“A mother is someone who dreams great dreams for you, but then she lets you chase the dreams you have for yourself and loves you just the same.”

A special cake for a special woman in my life!!

It was my mom's birthday some time back and it had to be a cake as special as she is.

I had this cake at Big Chill and immediately fell in love with it. One bite into this lusciously rich squidgy chocolate cake and I was totally lost in its soft velvety smooth layers. Mmmmmmm..... can life get any better than this?

At first I wondered why it was called a squidgy cake?? Though I loved the sound of it "squidgy"- "kinda cute", but seriously what an odd name to call such a beautiful piece of work. It is only after eating the cake I realized that the name was apt as the cake is so soft and spongy that it literally merges in with the filling and becomes one soft, squishy delightful chocolate mesh. This had to be the cake for mom!!

My search for the perfect Chocolate squidgy cake landed me on Delias page and going through her recipe, I realized that it was quite simple and achievable. What was surprising though that in the recipe there was no flour required for the cake. Cake baked with just cocoa, eggs and sugar? Could that even be possible? I just had to try this recipe out.

And what a dynamite it turned out to be!!

The cake was extremely light and soft almost sponge like. Contrary to my expectations that a cake baked without any flour would be really light and crumbly, I was quite surprised as the cake inspite of being soft was firm and held itself really well. The souffle like chocolate mousse alongwith the whipped cream filling complemented the cake fantastically, making it a winner all the way.

If you too want to wow someone really special or want to envelop yourself in a complete chocolate heaven, this is the way to do it.

Even though this post is delayed (embarrassingly so), my sentiments are strong. This post is dedicated to my dear mom who has always been my pillar of strength, supporting me, guiding me, teaching me to always stand up for what I believe is right, moving me in the right direction to mold me into the person I am today.

Her philosophy in life is simple like her desires and mirrored in these words by James Fadiman - “Be kind to people whether they deserve your kindness or not. If your kindness reaches the deserving good for you, if your kindness reaches the undeserving take joy in your compassion.”

Mom, I wish I can be half the person you are and am able to instill the same values in my children too. Even though we might not agree sometimes, I just want you to know how much I cherish the beautiful times we spend together. Thanks for everything you have done and still do for me. I love you.

As I Look Back

As I look back on my life
I find myself wondering.....
Did I remember to thank you
for all that you have done for me? For all of the times you were by my side
to help me celebrate my successes
and accept my defeats?
Or for teaching me the value of hard work,
good judgement, courage, and honesty?
I wonder if I've ever thanked you for the simple things...
The laughter, smiles, and quiet times we've shared?
If I have forgotten to express my gratitude
For any of these things,
I am thanking you now....
and I am hoping that you've known all along,
how very much you are loved and appreciated.

Ingredients
For the cake:
6 large eggs, separated
150 gms castor sugar
50 gms cocoa powder
For the filling:
225 gms dark chocolate
2 Tbsp water
2 large eggs, separated
250 gms double cream, softly whipped
To Decorate:
100 gms dark chocolate chopped

Method:

Make the chocolate filling:

Put the broken up chocolate and water in a pan over a pan of barely simmering water, without the bowl touching the water. When the chocolate has melted (5-10 minutes), take it off the heat and beat with a wooden spoon till smooth.

Next separate two of the eggs and beat the yolks, first on their own, then into the chocolate mixture. Let it cool a bit.

Now, with an absolutely clean whisk, whisk the egg whites till stiff and gently fold them into the chocolate mixture. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.

Then remove from the fridge, or it will get too stiff

For the Cake:

First separate the remaining six large eggs, putting the egg yolks and whites in separate bowls. Whisk the egg yolks with an electric beater until they begin to thicken. Then add the castor sugar and continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken – but don’t overdo it, it shouldn't be starting to turn pale.

Now quickly whisk in the cocoa powder and mix well.

Next, using a clean dry whisk, beat the egg whites till they are stiff and form little peaks. Then, take a metal spoon and carefully fold them into the egg yolk mixture, gently and thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, spread it evenly with the back of a tablespoon and bake it in the oven for about 20–25 minutes until risen and puffy like a soufflé (it won’t look as if it’s cooked – but it will be).

Remove it from the oven and don’t be alarmed as it starts to sink because it’s supposed to be – when it is cool, it will look crinkly on the surface.

To turn the cake out, place a piece of baking parchment on a flat surface. Then, before you turn it out, gently loosen the sides of the cake away from the liner, and turn it out onto the paper. Lift the tin away from the cake and carefully peel off the lining.

Now cut the cake evenly in half (not length ways – i.e. you need to end up with two squarish oblongs). As I wanted my cake round and a little height to my cake and a, so I made a second cake using the same recipe.

To Assemble the cake Whip the cream until quite thick. Now place one half of the cake on a serving plate, then, using a palette knife, spread half the chocolate mixture over one half of the cake, and about a quarter of the cream over the chocolate and sprinkle it with half of the chopped chocolate. Place the other half of the cake on top, pressing it down firmly. Now spread the rest of the chocolate mixture on top, and then cover the whole cake (sides as well) with whipped cream. I wanted to make it more chocolately, so I covered the cake with a layer of Chocolate ganache.
You can skip this step and instead serve the cake covered with whipped cream and sprinkled with chopped chocolate.