If you watched PBS in the 1980s and early 1990s, you will probably know who Bob Ross is. If you don’t recognize the name, he was this cool-cat painting instructor with a groovy Afro the size of the moon. He had this calming, almost monotone, voice and was always painting what he called, “happy little trees.” Happy trees aside, he would tell viewers that we don’t make mistakes, we make “happy little accidents.”
Today’s post is about my happy little accident. It started a few days ago when I bought a gorgeous pomegranate at the supermarket. I had no real plan for it, but it was too pretty not to buy.
With the pomegranate sitting in my fruit bowl, I have been trying to decide what to do with the fruit. I knew that I wanted to do something more than just eating the arils on a salad. I wanted to do a dessert. However, as I set out looking for recipes, I discovered there is a real lack of pomegranate dessert recipes out in the world. Such a shame!
With no interesting recipe to be found, I started noodling and decided that I would do a fresh new spin on a classic (and my husband’s favorite): Black Forest Gateaux. My thought was to substitute out the cherry flavors for pomegranate. As this new dessert came together in my mind, I got excited. I pictured awesome layered petit fours, bursting with chocolate and pomegranate flavor.
To get started, I began with the cake. I didn’t want to go quite as deep and dark as a Black Forest Gateaux out fear that it would overpower the pomegranate flavor. So I whipped a “lighter” dark chocolate version. I tucked the batter neatly into new square silicone baking pans that arrived from Amazon last night and I popped them in the oven. They looked fantastic.
After baking, I attempted to remove the mini cakes from the new silicone pans and this is literally where my idea fell apart. These pans would not release the cake in one piece no matter how hard I tried. They quickly reminded me why I hate baking in silicone. By the time I was done, I had a crumbled mess all over my kitchen counter and not one cake. Grrr!
At this point, most people would have accepted defeat and thrown the crumbs in the bin. I admit, I almost did. Then realized that would be total waist of my time and ingredients. So I pulled myself up, rethought my plan and adjusted my vision.
I now realize that the cakes crumbling apart were a “happy little accident.” From the crumbs, my Chocolate Pomegranate Parfaits were born. They aren’t the beautiful petit fours that my mind imagined, but they came out so much better. I gave my husband a bite of my tester and he swiped it out of my hand and finished it. My 9-year-old tried one and immediately asked for a second. That is success in my book.
The best laid plans may not always work out, but I think Bob Ross was right, there are no mistakes in life. There are only happy little accidents; and when you make one, it can be delicious!
Chocolate Pomegranate Parfaits
Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes15
minutes1
hourIngredients
7 tbs all-purpose flour
7 tbs granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 egg, see note
3 tbs sour cream
2 tbs buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 ounces bittersweet 60% cacao chocolate chips
4 tbs Rose’s Grenadine syrup
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
3/4 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a muffin tin by spraying with nonstick cooking spray OR lining with cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add oil, egg, sour cream, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat with hand mixer until well combined and smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
- Place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove bowl and stir chocolate. Microwave again on high for 20 seconds and stir until smooth. Do not overcook!
- Add melted chocolate to egg mixture and beat until combined, about 1 minute.
- With mixer on low, slowly start adding dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Mix only until incorporated, batter will be thick.
- Divide batter between 10 prepared cupcake/muffin wells, about 2 tablespoons per well. Place in oven and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
- Cool cupcakes on wire rack. While they are cooling, place heavy cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Beat or whisk until stiff peaks form.
- When cupcakes are cool, crumble into a bowl. Poor grenadine over crumbles and gently stir moisten, taking care not to smash cake into a “cake pop” consistency. Keep crumbly.
- Take half of cake mixture and divide it evenly between six serving cups or bowls. Dollop about 2 tablespoons of whipped cream in each bowl and top with 1-1.5 tablespoons of pomegranate seeds. Divide remaining cake between the six serving containers, again top with about 2 tablespoons of whipped cream and 1 tablespoon of seeds. Refrigerate if not eating immediately. Serve within 24 hours and enjoy!
Notes
- Any 60% cacao chocolate will work for the recipe. I typically use Ghiradelli since I always have a bag on hand, but feel free to use your favorite brand.
- For half an egg, beat one whole egg in a small cup, then remove half for the recipe.
- I use 8 ounce juice cups for serving. For a splashy presentation, you can use wine glasses.
- Rose’s Grenadine is available in must supermarkets or online. You will find it in the drink “mixers” section of the stop.
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