Chocolate Cake Recipe, French-Style

You know your weekend went well when you've got several new dessert recipes turned out, tasted and crumbs left to clean up by Monday morning.

I've noticed that I've been lagging in the homemade dessert department for some time now. And this isn't right for several reasons.

First of all, they bring added pizazz to a meal. Secondly, a little sweetness can go a long way to prevent the dreaded grazing habit and it's a great bonding dish to create with children who actively seek making stuff with you in the kitchen.

Finally, I've realized that some of my husband's fondest memories are about desserts that his mom used to make. But don't we all? No one reminisces over the canned veggies now do they?

Here's where the Suchard chocolate comes in. I had it on hand, quietly keeping the flour and sugar company in the pantry. Having no better recipe than the one on the back of the box. My daughter's got my brownie recipe in her head and went straight for melting the chocolate in the saucepan. (Personally, I think she just likes breaking the bar up into chunks and stirring what looks like Willy Wonka's chocolate River.) She also got out the eggs, a mixing bowl, un fouet, whisk and flour.

The recipe is quite simple, easy, not difficult (except for whipping les blancs d'oeufs en neige, whipping the egg whites stiff). My daughter practiced her reading (of the recipe) and I got a bicep workout whisking the yokes with the sugar and butter until light yellow. Excellent, reading practice, arm workout, dessert for all in one go. Of course when dessert-time came around, I let her do the honors of serving everyone.

But the icing on this cake (total pun intended) was that for so little initial investment my daughter and I baked up a batch of memories that will stay with us a lifetime. Now that's the kind of return I want on all my investments.

Suchard Chocolate Cake

*200 gr dark chocolate, or one dark, baking chocolate bar
*3 eggs, separate whites from yokes
*pinch of salt
*butter, softened
*1/3 cup or 50 gr sugar
*2/3 cup or 80 gr flour

Pre-heat oven to: 180°C (350°F). Grease and flour a medium-sized cake pan.

Melt chocolate in pan over low heat; in a separate bowl whisk together butter, sugar and egg yokes until batter is light yellow in color. (Hand whisk is sufficient); fold in flour in increments, whisking well after each increment. Beat egg whites until stiff, set aside.

Stir chocolate in to flour, egg mixture, gently sit in egg whites. Pour into cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.