Ingredients for 6 – 8 servings

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups peeled, pitted and thinly sliced fresh peaches (5 to 6 medium peaches)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Several dashes ground cinnamon or ground nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Pour the melted butter into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, the baking powder, and the salt and mix well. Stir in the milk, mixing until just combined. Pour this batter over the butter but do not stir them together.

In a small saucepan, combine the peaches, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Pour the peaches over the batter but do not stir them together. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg if desired.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden-brown. Serve warm or cold.

Chocolate Genoise Roll

• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cake flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup Valrhona cocoa powder

Line jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust thin layer of flower on butter. Set rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water is simmering. Whisk the eggs, yolks, salt, and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm. Attach the bowl to the mixer and with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled and tripled in volume. While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour, cornstarch, and cocoa. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake the genoise for about 9 to 10 minutes, or until well risen, deep and firm to the touch. (Make sure the cake doesn’t over-bake as it will make it hard to roll.) If necessary, use a small paring knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Spread kitchen cloth on working surface and sprinkle with sugar. Invert the cake onto the kitchen cloth and let the cake cool right side up for a minute. Remove the paper and immediately roll into a log.

Chocolate Ganache Icing

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium bowl. Heat cream on stove until bubbles begin to appear around the edges (don’t boil) and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes and stir until smooth. Refridgerate until coldbut not solid, stirring occasionally.

Cream Filling

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Cognac
• sugar or vanilla sugar to taste
• some of the chocolate ganache from the icing

Decorations
Marzipan Mushrooms: Roll half of the marzipan into balls for the caps and half into cylindrical lengths for the stems.
Holly leaves: Knead greed color into marzipan and use cutter to cut out leaves.
Holly berries: Knead red color into a tiny piece of marzipan. Roll into tiny balls.
Pine cones: Knead chocolate into marzipan. Form cone shape and use scissors to slash sides of the cones.

Adapted from Fine Cooking German Chocolate Bombs
Ingredients for 12 bombs

Cake:

• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 oz. (1/4 cup) natural cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 cups boiling water
• 7 oz. (1-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Mousse:

• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (preferably 70% cacao), chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3-1/2 oz. (7 Tbs.) unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Pinch kosher salt

Glaze:

• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (preferably 70% cacao), finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. light corn syrup
• 1 cup heavy cream

Demi Sphere Mold
1.) Making the cake (one day ahead):

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F.

Coat a 13×18-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Put the chocolate and cocoa in a medium heatproof bowl, add the boiling water, and whisk to combine and melt the chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat the sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl halfway through. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly add the buttermilk and vanilla—the batter will look curdled at this point. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Alternate adding the flour mixture (in 3 additions) with the chocolate mixture (in 2 additions), ending with the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan on the counter to level the batter.

Bake until the cake springs back when poked in the center with a finger, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. (Well-wrapped, the cake will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator, or up to 1 month in the freezer.)

2.) Making the Chocolate Mousse:

Melt the chocolate and butter in a large bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water. Remove from the heat and stir with a spatula to combine. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whip the egg whites in a clean stand mixer fitted with a clean whisk attachment on medium-high speed to soft peaks, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar and continue to whip to stiff peaks, 3 to 4 minutes. In a medium bowl, whip the cream with a whisk or electric hand mixer to medium-stiff peaks.

In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Mix the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture with a spatula. Fold in the whipped egg whites, then fold in the whipped cream—there shouldn’t be any visible streaks.

3.) Assemble the bombs:

Set two silicone bomb molds that 6 bombs each (3-1/4-inch diameter and 1/2-cup capacity) on a 13×18-inch rimmed baking sheet.

Turn the cake out onto a cutting board. Use a 3-1/8-inch round cutter to cut 12 circles from the chocolate cake. Reserve the remaining cake for another use.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mousse into each mold and smear it evenly all over the insides of the molds with the back of a small spoon. Refrigerate or freeze until set, 10 to 20 minutes. Gently press a cake circle into each mold. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 5 hours or overnight. Unmold the frozen bombes one at a time onto a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Let sit until nearly room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.

4.) Glaze the bombs:

Put the chopped chocolate and corn syrup in a medium stainless-steel bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium-high heat until just boiling, then pour it over the chocolate mixture and let sit for 3 minutes. Whisk gently until smooth.

Transfer to a liquid measuring cup for easy pouring. Pour the glaze evenly over the bombs to coat them completely. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. (Glaze the bombs no more than 8 hours in advance.) Let the bombs sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

Bombs freeze well.