Chocolate Boxes

You asked for it and it is FINALLY here!!! I apologize for the delay, I made these once about a year and a half ago and really had to rack my brain about what all went into these and what I did to make them!

These little desserts are SUPER SWEET so they would be great to make for a dinner party or even a wedding/bridal/baby shower where there are a lot of people (one box per person will be enough).  It's a time consuming dish but they can definitely be made ahead of time and filled just before serving.

There are some shortcuts you can take with this to save time: using raspberry preserves (or another type of fruit preserve), and/or using store bought whipped cream.  But I can't make any comments about how any of that would effect the outcome of this... It would probably still be tasty... Just not as tasty as my recipe :-)

Alright here we go, hopefully I can remember everything!

Chocolate Boxes with Raspberry Coulis and Coconut Whipped "Cream"

1 Box of Chocolate Cake mix (Duncan Hines Devil's Food is yummy)
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Ener-G Egg replacer for 3 Eggs

Prep according to the box in a 13x9 baking pan. Remove from oven when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes.

At this point you can leave it in the pan to cool completely or you can turn it out of the pan and let it cool completely.

When cooled completely, cut a half inch off of each side, creating a 12x8 rectangle of cake (makes for easier measuring when cutting slices into cubes for the boxes).

Cut cake into 2x2 in cubes.  Depending on how high you cake baked, you may want to cut it in half so it's 2-in wide x2-in long x 1-in high.

Coconut Whipped Cream:
1 can FULL FAT Coconut Milk (don't use lite coconut milk or this won't work)
1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla
2-3 TBS confectioner's sugar

Place the coconut milk in the fridge overnight.  Crucial!! This allows for the cream and liquid to separate and the cream to harden enough for this to work.  Put a bowl in the freezer 5 minutes before you're ready to whip so the cream stays cold!

Upon removing the can from the fridge, carefully turn the can over.  Open the can and pour out all the liquid. (either throw this away or use in another recipe) The cream at the bottom of the can is what you need to whip!

Spoon the cream into the cold bowl and whip with hand mixer until fluffy.  

Add confectioner's sugar and vanilla and whip again making sure it's evenly distributed.  

Cover and Chill until ready to use.

Chocolate Panels: 

2 bags of Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Melt the chocolate chips (I suggest over a double-boiler.. it just melts more evenly).  Spread an even, approximately 1/8 in thick, layer on a piece of parchment paper

Allow to harden in a cool room.  When the chocolate is just set, cut the chocolate into 2-inch squares,(see where I'm going with this?) place in the refrigerator until ready to use

Raspberry Coulis:

1 1/2 pints of fresh raspberries (can use about a bag of frozen raspberries if fresh ones aren't available)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 TBS lemon juice
1/2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp cold water


Put the raspberries, sugar, water, and lemon juice into a small-med saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce to med low and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the berries are very soft (about 10 min).  

Sprinkle the cornstarch over 2 teaspoons cold water and stir to dissolve. Pour into the simmering raspberry mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.

Strain through a fine-mesh wire sieve into a medium bowl; discard the seeds. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Now that you've made all the components, here's how to assemble the boxes!

With a pastry brush, brush raspberry coulis onto the 4 sides around the cake, leaving the top and bottom without. 

Press a chocolate panel onto each side that has been brushed with coulis, allowing the chocolate panels to be flush with the cake at the bottom of the box. The top of the box will have an inch of panel "overhang".  When all four panels are intact, pour a thin layer of coulis in the "well".  Chill for at least 20 mins (this is where you can stop if you are making these ahead of time)

Top with about a  whipped cream, a drizzle of raspberry coulis (if you have leftovers) and a raspberry if you want.

I'm thinking about making these again now that I've finally remembered all my ingredients and the process... Maybe I'll do it for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  The boxes are so cute and everyone gets their own, like a little present!