Dense, Moist, Deep, Dark, Chocolate Cake Covered with Cream and Roses

Though the Love Goddess Cake debuted just a few months ago with our line of luxury baking mixes, it is one of my oldest Vosges Haut-Chocolat recipes. The sweetened whipped cream, rose touched beauty debuted in one of my very first print catalogs. Back in the day, over a decade ago, I was still rolling truffles in my Chicago apartment and Vosges Haut-Chocolat had just moved from being merely the sparkle in my eye to a chocolate Bucktown reality. I insisted that we travel to New York for a photo shoot in the streets of the West Village as an anchor for our first multi-page mail order catalog.  So, we went to the big apple and shot a chocolate lifestyle catalog to introduce the brand to the chocolate lovers of the world.  We even bought a white leather Ralph Lauren dress for styling!  Shortly after the catalog launched my partnership fizzled and I was not on the winning side of my accountant. She thought I was a creative type that didn’t know a thing about running a business. SO I decided NOT to tell her of my plans to open a boutique in SoHo that rented for $18,ooo a month! I just knew in my gut that having a boutique in New York would bring an incredible awareness for this brand of experiential chocolate. It was my fourth year in business and we were yet to have a profit, but nonetheless I felt I was on a precipice and so I convinced the landlord I was going to be a success.  The boutique opened and in 2002 with a failed partnership and a crazy expensive NYC rent we had our first profit ever! Sorry for the digression but reminiscing about this cake takes me back to this story. I get asked often what was one of the biggest successes you’ve had and I always say whenever I follow my instincts.

The catalog featured our core exotic truffle collection along with a few other early products. Tucked near the back was a double page spread debuting the original Love Goddess Cake. It was my recipe for dense, chocolate cake along with a chili-spiced red fire ganache to spread between the layers. To finish it off, I suggested a layering of whipped cream and a crown of organic rose petals.

From that first catalog, the cake has made many appearances at parties and was featured in Art Smith’s cookbook, Back to the Table. Now, I think it has come to its final evolution – a baking mix that allows even the most novice bakers to enjoy the rich cake and impress friends with ease!

I have been making the Love Goddess Cake mix with whipped cream as filling and frosting. It is best if you can make the cake the day before serving it and put it in the refrigerator.  hen take it out of the fridge for 1-2 hours before you serve. This allows the cream to soak into the cake making it even more moist. If you don’t have time to do that, I suggest rubbing some of the whipping cream right into the layers of cake before you whip it up and fill and cover the cake.

Whipped cream is quite forgiving so you don’t have to be an expert at layer cakes to make this one look good. Last time I made it, the whipped cream was slightly over whipped, but not having time to get to the store, I forged ahead, sprinkled the cake heavily with rose petals and set it out for my guests near my favorite champagne on a dessert table.

The Love Goddess Cake mix includes tips and tricks along with serving suggestions. Experiment with your own fillings and frostings. Please do share your suggestions. I always love creative input from my fellow chocolate lovers!

How to Shuck an Oyster

What a lucky few weeks I have had with fresh, fragrant oysters regularly gracing my kitchen.  You see, in between holiday music and evergreen boughs, I have been scheming up Valentine’s Day delicacies.  Since chocolate is the name of my game, I am working on a way to combine the two.  But you’ll have to wait for a month or so to discover the result… I have to keep some secrets close to the vest.

Thanks to my experience at Le Cordon Bleu, I have shucked many an oyster.  A few thousand in and I am still taken by their beauty -  the roughness of the shell juxtaposed to the soft inner folds, the beautiful grays and greens, the subtle alluring aroma of sea. There is truly something magical about them.

My favorite oysters are Kumamoto.  As Hog Island Oyster company describes them, “Originally from the Kumamoto area of Kyushu, Japan, the Kumamoto Oyster takes three years to develop the small, deeply cupped shell that protects its surprisingly plump little morsel. Mildly fruity and sweet with a slightly mineral finish and a rich buttery texture, the Kumamoto is the perfect oyster for beginners.”  Hog Island will ship oysters directly to you but if you happen to be in California along Highway 1, you MUST stop at their picnic area and indulge on the spot.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with oysters at home. In the next week, I will start tempting you with some oyster and chocolate recipe ideas so you may want to practice. You will need a towel and an oyster knife.

1. Check all the oysters and discard any that are not tightly closed.

2. Scrub the oysters with a stiff brush under fresh, running water.

3. Place an oyster in a towel with the more rounded side down and the flat side up.  Hold the oyster as level as you can so that when it opens you don’t lose any of the precious juices.

4. Put your oyster knife into the oyster near the hinge.  You only need to insert about 1/2 inch of the knife.

5. Twist the knife so the muscles of the oyster are severed allowing the top to come off.

6. Carefully remove the top shell.  Scrape any meat attached off the top and into the bottom shell.

7. Slide the oyster knife under the meat to cut the oyster away from the bottom shell while keeping it sitting in the shell.

I like to serve them with the top shell alongside.