse before chilling it. Once the mousse moulds are set, garnish them with orange zest for a sour, tart finish before serving.
Chocolate And Rum Truffles
The flavours of caramelised dark rum and indulgent dark chocolate complement each other finely. Prepare chocolate truffles at home using good quality, rich dark chocolate and infuse them with excellent dark rum. The lightly sweet, tart molasses-like notes of the rum will sing through the dark chocolate truffles.
Prepare a straightforward dark chocolate ganache with cream and stir in the dark rum as required. Chill the mixture, shape it into little truffle balls and dust with chocolate powder before serving with fresh berries at your weekend dinner.
Whisky Chocolate Brownies
While chocolate and walnut brownies are quite the show stoppers at any dinner party, what brings that added edge into the little pastries is a spoonful of whisky. The bold, lightly vanilla-like and smoky touches of a good quality blended Scotch bring richness and decadence into a dessert filled with the warmth of cocoa.
Add whisky to the brownie batter itself, right before baking. Serve with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or with an indulgent caramel ice cream as a sumptuous dessert at an elaborate weekend dinner party.
Red Wine Chocolate Cake
When you are baking a simple chocolate cake as a rustic but tasty dessert served with cream and coffee, lace it with just a little bit of red wine or port to build a light sweetness and density into the sweet treat. Red wine will make the flavours of the cocoa more apparent, all the while keeping the cake moist.
Add the wine to the chocolate cake batter itself by proportioning the melted chocolate and milk accordingly. When the cake is ready, dust it lightly with icing sugar and serve alongside fresh cream. A small glass of port or red wine can accompany this last dessert course of a weekend dinner organised for intimate friends and family.
Bourbon Chocolate Sauce Over Ice Cream
One of the most classic desserts that remains a dinnertime favourite, chocolate sauce drizzled over ice cream is as indulgent as it is comforting. Craft thick chocolate sauce at home using premium cocoa and dark chocolate and stir in a splash of bourbon. The liquor will add depth, a vanilla-like sweetness and sumptuous density into the decadent sauce.
Drizzle it over vanilla, chocolate or coffee ice cream depending on the preferences of your guests. To make things even more chocolatey, add brownie crumble over the sweet treat and turn it into an unimaginably gooey, luxe and sumptuous dessert.
