Mama' Boy

When I was younger, I always knew I wanted a family (yes I am one of those people). I imagined I would have a boy and would spend a time with Uncle Adam in Mexico learning about birds and herps, doing the wonderland trail, fishing, having fun with science and gross things and loving being with my little guy. But then I had a girl. Boy was I in shock. I hoped she liked me, hoped she did'nt look like me and hoped that I would figure out what to do with her and make sure she was happy. These might be things any new parent thinks when they find out what they are having, but I was scared. Now, she is my life. I never think those scary things or wonder how I will make sure she is happy. She is my best friend and my life. I can do all the things with her that I wanted to with a boy. Now, I found out what my second baby will be and it is a boy. Now I am not scared, but I wonder how I will raise both. I was so excited that all my hopes and dreams have finally come true that I made Molly Wizenbergs winning hearts and minds cake. It just seemed like a perfect fit. Lou worries that I will spoil this little guy, b/c he knows how much I have wanted one, but really I am happy to have the family that I have always wanted-the husband that I always knew I would have, my daughter that has given me more love than imaginable, and now a son to complete all my hopes and dreams. Things really could'nt be better! I dont have a picture of the new baby to post, but trust me it is a healthy little boy.

Here is Molly's recipe:
(I added a chocolate ganache but this cake would be much simpler, like for an afternoon treat, instead of for a celebration which I used it for). If you are going to make this, allow to cool either in the fridge or overnight at room temperature before serving.

Gâteau au chocolat fondant de Nathalie
or, Kate's Winning-Hearts-and-Minds CakeAdapted from Je veux du chocolat!, by Trish Deseine



7 ounces (200 grams) best-quality dark chocolate
7 ounces (200 grams) unsalted European-style butter (the high-butterfat kind, such as Lurpak or Beurre d’Isigny), cut into ½-inch cubes
1 1/3 cup (250 grams) granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 Tbs unbleached all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the base of the pan with parchment, and butter the parchment too.

Finely chop the chocolate (a serrated bread knife does an outstanding job of this) and melt it gently with the butter in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring regularly to combine. Add the sugar to the chocolate-butter mixture, stirring well, and set aside to cool for a few moments. Then add the eggs one by one, stirring well after each addition, and then add the flour. The batter should be smooth, dark, and utterly gorgeous.

Pour batter into the buttered cake pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the center of the cake looks set and the top is shiny and a bit crackly-looking. (I usually set the timer for 20 minutes initially, and then I check the cake every two minutes thereafter until it’s done. At 20 minutes, it’s usually quite jiggly in the center. You’ll know it’s done when it jiggles only slightly, if at all.) Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 10 minutes; then carefully turn the cake out of the pan and revert it, so that the crackly side is facing upward. Allow to cool completely. The cake will deflate slightly as it cools.

Serve in wedges at room temperature with a loose dollop of ever-so-slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Note: This cake is even better on the second day, so consider making it the day before serving. And thank you to Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini, whose mention of a clementine cake in Trish Deseine’s Mes petits plats préférés led to my stumbling upon Je veux du chocolat! in the bookstore one day.