TABLE Magazine’s Dutch correspondent, Marian Flint, brings us a story of Old World chocolate. The Netherlands is famous for its skill with this most seductive of sweets. Put in on your travel list…for next year?

 

Just north of Amsterdam, near the Zaan River in Zaandijk, a bustling cacao industry took root in the first half of the 19thcentury.  The windmills in Zaandijk were used to grind the cacao beans.

 

A large amount of the world’s cacao beans is still processed in this region. Amsterdam is the worlds’ biggest transshipment port for cacao beans. Zaandijk attracts visitors from around the globe. Everyone always remarks about the aroma of chocolate in the air. 

 

That’s why ‘Smells Like Chocolate’ is the name of Ingmar and Kinito’s shop. Here you can find craft chocolates from specialty producers from around the world. They recently visited cacao plantations in Kinito’s native country of Angola, and made chocolate with cocoa beans of Cabinda, which have a unique and delicious flavor. Their goal is to bring this unknown cacao origin to the market. They would like to share some of their recipes and would love to welcome you at Smells Like Chocolate when travel opens up again.

Chocolate Cake with Fruit

 

Serves 6 to 8

 

Cake tin (springform pan)

6 oz jam 

10 oz fresh fruit, lightly pureed

Vanilla pod seeds

2.5 oz dark chocolate

9 oz heavy cream

3.5 oz butter, room temperature

9 oz brown caster sugar

2 eggs

8.5 oz flour

1 oz cacao powder

0.3 oz baking powder

½ tsp baking soda 

Extra fruit, to garnish

 

Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Grease the cake tin and dust with flour.

Mix ¾ of the jam with the pureed fruit and vanilla seeds. Melt the chocolate and stir in the cream.

Whisk the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Keep whisking while adding the eggs one at the time. Add the chocolate-cream mixture.

Sift the flour, cacao, baking powder and baking soda and add to the mixture.

Put the batter in the cake tin and place in the oven, just under the middle. Bake for one hour.

Heat the rest of the jam. Take cake out of the oven and puncture with little holes. Spread the warm jam on top. Let cool off and garnish with fresh fruit. Dust with cacao powder if you like.