nataJane

I’ve not made many chocolate cakes in my day, but I was determined to find the perfect recipe for Valentine’s Day. I looked high and low for recipes online that would yield a rich, satisfying result. When I came across this flour-less chocolate truffle cake, I knew I had found The One. I have always wanted to attempt those beautiful chocolate curls on top of a dessert and felt that this was the perfect opportunity.

We don’t usually make big plans for Valentine’s day, and this year was no exception. There’s something about the gross overuse of hearts, roses, the colour red and naked cupid babies that makes me want to vomit a little and then stay home the entire day. All week long I had been looking forward to my afternoon date in the kitchen and was not disappointed. I began by making appetizers of sundried tomato and goat cheese pesto wrapped in delicate phyllo pastry. After that, I made sweet meringue candies that melt in your mouth. I made raspberry sauce for the first time and made heavy whipping cream to go with the cake.

Chris had planned to make pork chops for dinner, so I moved right onto making dessert. I spent hours labouring over chocolate curls and ganache, eating almost as much of the Ghirardelli as I baked, sipping wine, and savouring every moment. The pork chops were, without a doubt, the best I’ve ever had. Chris cooked them on the charcoal grill with his own sweet and spicy sauce and they were incredible. I couldn’t even slow down to make sure I had enough room for dessert.

The chocolate cake was everything I had hoped for: dense, semi-sweet and oh-so-rich. I finally ended up with curls and shavings that I was happy with and almost didn’t want to disturb them. The raspberry sauce and whipped cream offered a wonderful balance to the dark chocolate.

There aren’t a lot of things in this world that completely satisfy my sweet tooth, but this cake was successful in every way. I am a flaming chocoholic and am proud to have met my match. I cut tiny pieces for the sake of presentation, but was surprised to have barely been able to finish it.

A beautiful afternoon, incredible food, chocolate cake, and an evening with my husband- the perfect Valentine’s day.

17feb10

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