Chocolate Heaven

When I turned 10, my mom and grandmother took me and a friend to a...wait for it....chocolate dessert buffet. I still remember to this day helping myself to more than several cups of chocolate mousse, among other treats. Pastry chef already in the making! As if I'm not around desserts enough, I joined a friend on a recent Saturday afternoon at the Langham Hotel in Boston to basically re-live my 10th birthday. Cafe Fleuri features an exclusive dessert bar that has everything from chocolate treats, cotton candy, a chocolate fondue bar, and crepes made to order. The room was a disappointment (we felt like we were sitting down to a continental breakfast at a courtyard Marriot). But for all-you can-eat desserts, you can't complain. The marjolaine was especially impressive, as I  fully appreciate how time-consuming it is to make. And the orange pot de cremes were so decadent! It's not too late to try the desserts-the chocolate bar is open from September to June every Saturday. It's really the perfect way to spend a day with girlfriends.

Go: Cafe Fleuri, Langham Hotel, Boston, MA

When: Saturdays, From September to June,  11-3 pm

Perfect for: Girlfriend outings, birthday parties, bridal parties

Dinner Party Dessert

To celebrate the new spring season (even if the weather is still a bit chilly) I helped host a casual dinner party. Nothing fancy, but I was asked to make a  chocolate dessert. I decided on a classic Viennese cake, famously known as Sachertorte.

For the cake:
110 grams (3 3/4 ounces unsweetened chopped chocolate
110 grams unsalted butter, room temp.
55 grams confectioners sugar
6 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
110 grams cake flour
110 grams granulated sugar

For the filling:
Apricot jam

For the chocolate ganache glaze:
8 ounces semisweet chopped chocolate
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp light corn syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare two 6 in. cake pans by spraying and lining with parchment rounds.

2. Fill a pan with water over high heat and place a bowl that fits over pan without touching the water. Place the unsweetened chocolate i the bowl and stir until completley melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. In a standing mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low. When the whites start to look frothy, slowly add granulated sugar, little by little. Raise the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Empty meringue into bowl to set aside. Clean mixer bowl and add the butter.

4. Soften butter in mixer with paddle attachment. Add confectioners sugar until light and fluffy.

5. Add egg yolks 1 by 1, scraping bowl down after each addition.

6. With motor on low, add melted chocolate all at once. If you don't do this all at once, the chocolate may set up and become too hard to fully incorporate.

7. Once chocolate is fully incorporated, remover bowl from mixer and by hand fold in the meringue. Leave the mixture slightly streaky, then carefully fold in the cake flour.

8. Divide batter evenly between the pans and bake for about 30 min.

9. Remove cakes from pans when done and cool on racks. When ready, use a serrated knife and slice each cake in half so you have four cake layers. With offset spatula, spread desired amount of apricot jam on each layer and assemble. I wrapped the cake at this point and chilled for about an hour before glazing.

10. Prepare glaze by placing in heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan and just when it comes to a boil remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Whisk until it is shiny and smooth.

11. Pour glaze over the cake starting in the middle then down the sides, using an offset spatula to smooth over evenly. Allow to set before serving.

Special Tip: For a dramatic finish, I added caramel-dipped hazelnuts. To make the caramel, simply combine 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan and cover with just enough water so it has a wet-sand consistency. Cook over medium high heat until caramel is a light amber color. Thread hazelnuts on any kind of skewer you have and dip.