My lovely friend Lisa recently celebrated her birthday and her sweet boyfriend threw her a surprise party! He entrusted me with the cake, requesting something chocolate and raspberry. I combed the internet to find a suitably decadent recipe. This Chocolate Oblivion Cake seemed like the perfect way to celebrate- especially since The End of the World As We Know It was scheduled for the next day! (Better indulge before THE END, right?)
With only three ingredients (four if you add a bit of sugar to the eggs) you know this recipe is all about the process. I was a bit nervous about attempting this, especially with $20 worth of gorgeous Scharffen Berger chocolate at stake. But in the end, my careful attention triumphed. It was a plate of the richest, creamiest, densest, chocolatiest mousse you've ever tasted. And it looked quite pretty too. Mine wasn't as mirror smooth as Heidi's (I blame the Hawaiian humidity) so I let it come to room temperature and smoothed the chocolate with a knife to give a little pattern to the surface. I know Cake Boss' thing is all the rage, but I rather prefer a cake that looks like a cake. No inhumanly perfect fondant surfaces for this girl.
Raspberries, mint from my garden and a little Birthday pick completed the big moment. I used tall skinny candles, but these are really extraordinary. They have a two hour burn time! I think I'll try 'em at my next soiree.
What is your favorite birthday cake recipe? Did you see this cake story in the last Real Simple? I thought it was a great primer. Cakes aren't as hard as they look.
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