My husband isn't much for celebrating Valentine's Day. I'm sure he probably thinks it's a stupid excuse for Hallmark to make a few extra bucks. Truthfully, I love to celebrate EVERYTHING.
I celebrate life everyday, but a holiday that is based around love? Count me in! I wouldn't say I go overboard with crazy gifts and expectations, but it certainly gives me a chance to remind my husband how much I care about him and of course, make a special themed dinner.
I had all these great plans to do this elaborate dinner, invite friends over and eat chocolate all day long. But--as nature would have it, my daughter came down with croup the week before. I came down with bronchitis. By the time Valentine's Day rolled around, I was dog tired from not sleeping and the last thing I wanted to do was cook an elaborate meal, and secondly, entertain anyone. I talked myself into making this cake on Valentine's Day in the late afternoon. My daughter was napping and I was starting to feel a bit better after my z-pack, so I figured, what the heck.
I have been eying this cake recipe from Williams Sonoma in my recipe binder for nearly 2 years (I know that is exceptionally long but I have A LOT of recipes on my wish list). This was super easy to make! It's very very chocolaty and it is very dense (due to the lack of flour). You need quite a bit of chocolate for this recipe. I used one of those really large chocolate bars from Trader Joe.
The verdict: I really enjoyed this cake. It was perfect for Valentine's Day! I will say I cooked it for 10 extra minutes than the recipe said to, even though it said 'Don't over cook'. Truth is, my oven typically cooks fast; but for whatever reason the center of this was pretty runny even when I finally pulled it out. The cake is almost pudding/mousse like but more dense. It was the perfect accompaniment to an indulgent night (watching The Bachelor while drinking a glass of wine).
Please excuse the 'nighttime' pictures as this wasn't ready to be sliced until late evening. Man...I can't wait until summer!
For the recipe, click here.
Alterations: I used instant espresso dissolved in water instead of the liquor.
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