If you didn’t already know it about me, I believe just about any reason is a good one for a celebration, and food holidays are indeed reason enough in my book. Anyone who appreciates good food can take pleasure in a day that observes culinary delights, and today’s holiday has chocolate lovers everywhere squealing with glee. January 27th is National Chocolate Cake Day!
I have loved chocolate since I was a really small kid. To this day my mother remarks about me being a “chocolate-head” because that was all I ever wanted. Chocolate cake; chocolate ice cream; chocolate candy; hot chocolate; chocolate shakes; fudge; oreos; chocolate pudding; chocolate frosting out of the can—as long as it was chocolate it got the thumbs up from me.
In fact, every year for my birthday she makes her famous “Mississippi Mud Cake.” Everyone who has ever tasted it goes nuts over it, and with good reason: it is simply a pan full of deep, dark, ooey-gooey chocolate deliciousness that lives up to its name.
My mom’s cake is the best in my book, but there are some truly fantastic chocolate cake recipes out there that are a close second. One such cake is the exquisite Chocolate Champagne Liqueur cake sold by the very devious Neiman Marcus. Why do I call NM devious? Because they make these incredibly luscious, moist, decadent chocolately cakes soaked in delicious champagne (Hello! Bubbly!), and then have the nerve to only sell them during Christmas holiday time. What about the boozy chocolate cake hankerings that I have the rest of the year, huh Neiman Marcus? HUH?!!
*clears throat* I’m back from my cocoa-tainted tangent now and am continuing on.
Without further delay, from the list of cakes that I can eat year ‘round, these are my top #BubbleistaApproved Chocolate cake choices that are worthy of this sugary food holiday:
You read that correctly, this cake is made with pureed beets. In addition to that, almost all of the ingredients require a separate bowl. Don’t let any of that stop you though from making this decadent, oh-so-worth-it cake from Mowielicious. Bonus point that the picture suggests serving this cake with an adult libation.
SPICY CHOCOLATE BOURBON BUNDT CAKE
I love this cake because it combines 2 of my favorite things: chocolate and bourbon. Even better is that there is bourbon in the cake AND in the ganache icing. The “spicy” component comes from the genius inclusion of cinnamon and just a pinch of cayenne pepper in the batter–sublime!
CHOCOLATE & CARAMEL OMBRE CAKE
Okay, so I know that ombre is sooo 2014. The Huffington Post declared that there is no trend “more overdone and tired” right now than ombre. Okay, so they were talking about hair, but we wouldn’t really care, anyway. Deliciousness is deliciousness regardless of trends. This cake is four layers of vanilla, caramel, caramel-chocolate, and chocolate cake. Who cares what the question is. Chocolate is the answer.
Rich pomegranate molasses and cardamom in this recipe from Tasting Table add a unique taste and send the flavors of this cake through the stratosphere. I know what you’re thinking: “Where in the world do I get pomegranate molasses?” We live in the age of the intenets, folks. We can get just about anything from anywhere. Allow me to save you the trouble of a Google search, however: you can buy it here from iGourmet.com or even make it yourself with this recipe from Tori Avey.
By now you may also be asking (inquisitive little thing, aren’t you?) “Is it really worth it to buy pomegranate molasses” Of course it is! That’s for 2 reasons: (1) because there are other things you can do with it in addition make the chocolate cake; and (2) one of my main food philosophies is that when you make it a practice to keep good and interesting ingredients on hand, you can always make amazing recipes.
In fact, I’m going to start a new series based on that very ideology in February called “The Luxe Larder: How to Pimp Your Pantry” that’s all about increasing the goodness quotient of the ingredients in your pantry. Good ingredients = even better food, and The Bubbleista is always about having the best eating experience possible.
Back to chocolate! If your sweet tooth has you in the mood for some more sugary goodness, chocolate or otherwise, take a gander at my drool-inducing sweets board “Desserts: Come Gimme Some Sugar, Darlin’!” on Pinterest.
Celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day The Bubbleista style: have a big slice and a glass of champagne!
[…] you don’t know already, I l-o-v-e a good food holiday (see here and here for proof) and, as I mentioned in my January Sneak Peek, I plan to highlight at least one […]