Chocolate truffle cakes

I had some major highs and major lows this year.


I met my new best friends cauliflower and Swiss chard. I started making beans from scratch. I made kimchi! Well, kaktugi.

I had some pretty spectacular failures as well though, which, by not creating posts about them, I can pretend they never happened.

I made a batch of mak kimchi and although in hindsight it turned out fine, I thought I had completely ruined it by leaving it out for too long. A first attempt at chicken tikka masala was just ok, as was a batch of snickerdoodles. And I just can't seem to get the hang of frosting.


These chocolate truffle cakes were on the verge of disaster as well. I had tried this Martha Stewart recipe once before, four or five years ago, with great success - they were super dense, chewy brownie-like cakes. Since I'd made it once before, I figured it would be a fool-proof addition to my friend's dinner party menu (and perfect for her husband The Chocoholic).



All seemed to be going smoothly. They smelled heavenly and puffed up nicely in the oven, then collapsed a bit as they cooled.


The recipe says "For extra fudgy results, make these cakes a day ahead; wrap them well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Serve them chilled or at room temperature."

Well, I had made these the day of, but I went ahead and wrapped them and stuck them in the fridge for a few hours. I was getting ready to head up to my friends' place and took the cakes out of the fridge... and they were like hockey pucks. Literally. Rock. Solid.

Oh no, I ruined dessert.

On a somewhat informed whim (I was reminded of these little chocolate gateaux with warm gooey centers at Beard Papa's), I took one of the hockey pucks and stuck it in the microwave. The middle sort of puffed up and became souffle-like - perfect!


Further uptown, we enjoyed a fantastic collaborative meal of chicken, steak, cauliflower and Chinese greens (no, that pan of chicken is not resting in the sink)...


Culminating with this chocolate goodie, nuked for a minute, topped with vanilla ice cream.

So lesson learned? You just can't ruin chocolate, especially when it is topped with ice cream.

Looking forward to another year of cooking challenges... with hopefully more highs and fewer lows.