it's all about the cake.

I had a delightful birthday last Sunday. It was so nice to hear from family and friends who called, emailed, texted, and sent packages. The girls brought me numerous homemade cards throughout the day. Ben cooked a delicious dinner (butternut squash and lentil soup). The highlight was the amazing cake he made me. A crème fraîche chocolate bundt cake with chocolate ganache to be exact. (Recipe can be found here.)

It was incredible. Chocolatey and delicious and baked to perfection with a perfectly smooth ganache. And not overly sweet. Sadly, I developed a cold that night and couldn't smell or taste for the next four days so I couldn't enjoy the leftovers. But that might have been for the best. Because I think I would have devoured the whole cake. Amelia has already requested that Ben make this cake for her birthday too.

Ben even added a lovely finishing touch with strawberries and cream.

Molten Chocolate Cake

I wanted a chocolate dessert for Valentine's Day but wanted to keep it really simple. I went with these delicious molten chocolate cakes which are very easy to make. Love that chocolate center.





Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cakes
from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

12 teaspoons plus 5 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Preparation

Generously butter eight 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Sprinkle inside of each dish with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar. (I used cooking spray and cocoa powder and it worked wonderfully. The cakes didn't stick at all.)
Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Using electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolks, and remaining 5 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until thick and pale yellow, about 8 minutes. Fold 1/3 of warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture, then fold in remaining chocolate. Fold in flour. Divide batter among soufflé dishes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic; chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place soufflé dishes on baking sheet. Bake cakes uncovered until edges are puffed and slightly cracked but center 1 inch of each moves slightly when dishes are shaken gently, about 13 minutes.
Invert cakes onto a serving dish or eat right out of the soufflé dish. If desired, serve with ice cream.

Green Cake

Amelia requested a frog cake for her 3rd birthday. My hand was a little sore from squeezing frosting by the end, but she was pleased with the results. I used one round cake for the body, 2 cupcakes for the eyes, and cut the legs out of a rectangular cake. Then covered it all with loads of green frosting.