Birthday Wishes and Cake for the Birthday Boy!

December is always super busy for us--as it is I am sure for a lot of people. On top of holiday events, we celebrate two birthdays with a fun outing, a special meal and a homemade cake.  This year, I took my husband to paint a bowl with me at our local paint-your-own pottery place.  It was lots of fun.  I highly recommend it for a date. We picked up beverages and then the two of us worked on the piece he selected: a chopstick bowl.  In the afternoon, the kids took him to the movies while I made his special meal and dessert.





The chocolate cake was really decadent and rich--definitely not for the faint of heart. It's really dense and wonderful with a dollop of freshly made whipped cream on top. Of course, you don't have to wait for a birthday to try it!



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Chocolate Overload Cake (serves 8-10) Use the very best quality chocolate you can find in order to ensure amazing results.The cake can be made the day before--cool completely, wrap it well and refrigerate until you are ready to frost and decorate. 8 oz bittersweet chocolate 10 eggs, yolks separated from whites 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp espresso instant powder 1 1/2 cups almond meal 1 cup heavy whipping cream 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 3 tbsp confectioner sugar Dark chocolate bar to make chocolate shavings (optional) Preheat oven to 350F Oil a 10" springform pan Melt bittersweet chocolate in a double-boiler--or the microwave (in small increments to ensure the chocolate does not acquire a burnt taste) Set aside to cool Beat the egg whites in a mixer to medium stiff-peaks.  Set aside. In a mixer, beat egg yolks with sugar for three minutes on high speed. Drizzle in the melted chocolate while keeping the mixer on medium and then the espresso powder Add the almond meal.  Mix well Using a spatula, gently fold in the egg whites into the almond-chocolate mixture.  This will take a while--you want to work it slowly Pour batter into the prepared cake pan Bake cake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean Let cool completely In a mixer, beat the whipping cream, cocoa powder and sugar together until medium-stiff peaks Frost the cake and decorate as you'd like To make chocolate shavings, use a vegetable peeler and slide it over the bar of chocolate.  Then use the shavings to decorate the top of the cake once it's been frosted Store in the refrigerator until 15 minutes before serving Printable Recipe