Tired. Weary. Slump-shouldered.

Is it really almost October?

Where did another year go? All work and little play. Sometimes I wish time would stand still so that I could

Stop.

Breathe out.

Share a piece of chocolate cake with someone I love.

Fallen Chocolate Souffle Cake :
(serves 10; from Bittersweet by Alice Medrich)

1/4 cup blanched almonds
3 tablespoons plain flour
85g bittersweet (preferably 70%) chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 tablespoon brandy
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
scant 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 190’C. Place a round of baking paper in the bottom of an 8 x 3 inch springform pan and spray the sides with vegetable oil spray.

In a food processor or blender, grind the almonds with the flour until very fine. Set aside.

Combine the chocolate, cocoa and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water and whisk until mixture is smooth and the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the egg yolks and brandy; set aside.

Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high speed until stiff but not dry.

Whisk the flour and almond mixture into the chocolate. Fold about a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Scrape the batter into the pan and level the top if necessary.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. The torte will sink like a souffle.

Taking care not to crack the edges of the torte, run a knife between the torte and the sides of the pan to release the cake. Remove the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto a plate. Remove the pan bottom and paper liner. Turn right side up on a platter. Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift a little powdered sugar over the top. Serve with a little whipped cream, if you like.

[Note: Amazingly, this cake has no butter. It has a pure chocolate taste, that calls for the use of the best chocolate possible. I served mine with a dollop of double cream]

I’m pretty sure I’ll never forget how to :

1 Chop 1.2kg of parsley for Cafe de Paris butter
2 Finely grate 2kg of parmesan for biscuits
3 Cut up 50kg of butter for mash
4 Grate 9 cups of carrots for a cake
5 Thinly slice 5kg of brown onions for a souffle mix

Thankfully, this zucchini cake only took 1.8kg of zucchini, as I made 6 loaves. Redolent with vanilla and flecked with vibrant green strands like semi-precious stones, this cake is moist and utterly delicious even several days later. When you’re done making zucchini stirfries, patties or stuffing zucchini flowers, I urge you to try this easy recipe. It proudly gives carrot cake a run for it’s money.

Stephanie Alexander’s Zucchini Cake :

220g unsalted butter, melted
4 eggs
1 cup castor sugar
few drops of pure vanilla
2 cups of plain flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
300g zucchini, roughly grated
2/3 cup walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 220’C. Brush base and sides of a 1.5 litre loaf tin with a little of the melted butter and line base with baking paper.

In a food processor, blend eggs, sugar, vanilla and remaining butter. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together, then add to butter mixture and blend briefly until smooth. Tip into a bowl and fold in zucchini and walnuts.

Pour into prepared tin and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 180’C and bake for a further 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature before cutting.

I have seen a grown man lick a slice of cake so that no one else will be tempted to steal it. “Don’t let anyone touch my cake while I’m out,” he says. “Tell them I’ve licked it. See?” He presses his tongue against the creamy topping, like an octopus’ tentacle claiming it’s prize, then out the door he dashes. I work with crazy people.

But the lure of cake does that to most of us. Especially chocolate cake.. which I’ve just realised that I haven’t made in awhile. One of the most comforting chocolate treats is a chocolate-loaded flourless cake by Jill Dupleix, who in turn had enhanced an Elizabeth David recipe. The chocolate I usually use is Callebaut, occasionally Valrhona (when I feel like splashing out), but sometimes also Lindt 70%, which is readily available at the local supermarket and is my great standby when I’ve run out of the other stuff. So usually any of my recipes should read : First, grab your handbag and dash to the shops for some Lindt because you’ve forgotten that there aren’t any more Callebaut buttons in the house.

Today I thought I would try something different. This cake is a combination of old and new : an old favourite chocolate cake recipe by Rose Levy Beranbaum, filled with a salted caramel recipe from a newly acquired book that my brother gave me for Christmas.

Rose’s cake is called Chocolate Domingo, named after Placido Domingo. It is an incredibly moist, chocolatey and fudgey cake, that really is very satisfying eaten unadorned. But in the spirit of trying something different, I decided to cut it into individual portions, slather the innards with salty caramel, and top the cakes with a shiny glaze.

To paraphrase Adam Ford, I kiss this cake and make it mine.

Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Chocolate Domingo Cake :

42g Dutch cocoa powder
160g sour cream
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
156g sifted cake flour
200g castor sugar
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
200g unsalted butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 180’C.

In a medium bowl whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, eggs and vanilla until smooth.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and half the cocoa mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake’s structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the remaining cocoa mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides.

Scrape the batter into the prepared tin (23cm diameter greased and lined springform tin) and smooth the surface with a spatula. The tin will be about half full. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a tester inserted near the centre comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the centre.

Let the cake cool in the tin on a rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and invert onto a greased wire rack. Reinvert so that the top is up and cool completely before wrapping airtight.

(More chocolate treats over at SHF #27, hosted by David Lebovitz.)